Bassassin

Cool - that'll be them pesky adjustable collars then! I'd always recommend leaving original parts on a bass of this vintage anyway.

I've used a CSL Jazz as my main bass since finding it for £60 in a local pawn shop, about 13 years ago. I'd intended to hose it down & flip it for a profit, but was seduced away from that idea by the fact it had the nicest neck of any bass I'd ever picked up. I'm usually quite an anorak about original spec on vintage MIJ instruments but admit this one's been modded, just a bit. [url="https://postimg.org/image/1937vv0s0b/"][/url] I'd be intereseted in seeing pics of your CSL Jazz & Tele, if you have any. The brand is of interest to me because I'm a bit of an MIJ nerd and always assumed that CSLs were ordered through Hoshino Gakki (Ibanez parent company) alongside Ibanez, as C. Summerfield Ltd was UK importer for Ibanez at the time. Interestingly, most (if not all) the CSLs I've seen - including my bass - are rebranded Cimars, the majority of which were absolutely not Fujigen builds. Cimar was another brand owned & distributed by Hoshino, and there is a bit of shared DNA between late 70s/80s Ibanez & Cimar, and as a consequence, CSL too. The little I can find about Charles Summerfield Ltd suggests that the company was a successor to Summerfield Brothers - whose own brand was Sumbro. I can't find any confirmed time periods for either of the companies, but Sumbro instruments (which appear to be budget Chushin Gakki builds) are typical early/mid 70s, while most of the CSLs I've seen appear to be "post lawsuit" - which is to say the copy instruments have re-styled headstocks, which is typical of instruments made after 1977. It may be that the CSL & Sumbro brands ran alongside each other as upper & lower quality tiers, much like Rose-Morris' Avon & Shaftesbury brands. Sadly there aren't enough examples around to be able to draw informed conclusions! My bass has no serial or dateable pickup/pot codes but it has the headstock shape of the Mk 1 Ibanez Blazer, which dates from 1980. Later versions of the same bass (both CSL and Cimar) have the subsequent, better known Blazer/Roadster-style headstock, so it's fair to assume these are 1980 or later. [url="https://postimg.org/image/1cyb9xglez/"][/url] Do you have any other info about Summerfield & their involvement with design?

I have one of these - aesthetically slightly different in that it has bubinga (or something similar) front & back veneers on the body wings, with a pale timber core - very hippy sandwich! Really nice, playable 5er, if you don't mind tight spacing. Should put some new strings on mine & actually use it a bit more!

Will definitely grab a copy of this - although from what I know of his extensive bass collection, he's sorely in need of educating regarding the merits of MIJ instruments. "Bignose's Bass Book" would have been my choice of a title.

[quote name='BigLicks67' timestamp='1506672656' post='3380262'] The Bass was recently in for a re-fret and set up and the Tech suggested that the tuners were slipping and may need replacing. [/quote] Sorry for the late response! As I mentioned, these tuners have torque-adjustable collars (which your tech may not have noticed) so try tightening these before replacing them. If they do need replacing, I'd be interested in the old ones for spare parts.

Here's a cracker for the old folks' home: [media]http://youtu.be/C-CUSIK7-Gs[/media]

I'm familiar with the MIJ copies (typically Avon in the UK, & the same bass as Cimar & probably made by Chushin Gakki) & had one myself a few years back. These are very, very accurate copies and could almost pass for the real deal. I've not encountered MIA or Eagle (suspect they're not UK brands) but the Melody copies are actually Italian-made & quite different - I've heard mixed reports about these, and they're a lot less common. There are Kimbara & Aria-branded Ripper copies (both Matsumoku builds, AFAIK) and these are both rare and expensive! Will keep my eyes peeled for an MIJ Grabber & if one turns up will give a heads-up. Assuming I can manage to not buy it myself - I miss my old one! [url="https://postimg.org/image/6ko8gph8ij/"][/url] [url="https://postimg.org/image/3iscfhjr7f/"][/url] [url="https://postimg.org/image/66uk40l0jf/"][/url]

Sold for £156 (+£25 post) which is not at all bad, given that it looks pretty decent apart from the missing/damaged bits. Anyone on here?

Got my pickup back safe & sound & thanks alexcaber for the t-shirt! Hope the pup was of use & happy to help out!

What's the problem with the existing tuners? If it's the ones with the cast backs & torque-adjustable collars, I have a couple of 1980-ish basses with these and they're good quality units. 80s Yamahas also use a variant of these, with cast buttons instead of the cloverleaf keys.

[quote name='dyerseve' timestamp='1506580467' post='3379621'] Hmm. These arent actually that rare IMO. I just sold one and my mate bought one earlier this year after trying mine. They are phenomenal basses though, especially for the money. Think the seller is optomistic on the prices he mentions in the listing - about £250 is the going rate for one of these in good nick. As for the pups, they arent actually P pups despite appearances. Within the cover there are two seperate jazz coils with only half the pole pieces populated. Not sure why they did that but you cant argue with the resultant sounds these things can make. Very well balanced and comfortable to play. Lightweight to at 3.95kg. [/quote] True - should've said "P-ish"! I have an RSB Deluxe II (the P/J-ish variant!) and it's ridiculously versatile for a passive bass. I'd assume the exposed coils are simply for aesthetic reasons, the pup's specified pretty much the same as the MB-II, as far as I know. Interesting (and a little bit annoying!) that he's trying to conflate this bass with Cliff Burton's SB Elite Black & Gold. Entirely different instruments and at opposite ends of the range at the time.

It's from the same era - basically a 2xP version of the P/J RSB Deluxe II. Not sure why they used that name, though. Too bad about the missing knob - those Aria co-ax sets are twice as rare as rocking-horse poo.

[quote name='prowla' timestamp='1506062038' post='3376133'] Mind you, it's cheaper than this one: [url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Westone-Thunder-1A-bass-made-in-Matsumoku-Japan-1984/292248382043?_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIM.MBE%26ao%3D2%26asc%3D47510%26meid%3Decb95e64fba74db5998f921493afb342%26pid%3D100005%26rk%3D5%26rkt%3D6%26sd%3D302461789532&_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851"]http://www.ebay.co.u...5.c100005.m1851[/url] [/quote] And that one's going nowhere fast! Seller's a well-known overpriced dealer - [url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Avon-SG-bass-made-in-Japan-excellent-condition/302404064748"]cheap & nasty plywood Avon EB copy for £320, anyone[/url]?

[quote name='MoJo' timestamp='1505899701' post='3375024'] That must have been what the seller was testing here, hence the appearance [/quote] Turns out they're not idiot-proof! Mk 1 & 1A are great bargains considering the quality, shame the through-neck 2 & 3 tend to be more in line with other similarly built Matsumokus. Always fancied a 2xP Thunder 2.

[quote name='itsmedunc' timestamp='1505859671' post='3374875'] What a kin mess! There's a red one on that looks well for £140 BIN too! [/quote] £150 or so is the going price for these, seems like that's always been the case, probably because they're bomb-proof and there are thousands of them around. And Ebay's full of delusionals & chancers with ludicrous BINs & start prices. And they never, ever sell....

[quote name='pfretrock' timestamp='1505571429' post='3372931'] February 1952, as it happened. (sorry ) [/quote] Close enough for rock 'n roll?

I've done a few (occupational hazard of fixing up old Japanese guitars) and had good results with hand-hot water followed by compression on kitchen worktop under flat/heavy object. A hairdryer/heat gun could work too but be careful, concentrating too much heat on one area could easily wreck the whole thing.

1953, as it happens. But I think in the instance of the lyric of this song, the king in question is what we call a "metaphor".

Florence & The Machine. She has an immense voice, completely wasted in that messy, mimsy indie twaddle.

http://www.bradfordpriceproject.co.uk/ Like SP above, just a single page with links to FB & SoundCloud - having knocked up numerous band sites over the years, with varying levels of complexity, currently it doesn't seem important to have anything more than a token site alongside the social media stuff. We're currently a non-performing recording project - and still at the demo stage - so there may be a need for more as things develop. Edit: Should mention - knocked up with a very old copy of Dreamweaver MX, hosted in a small, dusty corner of webspace belonging to the charity I work for (with permission, of course!) with a redirected url.

[quote name='dyerseve' timestamp='1504987133' post='3368754'] Gee thanks so much for your valued opinion. [/quote] Apologies, don't mean to cause offence & didn't realise the bass was owned by a BC member. However. I do know a little about Japanese instruments from this era, and having (a few years ago now, admittedly) bought & sold them to earn a living, I do have some awareness of the market for them, and their values. The simple fact is that, like any vintage instrument, original components and finish, both in good order, are paramount to their value. Refinishes and non-original components (regardless of quality) are unlikely to add value. I can only look at an instrument from the perspective of what I'd expect it to achieve if I were selling it - and a VA900B in top condition would likely be a £350-£400 bass. They are excellent instruments but looking at Matsumoku builds from this era, the Vantage brand is valued a bit lower than similarly specced Westones, and both of those are poor relations to Aria Pro SBs & SB-Rs. Of course these are little more than assumptions on my part & I'd actually like to be proven wrong about your bass. I hope you get your asking price.

Irrelevant if you refer to the pickups correctly: "The boomy one" and "the tinny one".