Bassassin

Always GASed for a Status, specifically a S2000. I now know I'll never own one. Unless it's that one.

[quote name='dyerseve' timestamp='1473965060' post='3134617'] Erm that would be the high mass brass bridge, brass nut, high quality tuners, same or at least very similar controls, active, dimarzio pups, switching for series/parallel for each pup, maple neck, and high build quality. You're right, not much really... And I didn't realise double p pup was ever common. [/quote] Fair enough on that basis - although as far as I know Vantage pickups are not DiMarzios - probably Matsumoku's own MMKs. Again though the hardware is very typical of its era and heavy bridges, enclosed tuners, brass nuts etc are common on many late 70s/early 80s basses that don't follow the Fender template. Not 100% sure but I think the 2x P layout was first popularised by BC Rich on their Eagles & Mockingbirds, and it does turn up on a lot of basses from that era. This Renaissance is interesting in that it follows the BC Rich format by reversing the pickups. But really for me the significant difference between these two basses is that the Vantage is a mass-produced neck-through conventional build while the Renaissance is a short-run handbuilt bass with a bolt-on neck and an acrylic plastic body. I think this makes them very different, and tellingly, I don't imagine someone who would consider paying £2000+ for a Renaissance would look twice at a Vantage, never mind consider it as an alternative. Me, I'd take the Vantage (or other MIJ 2x P neckthrough) any day of the week. Or for the price of this Renaissance - about eight of them!

I noticed this exact same problem with mine last week. Had mine for 5 or 6 years now - looks like they're all self-destructing at the same time! Was wondering if I can remove the mucky residue with acetone or white spirit but I think I'll drop an email to Strings & Things first.

Fretless 5er with humbuckers. I'm automatically going to say Ibanez SR, you should be able to find a very nice used high-end example for your budget. The skinny necks are a bit marmite for some though.

Interesting discussion. I went with the comedy answer but otherwise it's "no" - with a caveat. I wouldn't pay over the odds for an instrument with a "history" for myself, whoever had owned it. However I certainly would if I was pretty sure I could sell it on for a significant profit myself.

It just looks disgusting. I really don't get it - can someone who likes this please help me understand the appeal of filth and squalor?

[quote name='dyerseve' timestamp='1473856245' post='3133587'] looks to be similarish to a Vantage VB-900A which can be had for much less money and have the advantage of neck-thru construction. they arent exactly common either though: [url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Vintage-1981-Vantage-VA-900B-Neck-Through-Body-Bass-Guitar-Matsumoku-/222018882783?hash=item33b15b4cdf%3Ag%3AuWIAAOSwKtlWq8sR&nma=true&si=osIDaNUttx2%252Fu9rLEi8oYpg2C1A%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557"]http://www.ebay.co.u...=p2047675.l2557[/url] [/quote] Erm - aside from having 2x P pickups (a fairly common configuration in 70s basses) in what way? I'm a massive fan of Matsumoku basses but even I can see that these two instruments are from different planets.

Have not read through the entire thread yet but no. Tone is affected by pickups, electronics, strings and technique. Oh, and wishful thinking.

[quote name='AndyTravis' timestamp='1473781946' post='3133074'] Stinks of being mid/late 80's Korean bass... [/quote] ...Because that's exactly what it is. Nothing wrong with these, it'll be a perfectly good "entry level" bass. Columbus was always a low/mid range brand, positioned between Kimbara & Satellite in FCN Music's own-brand range hierarchy, and unfortunately the Korean Series 2 & 3 even lack the MIJ appeal of the copy-era stuff. I've never had an MIK Columbus bass but I did have a Series 3 Gibson 335 copy, which was actually a very nice and well-finished guitar. Hard to say what it's worth, not much, I'd guess if I was flogging a bass like this I'd consider myself lucky to get £80 or so. Just had a quick look on Fleabay: [url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Columbus-vintage-series-3-bass-guitar-GC-/231992665775"]http://www.ebay.co.u...C-/231992665775[/url]

[quote name='dave_bass5' timestamp='1473757860' post='3132759'] I was told by Chris (the tech at the old Bass centre) that the necks were the big selling point. The early Squire necks were coming out of the same factory as the American ones at the start. Ive never looked in to this but he seemed to know his stuff. [/quote] The whole reason for setting up Fender Japan was to compete with high-end MIJ copies, which were consistently better quality and massively cheaper than the notoriously shoddy CBS-era US Fenders of the late 70s & early 80s. So unless Fujigen was making necks for Fender US, I doubt if that's right.

I have received my confirmation email. I am confident that an unsolicited clip-on furry animal tail (with realistic swishing action) will be arriving forthwith.

[quote name='MacDaddy' timestamp='1473627074' post='3131846'] I like the green single cut. [/quote] These are interesting and I'm finding the shape really reminiscent of the Spear singlecut that appeared a few years back: I think these were about £300... [quote name='lowhand_mike' timestamp='1473695803' post='3132351'] i actually think modern math metal/djent/tech prog metal is amazing, YMMV [/quote] Agreed. The worst thing about Djent is the silly name!

[quote name='Coldflows' timestamp='1473702144' post='3132412'] It could be one of these? JV Contemporary. PJ555 [url="http://www.21frets.com/squier_jv/images/domesticjv/13.jpg"]http://www.21frets.c...mesticjv/13.jpg[/url] [/quote] I'd guess that's it - worth remembering that the JV range - and Fender Japan in general, for that matter - was initially Japanese market only. I'm sure there were various models seldom seen outside of Japan, much as there are today.

[quote name='Paul S' timestamp='1473440619' post='3130319'] Can't beat black/black/maple in my book. [/quote] Agreed. The only thing that tops it is black/black/maple with a cream DiMarzio. Am I right or what? [url="http://s1276.photobucket.com/user/LanterneRouge/media/Daion%20Precision%20Copy/daionbody_zpsbgawupm1.jpg.html"][/url] And the one thing better than that is when it's not a Fender.

Awesome colour, just needs more unicorn dust. [url="http://s1276.photobucket.com/user/LanterneRouge/media/Rickenfakers/rv4-01_zps2yzkaxow.jpg.html"][/url]

Me & a bunch of school mates were inspired to start a band after going to our first-ever gig. I got bass because no-one else was interested, and being a massive Stranglers fan, I couldn't understand why anyone would want to play anything else. I played bass for two years before I even picked up a guitar - I got a cheap Columbus SG copy mostly because I was interested in starting to compose music & didn't find bass a good vehicle for that. Broadly, I still don't. I suppose I can play guitar to a reasonably competent level, meaning I can play anything I can think of - after enough takes, anyway. I think as a guitarist I'm massively inconsistent, so there's never been a point where I considered it my main instrument and I'd never atempt to play in front of an audience. I've variously been told I play bass like a guitarist - which is clearly rubbish - and that I play guitar like a bassist. Not sure exactly what that means, but it is self-evidently true. Because I am one.

Well I think I ordered one - seemed to get trapped in some kind of Groundhog Day order-completion loop between the order page & Paypal checkout. So I might end up with three.

Similar, but not the same as the Westone. This appears to be a variant on a thing called an Aria WL Wedge - there's a high-spec headless version in [url="http://www.matsumoku.org/models/ariaproii/catalogs/1985/85_ap2_cat/85_ap2_cat.html"]this 1985 catalogue[/url], and a somewhat lower-end (possibly Korean-made, although I'm less sure now!) version, also headless, being discussed [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/262093-please-help-identifying-bass-difficulty-impossible/"]right here[/url]. Never seen a non-decapitated example before but I'm inclined to think there must have been a range of these oddities that never made it to the UK.

I think it's awesome and have had GAS for one for years. These never come up - why the ***** does it have to be in That London?

[quote name='Delberthot' timestamp='1472756132' post='3124002'] I take it the reason this one has a scratchplate is that it has been routed for the Stingray pickups? Mine had the standard soapbars with the staggered poles [/quote] Think I need my eyes tested - I didn't even notice the scratchplate, 'Ray pups, individual bridges. So - I hereby retract any previous positive remarks made about this bass. Shamefully & needlessly butchered!

Maybe there's a big untapped market for misshapen Status Streamline knockoffs with incongruous headstocks.

[quote name='dyerseve' timestamp='1472677005' post='3123280'] Yeah double P Vantages are very rare and this is the first one I've seen with 2 Ps and a set back. Sadly the bridges in the set necks are totally naff and the rest of the hardware isn't up to much either. However I think they still have the dimarzio pups so shouldn't be terrible. [/quote] Agree about the bridges - as well as being a clunky, dated fudge of a design in the first place, it seems Matsumoku used a batch made from cheese on a lot of basses from this period - I've seen numerous examples that have bent, distorted or cracked under string tension. This was my Westbury Track 2: [sharedmedia=core:attachments:72631] Tuners should be decent on the Vantage though, they'll be Vantage-branded Gotohs.