Bassassin

Quite amazing, never seen one like this before. I had one of these - my first "good" bass - in 1981. Mine was deep red stained with a burst finish flamed top Sold it when I stopped playing in metal bands but subsequently regretted that - you hardly ever see these now. So, never seen an early (this one's 1980) solid-finish before. This one's a Yamaki build (current opinion says early MIJ Washies were Yamaki, then Chushin Gakki from about 1982, so not Matsumoku) but all the examples I've seen previously have trans finishes and brass ring inlays. Interesting tuners too, different to the 2 types you tend to see on early MIJ Washboards. Like I said, these do come up very infrequently and are usually priced high. I can't help feeling £350 is a pretty reasonable price for this, it looks tidy and is an unusual variation. Jon.

I believe [url="http://www.retrovibe.co.uk/"]Retrovibe[/url] do a 5-string version - these have MM type pickups as standard. For obvious reasons, they're not on the website so you'd have to contact David Konig directly for info. Jon.

[quote name='RhysP' timestamp='1455460623' post='2979255'] That truss rod adjustment system is a lot like the Baldwin era (70s) Gretsch truss rods. [/quote] That's clearly where Yamaki [s]stole[/s] got the idea! Cheers for that, I was unaware of the Gretsch mechanism. Seems broadly the same, except the Gretsch device needs a special adjuster tool, and appears to be integrated into the truss rod assembly. Sensible Japanese people, improving the design by using a 4mm allen key to work it, and making it replaceable if it fails. Unless it's 2016... J.

This is the gearbox removed from the truss rod: [url="http://s1276.photobucket.com/user/LanterneRouge/media/Daion%20Precision%20Copy/adjuster2_zpsx5gibpnz.jpg.html"][/url] It's in decent condition, a bit of corrosion on the worm thread but no visible wear. Spent yesterday afternoon tidying up the neck. Tempted to do a full fret dress but the bass played really nicely when it turned up, so no need just yet. Sorted out all of the flaky-looking bits of lacquer and now it looks pretty tidy: [url="http://s1276.photobucket.com/user/LanterneRouge/media/Daion%20Precision%20Copy/neck_zpsmccfv11g.jpg.html"][/url] There's some really nice figuring & flamey bits on the board - not that you can tell under the striplights in my garage! J.

Quick Daion update - it's now in bits, I'm repairing the lacquer damage and the filthy bits are getting a hosedown & re-wire. Here's that curious truss adjuster system - just a little gearbox with a worm drive: [url="http://s1276.photobucket.com/user/LanterneRouge/media/Daion%20Precision%20Copy/adjuster_zps4wkkfkp3.jpg.html"][/url] Fortunately all working properly - which is good because if it failed, it's hard to see how the rod could be accessed to adjust it. Possibly not the Japanese guitar industry's brightest idea. And here's the filth and mess under the bonnet: [url="http://s1276.photobucket.com/user/LanterneRouge/media/Daion%20Precision%20Copy/guts_zps6el99imo.jpg.html"][/url] Note the huge excavation under the bridge - whoever drilled the hole for the earth wire plainly wasn't very confident! And that ancient DiMarzio DP122: [url="http://s1276.photobucket.com/user/LanterneRouge/media/Daion%20Precision%20Copy/pups_zpsowytkrla.jpg.html"][/url] Going to take advantage of all that uncut wire and have a push/pull tone pot for phase switching. For now, it's cleaning all that muck off the body & back of scratchplate - I don't even want to think about what it is and how it got there - then shielding the cavities and tidying up the neck. J.

[quote name='Jono Bolton' timestamp='1455278750' post='2977703'] Is it this one that's now on Gumtree? [url="https://www.gumtree.com/p/for-sale/1987-us-peavey-patriot-bass-guitar/1154788520"]https://www.gumtree....itar/1154788520[/url] I contacted the guy but think I might miss out on it. [/quote] Same one. I do like that. J.

In fairness, factory fretless ones aren't as common, so probably worth £23.45 more. My "odd bids" always end with £6.66. Dunno what that says about me. J.

Funnily enough £99 was what they cost brand-new in 1980 - I distinctly remember trying one in my local shop, being impressed by the build & playability, and being too much of a snotty little brand-snob to entertain the faintest idea of owning something with "Satellite" on the end. J.

Also, absolutely not, in any way, shape or form, Japanese. KoreaDiarrhoea, through & through. Decent enough, I had one for a bit, very solidly built. Downsides - neck like a treetrunk and very, very heavy. Also the through-neck means that some of these can have an unadjustably high action - mine had had rough routing under the bridge to make it playable. This one looks OK but it's hard to tell from the pics. As Eric says, they are common - I wouldn't want to pay north of £100. J.

9/10. Got the Slipknot one wrong. \m/, then.

MIJ - see "Matsumoku", but substituting "The Ibanez Factory" or "Fender's Japanese Plant" as applicable.

Tommy & Quadrophenia by The 'Oo, of course.

[quote name='TimR' timestamp='1455015220' post='2974957'] You guys need some [s]new[/s] friends. [/quote] Personalised, having spent 15-odd years in a band that couldn't attract flies to a sh!t fight. Jon.

I thought you might've... J.

A Patriot (B/B/M) has just turned up on my local FB music gear group for £150. No room or money for another bass though. Arse. J.

I like that. Anyone else think a lot of post-T40 & pre-Cirrus era Peaveys look like 80s MIJ at first glance? There's definitely a hint of Mk1 Ibby Blazer about this. Jon.

Realistically, used Ibby SRs turn up all the time, I'm confident you could find a tidy SR300 for around £120 or less without too much trouble. Pretty sure if you managed to source a new neck you'd probably be paying that much or more anyway. FWIW I picked up an SR500 for £87 a couple of months ago. The body was pretty rough but the neck was almost like new. Jon.

Definitely related. One of those sold on Ebay last week, a bit more than £117! [url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/JOODEE-PERFORMER-BASS-GUITAR-V-RARE-MADE-IN-JAPAN-TONERIDER-PICKUP-/222004594249"]http://www.ebay.co.u...P-/222004594249[/url] J.

[quote name='Twincam' timestamp='1454343205' post='2968742'] I like it. Good colours, some mojo its good that it has some fret wear so its been played and I'm liking the truss rod adjust system, does it still work?. Worst thing I hate about fenders is the heal truss rod adjustment pain in the ass. Always end up either scratching the plate and or having to take off the neck several times grr. [/quote] Not tried the adjuster yet for a couple of reasons - mainly the cracking around the top of the skunk stripe. I want to clean it up & flow some superglue around the fillet before touching the rod, to make sure everything's solid before subjecting it to tension. Also there's some corrosion visible on the adjuster nut itself, I'll strip, clean & lube the mechanism before tesing it. Will post some pics to satisfy the curious! J.

[quote name='allighatt0r' timestamp='1454327756' post='2968550'] Nice. What's the weight like? Would this be a laminate body, or solid wood under there? [/quote] I'd expect solid timber, and from the edges of the routes it looks like it is. They are painted though, so it could be butcher-block, which is pretty common on MIJ stuff. Not weighed it yet but it's pretty hefty, going to be in the 10lbs region. My back won't thank me... [quote name='Coldflows' timestamp='1454328208' post='2968555'] Looks great, Have you figured out how the truss rod works? Is it a square key or is it just a normal allen key?[/quote] Allen key, looks like 4mm. Not tried it yet, I'm waiting for parts to turn up before it gets a full strip & fettling. J.

Mad. A couple of years ago these were all over the place for about £150 - £175. And £265 is cheap compared to the BINs on Fleabay. Jon.

Delayed NBD thread, due to being away over the weekend. Regulars on the Ebay: Weird & Wonderful topic might know I grabbed a beat-up Daion Performer Precision copy for what seemed (to me) a silly-cheap price. Daion was a fairly short-lived brand built at the Yamaki factory, and are best-known for their boutique-standard original designs and acoustics. Like most other Japanese factories from the 70s era, Yamaki also produced copies, and these are of a similarly high quality to their original builds. The same instruments were also sold under the Yamaki brand, and more common in the UK, JooDee. Anyway before you doze off, this is the thing itself, in all its battered, 70s rock machine glory: [url="http://s1276.photobucket.com/user/LanterneRouge/media/Daion%20Precision%20Copy/daionlfront_zpslzj0ahtn.jpg.html"][/url] [url="http://s1276.photobucket.com/user/LanterneRouge/media/Daion%20Precision%20Copy/daionheadf_zpscvhbpfv9.jpg.html"][/url] [url="http://s1276.photobucket.com/user/LanterneRouge/media/Daion%20Precision%20Copy/daionheadb_zpsqvuk6qiv.jpg.html"][/url] [url="http://s1276.photobucket.com/user/LanterneRouge/media/Daion%20Precision%20Copy/daionback_zps9samozao.jpg.html"][/url] [url="http://s1276.photobucket.com/user/LanterneRouge/media/Daion%20Precision%20Copy/daionplate_zpsrt7rf11d.jpg.html"][/url] It's a minor project, needing a good clean-up, new pots & cap and some cosmetic issues with cracking lacquer addressed. It looks like it's spent time in a damp environment, leading to a bit of peeling & cracking, mostly around screwholes & other places where moisture could get to the wood. The only slightly worrying bit is around the skunk stripe, but fortunately this appears to be cosmetic, not structural. As it arrived, it works (albeit with no volume adjustment) and is perfectly playable. The neck's dead straight, a little fret wear mostly before the 7th position but nothing I think I need to address immediately. One of the reasons I went for this was my assumption that the original pickup had been replaced with a DiMarzio - and it turns out I'm right, it's an early, PAF-stickered DP122 which is probably the same age as the bass. Hardware is nice quality & quite interesting (apart from the bog-standard BBOT) - the tuners have solid, cast bodies and torque-adjustment collars, which was pretty common on MIJ open-gear units at the time. It also has the curious "Epochal" truss rod adjustment which should allow neck-tweaking with a geared system accessible through the neck plate. This is ultimately a high-quality bass of a similar build standard as the Tokais, Fernandes, Grecos & JV Squiers of the same era, and I'm probably going to hang on to it once it's sorted. Jon.

Here's one that's not been suggested - Cort Headless, mid 80s: These are closely related to the Hohner B2s and Jacks of the same era, using the same hardware - Cort made the Hohners & presumably held the license to use the hardware. Construction's through-neck like the B2 but the neck's more of a conventional P shape, a bit chunkier & 42mm at the nut. Obviously the big difference is the P/J setup, which might offer a bit more flexibility to chop & change pickups & get the sound you want. I also have a B2A, and far prefer the sound of this. They do turn up from time to time and because they're not as well-known as the Hohners, tend to go a fair bit cheaper. I got mine from a BCer 4 or 5 years back (fro shame, I can't remember who! ) and I think it was about £100. Cosmetically it was fairly rough so I stripped the original black finish - the wood was actually clear-coated underneath, so that was all I did. I made the little thumbrest/ramp thingy meself. Jon.