Bassassin

Definitely Chushin as far as I can tell. The hardware is Cushin's own in-house kit. This is based on a discussion on the Daion FB group, which I joined to try & find out about my lovely Daion P copy. A guy who is a bit of an obsessive researcher has basically drawn a lot of (imo) quite far-fetched conclusions about the origin of some instruments based almost entirely upon serial numbers, rather than (to me) more clear differentiations, like construction & hardware. I could give lots of examples but my question derives from two identical guitars with identical build & hardware, one branded Azumi & one branded Onyx. According to this guy, the Onyx is indisputably a Yamaki build because it has a stamped serial number, while the Azumi is probably Chushin, because Chushin used serial stickers which fall off. Clearly to my eyes the two instruments are identical and I have no reason to think they came from different factories - particularly since they both have the same idiosyncratic Chushin hardware. I would assume that one has a serial because whoever commissioned the production run (the Onyx brand-owner) asked for serial numbers. But then, I don't know nuffink, do I? J.

[quote name='FlatEric' timestamp='1456734357' post='2991728'] Jon, Hi. I've got one - branded as "Morris". Bought it on a whim, years ago - still got it and it plays nice and has "a big bottom" Deep, deep, thud - with clarity. Just one of those oddball things I acquired that turned out to be quite a find. I'll dig it out and get some shots. [/quote] Cool, would appreciate that. Interesting that yours is a Morris, if it is exactly the same bass. Morris was (and still is) house-brand of Moridaira, a manufacturer in its own right, so that might shed some doubt & confusion over the origin of these things! Speaking of doubt and confusion, do you have an "Azumi" branded bass or guitar in your armoury, Eric? If so, does it have a serial number of any sort? There's some discussion going on about whether these were Chushin or Yamaki builds, which seems to hinge on serials rather than sensible things like hardware details... J.

Looks like an SR840: [url="http://www.ibanez.com/anniversary/expansion.php?cat_id=241&now=14"]http://www.ibanez.co...t_id=241&now=14[/url] Jon.

Seller in Ireland does this set, it looks like it's based heavily on the Steinberger-licensed design used by Hohner: [url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/311363305520"]http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/311363305520[/url] Used in this build thread: [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/269096-headless-steinbergeresque/"]http://basschat.co.uk/topic/269096-headless-steinbergeresque/[/url] Jon.

Didn't see that one. If I had, you likely wouldn't have got such a bargain! One of these came up a few years ago, I was very interested then but missed out. Very, very rare bass - wonder if this is the same one? Gorgeous thing IMO, I love the Yammy SG shape. Jon.

[quote name='colgraff' timestamp='1456675433' post='2991265'] An unkind person might suggest that vocalists and/or guitarists know they are cool so don't need to put in the effort that the bass player does. [/quote] The thing is, singers & guitarists desperately, agonisingly want to be cool, and try really, really hard to look and act cool. Which is of course, spectacularly [i]not[/i] cool. I don't get the impression that bassists as a breed are particularly interested in being cool (I'm certainly not) and as such, perhaps feel no need to try. So the upshot is that some of them sometimes turn out to be a bit cool. Without trying. Or knowing. Or caring. Jon.

Apart from sharing some of the same letters, no. Cimar was a Japanese brand distributed by, and subsequently owned by Hoshino Gakki. Hoshino is the company which owns the Ibanez brand and subsequently marketed Cimar as "Cimar by Ibanez". So there's no connection with CMI (although some Cimars may have come from the same factory) but interestingly (if you find this sort of thing interesting!) there is a connection with similar 3-letters-starting-with-C UK brand CSL. CSL was house-brand of Charles Summerfield Ltd, who during the 70s & early 80s were UK distributor for Ibanez. So using this connection, they sourced their own brand through Hoshino, meaning CSLs were mostly re-badged Cimars. Very nice some of them were too. J.

First one I've seen since the last one - and that was a while ago... However, I've seen these same through-neck basses (and the equivalent guitars) with various different names, and I think I know what they are. From what I can glean they're a variation on a Japanese-market thing called a Fernandes Custom Hand: [url="http://www.fernandes.co.jp/wp/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/1978_vol1.pdf"]http://www.fernandes...9/1978_vol1.pdf[/url] (page 28) It seems that Fernandes was built by Kawai at this point - this Yasuki appears to be the same thing as the FXB-I bass, with different (probably cheaper) hardware & electronics. Jon.

[quote name='Shambo' timestamp='1456630134' post='2990932'] Any thoughts on the guitar hiding under the stickers? Says 'Made In Japan' on the neckplate. [url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Mi-Electric-Bass-Guitar-with-Cover-Bag-Stickers-Hospiscare-/381554431743?hash=item58d66a96ff:g:ZYcAAOSwe7BWzu~0"]http://www.ebay.co.u...YcAAOSwe7BWzu~0[/url] [/quote] CMI (Cleartone Musical Instruments - a Marshall sub-brand) Jazz copy, same bass as the Avon discussed here: [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/277141-replacement-pickups-for-a-1970s-avon-jazz-bass/"]http://basschat.co.u...avon-jazz-bass/[/url] Probably made by Chushin Gakki, ply body, a decent neck if you're lucky, single-coil Telecaster pickups etc. Might be cool if you can grab it cheap enough (about £50 - £60ish), those stickers would all come off no bother if you warm them with a hairdryer to soften the glue. Jon.

Copies are still copies. Me - I like copies (good vintage MIJ ones, anyway) and have never owned a real Fender. Closest I've come is a few MIJ Squiers. Which are licensed copies anyway. There seems to be a variety of inexplicably expensive knockoffs around at the moment - some even craven enough to be sold brand-new wearing shonky Fender logos - and I struggle to see how these are innately any different to the MIJ copies of the 70s & 80s. Apart from the complete absence of any historical interest value, making them seem even less authentic. Just goes to show I suppose how dismally unimaginitive and undemanding most bassists and manufacturers must be. Jon.

Much to the surprise of absolutely no-one at all on BC, I've got one gathering dust in my spares box! PM me your address & I'll bung it in the post Jon.

Don't think so - seller says he thinks it's a one-off & I'm inclined to agree. Looks quite nicely made, has a hint of the Ned Callans about it. Loving the banjo tuners! The bridge is interesting, it's a Schaller 3D made for a 2-point Gibbo fitting, discontinued years ago AFAIK. I think that's proper cool, you should buy it if it doesn't go too mad. J.

[quote name='LukeFRC' timestamp='1456513959' post='2989952'] Feel free to PM a list! [/quote] I might hold you to that! [quote name='Twincam' timestamp='1456511609' post='2989925'] I do have one other question is it possible to have the obvious traders in another category then? [/quote] ...which would have broadly the same effect as a sub-£500 category! J.

[quote name='Truckstop' timestamp='1456501631' post='2989730'] If people can't be bothered to filter through a few ads then that's their problem. [/quote] That's also a problem for the people trying to sell cheaper basses. So it sort of becomes [i]everyone[/i]'s problem. J.

What sort of tuners are they? While I don't intimately know Tokais, I do know that early 80s examples sometimes had 3-screw, cast body units, with torque-adjusting collars. Similar to the ones used on Yamaha BBs from the same era, apart from the keys. From what I can see, yours might be this type - I'd doubt that a '97 bass would have these. Jon.

I for one wholeheartedly agree with Twincam. I hardly ever look at the Basses For Sale section any more because it seems to be predominantly high-end instruments - most of which are for sale from mainland EU countries. There's seldom anything within either my budget or scope of interest any more. For the same reason, I haven't sold anything on here in several years. The fee isn't an issue; simply the fact that it feels like my modestly priced, niche-interest MIJ stuff would inevitably disappear under a mountain of ten grand Foderas! A sub-£500 section would be incredibly helpful & would do nothing to interfere with the marketing of higher-value instruments. It would only help make the Marketplace more accessible - and probably busier. Jon.

OK - since this has become a thing, and most of us can't see the pics, this is it: [url="http://s1276.photobucket.com/user/LanterneRouge/media/Hondo%20P%20copy/hondo1_zpsvduosjy5.jpg.html"][/url] [url="http://s1276.photobucket.com/user/LanterneRouge/media/Hondo%20P%20copy/hondo2_zpsguwchyz0.jpg.html"][/url] [url="http://s1276.photobucket.com/user/LanterneRouge/media/Hondo%20P%20copy/hondo3_zpsksh1mkbt.jpg.html"][/url][url="http://s1276.photobucket.com/user/LanterneRouge/media/Hondo%20P%20copy/hondo4_zpsu8kuxut5.jpg.html"][/url][url="http://s1276.photobucket.com/user/LanterneRouge/media/Hondo%20P%20copy/hondo5_zpszlvsri0a.jpg.html"][/url][url="http://s1276.photobucket.com/user/LanterneRouge/media/Hondo%20P%20copy/hondo6_zpss9zzu8p0.jpg.html"][/url] I'd say a bit further down the food chain than Eric's. The guy says the tuners are "apparently" Grovers - but they're clearly generic pressed tin cheapos, so his research doubtless comes from Eric's blog! He does say the body's ply, Eric's is clearly timber. Nothing about this says MIJ to me, apart (perhaps) from the chunky string-through bridge, which is the same as those you find on Yamaki-built Washburns & Daions. However I have seen similar bridges on low-end MIKs, although these usually have chrome saddles rather than brass. Still a cool old bass for £70 though. Jon.

You're correct that the Kimbara-branded Ripper copy was from the same factory as the Shaftesbury - both basses were Matsumoku builds. Shaftesbury & Kimbara were UK importer brands - the top-end ranges of Rose-Morris and FCN Music respectively. Matsumoku Ripper clones would have appeared under various different brands, perhaps most prominently Aria Pro II - the LB650 in this catalogue is essentially the same bass with some cosmetic differences: [url="http://www.matsumoku.org/models/ariaproii/catalogs/77_lclsst/77_lc-ls-st_pg7.jpg.html"]http://www.matsumoku...st_pg7.jpg.html[/url] Jon.

Cool, but £600 & £500? There are some downright absurd numbers attached to 80s MIJ stuff atm, I seriously doubt any of it's shifting. J.

[quote name='Jono Bolton' timestamp='1456099207' post='2985455'] Spotted this neat Gibson copy earlier, and it looks nice. I can't help but think that if he flipped the machine heads upside down they'd be a better fit. [url="https://www.ebay.co.uk/ulk/itm/172105239676"]https://www.ebay.co....tm/172105239676[/url] [/quote] If he'd left the originals on (these are an "upgrade") they'd have been a better fit. Pickup looks like a Dimarzio Model G. Probably doesn't justify the ambitious price tag though. J.

Bassist, bass player, bass guitarist, low-end offender, guy who's too ham-fisted to play a guitar. Really don't mind. It is an electric bass guitar though, otherwise it's a bass... [i]what[/i], exactly? "Bass" simply describes the instrument's range, and is meaningless beyond that. I do prefer it not to be described as simply a "guitar" though, and similarly I do not answer to "guitarist". Jon.

[quote name='Stance' timestamp='1456069373' post='2985078'] You´re a fan of Japanese basses - check this other gem (at least to me) I got [url="http://s163.photobucket.com/user/cacem/media/IMG_2112a_zpsxpao27jk.jpg.html"][/url] [/quote] I missed out on one of those - very, very cheap - a few months ago! Is it definitely MIJ? J.

Will do. I didn't keep the Yam tuners on my CSL because the cast heads rattled! J.

Very cool bass - mojo's one thing, but give it a hose down for pity's sake - you'll catch something nasty! Seriously, that's definitely high-end, one-piece neck & solid timber (not laminate/butcher block) body makes it near-replica standard. El Mayas don't seem very common in Europe so that's a fine score there. Those tuners are interchangeable with the Yamahas - I have two basses with these, a CSL Jazz and a Cimar P/J. I had a Yamaha BB400S fretless, and swapped the CSL's tuners briefly. These torque-adjustable 3-screw cloverleafs do turn up on quite a few late 70s & early 80s MIJs - including Tokais from that era. Keep your eyes peeled on Fleabay & a set will turn up eventually. Slow progress on the Daion, mostly because my workspace is in the garage and it's freeeezin'!! Cleaned up the pickup, tuners & truss adjuster mechanism, screened the control cavity, now looking forward to cleaning up all the screws & bridge components with numb fingers! J.