Bassassin

Looks like a SPB102 Speccy II: [url="http://www.westone.info/cats/88/p7.html"]http://www.westone.info/cats/88/p7.html[/url] I think the SLM (Saint Louis Music) Westones are US-market models, some are a bit different to UK versions. Jon.

I loved mine in principle, but in practice it was way too heavy, and the massive range of tonal options made it fiddly to find the right sound, and frustrating to keep it/find it again. Lovely to play, though. Great basses, but not for a fat, weak simpleton like me. Jon.

Bass bash? You lot needn't think you can come 'round 'ere and bash any of MY basses. And stay away from my bins! Jon.

[quote name='alyctes' timestamp='1428624564' post='2743287'] If you decide to sell it, please let me know [/quote] Pretty sure that neck was in my watched items a year or so back! I don't get too much GAS these days but that LP Recording copy is dragging me back towards the rabbit hole... J.

[quote name='RhysP' timestamp='1428527125' post='2742238'] Well, they're known in my household - I've got stuff by every one of the artists mentioned except The Jesus & Mary Chain, who I've heard lots of but don't actually like very much. [/quote] Mine too, seen most of them. And I violently disagree about No More Mr Nice Guy! Mustaine always sounds like a hyperactive 6 year-old having a tantrum - hardly improves a classic song! Btw - any chance we can have titles as well as YT links? Jon.

Very cool. It's a no-brand which in MIJ terms means exactly that - it's not "an" anything! Lots of guitars were imported & sold with no brand name, had a good few myself. Looks in great condition, which is good because it's a very early copy-era guitar - possibly as far back as '70 or '71. Early MIJ copy traits include the zero-fret, solid stop-bar (bolted on rather than hooked around the studs) and (as far as I can see) nylon bridge saddles. Also the Recording copies seem to disappear from catalogues around 1974. It might be possible to date the guitar from pickup or pot codes, but on something as early as I think this one is, I doubt it. Looks like the only non-original parts are the tuners. Unfortunately, I don't know who made it! Wish I did, because my very first halfway-decent bass (when I was 16) shared enough traits for me to think they were from the same place - most notably the big split-diamond inlay. The very first MIJ LP copies were sold in 1969, and one of these, which retailed in the US under the "National" brand, featured this same headstock ornament, and was probably from the same factory. The jury's very much out regarding what factory that was, though - and it's unlikely to have been one of the well-known 70s copy builders. Jon.

There will always be people who will pay a massive premium to own a brand, because they think it says something about them. There will always be people who will pay for a premium product because they think they can buy talent. For me this sort of thing occupies a peculiar grey area between amusement and indifference - but to be honest I'm uniquely unqualified to be entitled to an informed opinion, having never played a Fodera. I did know someone who bought one, though, he was OK but not great before he bought it, and funnily enough was OK but not discernably better afterwards. Probably because it turned out not to be made of magic, but wood and wire, just like my £60 MIJ Jazz copy. Jon.

I would expect all the ditch water inside it ain't helping much. Jon.

Absolute stunner, might well be the best-looking bass to ever carry a Rickenbacker logo. If only it had checked binding. And didn't have the Drool Of Hall all over it... Jon.

Agree - all the current crop of "Chickenbackers" are very generic, same builds, same hardware etc. Also available very cheaply indeed from popular Chinese retail sites, in a wide variety of fetching colours. J.

Are these not The Bass Centre's own brand? J.

Don't smear goo all over it, it's not a sideboard! If your bass has a modern poly finish (which if it's the Cort in your sig, it amost certainly has), then T-Cut (or similar paint polishing compound) will make it glossier than a very glossy thing. Test a little bit in an inconspicuous area first, but I'm confident it'll give the effect you want. I've polished several satin-finish necks like this and you can get a factory, high-gloss finish. It is very labour-intensive though (and will possibly result in hand cramp!), but is worth it. I use cotton wool make-up pads to apply & polish, and wipe off the residue with a clean, soft cotton rag. Jon.

[quote name='ras52' timestamp='1427969752' post='2736397'] ^^^ Nice work! [/quote] What he said. Although the listing's still up, unamended, and Ebay makes it very easy to cancel a listing before the final 24hrs. Not entirely convinced he's going to do anything about it. If it's still unchanged this evening, I'll message him myself for a bit of reinforcement... J.

Modern reissue of a 1965 Eko "Rok" bass. Jon.

It's probably been "Halled" away by now... Jon.

I don't think he's deliberately trying to flog a fake. He doesn't buy or sell other musical gear, and like I said, the Letraset headstock decal wasn't applied anytime this millenium.. Thebrig - did you tell him it's being discussed on a bass forum, & we know what it actually is? J.

[quote name='thebrig' timestamp='1427911993' post='2735838'] If people are reporting it, why is it still on there? [/quote] Ebay don't give a sh!t. Unless some fatarse corporation's doing the complaining. J.

I'd vote for the Ibanez too, but that's because I've previously owned two SRs and they're brilliant - versatile, well-balanced, lightweight. I would play before you buy, whatever you choose - in the case of the Ibbys, the necks are very thin & a lot of people don't get on with them. Jon.

Italian copies like this are a lot rarer than MIJ but (currently) a lot less collectable - a surprising amount of them get punted as MIJ, either because sellers don't know what they've got, or they appreciate there's more money in MIJ. That said, I have a pre '75 Ibanez P copy, I doubt I'd get £300+ for it. I still think it's a dumb buyer issue, as far as this one's concerned. For the half-dozen or so that might be interested, a Melody 5000 P copy, different tuners & body wood (or possibly stain), but otherwise the same as this one - neck build, truss adjuster, neckplate, and that odd offset scratchplate screw. Same slabby body & not-quite fitting scratchplate too: [url="http://www.fetishguitars.com/castelfidardo-recanati/melody/melody-solidbodies/"]http://www.fetishgui...dy-solidbodies/[/url] (scroll down a bit) J.

[quote name='warwickhunt' timestamp='1427817534' post='2734616'] I thought that you might be able to nail it Jon. Surely anyone paying £330+ will have the savvy to know it isn't a Fender... or is a Melody worth £330+ [/quote] It's actually a nice, fairly unusual copy, probably worth about £150ish, with its proper headstock logo - although in fairness I have seen unbranded ones. Quite hard to tell from some70s MIJ copies, but these tuners, 3-piece neck, wheel-type truss adjuster & Gibson-type nut all turn up on the Italian-made ones. The seller doesn't necessarily know it's a fake (that's not an Ebay-era decal, after all!) but it is surprising that punters still fall for it. J.

Been going to loud gigs since I was 15, played in loud bands since I was 17, unfortunately it goes with the territory. I have (and have had for as long as I can remember) a noticeable loss of HF sensitivity in my right ear, meaning I always favour my left. I have constant low-level tinnitus which I'm so used to I have to focus on it to notice it - I also can't remember not having this. I can often find it hard to distinguish conversational speech if there's significant (not necessarily loud) background noise - I've always thought that's probably one of the reasons I'm fairly socially inept. I will need to wait until I have a silent environment before I can attempt the test in the first post, but it's only going to tell me what I already know - rock 'n' roll has f***ed my ears, and very probably my entire life. Jon.

[quote name='Meddle' timestamp='1427752592' post='2733972'] Apropos nothing in particular, my buddies and I were all going to print off fake 'missing cat' posters and go into an especially dirty Korean restaurant in town to ask for them to be displayed in the window. [/quote] [Clarkson] Missing dog, surely? [/Clarkson] J.

It's an Italian-made Melody, 1970s. Jon.

Is that a dead cat? Jon.