Bassassin

Now relisted. New, improved error-free listing here: [url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/bass-guitar-SB-Humbucker-willy-strong-punch-/201301863127"]www.ebay.co.uk/itm/bass-guitar-SB-Humbucker-willy-strong-punch-/201301863127[/url] Jon.

Never seen an 8-string version before. I'm guessing they never made it to the UK! J.

It's an interesting curiosity nonetheless. The German-carved body looks closely related to the Jedson EB-type basses which come up quite regularly, these also frequently have that shield-shaped neckplate. Beyond that I can't place it - the offset half-oval position markers are unlike anything I've previously seen on an MIJ instrument. The seller talks about Kapa as though it's a known brand. I'd not heard of it, but it turns out it was originally a US-made brand from the 50s/60s which produced affordable instruments, a bit like Kay once was. Like Kay, production moved to the far east by the mid/late 60s and clearly this bass is from that era. I guess the name might justify the price to some collectors (and Kapa must be properly rare in the UK) but otherwise it's well over the odds. J.

[quote name='Moi' timestamp='1425569040' post='2708708'] There was another brand (the name escapes me but there's a thread about them buried somewhere in the Ebay topic) who were trying to flog these as some sort of hand-made US originals, with a 4-figure price tag. Chancers! [/quote] ...And quite randomly, I found the thread in question - [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/3046-dcmontana-fakes/page__view__findpost__p__33226"]DC Montana, they were called[/url]. J.

There were quite a few of these knocking about a few years back - I actually remember these "Flying" brand things being on Ebay. There was another brand (the name escapes me but there's a thread about them buried somewhere in the Ebay topic) who were trying to flog these as some sort of hand-made US originals, with a 4-figure price tag. Chancers! And I actually had one similar to the "Flying" - think I bought it right here. Can't remember the name (might have been a no-brand) but it was OK, not great, and could've done with a fret dress: [sharedmedia=core:attachments:14743] Jon.

[quote name='Annoying Twit' timestamp='1425567297' post='2708681'] However, how many four string fretted basses does one need? [/quote] I don't know - how many are there? My excuse would be that I've never had a semi. So to speak. J.

Very nice, and a potential bargain. If I didn't already have one I'd be very interested. Basically an odd-looking MIJ Jazz with a P-shaped neck, and very nicely made, if mine's anything to go on. Not a Matsumoku, Kawai was a manufacturer in its own right as far as I know (apparently they bought out Teisco in the 60s to get into guitar manufacturing), they were responsible for a lot of 80s Fernandes - including the rather amazing Alembic clones. Jon.

That's quite interesting. Some nice details but it's got that wonky, not-quite-right look that home-made basses always seem to have. The bridge is the same sort used on the budget Chinese-made headlesses that sometimes turn up (actually a copy of the Steinberger licesed bridges used by Hohner) so I wonder if there was a donor bass for this. The fingerboard looks a bit like it was originaly fretted, rather than being made lined, and that output jack is just plain cheap & nasty. A bit too rustic & bargain-basement to merit £1500, imo. Jon.

[quote name='Annoying Twit' timestamp='1425533994' post='2708244'] [url="http://www.thomann.de/gb/harley_benton_hb_60_wb_deko.htm"]http://www.thomann.d..._60_wb_deko.htm[/url] semi-hollow 60s style bass. Edit: gone. Was available for half an hour. I was tempted, but I'm thinking about whether I want to save my music allocation for a Yourock Gen2 MIDI controller. And I'm still waiting for a deko ukulele. (I may wait forever and buy a non-deko ) [/quote] Oh, I like that a lot. Quite relieved it's sold out! J.

[quote name='xilddx' timestamp='1425513973' post='2708211'] Guess why. All it said to me was that TB can be so f***ing bland. [/quote] Well yeah. At least we've got a bit of spirit here. The Mumsnet of the bass playing world. J.

Makes sense - I jumped the FeePay ship about 5 years ago (when the recession finally hit the JapCrap market!) and haven't sold anything at all there for a long time. Even then it appeared they were actively trying to force private sellers off the site, and my last few auctions were pretty excruciating experiences. J.

I admit I smirked (very slightly) at Trujillo rockin' a Daisy Rock butterfly bass. Just for a moment, and that was it. Jon.

[quote name='yorks5stringer' timestamp='1425340744' post='2706450'] Good to know that "scratches only add to the wood finish". Now where's me belt sander? [/quote] Looks like actual (if heavy-handed) playwear on this one rather than a mad relic'er with a chisel! I think it's the same finish as on the current SR500, which appears to be a bit fragile to say the least. Like my old mum would've said, rub half a brazil nut on it. J.

[quote name='Weststarx' timestamp='1425380498' post='2706640']we need more of this type of music rather than the same old xfactor stuff being churned out over and over again. [/quote] I agree with this. A bit less "1974" though. J.

[quote name='0175westwood29' timestamp='1425320454' post='2706200'] hes not a guitarist, i do get that they arent for everyone. andy [/quote] He plays guitar-style riffs, predominantly using signal splitting, pitch transposition and distortion to create the sound of a guitar playing root/fifth/octave power chords, along with a unison bass part an octave underneath. You can be as pedantic as you want about the name of his role based on the specific instrument he's playing - but that won't make him a bass player. Like I said, I have nothing against this band & their style of music - in fact I'm glad to see a new rock band coming through & getting attention. I just think the attention's based on their gimmick, not the somewhat dated & unremarkable music they play. J.

I've had Fortress Flashback GAS for years... J.

Nothing wrong with them, but apart from having a guitarist playing a bass through a pitch transposer, they sound pretty much like any/every other basic garage rock band from the last 40+ years. But I'm old, jaded & a bit gimmick-averse. To my ears, they'd be better if the guitarist played a guitar, and they got a proper bassist. But then they'd still be playing the student uni & not getting Brit Awards, wouldn't they? Jon.

Looks like the SR705 in this '03 catalogue: [url="http://s93105080.onlinehome.us/Ibanez-Catalogs/catalog/2003m/41.jpg"]http://s93105080.onl...og/2003m/41.jpg[/url] My gut feeling is that it's probably MIK, but wherever it was made, that's a big fat slice of bass for £160-odd. For whoever got it... £50 postage? Jon.

[quote name='spectoremg' timestamp='1425213181' post='2705068'] Kinda liking this bass. How does plexi work out as a guitar material? [/quote] Depends how much abuse your back can take. I built this: [sharedmedia=core:attachments:71956] ...and it's heavy enough to have its own gravity & weather systems. Seriously, it's about 13.5 lbs, a proper boat anchor. I wouldn't say the body material affects the sound, it sounds pretty much like any other Precision with a DiMarzio Model P. Jon.

[quote name='BassBod' timestamp='1425152108' post='2704587'] I remain puzzled by the reverence collectors seem to have for these guitars. It seems odd to me that most other UK luthiers' work is very under valued (other than Wal?). [/quote] It's probably because Tony Zemaitis died in 2002, all his guitars were unique one-offs and he only made a few hundred over his career. His high-profile customers in the 70s would have established the name & reputation. I mentioned his "student" range - in 1982 my 17 year-old guitarist mate saved up £200 and had Tony build him this: [url="http://www.zemaitis.de/index_gallery12.html"]http://www.zemaitis...._gallery12.html[/url] As you can see, even his cheapos were beautifully made & finished. It played very nicely & sounded lovely, but if I remember rightly the intonation was a bit suspect... Anyway, my mate was very badly strapped for cash in the 90s and was forced to sell this, can't remember how much for but a fraction of what it would be worth today. It went to a guy in the States, who apparently paid half what he'd agreed, then vanished. The guitar has appeared for sale on a couple of US vintage dealer sites over the intervening years, priced around $15000 to $18000. J.

[quote name='Paul S' timestamp='1425063233' post='2703618'] I'm sure I've read somewhere that these oddities are extremely well put together. Not quite JV0... standard but pretty much as good as other 80s MIJ Squiers were. Anyone know if that is right? [/quote] These were MIJ Fujigen builds so I'd expect they'd be similar quality to other E & A Serial 80s Squiers - ie pretty damn good. Not really my cup of gin, but they definitely have some JapCrap geek appeal, so that, plus the fact they hardly made any of them, means they're quite collectable & will gain value. So no irreversible mods, Waldemar! Jon.