Bassassin

MIJ stuff isn't selling anything like as well these days as it was 5 or 6 years ago - and even back then you'd be lucky to get more than about £120 for the best condition, best photographed & best-advertised Columbus LP copy in the world. There's something decidedly fishy about this & I'd bet my own actual money (well, a very small quantity of it) that no-one's gonna pony up £500+ for this thing. First of all though Columbus LPs came in several different quality levels, and this is the top one, identifiable by the big split-diamond on the pointy end & pearloid LP Standard-type inlays. These (in stock nick) had proper humbuckers, solid timber bodies, & gold hardware with sealed tuners. Under that you got the much more common black LP Custom copy - square silver (not pearl) inlays, fake humbuckers, ply hollowtop body, chrome bits. Easily ID'd by the small split diamond on the head, these guitars turn up badged Columbus, Avon, Saxon, JHS, Sumbro, CMI, and also with Japanese brands like Maya. And sorry Uberkate - if your Saxon fits this description, it ain't a Matsumoku. Bottom of the Columbus heap was pretty much the same spec as the above, with a tobacco burst ply top & brown-painted MDF body. Anyway - if anyone fancies a top-end Columbus & wants to have a go at punting it on for £500, knock yourselves out! [url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1970s-Columbus-Les-Paul-Copy-Made-in-Japan-/311281942649"]http://www.ebay.co.u...n-/311281942649[/url] [url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Columbus-Les-Paul-Guitar-/321653346806"]http://www.ebay.co.u...r-/321653346806[/url] Jon.

I'm not convinced the neck & the body are in any way related. Jon.

And verily thou shalt wince and recoil mightily from such mangled, miserable and apalling grammar as displayed in this otherwise amusing essay, and thou shalt sigh, and wearily attribute the murder of thy beloved Mother Tongue to "them bleedin' Septics". Whether or not it was. Jon.

[quote name='JTUK' timestamp='1423077914' post='2680476'] You accept that musicians are pro simply for taking money for their services...and I agree that that is one definition, just not the most significant, IMO... I'd put more significance in excelling at the craft... [/quote] The word you're searching for is "virtuoso". I am not a virtuoso but for a couple of years or so in the mid/late 90s my primary source of income was the two bands I played in, & very busy weekends of gigging. I would have described myself as "semi-pro" at the time. Jon.

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1423044549' post='2679840'] Why? [/quote] I'm guessing because it deviates too dramatically from the approved design regulations, established in 1951. J.

I think that's quite amazing, having (as I do) some major GAS for an acrylic headless. Jon.

I passed because my bass (and guitar, and amps, effects, and gear in general) acquisition spiralled out of control for several years, and I've recently moved to a somewhat smaller house.So a lot of stuff has to go... Also because once I would've reflexively grabbed this as a profit-making opportunity, confident that a hose-down & a quick rummage through the spares box would mean I could flip it for a straight £100 profit. Those days are sadly gone - this would probably struggle to sell for £60. And I have no idea where my spares box is any more... And you're right - there's no pickup under the hand rest on this one! J.

[quote name='warwickhunt' timestamp='1423003222' post='2679559'] Resurrection or what! [/quote] Night Of The Living Thread! Ibanez SR would be my first choice. Jon.

The handrest is deffo a bit wonky - bonus that it's there at all. Can't remember seeing one of these turn up complete before. Oddly, someone on my local Facebook music gear group was selling an Avon EB copy like this for £20 today. Minus bridge bar, strings - and cover, of course. I passed. J.

Funny, I always liked the Parker Fly guitars, but hated the bass. Sort of coming around to them now - I'd definitely have that. Jon.

And this is presumably what happens when you post a bass rattling around loose in its 60s-era cardboard case, thinking, "oh b*llocks, that'll do": [url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Vintage-bass-guitar-and-case-now-with-uk-postage-/181642593424"]http://www.ebay.co.u...e-/181642593424[/url] What a shame - the bass is a mid-60s Teisco that looks to be in otherwise decent original nick. Managed to last 50 years before its head came off... Probably an easy enough job for a competent repairperson tbh. Jon.

[quote name='Meddle' timestamp='1419373524' post='2639382'] It reminds me of the 'Waterstone Skelly' bass, which I think was never actually built (?). It looks pretty cool! [/quote] I'd forgotten about these - didn't know RIC had "buried" them. Comparing this & the HB, I there are enough similarities that I'm not sure it's a coincidence - the body shape's identical & apart from the f-hole & Chickenbacker hardware, everything else is very, very close. Anyway, I'd be very tempted by the HB if either a: it had cat-eye f-holes, checked binding & fancy inlays, or b: a Deko one came up for £60. Jon.

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1422917403' post='2678481'] Not a very accurate copy - long scale and bolt-on neck. [/quote] I'll give you the bolt-on (although Fujigen did do set-neck versions) but this is a copy of an EB-3L, which is 34". J.

I like these. Singlecuts usually have a slightly queasy sense of "wrong" about them, but these Spears pull it off quite well. Jon.

[quote name='ead' timestamp='1422818158' post='2677169'] Are these any good? Weirdly attracted to it. [/quote] Yarp, built by Fujigen and pretty decent all-round. Longscale slot-heads are rare as pope-poo as well, the exact same bass with Ibanez on the end would probably top out around the £400 mark. I had a shortscale Antoria EB, very good little bass - I've also had a couple of the more common MIJ EB-0 copies and the Antoria was streets ahead. J. J.

[quote name='pete.young' timestamp='1422797706' post='2676818'] Well, that El Maya neck-through P went for £485 - more than I was expecting to see it go for. [/quote] I guess it's kinda heartening (in a way) to know Ebay Madness is still with us - I'd thought it would probably top out at about £250. However this is staggeringly, spectacularly rare (I've only seen one before, and that was probably 10-12 years ago) and some MIJ fetishists do have deep pockets. J.

That'd scrub up fine, I'm sure. Haggle him down to £80 and it's a steal. Looks nice in red. J.

Just for the sake of the discussion - pretty sure this one's active, and my SB-40 (same apart from headstock & electronics) is around 8lbs, so not a back-breaker. Narrow string spacing (that's a neck-width J pup at the bridge) and about 38mm at the nut. Mine's one of the nicest basses I've owned. J.

[quote name='walbassist' timestamp='1422648282' post='2675226'] Maybe make one fretless and then join a prog rock band? [/quote] Done that. And my next appointment with the physiotherapist is on Thursday. Jon.

Nice Jack, always fancied one, particularly the J/J variant. Same seller's got one of those odd [url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SPEAR-S2-THRO-NECK-ACTIVE-BASS-4-STRING-RED-SEE-THRO-STAIN-/271758828554?pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item3f4616a40a"]Spear singlecuts[/url] too. Singlecuts usually provoke a gag reflex in me, but I quite like these. Jon.

[quote name='Paul S' timestamp='1422639542' post='2675082'] But while I am here - what is poxy about a Westone Thunder? [/quote] Nothing at all - great quality budget basses. But yer Force 40 was top of the range & should be more akin to an Aria SB1000 or Ibby MC940 in terms of prestige. You probably saw my original post, but anyway: [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/7473-japcrap-spotting/page__view__findpost__p__2636357"]http://basschat.co.u...ost__p__2636357[/url] J.

[quote name='Paul S' timestamp='1422629949' post='2674866'] Washburn Force 40 just been re-listed, collection only from Witney. Starting bid £40. [url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Washburn-Force-40-bass-guitar-/321655482637?pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item4ae429290d"]http://www.ebay.co.u...=item4ae429290d[/url] [/quote] Is that the same one that sold for "less than a poxy Westone Thunder" a couple of months back? If so, stupid failed buyer! Hope it either a: sells for a more sensible price, or b: sells for less than a poxy Westone Thunder to a discerning BCer who appreciates quality bargain JapCrap*. [size=2][i]*Not me, because I've got a near-identical (but rarer) SB40[/i][/size] J.

[quote name='mr pablo' timestamp='1422614694' post='2674576'] Good wee find there J! Have you finished that old Ibanez blazer project you got from me? Was musing about getting another [/quote] I'm embarrassed to admit I haven't finished it! I cleaned up all the hardware & neck, didn't need fret dressing so I just polished them. Started to sand the body a bit & got a lovely effect where the black stain had sunk into some parts of the grain & not others, almost like a sort of zebrawood effect - so I decided I'd sand it like that & lacquer it. And it's still waiting to get lacquered... Good news is that where I've moved to, we have a bunch of old sheds out the back & one's been earmarked as a spray booth. [quote name='cocco' timestamp='1422610914' post='2674523'] I love the elite series. I had a pearl white double pickup model that I foolishly sold because my band at the time didn't like it. What's the output of the J pickup like compared to the original? [/quote] TBH the J's pretty weedy when it's compared to the original in series mode & on full chat, so as it's set up (or not) at the moment the J's not doing a great deal when the two are run together. However with the positioning that close to the bridge it's never going to sound full-bodied, that & the fact it's about 1cm further away from the strings than the original. I'll see if it's possible to set it up and/or wire it for more balanced output, if not it can go. I should be able to fill & finish the routing reasonably well if I decide to bin it, plus a nice vintage Barolini in the spares box would be a bonus, anyway, and would doubtless end up in some future Frankenbass! J.