Bassassin

I'm not interested in defending them, trying to convert anyone, or getting into verbal scraps, but I do find it funny how some things never seem to change. I've been a Rush fan since 1980, and they've always been a band that attracts sneery put-downs & scathing criticism from people whose admission, when pressed, is that they've never actually listened to them, but they just don't like "that sort of thing". "That sort of thing" apears to be obvious technical competence, songs that often do not adhere to traditional structures, extended compositions and lyrics that aspire to discuss topics outwith the normal fare of rock & pop. For me, I think they've been incredibly uneven over the years, and have made easily as much downright bloody awful music as that which is inspiring, uplifting & magical - but I think that's part of their appeal & probably many other fans would agree. They are a band which has managed to succeed commercially on its own terms, not that of the music business, and their many failed experiments & musical car-crashes have been as public as their successes. They're not the reason I picked up a bass (JJ Burnel has full responsibility for that) but they're the reason I wanted to be a good musician, compose original material & challenge myself. And speaking as a spectacularly unsuccessful musician (in a commercial sense at least) they are probably still why I've never given up playing music I actually give a sh!t about. Jon.

[quote name='Musky' timestamp='1421791519' post='2665169'] Bassasin will doubtless be along before too long, [/quote] And I'll say the same as I said on the Facebook Fakers group! Which is basically what Musky just said: Not Matsumoku or any of the "big name" MIJ builders, but these are great, well-made & very authentic basses. However we don't yet know enough about the Japanese factories of the era to really have a clue who made these. They are head & shoulders above any of the current crop of "Chickenbackers" though, which includes the Rockinbetter. I will point out (before anyone else does) that there is no connection at all between Rockinbetter & Tokai Gakki. I mentioned the Shaftesbury-branded basses on FB - this isn't similar, it's the exact same instrument with a different brand name - likewise the CMI, Cimar, JHS etc versions, I think it's pretty evident they all came from the same factory. This happens all the time with vintage MIJ stuff - eg. identical Les Paul copies turn up branded Columbus, Avon, Saxon, Maya, Sumbro, Grant etc. Like the Fakers, these all have details indicating they're from the same origin. These brand names on MIJ copies are very seldom anything to do with the factory that made them. Importers would order batches of instruments built to their own choice of specs & brand name, and often they would source from several different factories, probably based on the deals available at the time. This means that the "Strings" name probably can't tell us anything about the origin of the bass - and having never seen this brand before, I'm quite inclined to think the bass has made its way from overseas, likely continental Europe. "Strings" isn't connected to any of the other brands mentioned, it will just be a name used by whoever imported/distributed it - in fact a number of names, such as Grant & Sumbro, were really just local music shops' own brands. Jon. Edit - beat me to it, Musky!

E - serial (assuming it's not just a shonky Ebay sticker) makes it 3rd generation MIJ, and dates it somewhere between '84 - '87. About £400 if he'd left the belt sander in the cupboard. Jon.

[quote name='earhook' timestamp='1421453011' post='2661625'] Bummer... it had a knackered truss rod. Have ordered a jazz bass neck with black block inlays and binding for it. It should arrive tomorrow. [/quote] Shame about the original neck, but that should look great - pics when it's done! J.

I suspect here it's reasonable (for me) to assume that "replaceable" is in fact Japlish for "detachable". Q, E, and quite possibly, D. J.

[quote name='Annoying Twit' timestamp='1421432923' post='2661238'] What does it mean by 'maple replacement neck'? [/quote] Good question. From the rest of the pitch it sounds like a junk shop bloke who's Googled the bass for details, so maybe he means "detachable". J.

When I first decided to sell basses I didn't play much (some of which I'd owned for 10+ years) what amazed me was how I didn't miss them at all. I thought I'd be way more attached/regretful than I turned out to be. Jon.

Blimey. And to think back in the 70s they used to be Ayn Rand-indoctrinated crypto-fascists. Well,according to the NME, anyway. Jon.

On Ebay there's always the occasional out-of-hand bidding war leading to crazy prices or under-the-radar bargain, but there's usually a sort of median price range - I don't think it's changed much for Thunders. I had a nice T1 guitar which sold for exactly £150, about 6 years ago! Regarding current disparities, I refer my learned friend to [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/7473-japcrap-spotting/page__view__findpost__p__2636357"]my earlier post [/url]contrasting the same seller's Washburn Force 40 & (poxy) Westone Thunder! J.

[quote name='Annoying Twit' timestamp='1421329084' post='2659904'] Given that Mick didn't get the credit nor money that he deserved from his work with Japan, I'm not too displeased to see his estate benefitting in this way. [/quote] Fair point, no problem with that. I still think the buyer's exhibiting weapons-grade stupidity. J.

Prices for Thunder IIs & IIIs have always been higher (unless you drop lucky), I guess because of the Matsumoku through-neck thing, which seems to be something people will pay a fair amount for - look at the prices of Aria Pro SBs & SB-Rs. Bolt-neck Thunders have held their prices surprisingly well while much of the rest of vintage MIJ has been in freefall. They never went for much more than £150, and many still do - surprising considering how common they are. J.

Good lord, that's stunning. Until you get a hernia trying to pick it up. J.

Very early Rush tribute band? [sharedmedia=core:attachments:45167] Jon.

No, but it's unauthorised (or at least I strongly suspect it is) use of a protected registered trade mark of Rickenbacker International Corp, and as such the infringers will be dealt with by THE FULL FORCE OF UNITED STATES TRADEMARK LEGISLATION. UNTIL THEY BLEED!!!! Jon.

[quote name='Shabbs' timestamp='1421228049' post='2658551'] Cheers Jon, haven't even heard it yet, unstrung and needing a good clean and fret dress. Is it purely personal preference or is passive generally more desirable? [/quote] I'd say personal preference - never ben much of a fan of actives. J.

I think all the early Hohner headlesses had those EMG Select humbuckers, active or passive. If it's the same as the B2/B2A Steinberger copy, then the 2 versions are identical apart from the preamp, XLR out & on/off microswitch on the active version. My B2A sounds better with the pre switched off, anyway. Jon.

Keep the Rick, Keep the VMJ, read this thread! http://basschat.co.uk/topic/252421-ditching-fender-for-squier/ Having had a bunch of excellent Squiers over the years, I think you'd be paying for the name & not a lot else. And these days Fender's a franchise, not a manufacturer. Jon.

[quote name='Mickeyboro' timestamp='1421054169' post='2656490'] Who is Laura Doggett? [/quote] She was on The Andrew Marr Show on Sunday Morning. Ed Milipede didn't stick around to watch. [url="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-30766997"]http://www.bbc.co.uk...t-arts-30766997[/url] Quite like her voice, but the song barely exists. J.

In fairness, it probably depends what sort of tone you're after. I struggled to nail the sort of bright/snarly/touch of overdrive racket I usually favour without getting microphonic feedback, chances are it'd be fine with more neutral amp EQ & no effects. I didn't perservere with it, it's surprisingly heavy for a hollow/light metal body bass so I only gigged it twice. Looks ace on the wall though! J.

I believe it was an Italia Mondial.

Tokai Talbo FTW..... ...until you plug it in & it starts squealing like a piggy. Most resonant, microphonic body ever. Jon.

Or that the world is full of very stupid people with far too much money. Which is a good thing, if you can find one. J.

Musky's right about the bridges - this seems to be a flaw on a few early 80s Matsumokus with 3-point bridges, but they are interchangeable with any 3-point design so finding a replacement (if necessary) shouldn't be a problem. This is mine when I got it: [sharedmedia=core:attachments:45688] On a bass like a Track 4 I might feel inclined to replace it with something like a Hipshot Supertone or the new Babicz 3-point. Pickups were DiMarzio as standard, again something found on a lot of Mat basses at the time, should be wired for series/parallel switching which makes them quite versatile. Cream covers should be standard, you can check authenticity by hex key size (DiMarzios are imperial) or wiring colour, which will be white & green/black & red. The Ebay sale at £190 is an indication how far vintage MIJ prices have fallen in the last few years, the Track 4 is pretty high spec (set neck/carved top etc) and 5 or 6 years ago £350-£400 would be more usual for a good original bass. These are actually pretty scarce, much less common than the single-pickup/bolt neck Track 2 like mine. Jon.