Bassassin

Not a super bargain then but still a reasonable price, especially if that's a DiMarzio in it.

Headstock & body proportions don't look right for an Ibby. Likely one of the numerous similar basses that were around when SRs were new & exciting. Looks like the basis of a cool project for £65.

I did not know that!

I think the idea was to approximate a 60s/70s-era instrument that had been tweaked or upgraded as many were back in't day. Ther Vintage Modified fretless Jazz (the only VM I've had) was basically a Jaco copy - lined, no pickguard, siver knobs etc.

Didn't notice that. Might explain why there's only one crap pic.

Not an Aria & not worth £450, never mind the £800 it apparently previously was. As it's unbranded the factory's the only way of IDing it - the offset neck dots are usually a Matsumoku trait, but the truss cover, wooden bridge & pickups look like late 60s/early 70s Sakai, as do the metal knobs. Collaboration between factories was a thing at this point in Japanese guitar manufacture so that's possibly what this is. Looks in OK condition for its age, if it was £200-£300 it might be worth a punt if it's your sort of thing. Personally I think it's vile, as are all fiddle-shaped basses.

Obviously a bit of a project, & a shame about the pickup bodge, but these are very, very good - made by Yamaki Gakki & replica-standard, up there with Tokai, Fernandes, ESP etc. Same thing turns up as Daion & Yamaki (I have a Daion version) and they don't tend to go for huge money, as the names aren't too well-known.

Interesting, looks nice & could be a bargain. I'd be very surprised if that wasn't a DiMarzio Model P (early one, from the silver poles) as this wouldn't have been fitted with that style of P pickup as standard. Looks like a solid timber body too, from the lack of big contour oversprays.

That's a pretty decent price for a Jack these days. Looks tidy from the pics.

I bought it in 1996, original ltd. ed lenticular cover, too. Saw them on the Aenima tour at the Astoria in Feb '97 - a long trek from Edinburgh but their only UK gig that time round. I'm not the guy in Hooker With A Penis but have been a Tool fan for almost as long!

Long-gone. I only bought it on a whim because it looked cool, kept it for a couple of months then popped it on Ebay. Quite enjoyed the experience of making a half-decent player.

When I learned it I just played along with the CD over & over until I got it right/got bored. THAT WAS ALL WE HAD IN 1996!

Apart from the roasted maple neck & Badass clone bridge, I struggle to see any significant difference. Oh yeah - £300. That'll be it. Buy the V7 while you still can!

There's got to be a death metal band called Imperforate Anus! And I'll be expecting to see that Tina vid pop up on some antivax nutjob's timeline sometime soon.

One of the few occasions I've ever looked at anything with 'Fender' on the end & gone "WANT THAT ONE!" Not sure who makes Japanese Fenders these days, but if the old rules still apply, MIJ = Fujigen. And it was them responsible for the FotoFlame stickers...

I quite like it, reminds me a little of the veneered finish on some old Ibbys:

Not seen these before. I'm very put off by the string having to wind around a cam inside the bridge (replicating the behaviour of a conventional tuner) which is giving me flashbacks to this illogical, ill-conceived and overengineered thing on a cheapo bass I picked up a while back. Have a read; The second listing has head-end string clamps which would make it marginally more practical, but the fact it comes with a tiny string-cranky handle (that you'd definitely never lose!) doesn't exactly telegraph ease-of-use!

Steel Adjustable Neck plates were exclusive to Matsumoku, unfortunately the serials on these plates seem to be random so if it is '76 (and it might well be) it's probably coincidental. Your best bet will be pickup codes, which give a to-the-day date, so tend to be a good guide to the whole instrument. So hopefully they'll be date-coded! From what I've seen the plastic covers on 70s MIJs had what looks like some sort of adhesive brown paper rather than the peel-off film you get these days - looks like what's left on yours is the remnants of the glue. It'd probably clean off with something like acetone, but test a bit inside first to make sure it doesn't eat the plastic!

Maiden didn't poach Bruce 'Bruce' Dickinson from Samson to stop Samson being a threat to Maiden's success though. I'd also expect the decision to have been as much management as artist-driven, if not more. Marketing again.

Might be splitting hairs a bit. More to do with who's suitable - a bit like Croakin' Joe's Blues Stumblers getting a residency at the Dog & Slopbucket rather than my conceptual prog originals 9-piece.

I'd argue that what you're talking about is marketing rather than music itself, and the effect marketing has upon the creation of new music. Obviously a lot of music is created specifically to be marketed, and there are clear formulae for creating a successfully marketable product in those areas. Successful artists will be under various pressures to create new music that repeats & builds upon previous success, regardless of how artistically motivated they may have originally been. I'd suspect (although this is purely speculative!) that most people who get into playing and creating music aren't too motivated by the commercial success (or otherwise) of what inspired them to pick up an instrument.

Crazy bargain. Antoria White Eagles are rarer than the already ridiculously rare Ibanez Black Eagle. UK market only and probably only produced in the hundreds. Has it had a head repair? It's incredibly uncommon to see any of this design with an undamaged headstock. We had one here a couple of years ago: What details/info are you looking for? Should be dateable from the neckplate serial (1st letter = month, next 2 digits = year), manufactured by Fujigen Gakki, distributed in the UK by JT Coppock Ltd in Leeds, who owned the Antoria brand at the time. Fwiw I'd happily give you twice what you paid for it...

I'd think never exported outside Brazil - if you Google it there are quite a few pics from local listings & FB. Quality doesn't look Kay-level junk but it's obviously more budget than Giannini or most MIJ. Home-grown hardware & electronics while the Gianninis have the same Japanese parts as many other 70s copies.