Bassassin

[quote name='tino' post='1099346' date='Jan 23 2011, 09:35 AM']Keep your eye out for a mid 70's Ibanez copy....none better[/quote] Apart from the Matsumokus, the Kasugas, the Shaftesburys (dunno who made them!) the Kawai/Fernandes... Tino, the mid-70s Ibbys are gorgeous, but they were single most inaccurate MIJ Faker ever! Gibson-type Mudbuckers? Greenman555 - what bad stuff have you heard about the Retrovibes? I'm seriously considering a red one, & all the guys on here that have had 'em are full of praise. J.

The first 2 Stranglers albums were as rough & ready as you get - I very much doubt they were bothered about tuning to concert pitch so I imagine the line starts on D - either open or A string, 5th fret. I pretty much learned to play the bass by playing along to Rattus Norvegicus in my bedroom when I was 16, and I didn't have to re-tune for the other songs, the patterns all seemed quite logical, well - as far as I remember. Jon.

I'm not entirely convinced it's a Jolana or one of the dozens of other Eastern European brands, but if it is, it might well be on here: [url="http://www.cheesyguitars.com/guitars.html"]http://www.cheesyguitars.com/guitars.html[/url] I'm inclined to think it's home-made, or at least something that's been massively modified. Are there any other pics? Jon.

Mix & match finish hardware always looks sh!t. Besides, gold = tasteless, tacky & just plain naff anyway. Jon.

That is simply spectacular - and pretty much - no, [i]precisely[/i] - my GAS fantasy Victory. I really will have to come round, tie you up & nick it. Jon.

[quote name='fatback' post='1096619' date='Jan 20 2011, 06:01 PM']111779 [/quote]Cheers - but unfortunately mine's nothing like that! KPQL029. Another very faint back of the headstock one - the Q might be an O or a zero, the zero might be an O. What the hell were Yamaha on? J.

[quote name='razze06' post='1097146' date='Jan 21 2011, 09:44 AM']There's a good one in edinburgh, on queen street. Unfortunately, they seem to do the reasearch and know how much thin gs are worth.[/quote] Not always! Ibanez Musician (guitar) for £95? Also got my CSL JapCrap J there for £60. And a Cimar Jazz for £75... Last year they had a cheesy Chinese fake Les Paul Supreme in the window for about £1200 - it was there for a while. It's always worth a look in there, one way or the other. Jon.

[quote name='Jerry_B' post='1096914' date='Jan 20 2011, 10:23 PM'][url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/SG-Kay-Teisco-1960s-Vintage-Japanese-Bass-WOW-/260721278263?pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item3cb432fd37"]SG Kay/Teisco[/url][/quote] Kay, yes - Teisco/Japanese - no. Taiwanese rubbish, personally I've never seen a confirmed MIJ Kay. J.

It's JapCrap - [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/OLD-BASS-ELCTRIC-GUITAR-SPARE-PARTS-REPAIR-/370476120706"]one of these, in fact[/url]. Realistically, that one's even funnier. Jon.

It's not well-done but I've seen far worse. In 1998 there were probably a lot of people still under the impression that 70s Fenders were a bit ropey, and weren't worth keeping pristine. Then along came Ebay to put them all straight. Jon.

Both. Played with a pick for 25-odd years before deciding I really ought to brush up on finger technique. Now it's mostly fingers - about 95% probably so I suppose that constitutes a preference. That's not to say I think either's "better" - I would say each has different strengths and weaknesses but for the most part, certainly in the context of what I play they are pretty much interchangeable. Jon.

[quote name='karlfer' post='1095985' date='Jan 20 2011, 09:06 AM']OK, sloping back to the corner I should be in . Please tell me I'm right with Kay HideousBacker though? Karl.[/quote] You're quite right that the Jedson Tele things (made by Guyatone) were horrid! And that Kay? Taiwanese garbage, not even fit for firewood. And that includes the tuners! J.

[quote name='fatback' post='1096182' date='Jan 20 2011, 11:29 AM']My bb400 serial is on the headstock, but it's small and just stamped in, so it's very hard to see unless you angle the light. Yamaha (U.S.) tracked the serial down for me with a phone call. Service or what.[/quote] Bit of a thread hijack - what's the serial on yours? I have a MIJ BB400S fretless with a weird number, wondered if there's a pattern. Jon.

[quote name='Paul S' post='1096340' date='Jan 20 2011, 01:57 PM']Jon - nothing anywhere as far as I can see on the bridge or tuners. Whatever it is the bridge is nice - I recently fitted a Gotoh to one of my Fenders and I think this is just as good or better.[/quote] Have you whipped the bridge off? Mine's branded underneath: [attachment=69470:chushin_...dge_base.jpg] Different bridge to yours (this one's quite BA-like) but notice how, like yours, it's quite overzealous in the number of screws it needs! J.

[quote name='Paul S' post='1096254' date='Jan 20 2011, 12:49 PM']I do favour the stealth look but, well, I guess the cream covers were original. I bought the P-Retro unit secondhand - had I bought new I'd have gone for black knobs, then probably changed all the hardware too for a completel stealth look. Which would have been pointless, probaby, as the bridge is a good quality chunky thing and the tuners are fine. Jon - would the tuners be Gotoh or a look-a-like? Anyway, I'm still grinning and REALLY looking forward to giving it a blast tonight.[/quote] If the tuners are Gotoh they will likely have a logo somewhere, possibly on the reverse. Do they have a Washburn logo on the fronts? I have a Washburn SB40 which I think is from the same era and the bridge, at least, is from Chushin - it's embossed on the reverse. Tuners on this one are big Schaller M4S clones, with no brand or logo & I suppose logic would suggest the hardware might well all come from the same source. Is there anything on the back of your bridge? J.

I am all in favour of the non-invasive hot-rodding of old JapCrap - and this is how you do it! Looks fantastic, & personally I think the cream covers should definitely stay. Jon.

Started with a pick because my favourite bassists - Burnel, Lemmy, Foxton, Dunaway etc were all pick players, dabbled with a bit of slap later but barely ever used fingers. Stuck with the pick until about 8 years ago when I just decided to generally brush up on technique - and these days it's gone full circle & I rarely use a pick. I play original progressive hard rock/metal and a lot of my playing's very aggressive, I naturally dig in hard, and love the tonal versatility of fingers compared to pick. I'm probably still a bit faster with a pick, although there's not much in it, and there are some things, such a palm-muting, that I simply can't replicate fingerstyle. I'm very glad I'm now reasonably competent with both techniques, now it's just my slap which is atrocious, and it's very likely to stay that way! Jon.

[quote name='Annoying Twit' post='1095497' date='Jan 19 2011, 06:59 PM']A shop in a town near me sells Anniversary guitars, and they said they get the bass in occasionally. Though, I've never seen one. They sell Anniversary Rick copy guitars, and the "300 series" 6 string is £349 at present. I think they sold the basses for £400 new, and that's consistent with this site: [url="http://www.expressmusicstore.co.uk/products.asp?code=80606"]http://www.expressmusicstore.co.uk/products.asp?code=80606[/url][/quote] 'Appen you're right, Ross. I suppose it was a couple of years ago these were being discussed, I seem to remember someone mentioning them being sold sub - £300 but there's been inflation & VAT increases since then. Still never seen one of these in the flesh - or a Rockinbetter either, for that matter. Wouldn't mind a look one day. J.

Tokai don't make a Rickenbacker bass copy. This is an Anniversary-branded one, set-neck rather than through (look at the back pic), and pretty decent according to a few BCers who have them. They are current, & I don't think they cost a lot more than this new, though. I actually spotted one of these on Ebay last night, similar price so possibly the same one. Can't find the listing now! Jon.

[quote name='karlfer' post='1094747' date='Jan 19 2011, 05:15 AM']I'm old enough to remember when Jedson were considered sh*te. The daft Telecaster shaped bass was a hideous thing to play IMO. This guy also has a Kay HideousBacker, which I'll be watching. If it doesn't go stupid, I will have a punt just to get the machine heads. Karl.[/quote] Early Jedsons, like the one you mention, were cheap & nasty but the later & higher-end ones were decent quality. There are Jedson geeks who will pay a fortune for the Matsumoku-built Les Paul copies, the "proper" Telecaster clones & some of the acoustics. This bass was sold branded as Jedson & a few other names but most were unbranded. They're pretty well-made as it happens & I'd quite like one to match my guitar version of the same thing! J.

Demonstrating sloppy left-hand technique, Dec 2010: Hair now obsolete. Jon.