Bassassin

What a great live band - loved it. Makes me want to go & form a ska band. Jon.

Vintage JapCrap such as this doesn't have a specific value - it's really worth what someone will pay for it. So that being the case, I think whatever you paid for it might be an excellent starting point. Jon.

[quote name='Bloodaxe' post='923253' date='Aug 12 2010, 09:43 PM']The only other thing I've seen in this colour was a glorious "SnotGlo" 'faker that I recall as having an Aria TRC. [i]That[/i] I'd give a home to any day of the week, except Wednesdays [/quote] These are even better than the "Greco" - being a green/yellow SnotBurst! There was one for sale on here a year ago, branded as "Vorg", which curiously turned out not to be an alien race from Star Trek after all: [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=56466"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=56466[/url] This is a Matsumoku, and the same bass as the Aria version. Shame it was quite so pricey! J.

I remember trying a Hondo Alien in a local shop when they first came out - it seemed pretty horrible, actually & sort of put me off headlesses for a while. Got over that when I saw a Riverhead Unicorn - still want one! Jon.

[quote name='Annoying Twit' post='922856' date='Aug 12 2010, 03:29 PM']Antoria Jazz bass sold for £103, pickup only. Doesn't seem a bad price for the buyer, is it? [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=150474677665&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...e=STRK:MEWAX:IT[/url][/quote] Pretty good, but that looks like how things are going at the moment. A year or so ago that probably would've been £150+, despite the refin, bits missing & non-orig parts. J.

Funnily enough I could probably get by with that. If I had to choose just one of the seemingly hundreds of cheap tat basses I've amassed it would be my CSL JapCrap Jazz so an upgraded VMJ is actually quite close. If it was my choice of upgrades it would be a Schaller 3D bridge, vintage DiMarzio Model J pups (cream covers) and passive electronics - possibly uprated pots, Sprague Orange Drop cap (for the pretty colour) and some switching options. Or maybe stack knobs. And can I have one of the new black VMJs with maple/pearl block board? And a white pearl scratchplate? Cheers. Jon.

[quote name='Kye' post='920872' date='Aug 10 2010, 06:30 PM']Bummer, love the look of the bridge cover, but hate the peice of tin that comes with the fenders, stick with the badass![/quote] There are other bridges. Jon.

Already discussed in the JapCrap thread, starting [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?s=&showtopic=7473&view=findpost&p=914383"]here[/url] & continuing randomly. Basically though it's a rebadged Kasuga Scorpion. Not sure Allexperts is 100% right about the Pro Martin brand. Prior to launching their own MIJ Sigma range in 1970, there was an association between CF Martin & Kasuga - it would appear Martin were importing & distributing Kasuga acoustics - many of which were dead-on Martin copies: [attachment=56337:Kasuga_M...in_label.jpg] Possibly Kasuga (or some random importer) had the bright idea of selling Martin replicas with a slightly cheeky name, and eventually ended up selling Kasuga original designs under same the brand. I dunno, but I've seen a few Pro Martins like this one but never a Kasuga Scorpion in the UK. Anyway - buy it. Jon.

Very interesting. I've read about these but never seen one before - and here's where I read about 'em: [url="http://www.vintageguitar.com/features/brands/details.asp?AID=1032"]http://www.vintageguitar.com/features/bran...ls.asp?AID=1032[/url] This should also answer your Fresher question better than I could, and is where the guy selling the guitar has lifted the entirety of his sales pitch! Shame he didn't read the whole article. As far as the truss rod's concerned, I'm voting incompetence - the only way this would have no truss rod would be if it had graphite or some other neck reinforcement, and if that was the case then it would be mentioned in the instrument's specs & overview. Did a quick Google of the model no. and there's another one, branded JHS discussed [url="http://www.musicradar.com/forum/showthread.php?t=24680"]here[/url]. I'd say £150-odd was a good score for whoever got it - these are clearly seriously rare. That said, it wasn't exactly the £350 BIN he wanted in his original listing, although it's still £125 profit over what I'd guess he paid for it at the car boot... J.

[quote name='grumble' post='920131' date='Aug 9 2010, 10:04 PM']Well guv I will be happy to give you a ton or so for the Talbo, purely for scrap value you understand [/quote] Aww. Tell you what - If I ever get dragged down an alley & mugged by the Charity Fairy, I'll keep you in mind! J.

I spotted this last night - now, I have seen one of these before and I can't remember where, which is incredibly irritating. It's not in the Tokai Registry catalogue archive, or any of the Japanese catalogue collections I have links to. It's possible it was an old Ebay listing (or even someone on here) but I'm 99% sure that it's 80s, MIJ and isn't a Frankenbass It stuck in my mind because it's quite similar to my cheap-but-sexy Aria STB-GT - bound flamed maple top, maple fretboard etc. The pics are poor so there's no telling what kind of state this one is in, but it might well have the potential to be a significant bargain for one of youse lot. Jon. *EDIT* Found it - it's a 1982 Hardpuncher Limited Edition. Here's one on TB (bottom of the page): [url="http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=542180"]http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=542180[/url]

[quote name='Annoying Twit' post='919633' date='Aug 9 2010, 02:02 PM']Good luck with that. I won't be bidding, and I won't be contacting the bidder to somehow "reserve" it from under your nose either [/quote] Giving it some thought - I'll sit this one out because I'm currently taking on more projects than I could finish in my remaining lifespan! So if you or anyone else fancies a pop please go for it & I hope you get a bargain. Expect to see me offloading a lot of stuff I'm never going to finish/use on here real soon. Anyone want a brand-new Badass 2, still in the packet? J.

[quote name='Clarky' post='919607' date='Aug 9 2010, 01:42 PM']Edit: 10 years ago I owned a Fender 80s black/maple Jazz that was previously owned by Terence Trent Darby's player, or so I was told by Macari's on Charing Cross Road. Bit of a comedown from Willie Weeks, no offence TTD's bass player![/quote] TTD's original bassist was Cass Lewis, subsequently of Skunk Anansie. If it was him I'd be suitably impressed. I very much doubt if any of my tat has a high-profile provenance - although I did once have a Columbus Jazz copy with a big Cargo Studios (where early Joy Division & loads of Factory Records stuff was made) sticker on the back - and I always sort of hoped it might've been a Cargo house bass at one point. In which case it might have technically belonged to Peter Hook, who co-owned Cargo in the 80s. But I doubt it. Jon.

This topic would fare better if moved to the "Bass Guitars" forum, I think. Oi - Mods! I've actually got an Aria STB-GT. It's a gorgeous-looking bass but came with a couple of issues which I'd be unhappy with if I'd paid new shop price for it (which being a cheapskate pikey, I didn't). First of all the fretwork was a bit scruffy, with some ragged ends up the dusty end of the board, and a bit of buzzing & rattling here & there. I'm quite happy to roll my sleeves up and sort out stuff like this but I appreciate that most people aren't as hands-on. Secondly, the active preamp has a nasty habit of eating batteries, even when the lead's disconnected. I've been unable to find out why it does this so I have to remember to take out the battery when not using the bass. I'm not a huge fan of actives so my intention is to bin the preamp & original pup & replace it with a decent passive MM type with splittable coils, and try playing around with some interesting wiring options. Jon.

[quote name='Annoying Twit' post='919355' date='Aug 9 2010, 10:28 AM']My ears went up in a Snoopy like fashion when I saw the word "Status", thinking that maybe it was a Status neck like the UK made Westone 6 strings. But, it seems that it's only the hardware that's branded Status, and it might not be the same company. In any case, here it is for those with the practical skills. [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Status-Washburn-headless-Bass-guitar-body-and-Hardware-/300453646869?cmd=ViewItem&pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item45f46ed215"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Status-Washburn-head...=item45f46ed215[/url][/quote] It is a "proper" Status in that these were official licensed copies made in Japan & sold with the Washburn brand, as you say with genuine Status hardware & electronics. This is a potentially very easy project for someone who'd be happy bunging conventional J pups & wiring in, as a gyppo such as me might. I'm watchin'. Jon

[url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=270619342707"]This[/url] is quite simply extraordinary. I just don't know what to say... J.

[quote name='Oggy' post='918799' date='Aug 8 2010, 03:27 PM']Your a very lucky old git if you have the talent to not only play but also create fresh music - more power to your elbow Bassassin. Oggy [/quote] Many thanks for the kind words Oggy - I suppose I'm a writer first before I'm a bassist. I've certainly played my share of covers & enjoyed it (up to a point) but I've always got much more out of performing my own work! We have no illusions about commercial success - yes, I think there's probably an audience & therefore a market for what we do, but for me it's about making & playing the music - not trying to sell it! A lot of people seem to stop doing music for a good few years & then come back to it in their late 30s - 40s. I've played continuously - I did have 6 or 7 years out of bands but during that time I was focussed on writing & recording (alongside getting married/having kids/getting divorced) and it was creatively a very productive period for me. It meant when I got back into bands, I had a ready-made set, and in fact one of the songs from that era is still in my present band's repertoire! There was a discussion on here a while ago about giving up music, someone made a comment along the lines that "you're not finished with music until music's finished with you". That stuck in my mind - I like that a lot! Jon.