Bassassin

This one didn't shift on its last listing so might be worth a look this time around: [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=170492464159"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...em=170492464159[/url] Matsumoku bolt-neck, presumably originally badged Arbiter. Looks in very good condition, very sensible BIN or if you're a gambler, drop a £269 punt on at the last second, because that's his reserve. If I had the dosh/room I would. J.

[quote name='tauzero' post='850844' date='May 29 2010, 01:11 AM']Westfield do make exceedingly good necks.[/quote] They might well - but quality isn't necessarily reflected in value, which is one reason I like old JapCrap. Still a £60 bass. J.

[quote name='AndyTravis' post='850558' date='May 28 2010, 07:15 PM']Looks like a nice rendition though?[/quote] Definitely - and in great nick too by the looks of it. This looks like the same sort of thing as the Shaftesburys, Cimars (ask Mr Twit!) & some of the CMIs that turn up. Very nice, the only thing that lets them down (aesthetically, at least) is the silly little tuners. J.

[quote name='Annoying Twit' post='849949' date='May 27 2010, 11:32 PM']Probably made by Tokai. It says. [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/El-Degas-BASS-VINTAGE-70S-ALL-ORIGINAL-COPY-/140411478208?cmd=ViewItem&pt=Guitar&hash=item20b12d20c0"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/El-Degas-BASS-VINTAG...=item20b12d20c0[/url][/quote] I'd love to know how they rationalise stuff like that! From what I've seen so far, Tokai haven't sold a Rick bass copy under their own brand so it would seem odd that they would have built them for a US importer's brand. However, just because I've never seen a Tokai Rick bass copy (including Rockinbetters) doesn't mean they don't exist. Or that Ebay Guy's making it up. But he probably is. J.

I was asked the same question last week by our potential new drummer, after I opined that I thought bass was a rubbish instrument for writing on! I almost always write with guitar - when doing so I find it easy to "hear" the bass & drum parts - which just doesn't work for me the other way round. Me & some school mates decided to form a band after a night of underage drinking & watching local pub bands. None of us could play anything so roles were pretty randomly allocated - I would have happily been a drummer but just had no particular interest in the guitar. It's odd - I really had no grasp of the seemingly popular notion of the bass being a sort of second-class instrument for crap guitarists, and funnily enough it still makes no sense to me... I played bass for 2 years before picking up a guitar, I think I can play guitar to a reasonable standard but have never felt motivated to do it live. Plus I'm a horribly sloppy guitar player because I don't practice. Jon.

[quote name='lemmywinks' post='848305' date='May 26 2010, 10:49 AM']I quite like the look of it, might be a really nice bass. If it was £50 - £70 then i'd be tempted. Definitely wouldn't spend anywhere near the asking price though.[/quote] Agreed - Squier + scabby refin + Westfield neck = £60 bass. Jon.

If this is a genuine issue then arguably the Ebay Links forum should be closed - if it's not to point out interesting/potentially cheap things you've spotted, then it serves no purpose. If people want to plug their own auctions (which doesn't actually happen often) then there are the other For Sale boards. Since the first time this came up I don't often contribute my "finds" to the JapCrap or Rickenfakers threads any more - it had never occurred to me that posting things I'd found would put noses out of joint. The other side of this is - what actual difference does it make? I suppose I don't know about anyone else, but if I intend bidding on an Ebay item, then I know how much I'm willing to pay and won't go above that - if I'm outbid (or, more usually if it goes past my personal ceiling before I bid) then bye bye, another one will be along soon. And realistically, based on my own experiences as a seller, if an item has 250+ watchers - all of whom are potential bidders - then it's hard to imagine how a handful of bass forum members are going to make a significant difference to the final price. And that final price is the bottom line, it's very much a truism that a well-listed, well-described & well-photographed auction [b]will[/b] achieve its market value, no matter how much you'd like to get a crazy bargain. There are exceptions, but not too many. Jon.

[quote name='leonshelley01' post='846987' date='May 24 2010, 10:41 PM']First Peter Steele, then RJD and now Paul Gray. A bad few weeks.[/quote] My thoughts exactly - very sad & shocking run of tragedies. Jon.

[quote name='waynepunkdude' post='844969' date='May 22 2010, 11:32 AM']I'm looking forward to picking it up I have a nice plan for it.[/quote] Nice one, son. Don't butcher it too badly - you don't see too many of these. J.

The first amp I had in my first proper gigging band was one of these - cost me £30 from a charity shop, including a matching 2x12 (I think) cab. Jon.

That's ridiculously cheap - why is it still there? J.

Always had a bit of a soft spot for these, mostly because it's the "donor" body design for the very erotic (IMO) JapCrap Riverhead Unicorn: I don't think Geddy ever played a Flyte - are you thinking of his "teardrop" bass - which was a brutalised & butchered 60s P? Jon.

[quote name='Annoying Twit' post='840995' date='May 18 2010, 03:41 PM']Whoops! I forgot to include the link. It's this page: [url="http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=613277"]http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=613277[/url] But, after reading that thread, I don't think I was any wiser than I was before I read it.[/quote] A 1980s Korean Maya, then. Cheers for the link - but as I rather smugly expected, a bunch of ill-informed ignorance. I wonder if "ElectraPlayer", the self-proclaimed Electra expert, is aware that Kasuga & Fujigen built Electras as well s Matsumoku. And that there were 2 unconnected Electra brands in the US during the 70s. J.

[quote name='danny-79' post='840423' date='May 18 2010, 12:56 AM']This might be slightly off topic but heres the question, My Mrs is a hardcore Rickenbacker lover, bass wise she has a pretty nice 1976 4001 She also owns a 360-6 in black and a 360-12 in jet glow, With not being able to order custom parts from Rickenbacker, it makes minor customising hard. shes trying to go all black with the hardware on the 360-6, nothing to heavy just changing out the pic guard white for black, im still trying to track down a matching truss rod cover, so the plate is black with white lettering but can either of us find one ???!! , I no they exist Ive seen some of the colours that were available in the 80s (bright reds, blues an whites) with all black hardware, just having an ask if anybody knows ware i might be able to locate one. Don't want to do a swap (part for part) in case want to change it back to its original state etc, and you can be assured that the surplus cover WILL NOT end up on a Rockinbetter copy.[/quote] Without paying through the nose for one off Ebay (if one comes up) there are two ways I can think of. The first would be to spray the existing one black & then sand the paint off the raised top of the logo until the plastic shows through - although I can understand not wanting to do that to the original trc. So the second would be to pick up a shonky copy trc (like the one that keeps coming up [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?s=&showtopic=270&view=findpost&p=836698"]here[/url]) and do exactly the same thing. I think there are less issues in using a fake trc as part of a custom project with a real Rick. Dave - that's cool, if you're OK with £35 (posted, naturally) drop me a PM & we can sort out the fine print. Oli - that's what I tried using, working freehand - one of the main problems seemed to be the way the plastic reacted - which was basically by melting! Speed of the Dremel didn't make a lot of difference except it was harder to encourage it past the top layer. J.

[quote name='LukeFRC' post='840413' date='May 18 2010, 12:40 AM']i think that would classify as a telecaster neck pickup they picked up from the production line next to the bass one![/quote] That's exactly what they are. I had a Maya J copy with these pups, and they were identical to the ones in a Fujigen-built Eros Tele copy I had: [attachment=50044:fullfront.jpg] [attachment=50045:fullfront.jpg] Sounded alright - but definitely better in the Tele. And you can see why all the old Jap Fender copies had ashtrays fitted, can't you? Edit: Ross, what's this TB thread of which you speak? Are they discussing JapCrap? They know nothing, them Septics... J.

Hey you, you're such a pedant... J.

I can only speak from my own experience here, but I kind of feel most of the JapCrap starter stuff from the 70s was just in need of a good setup. At 16 I didn't have a clue - I just though my first few basses were rubbish! These days adjusting truss rods, setting intonation, dressing frets etc is second-nature, and to be honest I've found very few old Japanese basses & guitars that couldn't be made to play nicely with a little bit of work. J.

This was common on older Yamahas, not sure if they still do it. My 80s BB400S fretless has this, there would appear to be some logic behind it as a design idea but I don't think in practice it's noticeable. Jon.

[quote name='rockbass' post='840247' date='May 17 2010, 09:48 PM']Hi Jon, OK, set up your tools and speed up the gears, there's a bunch of lads standing in line. As far as I'm concerned do it either way it may be an experience. Do you need a template drawing of my current plate for the right shape and the screw holes? Or do you think the plates are matching each other? If so, I could drill the holes by myself. If you don't wanna announce your price for it right here send me a private message. Gunnar[/quote] OK - I had a go at engraving last night - sadly it was an absolute disaster! I either don't have the right tools - or more likely the right skill or steady enough hand to get the right result. So that's a no-go. However I'm pretty sure I can do a convincing Ibanez logo on a card underlay if you're interested in that. For the ones I've done previously, I've used a pic of a real Rick cover, scaled to the right size, as a template, so I think that's likely to be the right shape for your bass. If you're happy to drill the holes yourself, that would be best, because you'd be able to mark the positions exactly. As far as cost's concerned - I really don't know! I've never done a commission before. Would £35 sound reasonable? Dave - if you're cool with a clear cover with printed underlay, I can do that no problem. J.

According to the TB thread linked earlier, the importer/seller fella has these made to his specs - hence the set neck on the Aero & slightly shorter scale lengths. J.

I doubt it will be any particular bargain - I expect it will reach pretty much its secondhand market value. I start all my auctions at 99p no reserve and no-one's had a quid guitar yet. Quite the opposite, in fact. Jon.

I'd love the chance to bring this one back to life - if you don't fancy doing it, give me a shout. Columbus was the one of the most common JapCrap brands in the UK in the 70s, most of them were pretty low-end but build quality was not bad & they tend to have good necks/frets. My first guitar was a Columbus SG, and it was actually pretty good - until I snapped the headstock. Jon.