Bassassin

[quote name='Happy Jack' post='838191' date='May 15 2010, 03:32 PM']Does that mean it doesn't need a truss rod? [/quote] I dunno but I doubt it's got one! J.

[quote name='Johnston' post='838047' date='May 15 2010, 12:05 PM']Are they Dimazrios with the hex pole pieces???[/quote] Probably, but not always. You get Schallers that look exactly the same, as do some of the late 70s/early 80s Jap P pups. Me, I'm none too convinced it would be harmonically correct, even if you could get more than two strings not hanging over the edges of the board - the frets don't exactly look parallel! J.

[url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=120569468799"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...em=120569468799[/url] Home-made bass that looks like it's been hewn from a single big lump of mahogany (apart from a scarf-jointed headstock), lots of genuine skill, care & attention has gone into shaping & sculpting this & it's actually a very striking-looking object. Which makes it such a shame that its creator has evidently never seen an actual bass guitar & has presumably put this together from a box of random P copy bits, using a rough pencil-sketch as a guide. This'll never work! Jon.

White pearl - or why not black pearl? Never seen that on a black/rosewood/pearl blocks J before, I think it would look great. Jon.

Going to be jamming with a Rush-fan drummer soon, so I've had to dust down a few lines I haven't played for a decade or two - plus a few I've never played, so Beneath, Between & Behind has just got a couple of run-throughs. Nice & straightforward for a Rush song, so I set myself the challenge of learning the instrumental part of Free Will note-perfect - I've never worked it out properly before. Feeling quite pleased with myself because although it might still be a bit untidy, I think I've nailed it. Jon.

[quote name='bassplorer' post='616086' date='Oct 3 2009, 09:53 PM']That could be a Greco or a Electra (Corsair) as they used to call their Ric.copies. Made by a very good builder brand in japan by the 70s called Matsumoku. It is an excelent copy bass and for most of the people that has had the chance to play a Ric. and some of these copies the diference in quality of sound and playability of these guitars is almost nothing. That is why Rickenbacker still very concern when they see them on E bay ...[/quote] I don't think it's either, for a number of reasons. First of all, I assume this bass is in the UK - Greco is a home-market brand in Japan, as was Electra in the US - neither were officially imported to the UK so that alone makes it quite unlikely. Secondly, Greco's 70s 4001 copies were initally made by Matsumoku & Fujigen simultaneously, and subsequently by Fujigen alone - this bass is not either. Again, Electra's Corsair model was sourced at different times from both of these factories, and also from Kasuga Gakki - & I'm 99% sure Kasuga did not make this bass. The reason Rickenbacker are concerned by copies is nothing to do with their quality - it's simply because the existence of copies threatens their ownership of their trademark designs. Under US law if they do not pursue & prevent every visible infringement of their trademarks, they lose the right to exclusively use it, which would mean anybody & everybody had the legal right to make Rick copies. That's why there are so many Precision, Jazz, Les Paul, Strat, Telecaster etc copies - Fender & Gibson didn't act to protect their designs. Jon.

[quote name='rockbass' post='836738' date='May 13 2010, 11:37 PM']Hi, I guess I'm the same as [b]'monkealan'[/b] and maybe a bit late on that thread: I'm new in here and I might be cheeky too and I've been researching a lot and also my dad bought a 'Rick' in the late 70's which I now use but neither of us knew anything about it. It looks evan the same in details as Al's, except mine has got a black switch and a white string sattle. And very astonishing there's a printed one-letter/6-digits number at the back of the head, I always thought this was the RIC Ser-No. which isn't, but it seems like an IBANEZ-No. This copy is very accurate made and has a thru body neck and JETglo color, the checkerd bindings are matching to Rick's. But it has just one truss rod and it's head and even the cavity matches to a 77 IBANEZ Western Guitar I owne. This makes me believe that it's made by IBANEZ or GRECO. I appriciate any clue on the manufacturer of this bass? Cheers Gunnar[/quote] Hi Gunnar - if you post some pics of the bass it should be possible to ID it accurately. If it's an Ibanez, that will be easy to spot - there are some variations but all Ibanez 4001 copies have black & white chequered body binding, rather than the plain white most copies have. The binding does appear on some other manufacturers' instruments but I'd need to see some pics to be 100% sure which was which. A point worth mentioning - it won't have actually been [i]made[/i] by either Ibanez or Greco - these are both just brand names owned by Japanese trading companies, who contract various factories to build their instruments. During the 70s Ibanez & Greco both used Fujigen Gakki to manufacture their instruments, so often they are identical apart from the names. Greco did also use Matsumoku, and again the 4001 copies from that factory are very easy to spot. Fujigen basses will have a serial like the one you describe, and I am inclined to think that's what yours is, but some pics will confirm it. Jon.

[quote name='backwater' post='836290' date='May 13 2010, 04:01 PM']Yep, me If it still had frets I would have kept it as it is light, easy to play and looks pretty good. Half-tempted to buy it back and get it fretted but I'd probably get killed by the wife Andy [/quote] It's tiny - just stick it in a cupboard or behind the couch, she'll never know. [quote name='Mr. Foxen' post='836431' date='May 13 2010, 06:05 PM'][url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/4-String-Bass-Guitar-/250632453448?cmd=ViewItem&pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item3a5adbbd48"]Dun if jap, but nice ash body, and might be hex pole pickup.[/url][/quote] Nice - I think that might be a Melody, from It'ly, although I'd need to see the back (neck construction & plate type) to be sure. Could be an old Dimarzio or Schaller pup stuck in it, too. J.

[quote name='razze06' post='836226' date='May 13 2010, 02:54 PM']Anyone for cricket? Washburn on [url="http://edinburgh.gumtree.com/edinburgh/38/58485138.html"]Edinburgh gumtree[/url][/quote] That's a very good price - these are stoopidly rare. If it still had its frets, I'd have had no choice. Looks like he bought it off a BCer in Edinburgh a couple of years back: [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=10647&hl=washburn+bantam"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=...washburn+bantam[/url] J.

A standard 20-fret Fender-type neck won't work on that body - there isn't room to reposition the bridge any further back than where it is now. I'd be dubious about a 24-fret neck working either, assuming you could find one with a compatible heel. If the project's just to build a small-bodied bass, you might be better off picking up a cheap P or J body & getting busy with a saw! J.

[quote name='Soloshchenko' post='835793' date='May 12 2010, 11:35 PM']Those music bakers look really cool hybrids. If the pickups are sh*te I suppose replacements are easily sourcable as well. Are these a brand new? I've never seen one before.[/quote] These are new - they don't seem to be related to any of the other current copies - the other setneck ones (as opposed to neck through) have too many frets. I think the guy who's selling/importing them should be made aware of this thread & should give us a review example. J.

[quote name='Annoying Twit' post='835557' date='May 12 2010, 06:46 PM']Are there bigger scans?[/quote] It's a real pity that this site doesn't have bigger/better quality scans, particularly the more esoteric brands. I've found a few Japanese catalogue archives over the years and some of the images are ridiculously small - even worse than these. Realistically you're safe from me pressing you into translation service, I have been threatening for years to do a JapCrap website (a book would be better, my vanity says) but it would largely be photos & my verbal diarrhoea, I imagine. If it ever happens! I wouldn't let any of the JapCrap forums get wind of your linguistic versatility though - they've been after translations of various Japanese vintage guitar books & magazines for years... Anyway if you're interested (not for translation purposes!) there are better quality Greco catalogue scans here: [url="http://psyco.jp/greco/cata.html"]http://psyco.jp/greco/cata.html[/url] And a mass of scans from numerous brands - predominantly acoustics, but there are a few basses & electric guitars: [url="http://www.oldguitar.jp/catalog/catalog.htm"]http://www.oldguitar.jp/catalog/catalog.htm[/url] But never mind the Japanese - check out that dot-neck Rickenfaker in the 1973 Greco catalogue. :brow: J.

[quote name='TankJon' post='835530' date='May 12 2010, 06:21 PM']Anyway, as far as I know Cimar was the cheap Ibanez range in the late 70's early 80's but thats all I found. It does explain why it looks like an Ibanez Blazer though.[/quote] A tenner? you're worse than me. That's about it, what you've put. Cimar started as a separate brand in the 70s, using Hoshino (Ibby brand owners) for distribution, it seems in the late 70s Hoshino took over the brand completely as a sort of budget Ibby range. Interestingly some models are identical to their Ibanez counterparts - the Cimar Stinger is the same instrument as the first Blazer design. At this point they were coming out of Fujigen Gakki, the same factory as Ibanez, but later ones, which are actually branded as "Cimar by Ibanez" appear to be quite low-end Korean stuff. Anyway yours is one of the good 'uns and we'll let Mr Hoshino tell you about it: Looks like all it needs is strings, a couple of chrome knobs and a hose down and it'll be sorted out. Jon.

[quote name='Annoying Twit' post='835456' date='May 12 2010, 04:56 PM']Any Lost-watching bass guitarists should buy two, one white, one black. [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/NEW-Retrovibe-RV4-Black-Bass-classic-styling-DON-T-MISS-/190396416848?cmd=ViewItem&pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item2c5482c350"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/NEW-Retrovibe-RV4-Bl...=item2c5482c350[/url][/quote] Oh god - only 4 episodes of the final season left... Yes, I am a really bad person. :ph34r: So - white/black bound/set neck Faker for cheap? I really like that, imo it p!sses all over the Rockinbetters & Anniversarys aesthetically, and I think the fat MM 'buckers look really good. Dammit - I want one! J.

[quote name='Annoying Twit' post='835392' date='May 12 2010, 04:06 PM']PS: I lived in Japan for four years. Being illiterate got stale REAL FAST, hence plenty of motivation for the reading and writing bit.[/quote] Ross mate, you are going to be [i]so[/i] useful in translating all the Japanese catalogues - here you go: [url="http://www.geocities.jp/guitarofworld/cataroueMAIN.html"]http://www.geocities.jp/guitarofworld/cataroueMAIN.html[/url] Let me know when you're done. J. (btw & )

[quote name='Annoying Twit' post='835289' date='May 12 2010, 01:54 PM']If you mean 浅間山 for Mt. Asama, then that is a very strange name. It more or less translates as "wretched" or "cursed" "interval". Maybe that has something to do with the volcanic activity there[/quote] Thanks for that - I have no knowledge of the Japanese language & was just regurgitating misinformation I picked up on one of the other boards! I hope the rest of my sources are not as misleading! J.

[quote name='Annoying Twit' post='835135' date='May 12 2010, 10:55 AM']Kay SG type bass. £9.99 start. The seller is local to me but doesn't do collection or viewings. They sell a lot of stuff, and I wonder if they do house clearances. [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/VINTAGE-KAY-BASS-ELECTRIC-GUITAR-PLEASE-VIEW-/400121220661?cmd=ViewItem&pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item5d29154e35"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/VINTAGE-KAY-BASS-ELE...=item5d29154e35[/url] Edit: Does that bridge cover look a bit wonky? Does the whole thing look a bit home made?[/quote] I think these are low-end Taiwanese beginner stuff - I'd pay a car boot price (about £15 - £20 ish) just as a flipper, but I doubt an Ebay one would go for that little. This one looks quite tidy considering it's being sold as a project - so I'd say house clearances or car boot trawls is where their stock comes from. The bridge cover's just held on with that screw in the middle - it'd twist straight. In answer to your earlier question about Kawai - I can't do much better than point you at this coincidental thread: [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=87742"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=87742[/url] They made good stuff, alright. Eric - love to see some pics of your bass (is yours branded Lincoln?) but sadly I'm too skint/got too many basses to be making any offers right now. Must clear a few out first! If you're after a guitar version, try searching for these names as well as Lincoln: The Asama, Memphis, Bozo & Torchy. I love Euro brand names! Asama is the most common brand - apparently it's a mountain in Japan & the name translates literally to "Big Bottom". J.

[quote name='Annoying Twit' post='834682' date='May 11 2010, 08:45 PM']What is this? Looks like one of the early Hondo basses doesn't it? Nice (IMHO) through neck, except the headstock seems to be making a bid for freedom. [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/QUALITY-MADE-THRU-NECK-BASS-PROJECT-LINCOLN-/270577702175?cmd=ViewItem&pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item3effb0151f"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/QUALITY-MADE-THRU-NE...=item3effb0151f[/url][/quote] Real shame about the headstock break on this, been slightly gaseous towards these for a while. These are a bit of a mystery (which I'd like to think I've solved) on the JapCrap boards - they appear with several thousand different names all over Yurp & the US in both bass & guitar versions. There are several threads about these on the Matsumoku board - Ebayers usually claim them as Mats because of the Hippy Sandwich body/neck - but this is what they really are: [url="http://www.fernandes.co.jp/others/catalog/1978_f_01/27.jpg"]http://www.fernandes.co.jp/others/catalog/1978_f_01/27.jpg[/url] With a few variations in pickup/controls, it's a Fernandes "Custom Hand". Where do they get these names? According to one of the Japanese vintage sites, Fernandes was built by either Kawai or Tokai at this point. And I've seen an 8-string version of this.... :brow: J.

[quote name='Annoying Twit' post='834825' date='May 11 2010, 10:49 PM'][url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1983-Greco-4001-S-McCartney-model-bass-guitar-VERY-RARE-/130390772125?cmd=ViewItem&pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item1e5be5499d"]Greco 1983 Paul McCartney Model[/url] Looks good. I'm expecting it to go for a fair wodge of cash.[/quote] Gorgeous, that. I do wish people wouldn't p!ss about with reserves though - what's the point? J.

Hard to say because PF series Ibbys don't come up that often - but if it's all original (and I mean [i]all[/i] of it, right down to the knobs & switch tip) then this seems a fair price. Being Scumtree, the seller will likely be open to haggling so £350 isn't unrealistic. I can't be sure from the pics but the pickups might not be original - I'd expect to see covers on Super 70s from this era. Vintage Ibanez like this are becoming collectors' toys these days and it's worth bearing that in mind - no irreversible mods if you ever wanted to sell it on. Anyway pics & specs here: [url="http://www.ibanez.co.jp/anniversary/45/1.jpg"]http://www.ibanez.co.jp/anniversary/45/1.jpg[/url] Jon.

You have a better chance of this working if you use a 24-fret neck - the extra frets effectively make the 12th fret position further away from the neck/body join, which will give you 5 or 6 more cm to play with for your bridge positioning. The downside of this is (if it works) the likelihood of a very neck-heavy instrument. Whatever you do, measure up carefully before you start buying parts or trying to put stuff together! Jon.

I've never seen one of those branded as Sumbro before - they're usually unbranded or labelled Zenta or Jedson. No idea who made these - they're very early copies, possibly late 60s, and don't have any manufacturer-specific traits I've been able to identify. One of my first JapCrap tart-up jobs was the guitar version of this, which I still have, & it's a nicely-made & somewhat quirky little plank. I'd quite like a matching bass - but £220 for this is fruitloop, about £100 over the odds on an optimistic day and about 75% more than I'd consider paying. Plus he gets an automatic 15% deduction for his "Ibanez Factory" bullsh!t. Where does he think he is? Ebay? J.

[quote name='bigthumb' post='833595' date='May 10 2010, 08:53 PM']Ha ha! Just been watching too. Terry Trent Derby or what ever his name was, bass player had a funky looking Thumb.[/quote] That'll be Cass Lewis, presumably. Jon.

[quote name='Annoying Twit' post='832367' date='May 9 2010, 05:15 PM']What is an Azumi bass? I can't find much information on them. [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Vintage-Azumi-Victory-Bass-guitar-Super-rare-/180504789979?cmd=ViewItem&pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item2a06ec83db"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Vintage-Azumi-Victor...=item2a06ec83db[/url] This is local to me and if it were interesting, I could pick it up. Except, that I'm not sure that it is sufficiently interesting for a £200 starting bid. Looking at this page, the guitars look a bit like a "me too" effort copying Matsumoku style, but not as good. [url="http://www.jedistar.com/jedistar_vintage_guitar_dating_a3.htm"]http://www.jedistar.com/jedistar_vintage_g...r_dating_a3.htm[/url][/quote] Azumi was something to do with Chushin Gakki - a light engineering firm turned guitar factory, as far as I can find out. This looks familiar - I think this has been up before, & it's pretty expensive considering it's a basic P-derived design & has been majorly refinished. If it was £100 (ish) BIN it might make an interesting player, but Azumi ain't exactly a collectable brand, considering there's only half-a-dozen people who've heard of them. J.