Bassassin

Apparently it's a really f*cking stupid idea. I started a thread in the Amps For Sale bit a few weeks ago, suggesting that the topic sub-heading would be a good place to put your location, since it usually just gets left blank (or the title gets repeated for some reason). I'm in Edinburgh, which is a long way away from most of the amps & cabs for sale, most people won't consider posting something that big, so I thought it would be useful to be able to see at a glance where things were. The consensus appeared to be that it was a stupid idea - and it plainly was because no-one's done it. Maybe I was just being a bit dim asking, having been here for a while I should realise by now that pretty much everything's in Bristol. Jon.

Dennis Dunaway has this mod on his 72 Jazz: [attachment=43552:dunaway_jazz.jpg] Amongst others... Jon.

Rob Green >> Green Machine Technology >> Status. So - Status graphite neck, Schaller 3D bridge, possibly a DiMarzio in the bridge position plus some free hardware, electronics & a body. Has this been on before? Looks familiar. Jon.

[quote name='Annoying Twit' post='755778' date='Feb 24 2010, 08:00 AM']Ta Jon. BTW: What does the multi-position switch on an SB1000 do? [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Aria-Pro-11-SB-1000-Vintage-1980-Bass_W0QQitemZ190375482876QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV?hash=item2c534355fc"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Aria-Pro-11-SB-1000-...=item2c534355fc[/url][/quote] Sorry - having managed to live this long but never had an SB series Aria, I can't really help. That's a question for Noelk27 or Bloodaxe, they know their stuff with SBs. J.

[quote name='numptydumpty' post='755283' date='Feb 23 2010, 06:10 PM']Main issue with the body is that someone has removed neck pickup and fitted some anonymous jazz pickup and lost the pickguard.But might the neck be worth the money? [/quote] If it's not actually damaged & it just has missing/changed parts, £100 doesn't sound too bad - obviously I'd have to see it to be doing anything other than guessing, but from what you describe, I think it'd fetch more than a ton on Ebay. If you do go for it - don't change the headstock logo - that will immediately destroy a big part of its resale value. J.

If he wants to part it out I'll give him £25 for the neck, no sweat. J.

[quote name='numptydumpty' post='754181' date='Feb 22 2010, 06:32 PM']I suppose if it is worth that much and if I could fit it without damaging,I could resell it later and not lose anything.I hear Kasuga was a respected brand on a par with Tokai?[/quote] They were. Kasuga actually built replica-standard guitars for Tokai, when Tokai's own factory couldn't meet demand. For my money the ones I've seen (and I own a Kasuga Rick copy) are built to as high a standard as Matsumokus & Fujigens of the era, & if anything, attention to detail's better. How hacked-up is the £100 Jazz? Jon.

[quote name='Annoying Twit' post='754806' date='Feb 23 2010, 11:03 AM']I wants me a bargain like this. Must check when the big car boot sales open up.[/quote] Mine was off Ebay surprisingly - bad listing and a bit of a basket case when it arrived so it needed a fair bit of TLC. If you do find a Track 2 (or the set-neck 2-pup Track 4) watch out for the bridges - they're Gibson 3-point types & the originals fitted seem to be generally pretty poor quality - soft, thin metal that bends & splits under string tension. This was my original: [attachment=43377:trackbridge.jpg] From what I've seen this appears to be fairly common on Westbury basses, and 3-point replacements aren't that common - although apparently Epiphone ones will fit. I managed to get a replacement baseplate & a couple of saddles from The Bass Doc (Howard) who had an old MIJ one in his parts box. Car bootin's definitely best for bargains - and you'll pay a lot less than the lowest Ebay prices as well - as my Westone Thunder guitar indicates! Be prepared to haggle - but also be prepared to walk away. If Matey wants £80 for that beat-up Hondo Les Paul with the cracked neck, he's not going to let you have it for £20 - but be persistent & go back every week, because by the time he's carted it back & forth every Sunday for a month, he probably will let you have it for £20, just to be shot of it. J.

Wouldn't mind if I was asked first & they didn't have a huge, spiky belt buckle. But my basses are all cheap JapCrap without fancy names - so no-one ever asks! Jon.

Schaller 3D. Better looking, better made, more adjustable and more compact than a BAII and you can pick them up used for £25 or less. You will have to drill 3 new holes, but the base plate has pilot holes which match the 2 of original Fender ones, to line it up precisely. Edit - 3Ds aren't string-through. Sorry! :blush: Jon.

Interesting Shaftesbury long-scale/slot head EB copy, if you're in Wiltshire - comes with what appears to be half a PA system, too! [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=110495706446"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...em=110495706446[/url] As far as I can make out slot-head EB copies were only made by Fujigen Gakki, so this is the same bass as the Ibanez 2354LB: [url="http://www.ibanez.ru/info/catalog/1971/16.jpg"]http://www.ibanez.ru/info/catalog/1971/16.jpg[/url] Very interested in this & I've asked the guy if he'd be willing to sell the bass separately & post it, but assume no reply means no. No bids on this so far - so if anyone local to him fancies having a punt on this & re-selling the bass to me, you'd end up with a free/very cheap monolithic 70s bass rig! J.

I paid £60 for my Westbury Track 2 and haven't yet sold it. Draw your own conclusions! The white / blood spattered ZZBs are the best ones! [url="http://www.matsumoku.org/models/ariaproii/catalogs/1985/85_ap2_cat_pg19.jpg.html"]http://www.matsumoku.org/models/ariaproii/...t_pg19.jpg.html[/url] Bottom of the page. J.

[quote name='Gwilym' post='753367' date='Feb 21 2010, 11:16 PM']why are cheap basses so cheap? I mean, someone somewhere is really getting screwed, probably. Think of all those poor little children, with no workers rights and slave wages that have toiled night and day building that cheap bass for you in the far east.[/quote] You make a very good & relevant point. Have a skim through this site: [url="http://cortaction.wordpress.com/"]http://cortaction.wordpress.com/[/url] And that's Korea - one can imagine it's not going to be better for workers in China, Taiwan, Indonesia etc necessarily. Jon.

They do look great - even with Wayne's migraine-triggering scratchplate. I have one such project in the works, I'd say "wait 'til you see mine" but we'll probably all die of old age first. Jon.

[quote name='LukeFRC' post='752857' date='Feb 21 2010, 03:06 PM']I emailed and the guys going to send me photos of the thing...[/quote] Luke, if you're considering going for this one, I'll take a polite step back - really need to save for a new rig, anyway! Post the pics when you get 'em. J.

[quote name='Annoying Twit' post='752513' date='Feb 21 2010, 08:59 AM'][url="http://en.allexperts.com/q/Electric-Guitars-3419/aria-pro-II.htm"]http://en.allexperts.com/q/Electric-Guitar...aria-pro-II.htm[/url] Guitar?!?![/quote] Also worth bearing in mind that some of "Johnny Genocide"'s expert knowledge, observations & opinions on vintage MIJ & MIK guitars on Allexperts.com is hilariously & outrageously misinformed. In this particular instance he didn't actually proffer anything of value (not even to date the thing from its serial number!) but some of his comments (and valuations) on Hondo Les Paul copies are hysterical and had me choking on my own oesophagus. J.

This is a great-looking solution to a perennial Rick problem, and I've never understood why Rickenbacker don't sell an "official" equivalent, (or simply a chrome mounting plate that fits closely around the pup), considering most Rick players seem to bin the handrest. Sadly this wouldn't fit any of my Fakers for various reasons, plus I like to use the top edge of the pup as a thumb anchor - I've made perspex surrounds for the 2 that I gig, which allow the pup to protrude about 5mm. I'd buy one if I had a proper Rick, though. Jon.

[quote name='geoffbyrne' post='752343' date='Feb 20 2010, 11:30 PM']Here's another vastly under-rated model, although Fuji-Gen this time, my 1979 Ibanez Studio ST105, again, bought in Cash Converters for £140 this time, with original case. G.[/quote] Bloody hell Geoff - Cash Convertors by you must be staffed by mugs! Result! J.

[quote name='kennyrodg' post='752284' date='Feb 20 2010, 10:13 PM']Jon, that 2366b is breathtaking,dibs on it please if ever you,well you know the rest. [/quote] I [i]think[/i] it's a keeper - but you never know... I've also got a project Blazer the same as your 1980 one, which I bought off BCer MrPablo, who's quite local to me. It's all original & complete but the body needs a refin so it's presently in a queue! J.

There's never been a "proper" 4005 copy - there are some late 60s/early 70s medium-scale Rick-ish basses, like bass on this page: [url="http://www.fetishguitars.com/html/general/shaftesbury.html"]http://www.fetishguitars.com/html/general/shaftesbury.html[/url] But these are more based on Rick guitar designs. The closest thing I've ever seen is a late 60s Aria RB350: [attachment=43191:5883.jpg] [attachment=43192:5895t.jpg] This one's owned by a JapCrap collector in Canada & is the only example I've ever seen! Realistically, if you're after a bass with a similar vibe to the 4005 you could do far worse than the [url="http://www.woodbrass.com/images/woodbrass/I+IBRIMB.JPG"]Italia Rimini[/url] Jon.

[quote name='Happy Jack' post='752261' date='Feb 20 2010, 09:49 PM']That was a brand-new listing with nearly seven days to run, so it's been pulled.[/quote] That makes sense - the listing doesn't suggest he knows the market for Rickenfakers. I'm guessing someone made him an offer he didn't expect - and quite possibly ended up with a bargain. J.

I hear SX do a pretty tidy P-bass for £120-ish... Jon.

Well - he's actually added a pic of the headstock (and nothing else!) to the listing now. It's presumably the actual bass he's selling unless he randomly found a pic with 3 strings... J.

Well, that's not far up the road from me, don't think it's a scam (collection/cash only) and I'm slightly interested because on the whole, basses in (presumably hard) cases with the clasps off, are usually quite old. He's answered a question by saying it's an "Aria pro II custom body part No 555719" - that number ring any bells, Mr Bloodaxe? J.

[quote name='Happy Jack' post='751995' date='Feb 20 2010, 05:57 PM']Chris Barber's very own Aria. Allegedly. From Germany. [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1975-ARIA-BASS-GUITAR-CHRIS-BARBER-JAZZ-BAND_W0QQitemZ160406631516QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV?hash=item2558faf45c"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1975-ARIA-BASS-GUITA...=item2558faf45c[/url][/quote] Stealth auction, presumably - can't see that getting only one bid & stalling at £100 & reserve not met otherwise. Not considering an [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Rare-1974-Ibanez-2389B-NT-Ricky-4002-stereo-bass-MIJ_W0QQitemZ220555961681"]Ibanez 2388 sold for nearly £590[/url] this afternoon. That aside - what a lovely bass. No interest in its provenance at all, but you don't see many Matsumoku Rick copies with natural boards, particularly not in that condition. Wonder what his reserve was? J.