Bassassin

[quote name='saxosim' post='696656' date='Dec 30 2009, 07:54 PM']Hi All, Thanks for the advice on the concord 2, I have sold the Bass guitar tonight to a very keen collector who came over and is chuffed to bits with it and seems to really love Westone guitars. It sold for £170 which we are really pleased with and seems very fair based on the values everyone mentioned. Thanks again, regards Simon[/quote] That's excellent, a really good price & I'm dead chuffed it went to someone who appreciates these things! Was it through the Westone forum? J.

[quote name='derrenleepoole' post='696114' date='Dec 30 2009, 09:14 AM']Well, not to get in an argument about prices, I have seen Thunder's fetch £300 on eBay... admittedly before the recession though. Like I said, I'm not familiar with the Concorde II, so couldn't comment on an accurate price, but putting a good reserve wouldn't do any harm would it, even if my guess was slightly out! Or, you could just let the auction run, I think you might get a nice price. The analogy of it being a cheaper bass when new is a little poor. Squier's were cheaper basses when introduced, and look at what an original 1982 Squire will bring now! Not saying this bass is equivalent to an '82 Squire though [/quote] Thunder IIs & IIIs (neck-through, high-end) certainly can & do fetch £300+ prices, bolt-neck Thunder 1s really don't, unless it's shill bidding or random nutters! The original MIJ Squiers are part of the inexplicable world of vintage Fenders now - which is a logic-free zone, as far as I can tell, and more to do with brand association than the actual instruments. I've had two 80s MIJ Squiers (both built by Fujigen Gakki) & they were both lovely - but I've also had many basses & guitars built by Matsumoku, like this Concord, and there is genuinely nothing between them in terms of build, materials & components - in fact arguably some of the hardware on this bass is a lot more substantial & "better quality" than the Fender/Squier equivalent. Matsumoku had a great reputation, which is well-earned. I think with Ebay prices/final values so much of it's to do with the visibility of the listing & the popularity of the item - people will be specifically looking for Westy Thunders because they're currently a popular & sought-after vintage MIJ bass, sadly the same isn't so much the case with the Concord. You have a point about the historical retail value, but that's probably part of what affects the popularity & quantities available now; back in the day, the Concord was a good budget bass, but the Thunder I was an [i]excellent[/i] budget bass - it sold more, had a rock-solid reputation, is regarded with affection by people who started out on them - and I'd say as a result is more desirable now. J.

One of my favourite basses (particularly for recording) is an early-80s Ibanez RS924 Roadster - which has only single passive volume & tone, plus a 3-way selector. There's no way of blending the pups and it's massively frustrating. As a JapCrap geek, I'm a bit of an anorak about keeping things original (and this one's near-mint) but every time I play it, I'm tempted to rip out the selector & replace it with a pan pot. Jon.

That's unfortunate & I can understand your perspective based on that. It is a risk, but very much a calculated one - it's inevitable that the higher-profile brands will get a lot more attention - and therefore bidders - than more niche names. The risk can be minimised, though. On Ebay you can use the completed listings tab to search, & gauge what Ebay's market value is for a particular brand & model. You can then study the listings themselves, based on price differences, and work out (if it's not already obvious) which listings get a better response (more page views, more bidders), and why. Ebay's default search parameters address the listing title only, so you must make sure it contains specific keywords that somebody searching for the item you're trying to sell will use in their searches. You also want as much passing trade as possible so people doing general searches (for example "Musical Instruments > Guitars > Bass") will see and notice the listing. Which means keywords that get them in (easy) and a bold & noticeable thumbnail pic - coupled to a potentially outrageous bargain start price. This method definitely works for me and what I sell (predominantly vintage MIJ guitars) but obviously comes with no guarantees. Broadly speaking I prefer to sell through BC these days, but it's horses for courses - the market for Moridaira Strat copies on here is a tad limited, in the same way that there are a lot more knowledgeable bassists here than an Ebay listing's likely to reach. My only "failed" Ebay sale so far (apart from a couple of auctions I cancelled to sell directly to BCers) was a near-mint 1989 Ibanez SR800 fretless, which I listed with a £250 BIN - and got no takers. I subsequently sold it here for £25 less - which is what I would have paid in fees anyway. I experimented with a BIN because I was pretty certain that if I'd 'Bayed it at 99p, no reserve, I probably would have got about £100 for it - it's neither a common nor a particularly popular bass "out there". J.

[quote name='Annoying Twit' post='695949' date='Dec 29 2009, 10:05 PM']I put a lowball on that. I don't know how it works around here, but just in case, my bid is far too low to call "dibs" on it. Anyone thinking of bidding a reasonable bid, be my guest.[/quote] I won't be bidding so best of luck! Although it is just down the road from me - quite happy to collect it on your behalf. And look after it for you, for a year or two... J.

It's plastic - I'd have a shot with T-cut or a similar mild abrasive polish, which works a treat on other hard plastics. Test it on an inconspicuous area first, though - as they say on the tin... Jon.

[quote name='Conan' post='695672' date='Dec 29 2009, 04:03 PM']I was under the impression that if you didn't set a reserve price, then you had to let the item go for whatever the highest (or only!) bidder was prepared to pay? Surely then, not putting a reserve on it is very risky as you could potentially have to virtually give away a valuable item.[/quote] Theoretically yes - but it's highly unlikely if you have a good, easily-searchable listing, with detailed, honest description & good photos. Helps if what you're selling is fairly desirable in the first place. Why is a reserve (and therefore a"pretend" low start) better than just starting at a price you'd be willing to accept, assuming you don't have the guts to risk a low start? [quote name='bassatnight' post='695699' date='Dec 29 2009, 04:34 PM']If you have a Bass thats worth at least £1000 you would be an idiot to have no reserve and put it on at say a £10 start[/quote] What - and have hundreds of potential bidders swarming around it, hoping it's going to be them that bags a £10 Rick 4003? That's [i]exactly[/i] what you want. If it's an item with a known & specific market value (like my theoretical Rick) you can be assured that it will reach that, will have attracted probably hundreds of watchers, dozens of little low-bids, and if it's still low in the last 12 hours of the auction (which again, is what you want) then there's a very strong likelihood that you'll get some serious 3 or 4-way competitive bidding in the final few minutes, which will shove the final price significantly higher than market value. People take bidding really personally, and there's nothing like a grudge-match mixed with Ebay Madness. I've sold 50 - odd guitars & basses on Ebay and have seen this dozens of times. For the record, every one of my auctions has been 99p, no reserve, and even with Ebay's exponentially growing fee structure, I'm very, very happy with the end results of my sales. The actual process of dealing with bidders, stupid questions, people who can't/won't read listings etc is another matter, but goes with the territory. J.

Neither the £35 Ebay sale or "a good reserve of £300 - £350" are remotely realistic. This [b]isn't[/b] a Thunder 1 - and regardless of the ridiculous BIN sums that Ebay chancers sometimes list them at, they DO NOT generally sell for £300+. The Concord is a less popular (& when new, cheaper) bass than the Thunder 1 & a realistic sale price will have to reflect this. Currently a good Thunder 1 will probably fetch £150 or so on Ebay, or about £30 less on here. This Concord looks to be in very good original condition, with its original hard case & very little visible evidence of use or play wear (although the poles on the P type pickup look rusty) - and the condition & originality are in its favour. If this were mine, in a 99p/no reserve Ebay auction I'd expect at least £120, and if I listed it here on BC I'd ask £150 and be prepared to haggle. However the owner chooses to sell it, I'd strongly recommend being willing to pack it and post it. The £35 one on Ebay would have sold for considerably more if the seller could've managed to drag themselves to the PO with it. Jon.

Ebay is full of idiots & scammers - my blocked bidders list grows pretty much every time I try & sell anything. Re undisclosed reserves - it's something I completely fail to understand the point of. If I was unsure that an item would reach its market value with a low starting bid (99p, in my case) then I'd either start the auction at the lowest amount I'd be prepared to accept, or do a BIN with offers. I think secret reserve prices simply put people off - personally if a seller refuses to tell me the reserve, then I simply move on. As a buyer, the basic rule of Ebay is that another one will be along sooner or later, and be cheaper & better than the one you missed. When selling I find it helps to discourage the tards by being very, very specific about the terms & conditions of the auction, and stick them in bold red underlined type at the beginning & end of your listing. After a few Ebay sales it's not hard to second-guess most of the questions, demands, requests etc, so you can just politely refer them to the conditions of your sale. If that doesn't put them off, block them. In the face. Or just sell your stuff here. Jon.

Cort in Korea made the mid-80s Hohner Professional range so I'd assume they made the Jacks too. I've owned/played a good few 80s Hohners (including Jacks) and they are uniformly excellent. Jon.

Modern Eagle is the same bass as the Anniversarys & Jayro/Gayro in Japan - and there are probably a dozen other rebrands around the globe! Old Eagle looks a lot like the 70s/early 80s MIJ 4001S copies - El Maya, Fernandes, Greco etc - only with pickup mods. The tailpiece looks a bit different to other copies & genuine ones, though - very square & flat across the back part, very sharp-looking angles. The name could just be a coincidence - is this the only pic of this bass? J.

[quote name='haruki' post='694442' date='Dec 27 2009, 06:37 PM']Thanks fellas and Mrs Smashie......I do think you are all pretty smart to recognise these things. Very impressive. Must admit the body shape looks like the Hohner and the finger rest fits and the neck fit on the back. The dots are abalone like too and the placing of the bridge looks the same. The bridge on mine is def different though - standard P model unlike the hohner - maybe added with jack sockets and fake sticker. I dont know how consistently they made these either but to my (and Mrs Haruki's) eye the shaping above bridge isnt quite as marked on mine. Its strange that the headstock is so different and Fender like. Maybe its a mongrel. Looks more hohner than squier tho.[/quote] It's possible that your bass wasn't a "Hohner", but came from the same factory (probably Cort) and therefore shared some manufacturing similarities. Either that, or production details & specs changed over the period the model was manufactured. I think it's safe to conclude that your bass and the Hohner both came from the same factory. J.

Not a Squier - not with 21 frets, a squared-off heel & what look like Abalone inlays. I think it was probably a Hohner originally, & since it's Korean, probably Arbor series. Check this one out: [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=22977"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=22977[/url] Apart from the headstock shape, I'd say the neck (heel, frets, inlays) was the same. Jon.

[quote name='Musky' post='693793' date='Dec 26 2009, 04:12 PM']The Dillions seem to be the same as the ones branded Indie in the UK, albeit with a more authentic headstock.[/quote] They do, don't they? here's the link: [url="http://www.jsdguitarshack.com/dillion_guitars/dillion_rockinbetter_bass.html"]http://www.jsdguitarshack.com/dillion_guit...etter_bass.html[/url] Interestingly they don't say "Rockinbetter" anywhere on them! In the same way "our" Rockinbetters don't say Tokai. Interesting to note that this dealer stocks the Indie range too - including their Rick copies, complete with rubbish headstock. J.

Wire wool to remove the gloss from the finish - you don't need to strip it to the wood, and it'll take about 10 minutes. And if you don't like it & want it shiny again, 10 minutes with T-Cut will sort that out. If you do use wire wool, keep it away from your pickups - in fact removing the neck completely is the best idea. Jon.

Good spot Karl - I maintain that the only connection these have with Tokai is in the minds of people trying to sell them. Season's greeting to you too - I shall be spending Hogmanay hiding somewhere, likely adopting the foetal position. J.

[quote name='demanufacture' post='693567' date='Dec 26 2009, 01:45 AM']there are basses called Pearl (or Perl, I dont remember ). One of my friends bough one. Its PB made in Japan in 1975. And he paid... about 1000 polish zloty (about 200-250 GBP)[/quote] Pearl were Matsumoku-built 70s MIJ copies - good but not too common in the UK. On the other hand - that SX? Looks like a deal to me - and then some. Jon.

[quote name='Bassassin' post='692157' date='Dec 23 2009, 10:35 AM']Excellent decision.[/quote] Actually after due consideration I retract that statement. Please PM me with offers of what you think is a suitable response. J.

[quote name='gazhowe' post='692448' date='Dec 23 2009, 05:01 PM']But when you do ´accidentally´ bash them against someone´s head (usually the singer) they [u]always[/u] stay in tune. [/quote] So - battering the singer round the head with a headless bass actually helps them to achieve or maintain correct pitching? Excellent - this should prove a breakthrough both on stage & in the studio - can't wait to try it at next rehearsal! Jon.

[quote name='budget bassist' post='693036' date='Dec 24 2009, 03:42 PM']yeah i actually quite like that one! [/quote] That's a recurring favourite - it's called a [url="http://en.item.rakuten.com/ontai/1498336/"]Fernandes Sw***y Spider[/url]! Japan only though, unless you want to pay a fortune to import. And the autocensor still buggers it up. What a silly cnut. J.

Pink is fine - the bass is pretty foul though. This is what you want: Or this: See? :brow: Jon.