Bassassin

[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.

[quote name='arsenic' post='692912' date='Dec 24 2009, 12:49 PM']urrito(grabs coat and heads to Japcrap sub forum)[/quote] That's the problem - there isn't one! Which is why most discussions like this (and there are lots) are either random or take place in the JapCrap Spotting sticky on the Fleabay board. Is there enough demand for a specific JapCrap sub-forum, or at least a JapCrap Discussion sticky? J.

The Columbus will be pretty much the same age as the Angelica - the metal pin-badges usually indicate early 70s at the latest & they're very uncommon on Columbus instruments. So that would put both of them between '68 - '72 - basically because you didn't get copies much earlier than that. I don't think the two basses are related, other than by the fact they're medium-scale copies of the same instrument. Hardware is probably from the same source, but from experience I'd guess the Columbus will have a ply body construction, while the Angelica will be a butcher-block sandwich with front & back veneers. We can see that both necks are entirely different, both in construction & specification - the Angelica is strip mahogany whereas the Columbus is a more conventional single piece of mahogany. Additionally the Columbus is very narrow and has 21 frets, but does not have a zero-fret like the Angelica. Headstock shapes are very different (Columbus is much more accurate) so do not come from the same template. It's hard to tell without being able to see them side-by-side but I think the bodies would turn out to be pretty different also - as I said before the Angelica looks a bit better proportioned. What's interesting is that I think the Columbus might be a copy of a copy - spec & shape-wise it's a lot closer to the Italian-made Eko version: [url="http://www.fetishguitars.com/html/eko/varie/shaftesbury_tele%20bass.html"]http://www.fetishguitars.com/html/eko/vari...ele%20bass.html[/url] Here's a 1974 catalogue shot showing an unbranded Eko with the original ashtrays: [url="http://personal.inet.fi/surf/lorse/bellcatalogue/26.jpg"]http://personal.inet.fi/surf/lorse/bellcatalogue/26.jpg[/url] Anyway - this is now ridiculously off-topic - but we need to see Burrito's Antoria (I guarantee - it's not gonna be the same as either of these. Probably.) right now! Vintage JapCrap discussion sub-forum, anyone? J.

Pictures or it didn't happen. As they say in some quarters of the Interweb. J.

Cheers for the pics - really surprised it's a short-scale - usually the bodies on the 30" versions look huge - yours is nicely proportioned. So to speak. :brow: The neck & neckplate are unusual & might give a clue to its age & origin. JapCrap nerds call necks like that "strip mahogany" - basically a posh word for ply - and they're pretty common on 60s MIJ stuff, disappearing at the very start of the "copy era". Usually they're painted over, and I don't think I remember seeing one on a Fender copy before, never with a maple board. I'd say 72 is probably the latest it might be, and quite possibly a bit older - perhaps old stock, if you got it new? The 6-bolt neckplate seems to be associated with the early output of Moridaira, who were basically an acoustic manufacturer which jumped on the 70s copy bandwagon. Unfortunately that's not a 100% ID - there's so little verifiable history of old JapCrap that it's difficult to be certain about anything. As far as the Angelica name's concerned, if you understand it to be a Boosey & Hawkes brand then it probably is - all of the old UK 70s brands were importer/distributor trade names, and there were dozens of them in a very small market. This is why the actual Japanese brands - your Ibanezes, Arias, Kasugas, Morrises, Mayas etc are comparitively unusual on copy-era instruments, but the exact same instruments from the same factories all turn up with UK importer names. If it was mine I'd want to keep it original - rewind the pups & sort out the electrics, and some fret work (maybe just a level & crown, if you can get the relief out & there's enough metal left), because aesthetically you've done a great job of keeping looking good - right down to the ashtrays. If you were to put a different neck on it, you'd even have to move the bridge to compensate for the longer scale - & basically all you'd be keeping is the body wood once you did everything else. [quote]I would like to replace that with an all original '62 (year I was born) or a nice late '70's all natural/maple one, a bit like Jon's Japcraptasic one thats in the For Sale section. - but not until I have lots of money.[/quote] If you'd like my JapCrapTastic P to be going on with - it isn't lots of money! J.

[quote name='silddx' post='692286' date='Dec 23 2009, 01:01 PM']I love MIJ Squiers. MIJ Silver series are really nice too.[/quote] Plus teh one - I've had 2 MIJ Squier Ps (an SQ & an A, both 80s) and they were both superb. I've never owned - or had any wish to own - a Fender-badged bass, & if I did it would almost certainly be MIJ. The current VM & CV Squiers seem to be a return to the build standard, quality & value of the MIJs, and I have nagging GAS for a VM fretless. Jon.

Excellent decision. Jon.

[quote name='davetcollection' post='690081' date='Dec 20 2009, 07:44 PM']Thanks ever so much Jon. LOL I'm not sitting on a collector's piece then PMSL (Hey-Ho!) The LP copy is a 1984 Franconia - absoloutely rubbish, but I haven't got the heart to chuck it as my late Dad bought it for my 14th Birthday present! You're both right about the bridge! You know in all the time I've owned it, I've never noticed how out of alignment it is!!! LOL Thanks for the advice guys. Looks like I've got to put alot more to my Ricky now, never mind[/quote] Well - all 70s MIJ stuff is getting a bit collectable these days - even the more "humble" brands like Avon. If you like the way it plays & sounds, then use it! I had a Franconia Jazz copy a couple of years back - wasn't too bad, TBH, apart from weighing a ton & having a neck like a tree trunk. Ridiculously loud pups, if I remember. Arsenic - that Angelica's fascinating - never seen one the same before. It's 34" scale, by the looks. Any danger of more pics? Angelica's a pretty rare brand & I'd be intrigued to see if I can work out who made it. Anyway you're right about the hardware - identical stuff turns up on loads of instruments from many different factories, suggesting there were probably only a couple of suppliers of hardware & electronics. A lot of stuff came from Gotoh - even back then they were a pretty big player in the Japanese instrument industry. J.

That's an Avon - it should have a badge like this: [attachment=38665:avonjhead.jpg] Looks original to me - the bridge pup & surround are original - the pickups are probably Maxxons, and are the same as those used in early 70s MIJ Tele copies. Avon was never the most salubrious British JapCrap brand - but they weren't necessarily bad. I'm pretty sure these were made by Rokkomann in Kobe - I actually had what looks like an identical J copy branded Maya, which was Rokkomann's house brand: [attachment=38648:bodyf.jpg] [attachment=38649:headneckf.jpg] These same basses appear with other names too, including CMI, Jim Marshall's 1970s instrument brand. Obviously, the not-exactly-standard pickups are designed to be hidden under ashtrays, as is the 2-saddle bridge - very common on early MIJ copies, even on the supposedly more upmarket Antorias & Ibanezes. And talking of the bridge - this one does seem to have been aligned following an extended [i]sake[/i] - break! I think I'd feel inclined to bite the bullet & fill in the old holes & re-drill. & I'd probably stick a standard 4-saddle bridge on, while I was at it. I might have one of those old Avon badges kicking around in my spares draw, if you're interested... & by the way - what's the bolt neck LP copy? Another oldie - the big diamond inlay's making me think Cort, but if so it's a rebrand. Can't read that logo, though... Jon.

[quote name='tredders' post='689579' date='Dec 20 2009, 10:43 AM']Second experience: New member number 2 (again, mentioning no names) sends a PM saying "I'll take the bass - I saw your advert and joined up just to reply to you".[/quote] As the more observant reader might already know, I'm currently selling (or attempting to) a nice old MIJ P copy - I had a PM from a new member stating this exact same thing, only difference being that said new member claimed to be female. Needless to say, she didn't buy it. Odd coincidence, though. I've also had masses of interest in the bass, but so far no firm offers - I think it's a time-of-year thing in this instance. That said, pretty much everything I've sold on here has had its share of almost-sales - it doesn't wind me up at all, & just goes with the territory of the For Sale board being GAS Central, where everyone wants everything. Sales might not happen as quickly as one might prefer, but for me the bottom line is that I'm far happier selling here than EBay, which remains the only viable alternative. I would probably get a few quid more for some sales, but the whole experience of using ThiefBay as a seller has become so thoroughly unpleasant that I'd sooner avoid it where possible. Jon.

Can't imagine why someone would go out of their way to tempt litigation with such horribly mismatched ripoff styles. Didn't he try drawing it on a bit of paper first to see if it would work, before cobbling that malformed freak together? But anyway - I'm sure he'll be fine when John Hall finds out & lets slip the Dogs Of Law - [url="https://christianguitarworks.com/Home_Page.php"]he's got Jesus on his team[/url]. Jon.