Bassassin

[quote name='Happy Jack' post='651307' date='Nov 11 2009, 08:33 AM']This is very nice: [url="http://cgi.ebay.it/1973-Bradley-Jazz-Bass-Vintage-HQ-Fender-Copy-beauty_W0QQitemZ310180950024QQcmdZViewItemQQptZBassi?hash=item483839b008"]http://cgi.ebay.it/1973-Bradley-Jazz-Bass-...=item483839b008[/url] I've never heard of Bradley but this looks like a very competent Jazz copy. The sunburst is a bit iffy, especially on the back, but the bass certainly looks the part. I've dealt with the vendor (Bambibau) and he's straight.[/quote] Very pretty bass but that's a [b]lot[/b] of money (nearly 600 quid!) for any Japanese copy - particularly an inaccurate one from an unspecified manufacturer, with an anonymous importer brand. It's worth £200 at a push, imo. I really can't guess who made this - I've never seen that sort of trc on a JapCrap Jazz, body is either ply or block, neck appears to be one piece with separate fretboard. Everything else looks pretty generic. Not sure why he's comparing it to a "real" Jazz - the only thing that's better is the bridge alignment. And it's still out. Jon.

Hi - your friend's close but not quite right. Roger guitars & basses were made in Germany by Wenzel Rossmeisl, who named his instrument line after his son Roger. Roger followed in his dad's footsteps as a luthier, emigrated to the US where he did indeed work for Rickenbacker, and influenced much of Rick's now iconic design. [url="http://www.rickresource.com/rrp/theroger.html"]Roger guitars[/url] Funnily enough, the only Roger I remember seeing before was a bass that came up on Ebay a couple of years back. I flagged it up here & Happy Jack bid on it, was pipped by a couple of quid, if I remember. Not sure but I think it might've been acoustic. I dunno about Roger guitars selling for £1000+, but this bass went for about £120! Although you don't find a great many genuine experts among Ebay bidders, and I'm pretty sure the seller thought it was car boot junk & listed it accordingly! Jon.

Never owned one myself, but ET280s are fairly common, and not too expensive. Which means they're likely to be even more common & cheaper in the US, that being the way of things. It's a medium-scale bass so I'd be inclined to think it's the sort of thing you'd have for a bit of variety & quirkiness rather than a replacement for a Precision. Good luck finding one - just keep an eye on Ebay & Craigslist & such and one will turn up. Jon.

I think the most important thing to remember here is that MIA, MIJ, MIM, Squiers & the numerous Fender copies [u]all[/u] have different hole patterns, and you can't expect any of them to be interchangeable. Quite often they're slightly different sizes too so it's not even a matter of re-drilling your bass. You need to make sure you're buying a plate that's intended for your specific bass. Jon.

[quote name='witterth' post='648493' date='Nov 8 2009, 01:27 AM']OOpps.. er.. sorry, J,I took things out of context eh..?..hope things are better in the morning or later on e.c.t. Atb W [/quote] My fault, sorry I was a bit short. Band problems, you know what it's like. Grrr. J.

Good find - if I was you I'd leave these in the bass, good vintage pups & I doubt replacements will sound any better. Jon.

[quote name='The Bass Doc' post='648325' date='Nov 7 2009, 07:45 PM']Suggest £40 - anyone agree?[/quote] I do - in fact I paid £40 for an old P copy simply for the DiMarzio. Turned out the bass was pretty decent too. Oli - the one from your Westy Thunder will likely be decent Japanese DiMarzio copies. DiMarzios should have black/white/red/green wiring, likely will be different on the Jap pup. Jon.

[quote name='witterth' post='648472' date='Nov 8 2009, 12:23 AM']....Well...no.... thats not what I meant...is it? [/quote] Probably not. But I'm not exactly having the best evening of my life... J.

[quote name='witterth' post='648457' date='Nov 8 2009, 12:07 AM']Where's the decimal point in that £595? Both guitar and bass looked like some "crack converter" stuff that would have gone dusty/faded in the shop window to me![/quote] Well, y'know, if it doesn't say "Fender" on it it MUST be a piece of worthless sh!t, eh? J.

Giving it a miss this year for the first time since its inception. A bit sad really but it's increasingly becoming a small, shallow, over-expensive, corporate, bass & bargain-free disappointment. They really need to bite the bullet & either call it a day or radically re-think & re-structure it. And tacking a dodgy has-beens & no-marks metalfest onto it ([url="http://www.hellfirefestival.com/?page=lineup"]Hellfire[/url]) isn't the way to do that. Jon.

Snoopy bass. Curse you, Red Baron!! Jon.

[quote name='rapscallion' post='645889' date='Nov 5 2009, 12:17 AM']Any tips for staining a headstock Bassassin?[/quote] Sorry, never done that - but I'd be interested in how to replicate an age-darkened maple look if anyone else knows. J.

Easy job - I have refin'd a few headstocks & it's dead easy to get a pro-level finish, even using cheap rattle can paint. If you're going for natural, black or white I recommend Screwfix own brand spray paint / lacquer. First, I roughen/flatten the original surface with light sandpaper, say 600 grit, then mask off the edges & nut/fretboard. Next I build up successive light coats of my base colour until it's completely opaque. I dry each coat with a hairdryer, which means the process is quite quick. This would be the point to apply a decal if you're using one. Then build up successive coats of lacquer in the same way, hairdryering between each coat. I tend to spray about 10 - 15 coats, because it's going to need some cutting back to get a good finish. The boring bit's next - put your neck in a safe place and leave it there for 10 days or so. You'll have a fairly rough, orange-peely surface to your lacquer, so next, gently sand it with very light paper - I use 1200 grit for this. Once it looks smooth & even all over, break out the T-Cut until you can see your face in it. This is my old Grabber copy (which I wish I hadn't sold!) which got a refin because the original brand (whatever it was) had been sanded off, & someone had attempted to draw a Gibson logo on in marker pen - which of course had sunk deep into the grain of the wood. Everyone loves a genius! [attachment=35744:grabberhead.jpg] Jon.

Very silly bass - I like it. Very much in the tradition of slightly bonkers Italian design, IMO. Jon.

[quote name='sirmontofgue' post='644396' date='Nov 3 2009, 02:09 PM']Jon, Thanks for all your help... With the knowledge you've gleaned and the photos have you got any other info on the bass, and was it worth the £300?[/quote] I think this is the same bass as yours, only black & with a different brand name: [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1970s-Ricky-classic-4001-Bass-Guitar-by-CMI-70s_W0QQitemZ260497210507"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1970s-Ricky-classic-...emZ260497210507[/url] So yes - £300 is a pretty good deal, IMO, and to be honest Rick copies - even the cheapo bolt-neck plywood ones, seldom sell for less. No more concrete info about Shaftesbury copies, I'm afraid, but from your info I now know that the sunburst copy in my avatar wasn't a Shafty. No idea what it was though! J.

I'll bet that's not the worst crime that he ever did. J.

[quote name='Happy Jack' post='644108' date='Nov 3 2009, 08:23 AM']Now hold, I say [i][b]HOLD [/b][/i]it right there boy! £500 for a CMI? [b][color="#FF0000"][size=4]£500?[/size] [/color] [/b][/quote] Not you, then? I guess the recession is officially over then. Happy days! J.

[quote name='sirmontofgue' post='643934' date='Nov 2 2009, 10:10 PM']Jon, Thanks for all the answers so far. I've been a bit busy lately, but here are the answer to your questions: Is the fingerboard lacquered or bare wood? Yes Are the inlays real Mother Of Pearl, plastic pearloid or plain silver/grey plastic? Plastic pearloid I reckon Does the red part of the fireglo go all around the edges of the body or are there uncoloured parts? All round the body Does the truss rod adjuster have an allen key or a brass hex nut? Brass hex nut Are the body wings single pieces of wood or a "sandwich" split around the edges? Sandwich split Hope this helps[/quote] Very helpful info, thanks! I can now conclude that the bass I had as a parts donor was originally a Shaftesbury, or at least from the same factory. It had sandwich body construction & a hex nut truss adjuster - the other things I can't be sure about because of the "modifications" but these are enough to be 99% sure it was the same as yours. Bumnote - your Kimbara was probably a Matsumoku, identical to the one on the left in my avatar. I found a scan of a Kimbara Rick copy review from International Musician mag, quite hard to read & I don't think it's the entire article, but interesting anyway: [attachment=35642:Kimbara_...ew_IM_RW.jpg] J.

I wouldn't be particularly worried by a crack like that on any of my own basses - however I wouldn't be too cool about it if I was thinking of paying 3K for a vintage Fender. Likewise the interesting hide-the-ply BowelBurst refin. If it wasn't for the huge chunks of finish knocked off the edges I would think it was hiding something, rather than just being rubbish. Jon.

[quote name='Happy Jack' post='643484' date='Nov 2 2009, 03:36 PM']Incidentally, it's worth bearing in mind that GAK sell these (new) for £559.[/quote] Get a grip! J.

[quote name='spinynorman' post='642860' date='Nov 1 2009, 09:31 PM']Not strictly JapCrap, a (maybe) 1980s MIK Aria Pro II TAB 60. I saw it towards the end of the auction and wasn't sure enough about it to float £300 shipped, but I think it looks really nice. Does anyone know anything about them? [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=130339863390&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT"]Aria Pro II Tab 60[/url][/quote] Nice bass and worthy of inclusion in this thread, but 90s at the earliest - it has the modern "Aria" block logo. I've had a few recent Arias & Aria Pros and they're very nice, and I'd say underrated instruments. J.

Spotify these: Xanadu Cygnus X-1 La Villa Strangiato Free Will Red Barchetta The Camera Eye Subdivisions Distant Early Warning Territories Mission Dreamline Animate Earthshine Workin' Them Angels Should give you a decent cross-section of both Geddy's style and Rush from the 70s to the present. Jon

It's pretty gruesome, and exactly what is the point of that stupid paddle on the end? I like the "domino" neck inlays, though, and can appreciate it as an attempt to break with convention. Shame it turned out so foul. Jon.