Bassassin

That better be true - I just had the most chronologically depressing birthday of my life a couple of weeks ago! Got a PS5 though, so it's not all bad!

As far as I know all the SB basses were built at Matsumoku, up until the factory closed in 1987. There is room for speculation, though - there's a myth that Aria & Aria Pro II were Matsumoku-exclusive brands, but during the 70s 'copy era' there are numerous examples of instruments built by Kasuga Gakki and Fujigen Gakki, and it's quite likely other factories were used too. However with the advent of Aria's original designs, there's no evidence suggesting high-end models like the Elites & SB-Rs were built anywhere else. Given that they were built to very specific designs it would probably hard to tell - it's also a myth that Matsumoku was inherently a higher-quality manufacturer than its competitors. It's possible you're thinking of the post-Matsumoku SB basses, such as the SB-ELT model which appeared in 1988/9. It's basically an Elite II/SB-R80 with some minor differences in electronics & dimensions, and it's not clear where these were made, or even if they're Japanese - they bear no serial numbers or production details. The quality is very, very high though, I have one of these and also a 1983 SB Elite I Black & Gold - they are on a par build-wise, and I'd say some of the detailing such as the fretboard inlays is tidier on the later SB-ELT. With these the general consensus is that they're Japanese, and it's been suggested that Tokai Gakki undertook top-end Aria manufacture after Matsumoku closed, although I can't find any solid evidence to support that. By the time these were being made, Korean factories like Cort, Samick & Young-Chang were perfectly capable of manufacturing to as high a standard as the Japanese builders, so it's possible they're MIK.

The SB Elite I is a Matsumoku bass, as is the Elite II and the very similar SB-R60 and SB-R80 models.

Was actually pretty cool - it's clear acrylic with the design printed/painted on the back. Probably the best thing about it, to be fair.

Korean-made cheapo from the late 70s, I think made by Cort. Not a catalogue bass, Eros was a brand owned by UK distributor Rosetti, mostly starter/midrange electrics. I had what was pretty much the guitar version of this a few years back (£6.50 from my local car boot) and it looks like the bass is essentially the same neck/body but with different hardware. If you can make it play OK it might be a fun little curiosity, & a lot of people these days seem to like this sort of lo-fi approach. Certainly worth giving it a wipe down, a squirt of switch cleaner & maybe even some new strings. Here's the guitar I had, definitely part of the same family.

Saddles look pretty slammed to me - loads of protruding thread on the adjusters. Inclined to think the neck's bowed - the strings appear to be fairly distant from the board in the (admittedly blurry) pic showing the fretboard edge up to about the 4th fret. Might not be all that's going on, I've seen a good few Ricks (& accurate copies) with that collapsy neck pickup route thing going on.

Honourable mention for Ronnie James Dio, who played bass & sang in all the bands he fronted prior to Rainbow.

Better late than never etc! According to my mysterious, never-to-be-disclosed sources, that's a Maya (not fancy enuff to be an El Maya, sorry!) EB-2, and is exactly the same bass, apart from the name & maybe the colour, as the Grant I started on.

Sanding's less likely to damage the lacquer on the headstock sides, although it's more time consuming. Mask off bits you're not sanding so they don't get scratched. Re-lacquering is straightforward using decent rattlecan spray, although again, it's time-consuming - you have to build up lots of thin coats, (I'd say at least 10) allowing drying between each. Then leave it 10 days to a fortnight to cure before using something like T-Cut to flat the lacquer & get a proper gloss. Also bear in mind that the wood under the headstock paint may well be paler than the fretboard if they've cheated a bit with the roasted neck!

Oh, I do like that - got a Charvel Surfcaster-y look to it, only with a far less vile scratchplate. Tele headstock ftw though. Preferably upside-down. I think I want one. Assuming it actually exists, that is.

I think it's certainly influenced by 60s Japanese designs - as is Kawai's Sleekline:

So you've broken away from 'Kays - Underappreciated National Treasures Society' at last, then! The remaining member will be heartbroken.

Found a big pic on Reverb - metal badge, looks like it's glued on rather than pinned. Interesting, this one has the tulip body but has a strip ply neck rather than single piece of timber. https://reverb.com/uk/item/2095365-kay-shortscale-tulip-bass-early-seventies-sunburst

Agree with Mr Del Var there - that's pretty good for one of these. I don't know them too well but this might be a Japanese example rather than the seemingly more common Taiwanese Kays - I'm not sure the proper tulip style bodies were used on the Taiwan Kays, and I would have expected ply, either on body or neck. Thumbrest's definitely not original, (it's a tug bar that's been moved from the other side) but the bridge cover is - and they hardly ever still have them fitted.

In fairness you'd probably be better selling the Hipshot sparately, assuming you still have the original bridge. These old MIJ basses have slipped in to collector territory, so non-original parts & refins will have a tendency to discourage a lot of that market, and devalue the instrument regardless of the quality of work & parts. Value is hard to estimate because there's a distinct lack of examples of these to compare to. I used to buy & sell a lot of old MIJ stuff 10-15 years ago and I tend to look at what I'd hope to get for it if it was mine. In original condition, with what I know of the market these days I think I'd be hoping for maybe £250-£350. And if it was mine I'd be getting the acetone & T-Cut out, hoping the original clear lacquer's still there under that matt black.

Not the little Jazz shorty, but my £115 J&D Thinline Tele is near-identical to a Tokai Breezysound Thinline. Basically just a different headstock & logo, as far as I can tell: Tokai J&D OK, £129 now, had mine 3 or 4 years. Plays & sounds like a far, far more expensive guitar.

Nope. Low-end, plywood starter junk only suitable for dewy-eyed nostalgists to hang on the wall. I know of which I speak - my first bass in 1978 was one of these (same but with two sh!t pickups) and it damn near put me off playing at all. Now - if this came with a maple board I'd have bought one ages ago. £109: https://www.dv247.com/en_GB/GBP/J-D-Bass-guitar-JB-Mini-BK-Black/art-BAS0007167-000 Other colours are available but you'll have to wait 'til June for the pretty transparent blue.

Guitars. I've already got too many but for some reason I really, really need a hardtail HSS Strat type thing. Preferably neck-through, maple board, Tele headstock. And thinline, but with a cat-eye soundhole. And a bound body.

I wouldn't now choose to sit down & devote an hour to making myself listen to Stanger - but my recollection was that I didn't hate it. At the time I found it interesting - very, very different to anything they'd done previously, obviously the product of a band in turmoil, wilfully difficult/experimental - and what sounded like a big "f*ck you" to an industry that expected radio-friendly unit shifters from them. A lot about it, and what I knew of its creation, made me make parallels with Rush's Vapor Trails, in many ways a similarly difficult, experimental album from a band in trauma. Thinking about it, I probably haven't listened to it in 15+ years. Might dig it out & stick it on later, despite what I just said...

It certainly is - and I'm glad to hear it! 😎

This doesn't infringe any of RIC's trademark designs - see here: https://www.trademarkia.com/company-rickenbacker-international-corporation-1038176-page-1-2 The only thing that's a direct copy is the scratchplate - which RIC never registered, so anyone can use. Although I don't know why anyone would because it's an ugly, design-free afterthought. So no, it's 'inspired by' or influenced by', but doesn't constitute what RIC would legally consider a copy or counterfeit. I doubt they like it, but there's nowt they can do. However I don't think anyone would blame BC's High Hiedyins if they said nope.

That's essentially exactly what I was doing in the pic I posted - the neck in question had a tendency to forward-bow which was only worsened by string tension. After leaving it flexed backward for about a week, it was a lot straighter, and when I re-tensioned the truss I flexed it by hand into the position I wanted before tightening the rod. Strung it with low-tension Dunlop rounds, and subsequently it was stable & much improved.

Well, hang on - that's not a sideways, snidey implication that because Somebody Else lacked the dexterity to perform a simple and functional repair, then I must be lying, is it? Shirley not! It's OK, plenty of people who prefer to Get An Expert In in this thread.