Bassassin

Quite tempted by that [i]Prisoner[/i] t-shirt... Jon.

[quote name='Macko1968' post='191555' date='May 4 2008, 01:07 PM']No, he's too clever to make false claims hence my use of the word "implies". He knows full well it's not 70s & it's not a "lawsuit" bass.[/quote] Ha certainly should do - this guy's a regular on a few vintage guitar forums I use! In actual fact the DeVille brand does date back to "lawsuit" days - I've seen old Jap Strat & LP copies with the name - but this isn't one of them, there weren't any Japanese MM copies from the 70s. I've seen a Hohner Arbor branded Ray copy, with the same pickup - this is likely a re-brand of the same thing, meaning it's possibly mid/late 80s, & probably Korean. Jon.

[quote name='BigBeefChief' post='190862' date='May 2 2008, 09:12 PM']...some dead hippy...[/quote] Janek's gonna get you! Jon.

[quote name='phsycoandy' post='190698' date='May 2 2008, 04:41 PM']are they of any value?[/quote] Well, it's all relative, if I was selling one I'm confident it'd get £100 - £150, maybe a bit more, but it's not exactly megabucks. They're not that rare - here's a guitar version, not doing very well at the moment: [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=170213597288"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...em=170213597288[/url] The Zenta logo on this one's the Kiss Of Death on Ebay - very fickle about labels, most buyers. I'd expect an unbranded one to do much better. Stacedabass - Columbus certainly had a Gibson EB-0 copy in their range, but I've never seen one like this - and I don't miss much Ebay JapCrap! Most Columbus stuff seems to be rebranded Maya/Rokkomann - unfortunately it's predominantly the lower-end stuff. J.

That Roadstar's still nice & cheap & not too long to go, but lately Ebay's had a tendency towards last-second madness, so it could get silly. I think this pre-dates the skinny necks Ibanez became known for with the Soundgears & SRXs, I've not played one myself, but I have a Roadster RS924 & that's somewhere between a P & a J - which suits my huge hands. Anyway, as promised, a few more munters for Paul's disdain: A couple of Aria TSBs: [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=170215362091"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...em=170215362091[/url] [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=160236262730"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...em=160236262730[/url] The challenged literacy of the second one might help keep it low... A Aria Laser Heritage with crap all over it: [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=320247226970"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...em=320247226970[/url] A Washburn Force 8: [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=280222281111"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...em=280222281111[/url] And this odd 60s thing - don't know exactly what it is but it's kinda cool - apart from the inappropriate pickups! [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=160236266908"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...em=160236266908[/url] J.

I'll probably always hanker after a vintage Rick 4001 with all the early 70s bells & whistles, but ultimately I'd sooner have 10 unusual & interesting basses than one "pro" bass with a four-figure price tag. I could not give a baboon's arse what people think about my choice of basses - if you still think it's crap [i]after[/i] you've heard me play it - then we can discuss it! Jon.

[quote name='paul, the' post='190172' date='May 1 2008, 11:57 PM']If there's a crop, that would be the cream. Something tells me Jon shoveled us the fuglers and kept that one to himself .[/quote] Nice - but not for me. A bit too clean & shiny! Seriously, noticed it at the weekend & forgot about it - didn't put it in my watched stack. I'll be back a little later with a fresh stack of things of beauty - just for you Paul! J.

[quote name='jono b' post='190326' date='May 2 2008, 10:02 AM']If it's made in Japan PM Bassassin about it, he'll be able to tell you the make, model, which factory it was made in, the name of the guy that made it and what he had for dinner that day. Probably. At least the first two anyway.[/quote] I wish! These things are one of the prevailing mysteries of JapCrapology, perplexing & baffling the greatest (and weakest, speaking personally) minds in the field. I do have some experience of them, I have this: Being the weakling's version of the same thing. These are right odd - there are things about them you don't find on other JapCraps, but they are part of a small range of instruments that featured a Les Paul copy, an LP bass (which I had one of as a kid) and a violin bass, all of which share some of these odd characteristics. These appear unbranded usually, but do turn up with importer names on them - I've seen Zenta in the UK & Orpheum in the US. So far, the only known brand I've seen on one was an Aria violin bass on US Ebay. Aria was effectively the company that kickstarted the JapCrap copy business in 1968, when their head honcho Shiro Arai went to the NAMM trade fair & saw Gibson had reissued the Les Paul (due to its popularity with late 60s rock bands) & it occurred to him that he could make cheap copies & cash in on its success. The first Aria copies hit the market the same year. Aria's best-known for using Matsumoku as its supplier, but it's believed that at the time it had its own factory - so if (as I suspect) these instruments are very early Aria copies, possibly late 60s - that will be why they don't bear much similarity to later Arias. So yes, mostly speculation, but this is definitely a very old & interesting JapCrap bass, closer to 40 years old than 30 - and this one looks in great nick for its age. Jon.

[quote name='paul, the' post='190003' date='May 1 2008, 08:53 PM']What a bunch of fugglers. Sell us something tasty, Jon .[/quote] Bloody cheek - if you don't like it, go find your own JapCrap! I dunno, kids today... J.

[quote name='budget bassist' post='189941' date='May 1 2008, 07:51 PM']what's a kneck? [/quote] It's that part of the base which usually has fretts. Unless it's a frettles. Sometimes known as an "arm". This body (boddey?) looks awfully like the Brazilian ones that were coming from Ebay a couple of years back. Always thought a Vampyre body would be a good candidate for a headless project... Jon.

[quote name='OldGit' post='189782' date='May 1 2008, 03:21 PM']Hey! Don't tell everyone my Cunning Plan! [/quote] Wasn't you, was it? If so, I applaud you; if not, join me in crying bitterly. Out of sheer brass neck-ness, I messaged the seller & asked how much it was sold for. I wish I hadn't. The bass, and the Strat copy for sale as well, were sold for fifty quid. For the pair. x 1000000. J.

[quote name='Deep Down' post='189734' date='May 1 2008, 02:04 PM']What kind of price would you say you would be willing to pay on a cheap bass to use to learn how to set up the truss rod, play with the action paint note names on the neck to learn where they are?? I've seen a few on EBay for around £60 -70, and wondered what they were like??[/quote] You don't need to buy new for that - in fact if you want to learn about setup by experimenting you might be better off with something someone's already buggered up! Get down your local car boot - you'll likely pick up something for £10 - £20, failing that keep an eye on Gumtree & local classifieds. Jon.

[quote name='thedarxide' post='189678' date='May 1 2008, 12:52 PM']This will be gone, seller tells me a sale was agreed last night[/quote] They should probably think about removing the listing, then - people are still bidding on it. I'm already looking forward to seeing it come back, with a set of 3 quid strings and a £400 price tag... J.

[quote name='thedarxide' post='189462' date='May 1 2008, 09:12 AM']Guess that confirms the one I've just bought is a Hondo I'd buy it for spares but it's four hours away.[/quote] Has yours turned up yet? Realistically there were quite a lot of Fireglo finish Rickenfakers with very similar components - those little tuners appeared on about 10,000 different Oriental basses in the 70s - as well as on Shergold Marathons! The other parts are very generic - and accurate - 70s Rick copy components. Plywood would confirm it as a Hondo though... J.

Good grief! Some JapCrap: Starting with an Avon Jazz copy: [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=130218260418"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...em=130218260418[/url] And what's in a name? This one's already sold - but was surprisingly similar to the one above - which is unlikely to fetch £219: [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1970s-Maya-JAZZ-BASS-MIJ-Beautiful-Sunburst-Long-Scale_W0QQitemZ160228751447"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1970s-Maya-JAZZ-BASS...emZ160228751447[/url] Some stuff you can buy now... A Westy Thunder II - which I suspect is not going anywhere at that price: [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=150242229400"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...em=150242229400[/url] And neither is this Washboard Stage B20: [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=160234828713"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...em=160234828713[/url] I had one of them when I were a lad. Wish I still did... A Westone Quantum headless, with its own little coffin: [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=160235907159"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...em=160235907159[/url] Doubt it'll stay nice & cheap for long. Unspecified JapCrap P with an iffy refin & odd little pickup: [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=260231704672"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...em=260231704672[/url] Quite tempted by this. For no good reason! J.

Here's a Hondo, been dragged out of a skip: [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=150242186601"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...em=150242186601[/url] Although a 99p start, 3-day list & poor ad title means this might be a nice bargain project. Collection only, so I'm out. J.

[quote name='bremen' post='188958' date='Apr 30 2008, 04:23 PM']Neither am I - I have no idea what he means by that. Did someone disagree with him about something?[/quote] Basically he seems to think we're just a bunch of talentless, amateurish wannabes, and this thread is us just whingeing in jealousy of million-selling bass-gods whose arses we are not fit to wipe. Guess we should all shut the f*ck up & know our place. J.

That's a Klira, probably early 60s. Can't tell you the exact model, but here's a closely-related g*it*r: [url="http://www.fetishguitars.com/html/misc/de/klira_jack.html"]http://www.fetishguitars.com/html/misc/de/klira_jack.html[/url] Jon.

The headstock's very similar to a Curbow: Possibly a less well known or one-off Curbow design? Jon.

[quote name='Machines' post='188602' date='Apr 30 2008, 07:29 AM']People who have dozens of basses I feel are simply hoarding and can't possibly use them all.[/quote] Speaking as a hoarder - you're quite right. I moved house last August & it's a sobering thought that some of my basses & guitars haven't been out of their cases since. However, one man's hoarder is another's collector - and it's that magpie instinct for me, I think! I do get attached to certain ones - but tbh there are very few it would exactly break my heart to part with. I'm a great fan of low-end instruments (often - but not exclusively - vintage Japanese) which means that there's no great outlay/investment in anything I own. I'm also in a similar position to BigRedX here - for recording purposes I like to have access to a variety of basses & guitars to be able to use the most appropriate. My bottom-linel rule with basses is that if I don't/wouldn't gig it, it goes, which keeps things in check to an extent - and always gives me the opportunity to buy more. And more. And more. Jon.

With no pictures or description of the actual instrument for sale - just copy & paste catalogue guff - they won't get much interest in that. Jon.

Check this one out quick, before it vanishes: [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Ibanez-Bass-rickenbacker-4001-clone_W0QQitemZ120255130703"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Ibanez-Bass-rickenba...emZ120255130703[/url] Once you've stopped choking on your incredulity at the price - this one's really odd. Obviously it's not an Ibanez - but I'm not even sure it's JapCrap at all - never seen a bridge like that, or bridge pickup like that. It has lots of genuine Rick parts - including the jack plate - the serial number here is where he gets the 1969 from - that's a '69 genuine Rick plate. In addition, it has new Rick tuners and quite possibly a real toaster & trc. As for what it is - it's in Italy, and I think that's where it's from: [url="http://www.fetishguitars.com/html/italiane/gherson/4.html"]http://www.fetishguitars.com/html/italiane/gherson/4.html[/url] Not the best pic - but the bridge - particularly those odd saddles - looks very similar. TallyCrap, then? J.

[quote name='jono b' post='188398' date='Apr 29 2008, 08:43 PM']Are they good then Jon? The SBV500s I mean. Or are they mainly for looks? There's a red one on ebay now [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Yamaha-SBV-Bass_W0QQitemZ120253535015QQihZ002QQcategoryZ4713QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem"]SBV500[/url]. It's a fairly optimistic listing to say the least.[/quote] "Optimistic" is right! These were about £200 when new - I think they were around in 2000/2001 - didn't sell fantastically well because they're a bit weird looking, I guess. They're actually very good indeed - plays & sounds like a Jazz, mine has a lovely growl. Mine had a bit of a head start, because Paul_C's a luthier, so it was nicely set up - but they're very well-built for a budget bass, like most Yamahas seem to be. The SBV500 was the only one imported to the UK, but there were loads of variations in Japan, P/J pups, fancy inlays etc, and as far as I know they're still available there. Keep your eyes open, one will turn up at a sensible price. J.