Bassassin

Time for an update - I've cleaned the body/neck and the hardware, and sourced a sort-of appropriate pickup for the bridge position. I also took a few snaps, so starting with the hardware, a couple of before & afters: I dismantled everything, stuck all the bits in a plastic tub, doused liberally with WD40 and left for a few days. Mostly everything was covered with surface corrosion, and the plating underneath is largely intact. There was also, particularly on the tuners & plated alloy parts, a sort of deposit which could be scratched off, revealing intact metal underneath. A lot of the crap I just scraped off with my thumbnail, only a few areas needing the attention of a Dremel type tool with a soft wire wheel attachment. The tailpiece had suffered far more, the corrosion having destroyed the plating & damaged the alloy underneath. This is about as good as it can be cleaned: The black bits are remaining areas of corrosion - to remove these, I'd have to file away a lot more metal & would probably end up losing the string mute area. It's quite useable as it is - I do have another, the original from my Kasuga copy, but paradoxically the remaining chrome on this one is a lot better - as well as it having a bit less "tail lift"! Anyway, final hardware porn: Onto the woodwork. I'm really, really pleased & impressed by what good condition this is all in: The finish is great for a bass of this age, and the frets, although looking like they've been crowned a couple of times, have no notable wear & plenty of life left. The neck's dead straight with no twists, so I've not had the opportunity to check whether the truss rods work yet! You see quite a lot of these - copies and genuine Ricks - which have stress cracks between the neck & body wings, at the point where neck & body meet. This one has a very, very mild case of this, just on upper side: It's a small split, about 2.5cm - I've flooded it with superglue & built up layers of glue over it, which I'll polish to blend with the lacquer. And if you look very closely at this pic, you can see another non - Rick construction feature: two very thin layers of wood (-1mm) sandwiched between the neck sections & skunk stripe. Here's a clearer picture of that peculiar discolouration around the binding: I can't offer any other explanation for this other than some sort of reaction from the binding adhesive - although it doesn't affect the neck binding at all. I have never seen this before on any other bass or guitar - if anyone has any idea or hypothesis about this - I'd be intrigued to hear it! Fortunately, it doesn't offend me at all (just as well - the only way to sort it would appear to be a complete refin), I think it adds individuality & character... This is the pickup I'll be putting in the bridge position, until such time as I get a "proper" Rick/Faker one: This is a generic 70s JapCrap bass pup, and is the type used in Fujigen Gakki Rick copies, as well as pretty much everything else at one point! It's conveniently the right size to fit the bridge position, as well as having a more appropriate string spacing than the Jazz pup the bass had. Despite appearances, it's a single-coil job, and it'll screw straight onto the alloy baseplate that the old Jazz pup was on. I have no idea what it will sound like - but it measures about 11k - so it'll be loud! Next job will be to clean up all the screws - they're still all marinading in WD40. Prior to dismantling the bass, I'd been concerned about them - a lot of the heads looked very rusty & I was expecting worse from the threads, even worrying that some might shear when I attempted to remove them. I was pleasantly surprised to find all the threads were bright & clean, and I'm confident the heads will clean well. It's just such a [i]boring[/i] job... Aside from that, I'll just have give the wiring a once-over, and then maybe think about nailing it all back together... J.

[quote name='nick' post='205230' date='May 23 2008, 08:45 PM']It's back on, for some reason(?!) [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Commodore-Semi-Acoustic-Bass-Guitar-MIJ-Vintage-60s-70s_W0QQitemZ140234671202QQihZ004QQcategoryZ4713QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Commodore-Semi-Acous...1QQcmdZViewItem[/url][/quote] It's the same listing - I've been noticing quite a few appearing as newly listed when the've been up for a few days already - no idea why. Anyway this bass - and the seller - should be starting to look familiar: [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=110249724859"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...em=110249724859[/url] At least when I do that I have the decency to wait until the old listing's expired - and fix anything wrong with the instrument! J.

I like it - but then I'm quite drawn to a bit of individuality. It is a shame the plexi body wing designs aren't available in bass versions - and something of a missed opportunity, I feel - bassists frequently tend to be more open to non-traditional designs & construction materials than guitarists. Jon.

[quote name='lwtait' post='203134' date='May 20 2008, 06:47 PM']how are they not humbuckers if they have two rows of pole pieces? have they only got 1 coil or something?[/quote] Spot on: [attachment=8855:pupcoveroff.jpg] Pull it apart a bit more, and it does this: [attachment=8856:pupexploded.jpg] Here's the same pup in an Ibanez parts catalogue: [url="http://www.ibanez.ru/info/catalog/1976-10/12.jpg"]http://www.ibanez.ru/info/catalog/1976-10/12.jpg[/url] - this shows it on a T-bird copy but it was fitted on Ps, Js, Rickenfakers (which is why I have one) and numerous others from various manufacturers. Jon.

[quote name='Happy Jack' post='203220' date='May 20 2008, 08:25 PM']At last ... one with a sensible price! [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Commodore-Semi-Acoustic-Bass-Guitar-MIJ-Vintage-60s-70s_W0QQitemZ140234671202QQihZ004QQcategoryZ4713QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Commodore-Semi-Acous...1QQcmdZViewItem[/url][/quote] Shame it's unlikely to stay that sensible - there's a distinct lack of any Aria-related semi-acoustics in my tiny collection... Speaking of Arias (of the Pro II variety), anyone interested in a very rare SB-series bass should look at this: [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Aria-Pro-II-SB-1200-active-bass-guitar_W0QQitemZ150249339821"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Aria-Pro-II-SB-1200-...emZ150249339821[/url] A bit of info: [url="http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/fyfeholt/sb1200.htm"]http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/fyfeholt/sb1200.htm[/url] And by a bizarre coincidence, the bass he's talking about on that page (not the one in the pics) is the one for sale. Only 8 of them made... Apropos of nothing, the guitarist in my band used to play with the chap selling the Aria. Until we poached him... J.

[quote name='pjbass' post='202882' date='May 20 2008, 02:32 PM']Cool - natural selection for basses. I guess im going to start saving then , im still annoyed i missed that bass up the top. Does anyone know what wood it might be?[/quote] Looks like ash to me. Very nice finish - never seen anything like that on a P before. There's this popped up on Ebay: [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=260242196526"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...em=260242196526[/url] Although personally I think it's a little steep, & I'd prefer to see the pickup & bridge, and be assured it wasn't going to be ply under that sunburst. Don't know if you'd consider P-style Japcrap that wasn't a straight copy, if so, there are two Ibanez Blazers: [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=320254165971"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...em=320254165971[/url] [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Ibanez-Blazer-Precision-Bass_W0QQitemZ330237593874"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Ibanez-Blazer-Precis...emZ330237593874[/url] And a Roadster: [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=180244180497"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...em=180244180497[/url] Blazers & Roadsters have great reputations, in fact plenty of people on here have, or have had them. J.

I'd really want to see that acoustic in the flesh before I'd accept that a cracked neck was only "cosmetic damage". Still - it's only £60. Jon.

[quote name='pjbass' post='201600' date='May 18 2008, 04:44 PM']what's a faithful p-bass copy from that era? Will the domestic market brands be a safer bet in terms of quality? [I'll definitely keep an eye on the thread][/quote] Most of them were pretty convincing looking - although on earlier ones you'll find some funny little idiosyncrasies, like plastic or metal truss rod covers if the rod adjusts at the head, and Gibson-type nuts were very common. I have a pre-75 Ibanez P which has both of these features. Domestic brands are certainly more common - but quality (& here I mean mostly construction materials) is variable depending on the model. Some brands like Avon, Satellite etc catered more to the low-end market so these will tend to be ply bodied. However I would say you seldom see a duff neck on old Jap basses - possibly this is because they're 30+years old, and the crap ones have long since been flung into landfills! Another good thing about them is that they are fairly collectable now - if you buy one & it's not for you, it's very unlikely you'll lose money selling it on. J.

[quote name='lwtait' post='202358' date='May 19 2008, 06:57 PM']hmmmm... probably couldnt get photos. as i said, im on work experience and its my "boss's" bass, so i can hardly ask him if i can photograph it to post it on the internet cos i've been talking about it.[/quote] No harm in askin' imo. If he's a bit of a bass geek he'd probably be interested to know it's being discussed on a bass forum - and he might well want to know what it is himself. I've never seen a JapCrap J with pups like those, I must admit - I thought it might be ones more like this: [attachment=8837:pupsurround.jpg] These are quite small, about the size of a mini-humbucker on a g*it*r, but were quite common on older Jap J's & P's as well as other basses. Despite the two rows of pole pieces they're not actually humbuckers. Never seen a 70s Jap J with big 'buckers - but that doesn't mean they didn't make them! J.

[quote name='BassManKev' post='202354' date='May 19 2008, 06:23 PM']there is a geddy neck for sale on here[/quote] I think John's after a Precision-shape neck - the Ged's skinny for a J! Jon.

Some of the early JapCrap Jazz copies had pickups different to "proper" Jazz types, so this is what I'm thinking - the rosewood/blocks style neck would support this, 75% of JapCrap Jazzes had these - the other 25% were maple with black blocks! I'm not sure what sort of pickups you're describing here - do you mean the big square Gibson EB3 mudbucker sort? Any chance you could get some photos? Pics of the neck/headstock would help too, if you could get them. Jon.

Very pretty - but if it was ever an Aria Explorer bass (by which I assume they mean a ZZB) it's been wildly customised, beyond any real connection: It's a shame the pics aren't better, looks like a really nice job. BTW this has been on before, hasn't it? J.

First thing to remember here is that like many other famous brands, Greco's just a name. What this means is that you can find the exact same instruments labelled with different brand names. Greco's owned by Kanda Shokai, and is predominantly a Japanese domestic brand - which is why they seldom turn up over here, and I don't think they were ever "officially" imported to the UK & Europe. Two factories were responsible for the 70s Greco output - Fujigen Gakki & Aria/Matsumoku, both of which produced very high quality instruments. An interesting detail is that Kanda was, and continues to be, one of the partners in Fender Japan - and until the mid 90s, MIJ Fenders were built at Fujigen. 70s copy-era Grecos are often identical to Ibanez copies from the same era, since Ibanez was built by Fujigen. Similarly, the Antoria brand, owned by a UK distributor, was identical to the Ibanez range, even down to the model numbers. Precision copies with UK market brands like CMI, CSL, Cimar, Arbiter, Grant, Eros, and various others often seem to be sourced from Matsumoku or Fujigen (importers would presumably utilise the factory offering the best deals, so it's not consistent) and will often be significantly cheaper than the "big name" Japanese brands, despite being identical. There were various other factories which produced very high quality instruments like Kasuga, Moridaira, Maya - but be aware that all of the builders at the time built to various levels of quality, depending on the customer's requirements - so it's important to get as much info as possible before buying, and preferably to see/play the bass in question. Keep an eye on the JapCrap thread in the Ebay board - decent P copies do come up quite often. Jon.

[quote name='BOD2' post='201294' date='May 17 2008, 11:12 PM']Thanks - very interesting. That's the worst corrosion I've ever seen on a bridge, or is that green stuff soemthing else ? Maybe it belonged to a punk rocker in the seventies ? I'm not familiar with rics or their copies. Is that a standard J-bass type pickup at the middle position ?[/quote] It is - or was - corrosion on the bridge, the green "stuff" is a massive build-up of oxidation. It's cleaned up about as well as is possible, but it had eaten away the alloy quite badly. I'll post some "after" pics soon. The bridge pup is sort of an added bonus - it's a 70s era PAF-stickered DiMarzio split-coil, a bit grubby but in perfect working order. I have a Jazz project which will benefit from this! More detail & pics to follow... J.

[quote name='clauster' post='200943' date='May 17 2008, 11:07 AM']BBC - for that money you could get yourself a nice Warwick Rckbass [/quote] Or two similar vintage JapCraps from the same era & probably factory: [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/GUYATONE-we-think-GOLDEN-OLDIE-BASS-GUITAR-60s-70s_W0QQitemZ120262650694"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/GUYATONE-we-think-GO...emZ120262650694[/url] If you can find another one... J.

I've never played one but they look great imo. They're not a straight re-issue - more loosely based on the likes of this, from 1960: There's been a fair bit of attention paid to these over the last couple of months, but I don't think anyone's bit the bullet yet. So I say buy it - if only in the interest of being a guinea pig for the wider community... Jon.

[quote name='Happy Jack' post='200778' date='May 16 2008, 10:42 PM']Another totally obscure piece of tat: [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/GUYATONE-we-think-GOLDEN-OLDIE-BASS-GUITAR-60s-70s_W0QQitemZ120262650694QQihZ002QQcategoryZ4713QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/GUYATONE-we-think-GO...1QQcmdZViewItem[/url][/quote] Familiar shape if you sniff around a bit: Ibanez 1250, from 1960. There are a lot of differences, but overall, I'd say it's a relation. No idea who was making Ibanez that long ago - not Fujigen, so it could well have been Guya. J.

The stained look around the binding's really very strange - it actually looks as though somebody's attempted to colour it to match the wood - except there's nothing on top of the lacquer. All I can assume is that it's some sort of discolouration associated with the adhesives used to attach the binding, and that's why it's underneath the lacquer. I'll include some clearer pics in my next update. J.

Here's something I acquired a few weeks ago. This is an early 70s 4001 copy - it had no brand name on it so I don't know what it was sold as - my guess would be Aria, Aria Pro, Univox or possibly Electra. Either way, it's an Aria/Matsumoku associated copy & broadly speaking these were about as accurate as Rickenfakers got. There's a bit of a story attached - I've been asked not to go into too much detail by the person I got it from, but the abridged version is that this was being passed off as a real Rick - it had a genuine early 70s 4001 trc and was in a period-correct Rick hardcase. The upshot of this is that some poor sod paid the equivalent of £600 for it, before finding out it was really JapCrap. Fortunately the genuine '73 trc & case are worth a few bob, so that should have helped soften the blow, as well as what I paid for the bass. These are the pics I was sent before I got the bass - she ain't too pretty, is she? I had no idea really if the bass would even be restorable - it had been originally sold as a non-playing, basket-case vintage Rick, after all. I'd been told there was no output through the jacks and that the hardware was in very, very poor condition - which the pics seemed to bear out, so for all I knew I was buying a wall-hanger. Or firewood. In episode 2 we'll pull it apart, give it a hose down & see if any of the hardware's still metal - or has it all turned into strange green fungus? Jon.

Oh how we lol'd. What the hell does he think that piece of crap is? When I first read it I thought the whole thing was a wind-up, but I Googled the luminaries who are alleged to have scrawled on this piece of trash and they do/did appear to have existed: [url="http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&q=Dr+Ralph+Stanley%2C+Gene+Watson&btnG=Google+Search&meta="]http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&q...earch&meta=[/url] So does he [i]seriously[/i] think this thing was made in the UK in 1955? What - didn't he ever go in Woolies in the 70s? [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Top-Twenty-Electric-Redburst-c-60s_W0QQitemZ230251994128"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Top-Twenty-Electric-...emZ230251994128[/url] That's its little brother, anyway. Jon.

I've bought a few cheap bits & bobs from the US - for small stuff like screws & such it can be ridiculously good value compared to the likes of Allparts UK - and quicker delivery, sometimes. I've also had a Badass II for £27 delivered, got away with customs charges on that, and a few years back I bought 4 sets of Elixirs - for about £45 delivered! This was quite strange because they were left sitting on the step with a customs charge payable note attached. I suppose because I'd been out when they came, the Postie couldn't be arsed with whatever paperwork they required & just left them. I waited to see if I'd be contacted with a proper bill for payment but never heard anything. I did read on a different forum that there are moves afoot to change the customs threshold for EU countries - I think it's suggested that this may be raised to around £120 at the end of the year. Whether or not this will apply to the UK I couldn't say - but it would be good. Jon.

[quote name='backwater' post='198573' date='May 14 2008, 10:55 AM']There may be more Runrig fans on the board than you think! Another one here - I actually own Donnie Munro's old 12-string Moon acoustic. Andy [/quote] I wouldn't exactly call myself a fan (although I have seen them) - but I saw Donnie Munro shopping in Argos at Kinnaird Park, Edinburgh a few years back. [i]The Cutter & The Clan[/i]'s a pretty good album, as I remember... Jon.

I think I'd be inclined to associate these neckplates with Aria-related brands rather than Matsumoku specifically. I've never seen the plates on an instrument I know to be from a different factory - but this is one of these cases where you have to make assumptions - eg an Eros (Rosetti UK brand name) LP copy with this plate can be assumed to have an Aria/Mat connection. Realistically, when you consider the known Japanese factories - Matsumoku, Fujigen, Moridaira, Kasuga etc, it's incredibly unlikely that they were each producing every component of their guitars in-house. Hardware will almost certainly be ordered in from elsewhere, either generic stock, or the the customer's spec. Hence I think it's likely that all "steel adjustable" neckplates will have an Aria/Mat connection. This may be incorrect - for example, while all non-serial Fujigen neckplates have Made In Japan on the lower half - not all guitars with these plates are from Fujigen. If you follow the point I'm making! Anyway to answer your neckplate question - these started appearing from the mid-70s: I think this coincides with the introduction of sequential serial numbering - I don't know but I'm assuming this works like a Fujigen SN - first letter is the month - C representing March, 77 is the year & the remainder the production run for that month. J.

And both basses still have "Squire" spelled wrong. Somebody [i]really[/i] should tell them. Jon.