Bassassin

[quote name='thedarxide' post='185910' date='Apr 26 2008, 01:35 PM']Ah... well I've learned something then I was going to ask what you thought of the price, but I take it you don't approve! [/quote] I think it's absolute madness that any of these things go for over £200! But that's market forces, innit? They're rare because a: they're 30 odd years old & were generally treated as throwaway crap back in the day; and b: Rickenbacker & their ever-vigilant supporter's club won't let us buy them! Rickenbacker's massive price hikes won't have exactly helped, either. I think this looks like a nice one - CMI (which was a Marshall sub-brand, Cleartone Musical Instruments) were mostly good-quality copies, sourced from factories which included Moridaira, Kasuga & (I think) Fujigen, all of which had a good rep & made quality instruments. It's got a couple of issues he mentions - I don't like the sound of the dodgy bridge pup - but realistically what he's asking is about the ballpark these days for a good condition neckthrough. J.

I'd say yes - although in practice it won't make any difference, I doubt we can force them - but at least it's demonstrating a bit of courtesy & making a token effort. Jon.

[quote name='The Burpster' post='185784' date='Apr 26 2008, 10:15 AM']If the managers noty prepared to shift it then you point out that you'll just have to buy from Thomans then...[/quote] And that, for me, is the way forward. If shops can't be competitive (particularly on beat up shop-floor junk) then they're fine for trying before you buy - at suitably knock-down online prices. Jon.

[quote name='thedarxide' post='185780' date='Apr 26 2008, 10:12 AM']Ibanez/CMI [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/CMI-Ibanez-Bass-Guitar-70s-Through-Neck-Vintage-Japan_W0QQitemZ140227792402QQihZ004QQcategoryZ4713QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/CMI-Ibanez-Bass-Guit...1QQcmdZViewItem[/url][/quote] Just a CMI. There's no connection whatsoever between the brands. And isn't that CMI awfully like the one that was pulled a few weeks ago? An off-Ebay deal, I think, & I bet he paid less than £300 for it... J.

I've shared lead vocal duties in a couple of bands, one of which was originals, and I tried to have a strictly no-compromise attitude to my bass parts. These days it's just BVs, but I've got to the point I can sing over pretty much anything - after enough practice! I'm the first to admit I don't have much of a voice, I can keep tune & have a decent enough range, but I'm one of life's natural backing singers (oh dear, bit of a subconscious metaphor? ) & have no particular wish to front a band. Jon.

[quote name='thedarxide' post='184308' date='Apr 24 2008, 09:07 AM']My Columbus EB-3 has a square-end fingerboard. No zero fret though...[/quote] Interesting - got any pics? Just goes to show - there are no rules in JapCrap! J.

Can't be sure from the photo, might be a Kay neck, but the headstock profile looks like a Gibson type open book - which I don't think ever featured on a Kay bass - their EB-ish thing had a sort of shallow V cut headstock. It's got a square-end fingerboard & zero fret, which means it's not from a Columbus/Avon or similar trash-end JapCrap. Pickup definitely looks like it's from a Kay, and I dread to think what's lurking under that ashtray instead of a bridge! Anyway - whatever it is, I'm not buying it just to find out! J.

[quote name='thedarxide' post='183744' date='Apr 23 2008, 12:57 PM']Even I wouldn't buy this: [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/BASS-GUITAR-Old-1970s-Spares-or-renovation-WO20678_W0QQitemZ260231428576QQihZ016QQcategoryZ4713QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/BASS-GUITAR-Old-1970...1QQcmdZViewItem[/url][/quote] Interesting - short-scale Korean (by the looks of it) weirdo. This is very similar - apart from the proportions - to a Franconia Jazz I had recently. I'd pay the tenner it's currently at, but not a great deal more. The "Hoffnar" is one of the current/recent crop of copies, probably Chinese rather than Jap. So I'm boycotting it. J.

[quote name='thedarxide' post='183723' date='Apr 23 2008, 12:42 PM']What's this. it looks home made? Have questioned the seller, he's round the corner..... [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Bass-Guitar_W0QQitemZ260233089328QQihZ016QQcategoryZ4713QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Bass-Guitar_W0QQitem...1QQcmdZViewItem[/url][/quote] Definitely looks like a B&Qenbacker to me! Looks like an old EB-0 copy neck on a home-made body. Bless. J.

Reserve's a ton, if anyone's interested. He shouldn't have re-shaped the body & headstock, but I [i]love[/i] the white board/black block neck. Jon.

[quote name='Carl' post='182685' date='Apr 22 2008, 12:02 PM'][b]Yer like the dudes that like wipped him so bad and just beated the holy crap out of him.And were laughing at him and banged a few nails threw his hands/wrists,and feet and left him to die a slow agonising death on the cross. But hey if he can forgive him them i`m sure he can forgive everyone even satanists.[/b][/quote] Spare a thought for Tecuciztecatl, though - he got upstaged by Tonatuih & turned himself into a second sun. But the other gods threw a rabbit at his face & transformed him into the moon! Imagine how he must have felt! I'm entirely self-taught, started by copying records (first bass riff was very probably [i]Peaches[/i]!), learned a bit of technique (positional playing, one-finger-per-string etc) from watching other bassists. Played in bedroom bands for 3 years, so by the time I played my first gig I'd found my way around the fretboard fairly well. If I was starting now, I wouldn't do it that way - what it took me months, years in some cases, to work out for myself, a good teacher could show/tell in half an hour. Jon.

[quote name='thedarxide' post='182243' date='Apr 21 2008, 09:01 PM']You may continue mocking me now.... [/quote] Not at all! It's speculation really that it's a Hondo - unless the seller's got the original trc (I'd message them & ask for it to be included - as well as the one on the bass, if they have) they likely won't have a clue what brand it was. An added bonus will be if it's a real Rick trc - pretty unlikely, but it does happen. That'd be half your money back on that alone. Anyway, lots of pics when you get it please! J.

[quote name='thedarxide' post='181825' date='Apr 21 2008, 01:48 PM']I anticipate a bidding war with that Hondo. It keeps going up by a few quid and there's a good few hours to go yet. The Tokai went for BIN.[/quote] Utter madness - it went from £180 (which was bad enough) to £335 in the last 3 minutes. J.

[quote name='thedarxide' post='181814' date='Apr 21 2008, 01:37 PM']It's a different one isn't it? Tort plate, three knobs? Previous was black with two unless I skipped a post?[/quote] This is the original auction: [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=220214885649"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...em=220214885649[/url] Paul posted a link to my auction for a Grabber copy (black plate & 2 knobs) from a month or so ago - so mebbe that's the one you saw! J.

The bodyshape was ever so slightly ripped off in the early 80s for this: Jon.

Not a lot to choose between those two P-alikes. And you might be right, some Grecos came from Matsumoku. The guy selling the Ripper, Ashdigits, is a dealer & it's no surprise to me he's put it up straight away, wouldn't read anything into it, just surprised he didn't go for a BIN. J.

[quote name='paul, the' post='174689' date='Apr 11 2008, 05:00 PM']Lusting for a [url="http://www.matsumoku.org/models/ariaproii/catalogs/1977_slick/77_slick_electrics.jpg.html"]PE200[/url][/quote] That Shaftesbury that sold last week's back already: [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=140225768621"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...em=140225768621[/url] Same as that Yamaha in the Pete,Young's post - at least if I buy something cheap off Ebay I have the decency to wait until the old listing's expired before punting it back! No bloody manners!! J.

[quote name='nick' post='181324' date='Apr 20 2008, 08:44 PM']John Birch copy in my local freeads, described as 'a project requiring pick-ups & strings' : £50![/quote] x ∞ That motivated me to check Gumtree, really fast... And made me stop feeling so miffed about the old JapCrap Les Paul copy I missed by about 4 minutes at my local car boot this morning. J.

[quote name='Happy Jack' post='181259' date='Apr 20 2008, 07:44 PM']But you're still wondering what the reserve is, right? [/quote] An enquiry has been made... I also asked him what he used for the "inlays" - I've got an old Squier P neck sitting 'round, just begging to be experimented on... :brow: J.

This, like many other of the ludicrous "instruments" this lot punt, is a rip-off of a similarly ludicrous one-off: [url="http://www.microphoneheaven.com/guitarbass/"]http://www.microphoneheaven.com/guitarbass/[/url] This was originally a topic of some bemusement, headshaking & hilarity back in the old BW days - and there are several threads devoted to its inbred, genetically challenged halfwit cousins in the Ebay forum! Jon.

That [i]almost[/i] works - if only he'd stuck to the refin & holes, and not tried to re-shape the body, it would have been great. The body just looks malproportioned & wrong. Shame. Jon.

[quote name='thedarxide' post='180683' date='Apr 19 2008, 07:57 PM']That's the one. There was one in Milton Keynes Sound Control up until recently. Sometimes I like it, sometimes I dont. The one I really want is Montezuma brown, but the one on ebay at the mo' is taking the p*ss. We shall see. But I've made my mind up. I've waited 15 years, no more. I will have one in my hands or on order by the end of the year...... (or a copy )[/quote] The only copy you'll find in Monty Brown (aka Sh!tglo) is a Jolana D - but those crazy Czechs went & put P/J pups in it rather than proper Ricky copy ones. What were they thinking? I'm still smarting over missing out on the one that went for £170 delivered, last October. J.

This one? [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Rickenbacker-4003-BlueBoy-w-Pickguardian-Appointments_W0QQitemZ320241452898"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Rickenbacker-4003-Bl...emZ320241452898[/url] I think that's lovely - the BB isn't my favourite colour but it works really well with the pearl plate & surround. Fairly silly price for a ltd. ed. colour, too. That's about 3 miles down the road from me. J.

[quote name='thedarxide' post='180494' date='Apr 19 2008, 02:22 PM']Although, I'm strongly considering ordering one, and paying for it in installments. Reidy's are doing them for £999. It'll be paid for by the time it arrives... [/quote] I take it we're talking [i]real[/i] Ricks here - if so, that's a great price, however long it takes. Did you know the current production run for 4003s has full-width inlays, for the first time since 1973? Order & be damned!! Although I'd have been happy to sell my gizzard & gonads to medical science for this: [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=250235946235"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...em=250235946235[/url] :wub: :wub: :wub: Jon.

The 70s copies are far more convincing-looking than the current, rather limited, crop - plus they have more collectability, exclusivity, genuine vintage appeal, and will increase in value because of these factors, unlike the current ones. Of the current ones, the Shine makes the best job of looking the part, as well as having a bit of flair about them: [url="http://www.tiptop.se/cgi-bin/multipage.cgi?id=2525"]http://www.tiptop.se/cgi-bin/multipage.cgi?id=2525[/url] [url="http://www.tiptop.se/cgi-bin/multipage.cgi?id=2523"]http://www.tiptop.se/cgi-bin/multipage.cgi?id=2523[/url] [url="http://www.tiptop.se/cgi-bin/multipage.cgi?id=2522"]http://www.tiptop.se/cgi-bin/multipage.cgi?id=2522[/url] [url="http://www.tiptop.se/cgi-bin/multipage.cgi?id=2524"]http://www.tiptop.se/cgi-bin/multipage.cgi?id=2524[/url] Still not exactly cheap, though - those prices are the wrong side of £500! J.