Bassassin

Shame about that Pro Martin branded Kasuga - the seller refuses to either divulge the reserve, or consider posting it, even though it has a fitted hard case. Why do people put things on Ebay when they plainly don't want to actually sell them? J.

Janek is actually a member on here - perhaps he'll come & state his case in person when he gets a minute. Although I do remember some of his contributions to the old BW forum being a bit, err... [i]contentious[/i]. For my part, I don't really do "stunt bass" - although I can watch & appreciate with a mixture of admiration & gut-ripping jealousy. I'd love to be able to master some of the more advanced techniques - simply from the perspective of being able to do it. Although I have neither the patience to undertake the quantity of practice necessary, or any practical use for any of it in my own musical context. I see myself as a songwriter/composer whose main instrument happens to be bass, and as such, it seems to me that to have little or no technique or knowledge of theory would be akin to an illiterate attempting to write a novel. The other side of this (and I've been guilty myself) is to end up incorporating unnecessary techniques & complexity into a composition just because you [i]can[/i]. McCartney was mentioned earlier - I believe I remember he was quoted as saying he refused to learn theory or work on technique, because he was concerned it would be detrimental to his writing - he would be being directed by what he'd learned was "correct". Jon.

[quote name='Rayman' post='152941' date='Mar 7 2008, 11:03 AM']Is that how you spell irrelavant? irelavant, irelevant? Dunno.[/quote] Irrelevant. But that [b]is[/b] irrelevant! If I was in the market for a Fender, it'd be a used MIJ - these were built by FujiGen & many reckon they're better than the current Dyna/Tokai CIJs. Besides, it appeals to the JapCrap geek in me. Jon.

Rick basses have always had 20 frets, right from the very first 4000 series bass in the 50s. There are a few very, very rare 21 fret examples from the early 70s - but there's never been a 24 fret Rick bass, and realistically, Rickenbacker are so set in their ways, I seriously doubt that there ever will be. Jon.

[quote name='nick' post='151836' date='Mar 5 2008, 04:28 PM']Will also be interesting to see how long it stays on before removal by Rickenwaffen, now it's been posted here [/quote] Hmm - you suspect a spy in our midst? :ph34r: J.

A Shaftesbury neckthrough, with a few been-chucked-down-the-stairs type issues: [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=250222341521"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...em=250222341521[/url] I do think the seller's playing dumb. J

[quote name='allighatt0r' post='151784' date='Mar 5 2008, 03:09 PM']I'm swiftly becoming a JapCrap spotting addict! I hope you don't mind me showing off my finds...[/quote] Please do - I can't spot 'em all! I like the way some chancer's offered an £85 BIN for the RickenFaker! Obviously can't tell when a seller's playing dumb! J.

[quote name='nick' post='150887' date='Mar 4 2008, 10:03 AM']Cheers for the catalogue links Jon [/quote] Here's the entire site. [i]Wish[/i] I understood kanji! [url="http://brochures.yokochou.com/index.html"]http://brochures.yokochou.com/index.html[/url] J.

Really very, very little to report at the moment, but this deserves a bit of attention - something you don't see every day, in fact something you don't see any day, ever: [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=230228804063"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...em=230228804063[/url] Pretty, ain't it? And if you're interested in what it really is: [url="http://brochures.yokochou.com/guitar-and-amp/kasuga/198x/p4.html"]http://brochures.yokochou.com/guitar-and-a...ga/198x/p4.html[/url] Kasuga SCB-900 Scorpion, from 1980-something. These were probably never available in the UK as Kasuga, and the "Pro Martin" name is almost certainly nothing to do with the CF Martin brand, probably Kasuga (or some cheeky importer) trying to capitalise on Kasuga's association with Martin - which ultimately resulted in the Sigma brand. If you're an appreciator of early 80s original JapCrap, the rest of the catalogue's worth a quick drool, too: [url="http://brochures.yokochou.com/guitar-and-amp/kasuga/198x/index.html"]http://brochures.yokochou.com/guitar-and-a...198x/index.html[/url] Looks like the Ebay bass has the original hard case, too. J.

[quote name='LukeFRC' post='149683' date='Mar 2 2008, 01:22 AM']i often wonder. old basses are obviously worth something. but if you split it up an old neck can be worth pretty much nout, same with a body, and surely it would be easier to pack the two seperatly anyway? just bolt them together in blighty? may not work if its a through neck though![/quote] Unfortunately it's a fixed neck, otherwise that's exactly what I'd do. Shipping a neck from the US isn't dear, another US based acquaintance sent me a replacement neck for my old Aria RSB Deluxe II (my original's horribly twisted & unplayable) and shipping was $32, with a declared value of $15. As for the value of this bass - how do you define that? In general, JapCrap is utterly subjective, and most people still see it as the throwaway junk it originally was. However - what someone's happy to get £18 for at a car boot can sell for £175 on Ebay, but the same thing might sell for £40 the next week. From my fairly well-informed perspective, it's really hard to say that it actually has a defineable market value. As far as this bass is concerned - I've never seen one on Ebay, and this one certainly isn't going there - I really do think that the guy who has it at the moment would be quite rightly outraged if I attempted to profiteer from his goodwill, so if I get it I'll be keeping it, useable or not. Reading the replies, I still think it's probably best to declare a nominal value, and possibly label it as for repair/restoration. The last thing I want is for some suspicious customs type to open it up & just randomly guess that it must be worth about £500, or something. J.

I don't think I'd get away with suggesting a bass was worth as little as £18 - surely they'd immediately assume it was the dumbest attempt at a scam ever - I wondered if declaring the value at something pretty nominal, say, $100, might be the best idea. How much duty are people paying on all these bargain SXes they're importing? J.

I'm in a curious situation where I might be obtaining a basket-case 70s Japcrap bass from somebody I know from another forum - who happens to live in the western US. I'm not going to go into detail, but basically he was given this bass, has no interest in it, doesn't have a clue if it's playable or if the electrics work, and just wants shot of it. It would be very much a restoration project to me, he wants no financial remuneration, apart from packing materials & shipping - so does anyone have any idea what kind of customs/VAT charges I can expect, on something that is essentially, in its current state, valueless? I'm aware shipping will likely be costly, I just want to try & work out if it's worth my while doing this or if I should just tell him to bung it in a skip! Jon.

[quote name='finnbass' post='149164' date='Feb 29 2008, 08:19 PM']Ah! That'll be for the team of sled dogs though... [/quote] Pedigree Chum ain't cheap over there... J.

I posted a bass & it was more than £60. It was to Iceland, mind. Jon.

[quote name='thedarxide' post='147422' date='Feb 26 2008, 08:41 PM']I'm about to recieve my fifth, and I've only had one two cheap ones. First was an EB-3 copy, really nice, great pickups, but i didn't get on with the short scale. Then a Les Paul, also great. Next Les Paul was cheap. Single coil pickups in humbucker housings, horrible neck. *Third* Les paul was much the same The one I'm waiting for is a fretless jazz. I bid heavily on the block necked jazz earlier in the thread, but missed out.[/quote] I've had 3 over the years & seen a lot more - 2 of mine (a Jazz bass & a plywood/hollow top LP) were horrid and the 3rd, a solid mahogany bolt-neck SG, was rather nice. Until I broke it. As far as I can tell, at least some Columbuses originate from the same factory as Maya, as do quite a few of the UK importer brand instruments knocking about. Unfortunately most of them seem to be the low-end stuff. J.

[quote name='barneythedog' post='147478' date='Feb 26 2008, 10:33 PM']No idea about this one, but interesting non the less [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/STRATA-BASS-GUITAR_W0QQitemZ140210959638QQihZ004QQcategoryZ4713QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem"]Strata/Status[/url][/quote] Yep - it's what he says it is, Status was originally Strata - until Leo's Good Ol' Boys got annoyed & litigious about the first syllable... Anyway, there aren't very many of these around - especially not ones with "knecks". Jon.

[quote name='nick' post='147130' date='Feb 26 2008, 10:18 AM']Quite interested in the Maya. My rosewood neck one needs a partner! Anyone else on here thinking of having a punt? [/quote] Tempting, isn't it? It's too similar to my Ibanez 2366b to justify it, though. Good luck! J.

And today in the Westone Thunderdome: [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Westone-Thunder-1-A-4-string-fretless-bass_W0QQitemZ130198929886"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Westone-Thunder-1-A-...emZ130198929886[/url] [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Very-early-Westone-Thunder-1-bass-Natural-Ash_W0QQitemZ260212714819"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Very-early-Westone-T...emZ260212714819[/url] [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Westone-Thunder-1A-Fretless-Bass_W0QQitemZ280202533997"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Westone-Thunder-1A-F...emZ280202533997[/url] [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/westone-thunder-1-bass-guitar-80s-rare-collectors_W0QQitemZ270214395186"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/westone-thunder-1-ba...emZ270214395186[/url] [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Early-Westone-Thunder-1-A-Bass-Guitar_W0QQitemZ120226601875"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Early-Westone-Thunde...emZ120226601875[/url] [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Westone-Thunder-1_W0QQitemZ130201346015"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Westone-Thunder-1_W0...emZ130201346015[/url] [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Bass-Guitar-Westone-Thunder-1A_W0QQitemZ230226066818"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Bass-Guitar-Westone-...emZ230226066818[/url] Yes - that's [b]seven[/b] Westone Thunder 1's. Amusingly, some of the sellers describe them as "rare". And a lonely basket-case Westone Concord: [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=150219784367"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...em=150219784367[/url] A very sexy Aria Pro SB-R60: [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=250219787627"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...em=250219787627[/url] Something you really don't see very often - a Washburn Stage Series B20/8 - 8-string: [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=230225643264"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...em=230225643264[/url] And the Washburn Bantam from a couple of weeks ago is back, £100 less but still too dear! [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=260215003110"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...em=260215003110[/url] Not much from Fujigen today - but this very 80s Ibanez RB760 is worth a look: [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=320221239602"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...em=320221239602[/url] And a few Precision clones & derivatives: The ubiquitous Kay Backbreaker: [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=330214927313"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...em=330214927313[/url] A Hondo, with a big Custom Sound combo in tow: [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=200202562651"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...em=200202562651[/url] This could be a nice project - a through-neck P, probably a Cort, with a Ronseal refin: [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=320220881582"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...em=320220881582[/url] And a very sweet-looking Maya, complete with covers, hiding its light under a bushel. Whatever that means: [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=150219361134"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...em=150219361134[/url] J.

I think what's interesting here is that the "text" of the advertisement, and the very elaborate terms & conditions are blatantly not written by the same person. Jon.

Keep an eagle eye on Ebay & Gumtree - I'll bet that's where it turns up. Such an unusual bass, it will be utterly bloody obvious when the [s]light-fingered scumbag[/s] seller plainly hasn't a clue what it is. Jon.

They are getting really scarce now - I think most of them get pulled pretty much as soon as they're listed. J.

Very interesting, that, it is buried somewhere in my huge list - and I'm watching it, because it holds some clues - but almost certainly no answers - to one of the Great JapCrap Mysteries. J.

Long time no update - but I think we're almost done now. Tort P plate, 2x v/t stack pots, new nut & a bunch of screws, plus lashings of T-cut & elbow grease, and a good opportunity for a before & after: Not quite there yet - I still need to take the nut slots down a little, something I'm always a bit nervous about fecking up, and my stack pots don't [i]quite[/i] work the way they're intended to yet. :blush: Anyway, it plays nicely as it is, and sounds [b]big[/b] - the P pup is from an Ibanez Blazer (did a swap with Burpster for the one the bass came with) and once I've sorted out the wiring for my stack pots, it will be way more versatile than the original setup of single volume/tone & 3-way selector switch. I'm pretty pleased with how it's turned out aesthetically. There are plenty of battle scars revealed now the rattle can black's gone - unfortunately the grey primer under it has infiltrated every little scratch & crack, and there's little that can be done about that. I'm not bothered because this is a 29 year old bass & I don't expect, or want it to look pristine. The new scratchplate is a much better fit than the old white one, and just required a little trimming around the top of the neck pocket to go on. The screwholes are a different story - only the top 3 lined up, all the rest had to be redrilled. I plugged all the old holes - for about 3 different plates, by the looks of it, the bloody thing looked like a pincushion! There are a couple of old holes which the plate doesn't cover, so I'll have to find some stain to colour them. I'm really glad I went with the tort plate, it really suits the body colour, I think - although the photos make it look much more lurid than it is in real life. I plugged & then re-drilled the bridge screwholes, so the alignment's now correct. The brass saddles are the old ones from my CSL, and coincidentally are the correct type for this bridge. And I have found out what it is - it's a Cimar XR-2065BS! At least now we know why they just put "Electric Bass" on the headstock. Anyway, in my web-trawling I found this: - From a 1979 catalogue, apparently. It describes this bass as being Mahogany, faced with Judas Wood. I presume Judas Wood refers to the Japanese Judas Tree, which I'm aware of being used in wood carving & cabinet making - but my bass is made from two lumps of what looks awfully like ash to me - and nowt else. Maybe they changed the timbers used at some point in the production. Anyway, that's about it. Looking forward to gigging it soon. J.

[quote name='sgt-pluck' post='142367' date='Feb 18 2008, 11:42 AM']I know this thread is mostly for UK Japcrap, but I thought I'd post [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=220203009494&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=012"]this[/url] as it's an absolute beauty, and fairly rare too, and I'm struggling to keep my finger away from the trigger! Pluck[/quote] Oh, now that is something. It's like a single pup Ibanez Musician (MC800, I think) crossed with a Blazer. That big humbucker's the same as the one on the very first Blazers, before the redesign. Rare? That'd quite likely be unique in the UK if you did go for it - I don't think Greco was ever officially available here, it was predominantly a Japanese domestic brand. Lovely bass! J.