Bassassin

That's exactly what it is. Pickup's a DiMarzio Model P.

Looking at the damage, the black's original. I'd put cream covers on it for that pukka 70s look.

Late 70s (hooky headstock shape says 1976 or later), made by Matsumoku. The pickups (or those red covers at least) & the BA2 aren't original, and it may have been refinished - 9 times out of 10 MIJ Jazz copies will be sunburst or natural. For the most part the serials Matsumoku used on 'Steel Adjustable' neckplates are random & can't be dated. They used several different formats but weren't consistently dateable until probably around 1980.

What - Leo Fender was from Lithuania? Fwiw they do look nice & if the Shoreline Gold had a maple neck I'd be getting twitchy.

The Corts are nice but (fortunately for my GAS) there doesn't seem to be a 4, at least not yet. That's also about twice the price of a Squeee - or would be if you could buy one anywhere1

Missed it. What was it - a Super Headless through-neck (The Gallery currently has one at £600) or a Quantum/Rail? Wouldn't pay £650 for either of those but I'm dribbling a little at The Gallery's pics.

I think in the Real World, I'd struggle to spend that across a range of instruments/recording gear at the moment, never mind just the one bass. I've had terrible GAS in the past & have ended up with all of my musical needs over-carered for - although in fairness (to myself) my tastes aren't particularly expensive so I have an embarrassment of (mostly) cheap-but-decent gear. In the not-so-real world, & if it had to go on just the one bass, I think it'd be time visit a few luthiers & see if my vision of a headless, lightweight, double-neck through neck(s) fretted 4/fretless 5 prog nightmare bass is actually achievable. I have drawings & everything...

Even says 'Fresher' on the headstock. Midrange mid 70s MIJ copy made by Chushin Gakki, nice enough. Decent fixer-upper for £50, particularly if you could beat them down to £40.

Cream. Needs a black scratchplate really but it just yells '70s Rock Machine'!

I used a Session 4x10 bass combo from the mid 80s to the end of the 90s. Poor man's Trace Elliots, those were. Very bright & directional, & needed an extension cab if you wanted any appreciable bottom end. In fairness it made a better guitar amp than bass amp.

One or two cynics on FB saying exactly that!

And only £3k over list price.

Changed my mind. Want that one.

100% agree - that was the album where it sounded like everything they were trying to do came together, & they've not come close since. I still listen out of hope/curiosity but I don't think I even made it halfway through their last album. Metallica - watched SKOM when it was more current & the mess of a 'band' they were at the time helped explain the mess of an album St Anger was. By then I was only really vaguely interested - Justice had been the album that brought me back to metal at the end of the 80s but I gradually lost interest as they moved towards Black Album-era corporate rock bloat & became more bland. Summed up by a mate who'd been a fan since Kill 'Em All, after seeing them touring Load - "They should change their name to 'Licker' - because they're not f*ckin' metal any more!" They've had a couple of moments since, I quite liked Death Magnetic as a near-sequel to Justice, with a few moments of proper hostility & inventiveness (almost like they were trying to make up for St Anger!), but subsequently it's hard not to conclude their hearts really haven't been in it for a long time.

Top neck/bottom neck. I think the middle position mutes both but I can't remember - it hasn't been out of its case in years!

Double trouble:

In other cheap new guitar news, late last year I paid £110 for this from Gear4Music: OK - £159 list, reduced to £139 in a sale & a subsequent £30 refunded because it arrived a bit bashed up. Mild cosmetic damage that I didn't mind because I'm modding it. Been GASing for a hardtail HSS or HSH Strat-ish thing for ages but the new options seem to be limited to a Charvel San Dimas Strat or a couple of Ibanez Prestige things, all with prices getting on for 4 figures. Thought about building something but counterintuitively, a hardtail Strat body actually costs significantly more than one routed for a trem. And typically - more than the whole thing pictured above! This thing's a mess of contradictions & obvious cost-cutting - the humbuckers are garbage (doesn't matter because I want splittable ones & they're not), the bridge top-loads meaning the E & A won't intonate perfectly because the string itself fouls saddle travel (again, doesn't matter because it'll get drilled for through-body stringing & a new bridge) and the finish on the neck's weird. It's sold as roasted maple but I'm pretty sure it's dyed, the 'satin' finish on the back of the neck is poly that's been roughed with coarse abrasives to the extent it feels like unfinished wood - and I'm pretty certain the fretboard IS unfinished wood! On the other hand - it has a real flamed maple top, fully bound body, neck & headstock - and a quite excellent fret job, very smooth & level, nicely profiled with no sharp ends, and despite a ridiculously high-cut nut it's quite lovely to play. It's currently in bits having its issues dealt with, and about £70 of slightly better cheapo parts waiting to be nailed on. Will start a thread in the builds folder when there's more to report.

Never had one of these but I've had 2x Kay KB24 P copies & a K32 Strat - and they're not particularly well-made or nice to play. The necks, made from mahogany ply, were fat, heavy and badly fretted with thin, sharp-ended wire. Like a lot of ultra-budget stuff from this era I expect it's pot luck whether you'd get a playable/fixable one or a firewood dog - and it's not like there's much choice with these, they're mercifully rare! It's not quite cheap & cheerful (£495) but Retrovibe have this appealing little (30.5") shorty, seems reasonably light at 7.4lbs too: https://retrovibe.co.uk/product/retrovibe-rc30-lil-richard-short-scale-bass-30-6-scale-with-stinger-preamp/

Callen? As in Ned?

I do like a bit of out-there 50s/60s Italian design, and have a bit of affection for these. Me being me though - I'd have to go Japanese. And why stop at one neck?

So he paid £600 for it 10 years ago and now he wants £800? Not sure he's quite got his head around selling used stuff.