Bargain!

[Telebass]

Mooching around the Sale Area of our local Recycling Centre (as you do), noticed a bass-size Warwick Rockbag, in fair nick. Lo and behold, within was a rather distressed, defretted, Yamaha RBX250. A steal at £4!

[beerdragon]

Pictures?

[paul, the]

Oooh, lucky you. Pic us.

[Telebass]

OK, here's the pix. If anyone has any clue as to the possible age of this bass, or general info, I'd be grateful.

General view:


Headstock. there's one odd tuner, but I'll rectify that tomorrow at the shop:


Body, front. This is after significant cleanup. The strings are a set of part-used Rotosound SM55 half-rounds, and the knobs are from my Squier TB, which now has a set of Fender Precision knobs.


Fingerboard butchery...


Back:


Back at the shop tomorrow, I'll see how well the truss rod is, sort out the odd machine head, and generally sort the set up. I'll also see just how hard a job it might be to refret it.

Certainly worth £4! Actually, for my £4, I got the bass and gig bag, a boot iron, and 3/4GB of PC2700 DDR memory. So maybe it cost me, say, £1.50?

[thedarxide]

I'm pretty sure it's mid 90's. I vaguely recall reading a review in Guitar magazine, but the natural finish one had a flamed maple photo finish on it. Something about those pickups bothers me, but I can't think why. I'll fish in the loft tomorrow and see if I've still got the mag.

[Buzz]

Nice steal.

[paul, the]

Looks good, good find. What's it like working in a music shop?

[Telebass]

Fun, most of the time. If you've no choice but to work at minimum wage, at least do it in a decent toy shop! And I've learnt to be a half decent tech, too, which is always useful. Got to have a good hefty grope around a rather nice Oly white '69 P-bass recently. It was really a nice bass. But little if any nicer than my '03 MIM P to play. Just had that cool, I've-done-39-years-gigging look about it. Nice to paly with the vintage stuff, but I'd never spend the money on it. Current Fenders are easily as good, even allowing for the fact that the specs are not identical.

One thing, though...Anyone comes near me with a Floyd Rose, I'll hit them with it... Tech's worst nightmare. Bloody horrible things to put on a guitar...

[budget bassist]

Haha bit of a bargain there! Fret job looks well bodged though...

Also +1 on the floyd rose thing

Edited April 23, 2008 by budget bassist

[SJA]

early 90's, i'd say.
I've got an old Yamaha catalogue from 91/92 with a red RBX250 in it.
pickup looks stock- exposed polepieces.
alder body.

[s_u_y_*]

£4! I've heard of some bargain prices before, but that's a new record in my books. Good find!

[LukeFRC]

might be easier to keep it fretless, and sort the fretboard out.
I recn you could do that, sell it on here and almost double the price you paid for it!

[budget bassist]

[quote name='LukeFRC' post='184243' date='Apr 24 2008, 01:12 AM']might be easier to keep it fretless, and sort the fretboard out.
I recn you could do that, sell it on here and almost double the price you paid for it! [/quote]
You mean... he might almost make £8!? Nahhh surely not?

[Buzz]

If worst comes to worse and the truss rod is nips north, you might as well get it replaced and replace the fretboard while your at it, you at least owe the bass that much as you got it for peanuts, and it won't cost too much, leaving you with what'll be a good beater for sub £100 easily. Probably much cheaper if you could source a neck off ebay though.

For some reason, it's simplistic brilliance and mojo make it look rather good.

[thedarxide]

[quote name='SJA' post='184228' date='Apr 23 2008, 11:59 PM']early 90's, i'd say.
I've got an old Yamaha catalogue from 91/92 with a red RBX250 in it.
pickup looks stock- exposed polepieces.
alder body.[/quote]

Yeah, I concur, I found the magazine (Guitar Magazine Jan 1997). Yamaha changed the design in 1996 to 2x2 tuners, a longer bass horn, and the treble horn points outwards. The pickups look weird to me because they're sealed units on the redesigned ones.

[Dubs]

what a find, surely even the gig bag is worth more than £4!

[Telebass]

Now it has not only had a bit of a setup, and the odd tuner replaced, but it has frets! Truss rod was slack; it had probably never been adjusted, ever. That's what made me bang the frets in. It'll need a dress, of course, which is beyond me, but it will be worth having that done.

Edited April 24, 2008 by Telebass

[Telebass]

Well, I've been using the Yam as my 'learn-to-play-again-after-surgery' bass, and although the amateurishly beaten-in frets are all over the place level-wise, I reckon I like it. Quite a lot! Now, this may be cause for some serious therapy, as I'm never seen clutching anything but a Fender!

If I can get the frets level, I'll gig it!

[Mickeyboro]

In the unlikely event it replaces the 51 RI in your affections I'm first in line to get it back!

[Telebass]

Oooh Mickey, no way that's going anywhere! Numero uno most of the time now! A great bass, and getting better. Fully dressed with the correct metalwork and raw maple finger rest, it's easily the sexiest bass of the stable!. I'd swap it for a black maple neck standard 70s P, but it would have to be a corker...it's that good a bass to me. But, should I need to move it, you're first in line!
TBH, I'll probably be buried with it.

Edited May 15, 2008 by Telebass

[7string]

Just found this thread...

What a great find! It's even better than my £6 Laney 30W bass practice amp

[Telebass]

Nice when it happens, isn't it?

[ashevans09]

Nice find mate! Guitarist in my band has one that hasn't been defretted and it certainly ain't a bad bass

Well in