JJW Posted July 22, 2015 Share Posted July 22, 2015 I think it looks horrible: http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/710-53481-19255-0/1?icep_ff3=2&pub=5575090229&toolid=10001&campid=5337531593&customid=&icep_item=171844825148&ipn=psmain&icep_vectorid=229508&kwid=902099&mtid=824&kw=lg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassassin Posted July 22, 2015 Share Posted July 22, 2015 Dunno what the hell that is - but 80s? Made in Japan? Chinny reckon. Jon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kodiakblair Posted July 23, 2015 Share Posted July 23, 2015 Couple of the fellas on the Washburn owners group say it was never sold in the USA but it's definitely early 80s Japan. They'd been in touch with seller for serials and more photos,it's an LP-40 or sometimes called a B-200 model One of them worked for Washburn at the time and says they're ultra rare,he's never played one though Want to ask if they can give a year Jon ? Might help add a piece to the Japanese Bass Building puzzle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tauzero Posted July 23, 2015 Share Posted July 23, 2015 It looks something like a Les Paul. In fact, if I was selling it, I'd describe it as "like a Les Paul". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassassin Posted July 23, 2015 Share Posted July 23, 2015 [quote name='kodiakblair' timestamp='1437610475' post='2827616'] Couple of the fellas on the Washburn owners group say it was never sold in the USA but it's definitely early 80s Japan. They'd been in touch with seller for serials and more photos,it's an LP-40 or sometimes called a B-200 model One of them worked for Washburn at the time and says they're ultra rare,he's never played one though Want to ask if they can give a year Jon ? Might help add a piece to the Japanese Bass Building puzzle. [/quote] Did a bit of digging based on the model number, the bass is a Washburn B200, and it's early 90s, meaning not MIJ, so probably Korean. It's refinished and the original hardware swapped for crap, by the looks. Might've looked like this before it was "upgraded": There's also a pic of a solid blue-finished one in [url="http://www.washburn.com/media/catalogs/pdf/Washburn1993ElectricsCatalog.pdf"]this '93 catalogue[/url] (if you can be arsed waiting for the .pdf to load), where it's being presumably endorsed by an amusingly dressed man with a silly name, from a band with a similarly silly name. Anyway - not MIJ, not '80s - and because I am a dignified sort of person, I'll refrain from saying "told ya so!". J. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shambo Posted July 23, 2015 Share Posted July 23, 2015 That catalogue is full of frankly hilarious 'model' musicians. A perfect reminder of why, back in the day, I thought 'rock' was the antithesis of cool. Thank you for the laughs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Jack Posted July 23, 2015 Share Posted July 23, 2015 [quote name='Bassassin' timestamp='1437649750' post='2827809'] Might've looked like this before it was "upgraded": [/quote] They were sold with a knob missing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kodiakblair Posted July 23, 2015 Share Posted July 23, 2015 Suitably chastised Jon Further reading turned up the ex-Washburn employee saying the folks at Washburn could never tell him anything about their basses so he'd pester folk.Their catalogues are no help either,some basses got pictured with different parts from production. Just to confuse matters more check these 2 B-200's [attachment=197013:2nd LB40 in Germany pic#2.jpg][attachment=197014:B-200 active full front.jpg] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassassin Posted July 23, 2015 Share Posted July 23, 2015 (edited) [quote name='Happy Jack' timestamp='1437662043' post='2827976'] They were sold with a knob missing? [/quote] No - 3 knobs & a selector switch! New specs, Jack? [quote name='kodiakblair' timestamp='1437664346' post='2828008'] Just to confuse matters more check these 2 B-200's [/quote] The 'burst finish is possibly an SB-40, quite a lot like mine! I say "possibly" because Washburn (or more specifically, Yamaki & Matsumoku) produced a lot of variations of this model, with different electronics, control layouts & pickup positioning, with various different model numbers. The Washburn forums do produce a lot of conflicting binary opinions, which can have some quite aggressive defenders. There's a BC thread from a few years back, in which an American Washburn "expert" appears to have signed up here specifically to take me to task for describing my SB-40 as an SB-40, despite the fact it clearly says "SB-40" on its trc. Weird. Edited July 23, 2015 by Bassassin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kodiakblair Posted July 23, 2015 Share Posted July 23, 2015 I think I can guess at which " expert " Jon. There's a strange inability to accept being wrong with some Washburn owners.They just ignore answers till they get the one they want They posted a photo of the burst headstock sayiing B-200 but as you rightly point out with Washburn nothing's set in stone. As always I'm happy to have been corrected, I'll take your word over the other fella every time. In the case of this Washburn looks like nobody wants it,been on eBay over a year easy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Jack Posted July 23, 2015 Share Posted July 23, 2015 [quote name='Bassassin' timestamp='1437668265' post='2828072'] No - 3 knobs & a selector switch! New specs, Jack? [/quote] Well smoke my kipper! That still looks more like a shaft than a switch to me, but I learned (a LONG time ago) not to argue with Jon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassassin Posted July 23, 2015 Share Posted July 23, 2015 [quote name='Happy Jack' timestamp='1437672337' post='2828124'] Well smoke my kipper! That still looks more like a shaft than a switch to me, but I learned (a LONG time ago) not to argue with Jon. [/quote] Well - I guess I must know a shaft when I see one, ooer missus etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazzneck Posted July 25, 2015 Share Posted July 25, 2015 (edited) [quote name='Happy Jack' timestamp='1437662043' post='2827976'] They were sold with a knob missing? [/quote] Oh dear! I played one of these in Trevor Durrant's original Colchester shop in the very early '90s and it was superb through an Ampeg B-2 and 2x12 cab. It had real real mid range grunt and clarity from the two pickups. It played exceptional well, too. I didn't have the spondooliks to buy it at the time but I still lust after one but in original sunburst / nickel hardware like in Bassassin's pic, not that awful bl88dy blue colour with black knobs on. Anyone got one? Edited July 25, 2015 by Jazzneck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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