Vintage MIJ (formerly J@pCr@p) Spotting

[Bloodaxe]

[quote name='noelk27' post='752377' date='Feb 20 2010, 11:51 PM']Of the graphs quoted, the first was in service for the shortest period of time, the second the longest. As for the third, that's one that I've not previously seen. (I'm suspicious that if it's only to be found in publish materials that it's, perhaps, a typo. I could be wrong.)[/quote]

Headstock from my 1981 TSB-400 (shame there's a string in the way, but you get the gist):



TBH not sure if it applies to the Lazers.

Typo in the Pat No is mine, should be 555719

Pete.

[Annoying Twit]

[url="http://en.allexperts.com/q/Electric-Guitars-3419/aria-pro-II.htm"]http://en.allexperts.com/q/Electric-Guitar...aria-pro-II.htm[/url]

[quote]I have an Aria Pro II Cardinal Series [b]Pat #555719 Original Custom Body[/b] GUITAR. Made in Japan 3090350 I know nothing about this Guitar.[/quote]

Guitar?!?!

[noelk27]

[quote name='Annoying Twit' post='752513' date='Feb 21 2010, 08:59 AM'][url="http://en.allexperts.com/q/Electric-Guitars-3419/aria-pro-II.htm"]http://en.allexperts.com/q/Electric-Guitar...aria-pro-II.htm[/url]

Guitar?!?![/quote]

Er, yea. Aria made CS (Cardinal Sound) guitars as well as basses. I have a CS guitar. Looks very nice in Japan Brown. The CS doesn't have as nicely balanced a body as my RS (Rev Sound) - the closest thing Aria made to an SB guitar - or, oddly, my TS (Thor Sound) - which the CS is based on. The original RS and TS series guitars featured six-in-line headstocks, so didn't feature the patent graph, for that you've got to track down the first in the PE (Masterpiece Prototype - yea, not quite sure how Aria came up with that one) series, from '76.

[noelk27]

[quote name='Bloodaxe' post='752464' date='Feb 21 2010, 03:00 AM']Headstock from my 1981 TSB-400 ...[/quote]

And a very nice illustration of exactly what the text and number apply to - the headstock design.

[Annoying Twit]

[quote name='noelk27' post='752540' date='Feb 21 2010, 09:33 AM']Er, yea. Aria made CS (Cardinal Sound) guitars as well as basses. I have a CS guitar. Looks very nice in Japan Brown. The CS doesn't have as nicely balanced a body as my RS (Rev Sound) - the closest thing Aria made to an SB guitar - or, oddly, my TS (Thor Sound) - which the CS is based on. The original RS and TS series guitars featured six-in-line headstocks, so didn't feature the patent graph, for that you've got to track down the first in the PE (Masterpiece Prototype - yea, not quite sure how Aria came up with that one) series, from '76.[/quote]

Ah, I get it. Same patent number for both the guitars and the basses with the same body shape. Edit: Oh, just the headstock. In which case the number tells us very little. Which is where we came in.

Edited February 21, 2010 by Annoying Twit

[noelk27]

[quote name='Annoying Twit' post='752559' date='Feb 21 2010, 10:11 AM']Ah, I get it. Same patent number for both the guitars and the basses with the same body shape. Edit: Oh, just the headstock. In which case the number tells us very little. Which is where we came in.[/quote]

Well, it doesn't tell you any series or model details, but it does tell you what headstock shape to expect.

[Bassassin]

Well - he's actually added a pic of the headstock (and nothing else!) to the listing now. It's presumably the actual bass he's selling unless he randomly found a pic with 3 strings...

J.

[noelk27]

Might be opening a store ...

Headstocks Aria Us

[Bassassin]

[quote name='Annoying Twit' post='752513' date='Feb 21 2010, 08:59 AM'][url="http://en.allexperts.com/q/Electric-Guitars-3419/aria-pro-II.htm"]http://en.allexperts.com/q/Electric-Guitar...aria-pro-II.htm[/url]



Guitar?!?![/quote]
Also worth bearing in mind that some of "Johnny Genocide"'s expert knowledge, observations & opinions on vintage MIJ & MIK guitars on Allexperts.com is hilariously & outrageously misinformed. In this particular instance he didn't actually proffer anything of value (not even to date the thing from its serial number!) but some of his comments (and valuations) on Hondo Les Paul copies are hysterical and had me choking on my own oesophagus.

J.

[LukeFRC]

I emailed and the guys going to send me photos of the thing...

[Bassassin]

[quote name='LukeFRC' post='752857' date='Feb 21 2010, 03:06 PM']I emailed and the guys going to send me photos of the thing...[/quote]
Luke, if you're considering going for this one, I'll take a polite step back - really need to save for a new rig, anyway!

Post the pics when you get 'em.

J.

[LukeFRC]

[quote name='Bassassin' post='753067' date='Feb 21 2010, 06:17 PM']Luke, if you're considering going for this one, I'll take a polite step back - really need to save for a new rig, anyway!

Post the pics when you get 'em.

J.[/quote]

thanks dude... ill wait till i see the pics and send you a wee pm...

[Bloodaxe]

[quote name='Bassassin' post='752584' date='Feb 21 2010, 10:35 AM']Well - he's actually added a pic of the headstock (and nothing else!) to the listing now. It's presumably the actual bass he's selling unless he randomly found a pic with 3 strings...

J.[/quote]

Ooohh!!

Can narrow the field a bit from that...

"Open Book" style headstock end, what look to be Grover-style tuners and a seemingly wooden truss-rod cover all point towards an SB from 1981/2 or later. The paragraph is the Aria LAB version, so perhaps Noelk can don his deerstalker again to narrow the field a bit further!

Potential bargain here especially if the seller remains reticent on details, I reckon (5 days to go though...)

Pete.

Edited February 21, 2010 by Bloodaxe

[mikhay77]

Got some pics from him,its a sb700 not bad nick too,a tone knob missing.I have the batwing model so was gonna have a punt but just bought a Neuser Cloudburst,of the ebay for a good price,they were 2.5k new.So won't be bothering with the sb now.Its gotta be worth a couple of hundred minimum.
Also just had an email he doesn't mind if you organize a courier and he can take paypal.

Edited February 21, 2010 by mikhay77

[noelk27]

[quote name='mikhay77' post='753200' date='Feb 21 2010, 08:14 PM'][I]ts a sb700 not bad nick too,a tone knob missing. ...[/quote]

It might be an SB700. It might be an SB600. You'd need a photo of the reverse to know for sure. Certainly looks like 16mm spacing, so not an Elite I. Also, the one remaining knob looks non-original, as does the hardcase. If I did the 'Bay I'd take a punt. if it was a 700. Maybe a good thing for my wallet that I don't.

[Annoying Twit]

Worth £355 starting bid? [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/WESTBURY-TRACK-2-BASS-GUITAR-MATSUMOKU_W0QQitemZ170449659935QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV?hash=item27af97681f"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/WESTBURY-TRACK-2-BAS...=item27af97681f[/url]

I must admit, I'm doubtful. But I'll await the comment of those that know the market better than me.

Edit:

The owner of this "Tony the Tiger" bass says that s/he's owned it 20 years. But, I presume that it's a very late 80s/1990 Korean AP2. Is it?

[url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Aria-Pro-II-Bass-Guitar-ZZB-Deluxe-Tiger-Explorer_W0QQitemZ300399966064QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV?hash=item45f13bb770"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Aria-Pro-II-Bass-Gui...=item45f13bb770[/url]

Edit: Or, it might not be: [url="http://www.matsumoku.org/models/ariaproii/bass/zzb/zzb.html"]http://www.matsumoku.org/models/ariaproii/bass/zzb/zzb.html[/url]

Edited February 22, 2010 by Annoying Twit

[Bassassin]

I paid £60 for my Westbury Track 2 and haven't yet sold it. Draw your own conclusions!

The white / blood spattered ZZBs are the best ones!

[url="http://www.matsumoku.org/models/ariaproii/catalogs/1985/85_ap2_cat_pg19.jpg.html"]http://www.matsumoku.org/models/ariaproii/...t_pg19.jpg.html[/url]

Bottom of the page.

J.

[Bassassin]

Interesting Shaftesbury long-scale/slot head EB copy, if you're in Wiltshire - comes with what appears to be half a PA system, too!

[url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=110495706446"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...em=110495706446[/url]

As far as I can make out slot-head EB copies were only made by Fujigen Gakki, so this is the same bass as the Ibanez 2354LB:

[url="http://www.ibanez.ru/info/catalog/1971/16.jpg"]http://www.ibanez.ru/info/catalog/1971/16.jpg[/url]

Very interested in this & I've asked the guy if he'd be willing to sell the bass separately & post it, but assume no reply means no.

No bids on this so far - so if anyone local to him fancies having a punt on this & re-selling the bass to me, you'd end up with a free/very cheap monolithic 70s bass rig!

J.

[Annoying Twit]

[quote name='Bassassin' post='754290' date='Feb 22 2010, 07:54 PM']I paid £60 for my Westbury Track 2 and haven't yet sold it. Draw your own conclusions![/quote]

I wants me a bargain like this. Must check when the big car boot sales open up.

[noelk27]

[quote name='Annoying Twit' post='754236' date='Feb 22 2010, 07:07 PM']The owner of this "Tony the Tiger" bass says that s/he's owned it 20 years. But, I presume that it's a very late 80s/1990 Korean AP2. Is it? ...

Edit: Or, it might not be: [url="http://www.matsumoku.org/models/ariaproii/bass/zzb/zzb.html"]http://www.matsumoku.org/models/ariaproii/bass/zzb/zzb.html[/url][/quote]

ZZB. And the serial number quoted ties in - dating it to '84.

[Bassassin]

[quote name='Annoying Twit' post='754806' date='Feb 23 2010, 11:03 AM']I wants me a bargain like this. Must check when the big car boot sales open up.[/quote]
Mine was off Ebay surprisingly - bad listing and a bit of a basket case when it arrived so it needed a fair bit of TLC. If you do find a Track 2 (or the set-neck 2-pup Track 4) watch out for the bridges - they're Gibson 3-point types & the originals fitted seem to be generally pretty poor quality - soft, thin metal that bends & splits under string tension. This was my original:

[attachment=43377:trackbridge.jpg]

From what I've seen this appears to be fairly common on Westbury basses, and 3-point replacements aren't that common - although apparently Epiphone ones will fit. I managed to get a replacement baseplate & a couple of saddles from The Bass Doc (Howard) who had an old MIJ one in his parts box.

Car bootin's definitely best for bargains - and you'll pay a lot less than the lowest Ebay prices as well - as my Westone Thunder guitar indicates! Be prepared to haggle - but also be prepared to walk away. If Matey wants £80 for that beat-up Hondo Les Paul with the cracked neck, he's not going to let you have it for £20 - but be persistent & go back every week, because by the time he's carted it back & forth every Sunday for a month, he probably will let you have it for £20, just to be shot of it.

J.

[Annoying Twit]

Ta Jon.

BTW: What does the multi-position switch on an SB1000 do?

[url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Aria-Pro-11-SB-1000-Vintage-1980-Bass_W0QQitemZ190375482876QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV?hash=item2c534355fc"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Aria-Pro-11-SB-1000-...=item2c534355fc[/url]

[Bassassin]

[quote name='Annoying Twit' post='755778' date='Feb 24 2010, 08:00 AM']Ta Jon.

BTW: What does the multi-position switch on an SB1000 do?

[url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Aria-Pro-11-SB-1000-Vintage-1980-Bass_W0QQitemZ190375482876QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV?hash=item2c534355fc"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Aria-Pro-11-SB-1000-...=item2c534355fc[/url][/quote]
Sorry - having managed to live this long but never had an SB series Aria, I can't really help. That's a question for Noelk27 or Bloodaxe, they know their stuff with SBs.

J.

[allighatt0r]

[quote name='Bassassin' post='754770' date='Feb 23 2010, 10:21 AM']Interesting Shaftesbury long-scale/slot head EB copy, if you're in Wiltshire - comes with what appears to be half a PA system, too!

[url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=110495706446"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...em=110495706446[/url]

As far as I can make out slot-head EB copies were only made by Fujigen Gakki, so this is the same bass as the Ibanez 2354LB:

[url="http://www.ibanez.ru/info/catalog/1971/16.jpg"]http://www.ibanez.ru/info/catalog/1971/16.jpg[/url]

Very interested in this & I've asked the guy if he'd be willing to sell the bass separately & post it, but assume no reply means no.

No bids on this so far - so if anyone local to him fancies having a punt on this & re-selling the bass to me, you'd end up with a free/very cheap monolithic 70s bass rig!

J.[/quote]

I might keep an eye on this. It would be worth the road trip if it went for a bargain price...

[Bloodaxe]

[quote name='Annoying Twit' post='755778' date='Feb 24 2010, 08:00 AM']Ta Jon.

BTW: What does the multi-position switch on an SB1000 do?

[url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Aria-Pro-11-SB-1000-Vintage-1980-Bass_W0QQitemZ190375482876QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV?hash=item2c534355fc"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Aria-Pro-11-SB-1000-...=item2c534355fc[/url][/quote]

It's a 6-step tone selector with a separate bypass switch. Each position switches in a different fixed resistor+capacitor, which makes for very quick & precise on-the-fly changes. It's a useful feature, no idea why it wasn't extended to the rest of the SB range.

Pete.