Vintage MIJ (formerly J@pCr@p) Spotting

[Bloodaxe]

[quote name='LukeFRC' post='791404' date='Mar 31 2010, 12:50 AM']pointyness

[url="http://edinburgh.gumtree.com/edinburgh/76/56305676.html"]http://edinburgh.gumtree.com/edinburgh/76/56305676.html[/url][/quote]

Very cheap pointyness with original case at that.

[Bassassin]

[quote name='Bloodaxe' post='791416' date='Mar 31 2010, 01:13 AM']Very cheap pointyness with original case at that.[/quote]
It's a temptation I'm trying hard to resist, so far successfully. If it'd had its frets I'd have been all over it like a rash, but right now the last thing I need is another project.

J.

[razze06]

[quote name='LukeFRC' post='791404' date='Mar 31 2010, 12:50 AM']pointyness

[url="http://edinburgh.gumtree.com/edinburgh/76/56305676.html"]http://edinburgh.gumtree.com/edinburgh/76/56305676.html[/url][/quote]

Thanks to my badly broken ankle, I am unable to go and check out this or the aria SB above in glasgow.

Tied to the mast.

[Clarky72]

[quote name='Annoying Twit' post='791380' date='Mar 31 2010, 12:03 AM'][url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Aria-Pro-II-SB-Special-II-Bass-Guitar-RARE_W0QQitemZ220581525266QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV?hash=item335baef712"]Two String Aria Pro II SB Special II Bass[/url][/quote]

The guy has listed it on the bay as RARE!

Is it rare because the standard model shipped with 4 strings?

[Bassassin]

[quote name='Clarky72' post='791663' date='Mar 31 2010, 10:59 AM']The guy has listed it on the bay as RARE!

Is it rare because the standard model shipped with 4 strings?[/quote]
You don't see many of these, though. Although the trickiest bit would be trying to find the top parts of the co-ax control knobs.

Bridge is swapped, phase switches look like replacements and generally it looks like it's had a bit of a kicking, tbh. I'd give him about £50 but not much more.

J.

[LukeFRC]

[quote name='Bassassin' post='791427' date='Mar 31 2010, 01:54 AM']It's a temptation I'm trying hard to resist, so far successfully. If it'd had its frets I'd have been all over it like a rash, but right now the last thing I need is another project.

J.[/quote]

pointy pointy! how many things do you have on the go? do you just rent a warehouse full of japanese guitars?!
If i wasn't saving to go to uni i may be tempted...

[Annoying Twit]

[url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Vintage-1960s-70s-Zenta-SG-Bass-Guitar-Made-in-Japan_W0QQitemZ320505789566QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV?hash=item4a9fa23c7e"]Zenta, whatever that is.[/url] Looks interesting though.

[Bassassin]

[quote name='LukeFRC' post='792483' date='Mar 31 2010, 09:09 PM']pointy pointy! how many things do you have on the go? do you just rent a warehouse full of japanese guitars?![/quote]
Don't ask! I'm burdened by the fact we rent a house with a sodding great basement - half is a practice room & the other half is meant to be a workshop but is rapidly becoming a JapCrap morgue!

So I ain't buying no pointy Aria!

J.

[Musky]

[quote name='Bassassin' post='791753' date='Mar 31 2010, 12:15 PM'] You don't see many of these, though. Although the trickiest bit would be trying to find the top parts of the co-ax control knobs.

[b]Bridge is swapped[/b], phase switches look like replacements and generally it looks like it's had a bit of a kicking, tbh. I'd give him about £50 but not much more.

J.[/quote]

It always baffles me why people swap out the original bridges for 'better' ones like Badass/Schaller/Gotoh. Besides the fact that the originals were routed into the body so any replacement is going to be a bodge, the originals were far more solid and just as well constructed as any of the popular bridges from the usual suspects.

[LukeFRC]

yeah i've got a pretty heavy dutybridge that would fit a fender. I have a aria similar to the one we're talking about (i think, mine has been defretted and modded) and the bridge is crazyily good. I'm not even sure why, you would have to fill the rout surely?


hehehe don't worry bassassin if too many guitars is much of a problem just tell me your address and leave the front door open... yes the man you drove past pushing a wheelbarrow of japanese basses through holyrood park was me!



BTW i think the SB special 2 is the same model as my fretless. Just mine's got different pups, had the frets taken out and logo taken off headstock and is sunburst. Nice to know!

Edited March 31, 2010 by LukeFRC

[Bloodaxe]

[quote name='Musky' post='792734' date='Mar 31 2010, 11:41 PM']It always baffles me why people swap out the original bridges for 'better' ones like Badass/Schaller/Gotoh. Besides the fact that the originals were routed into the body so any replacement is going to be a bodge, the originals were far more solid and just as well constructed as any of the popular bridges from the usual suspects.[/quote]

It's a very shallow rout - about 1/16" - so anything with a large enough baseplate would cover it. Also there are two types of the "standard" Aria cast bridge... The SBs have solid cast brass ones but the "lesser" models tend to have plated aluminium alloy castings. The chrome on these has a tendency to blister, & the alloy quality isn't exactly Aerospace standard. I've seen a Cardinal with quite heavy wear purely caused by 30 years worth of hand contact!

That said, there's still nothing wrong with them. They could be better, but the same could be said about most bridges. There's a huge amount of apparent love for the Badass, here & on Talkbass, but to me it's all just smoke & mirrors - after all... a bit of bent tin was good enough for Jaco.

[Annoying Twit]

Is this too recent to qualify for this thread? Looks interesting.

[url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/MIJ-GRECO-VBS-1200-OIL-Limited-Products-Late-90s_W0QQitemZ250607184106QQcmdZViewItemQQptZGuitar?hash=item3a595a28ea"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/MIJ-GRECO-VBS-1200-O...=item3a595a28ea[/url]

[Bloodaxe]

[quote name='Annoying Twit' post='792933' date='Apr 1 2010, 08:59 AM']Is this too recent to qualify for this thread? Looks interesting.

[url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/MIJ-GRECO-VBS-1200-OIL-Limited-Products-Late-90s_W0QQitemZ250607184106QQcmdZViewItemQQptZGuitar?hash=item3a595a28ea"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/MIJ-GRECO-VBS-1200-O...=item3a595a28ea[/url][/quote]

Monkey Pod?

There's not really a tree called that is there?

"That looks nice mate, what's it made from?"
"Monkey Pod"
"You what?"
"Monkey Pod!"
<fight ensues>

[Annoying Twit]

Another name for the Monkey Pod tree is the "Rain Tree". Strange that they didn't use that one.

[Bassassin]

[quote name='Annoying Twit' post='792933' date='Apr 1 2010, 08:59 AM']Is this too recent to qualify for this thread? Looks interesting.

[url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/MIJ-GRECO-VBS-1200-OIL-Limited-Products-Late-90s_W0QQitemZ250607184106QQcmdZViewItemQQptZGuitar?hash=item3a595a28ea"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/MIJ-GRECO-VBS-1200-O...=item3a595a28ea[/url][/quote]
Oh I think we can have that! Especially with added Monkey Pod.

Apropos of nothing, while this isn't an ageist topic, in Ebay-speak "vintage" evidently refers to anything with an age in double figures. So bring on all those AD2000 Indonesian Squiers...

J.

[Mr. Foxen]

[url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Westone-concord-1-bass_W0QQitemZ120551256610QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV?hash=item1c116a3222"]Cheap BIN Concord[/url]

Edited April 1, 2010 by Mr. Foxen

[Musky]

[quote name='Bloodaxe' post='792879' date='Apr 1 2010, 07:47 AM']It's a very shallow rout - about 1/16" - so anything with a large enough baseplate would cover it. Also there are two types of the "standard" Aria cast bridge... The SBs have solid cast brass ones but the "lesser" models tend to have plated aluminium alloy castings. The chrome on these has a tendency to blister, & the alloy quality isn't exactly Aerospace standard. I've seen a Cardinal with quite heavy wear purely caused by 30 years worth of hand contact!

That said, there's still nothing wrong with them. They could be better, but the same could be said about most bridges. There's a huge amount of apparent love for the Badass, here & on Talkbass, but to me it's all just smoke & mirrors - after all... a bit of bent tin was good enough for Jaco.[/quote]

Got to agree with you about the supposed merits of replacement bridges.

I never realised the Cardinals had aluminium bridges. The plating on my CSB300 seems ok, though it looked liked the bass had only had light use when I got it, but my 380 has pitting on it even though the rest of the hardware is devoid of any signs of corrosion so you're probably right about the quality.

Interestingly the rout on the 300 is 1/4" deep. Which models have you seen the shallower rout on?

[Annoying Twit]

Fretless Thorsound bass, pickup only in Newcastle.

[url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Rare-Aria-Pro-II-Thorsound-FRETLESS-Bass_W0QQitemZ200457099801QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV?hash=item2eac2c9a19"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Rare-Aria-Pro-II-Tho...=item2eac2c9a19[/url]

[Bloodaxe]

[quote name='Musky' post='794352' date='Apr 2 2010, 03:20 PM']Interestingly the rout on the 300 is 1/4" deep. Which models have you seen the shallower rout on?[/quote]

Well, having just taken the bridge off my SB-900 & jabbed a ruler into the recess. The ruler says 5mm, i.e. just shy of 1/4", so I'm forced to conclude that I must have made it up M'lud.

I've probably taken my SB-1000 as a reference when I was [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?s=&showtopic=5094&view=findpost&p=53106"]butchering that about[/url]. IIRC at some point in the proceedings a belt-sander got applied to the top & as a result the bridge rout ended up a [i]lot[/i] shallower.

Pete.

[Paul S]

[url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Washburn-Scavenger-80s-Bass-rare_W0QQitemZ110515564699QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV?hash=item19bb3db09b"]Washburn Scavenger bass[/url] just popped up. If it is anything like mine it will be the mutts.

[Annoying Twit]

[quote name='Paul S' post='795784' date='Apr 4 2010, 04:07 PM'][url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Washburn-Scavenger-80s-Bass-rare_W0QQitemZ110515564699QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV?hash=item19bb3db09b"]Washburn Scavenger bass[/url] just popped up. If it is anything like mine it will be the mutts.[/quote]

And another MIJ Washburn. [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Rare-Vintage-Washburn-Force-8-Bass-not-Fender_W0QQitemZ280488652164QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV?hash=item414e6d2d84"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Rare-Vintage-Washbur...=item414e6d2d84[/url]

How much are these worth? I have no idea if these prices are cheap, middling, expensive, or "That German Guy".

[Mr. Foxen]

[quote name='Annoying Twit' post='795987' date='Apr 4 2010, 08:36 PM']And another MIJ Washburn. [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Rare-Vintage-Washburn-Force-8-Bass-not-Fender_W0QQitemZ280488652164QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV?hash=item414e6d2d84"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Rare-Vintage-Washbur...=item414e6d2d84[/url]

How much are these worth? I have no idea if these prices are cheap, middling, expensive, or "That German Guy".[/quote]

I played a white bound one of those and it was very nice and I wanted it. Price is probably upper end of about right, cause they aren't known or popular.

[Paul S]

I paid £175 for my Scavenger which, for a guitar of that quality, is a steal.

[Annoying Twit]

Ta muchly.

Brand new "Antoria" bass. Has someone purchased the brand? [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Antoria-Cosmos-Bass-Guitar-Sunburst_W0QQitemZ320509380869QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV?hash=item4a9fd90905"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Antoria-Cosmos-Bass-...=item4a9fd90905[/url]

Edited April 5, 2010 by Annoying Twit

[backwater]

[quote name='Annoying Twit' post='796252' date='Apr 5 2010, 09:11 AM']Ta muchly.

Brand new "Antoria" bass. Has someone purchased the brand? [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Antoria-Cosmos-Bass-Guitar-Sunburst_W0QQitemZ320509380869QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV?hash=item4a9fd90905"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Antoria-Cosmos-Bass-...=item4a9fd90905[/url][/quote]

Owned by Adam Hall now : [url="http://www.antoriaguitars.com/"]Antoria Guitars[/url]

Andy