Vintage MIJ (formerly J@pCr@p) Spotting

[Happy Jack]

[quote name='Mr. Foxen' post='1018189' date='Nov 9 2010, 09:55 PM'][url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/bass-guitar-/320615327841?pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item4aa629a861"]Les Paul type thing[/url].

Kind of tempting.[/quote]

Jolana Diamant, perhaps?

[Bassassin]

[quote name='Happy Jack' post='1018255' date='Nov 9 2010, 11:19 PM']Jolana Diamant, perhaps?[/quote]
It is early 70s JapCrap - my first halfway decent bass was a beat-up one of these, exactly the same.

J.

[Happy Jack]

Not so much Three-Tone Sunburst as Tequila Sunrise ...

[url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Vintage-70s-Columbus-Jazz-Bass-Fretless-project-/260690507839?pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item3cb25d783f"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Vintage-70s-Columbus...=item3cb25d783f[/url]

[BottomEndian]

[quote name='Happy Jack' post='1018371' date='Nov 10 2010, 08:55 AM']Not so much Three-Tone Sunburst as Tequila Sunrise ...

[url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Vintage-70s-Columbus-Jazz-Bass-Fretless-project-/260690507839?pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item3cb25d783f"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Vintage-70s-Columbus...=item3cb25d783f[/url][/quote]
I like the way there seems to be a sunburst poking through where the popping fingers have worn through the respray.

[Ou7shined]

I quite like it in grungy sort of a way.

[Bassassin]

I've seen (and scraped my way through) much worse refins. That'd come off no problem with a bit of wire wool & elbow grease, and the original finish would come up OK with some T-cut.

Too bad about the hack-job defret. Why do so many people feel they have to attack perfectly good JapCraps with pliers & screwdrivers?

J.

[chaypup]

A [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Westone-Thunder-I-A-Fretless-Active-Bass-Guitar-BLACK-/320615266639?pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item4aa628b94f"]couple[/url] of [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Westone-Thunder-1A-Bass-Red-1986-/120645500862?pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item1c17083fbe"]beauties[/url] (to my eyes anyway!)

[harryharold]

anyone know anything about this?

[url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=190465747980&category=4713&_trksid=p5197.c0.m619"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...d=p5197.c0.m619[/url]

can't find anything about "GREN" anywhere.

[Jerry_B]

[quote name='chaypup' post='1018713' date='Nov 10 2010, 01:09 PM']A [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Westone-Thunder-I-A-Fretless-Active-Bass-Guitar-BLACK-/320615266639?pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item4aa628b94f"]couple[/url] of [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Westone-Thunder-1A-Bass-Red-1986-/120645500862?pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item1c17083fbe"]beauties[/url] (to my eyes anyway!)[/quote]

Very tasty. I used to own a fretted one, for a short time, back in 1988/89. The red one almost looks brand new.

[Happy Jack]

It's probably genuine, but the Ibanez logo looks to me like someone painted it on with Tippex ...

[url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/OLD-IBANEZ-BASS-no-reserve-JAPAN-1970s-/190465173911?pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item2c589be997"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/OLD-IBANEZ-BASS-no-r...=item2c589be997[/url]

[Bassassin]

[quote name='Happy Jack' post='1019700' date='Nov 11 2010, 08:51 AM']It's probably genuine, but the Ibanez logo looks to me like someone painted it on with Tippex ...

[url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/OLD-IBANEZ-BASS-no-reserve-JAPAN-1970s-/190465173911?pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item2c589be997"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/OLD-IBANEZ-BASS-no-r...=item2c589be997[/url][/quote]
Here's another one - maybe Fujigen had a sideline in correction fluid!

[url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1970s-Ibanez-2030-Bass-Guitar-/280587458740"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1970s-Ibanez-2030-Ba...r-/280587458740[/url]

J.

[Annoying Twit]

[url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Vintage-Antoria-Precision-Bass-Fretless-Japan-70s-/300492119662?pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item45f6b9de6e"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Vintage-Antoria-Prec...=item45f6b9de6e[/url]

I want this, after a very positive experience trying out a Yamaha RBX250F, but caned my equipment buying budget elsewhere.

[Jerry_B]

Aha - very interesting...!

[Happy Jack]

I recognise the fret-end system on that Antoria - same as I had on this: [url="http://tinypic.com/a/z8zs/3"]http://tinypic.com/a/z8zs/3[/url]

[Jerry_B]

Yes - I've only just noticed that too. Damn! Oh well

[Annoying Twit]

[quote name='Happy Jack' post='1020765' date='Nov 11 2010, 10:13 PM']I recognise the fret-end system on that Antoria - same as I had on this: [url="http://tinypic.com/a/z8zs/3"]http://tinypic.com/a/z8zs/3[/url][/quote]

Not that I will be bidding on the Antoria, but I'm curious to know how nice your Ibanez was. 1972 is, I thought, before the golden era of Japanese instruments. How was it?

[Bassassin]

[quote name='Annoying Twit' post='1020995' date='Nov 12 2010, 08:53 AM']Not that I will be bidding on the Antoria, but I'm curious to know how nice your Ibanez was. 1972 is, I thought, before the golden era of Japanese instruments. How was it?[/quote]
I do keep banging on about this but pre-serial Fujigens (mostly Antoria & Ibanez) cannot be dated that accurately unless a model was discontinued or changed drastically. Fujigen introduced serial numbers in late 1975 so the most accurate it's realistically possible to be with Jack's fretless is 1975 or earlier. In fact the [url="http://www.ibanez.ru/info/catalog/1975/06.jpg"]1975 Ibanez catalogue[/url] shows a 2366FLB identical to Jack's.

I have a fretted Ibanez 2366B Precision, pre-serial, which has details - specifically the number of position dots - which make me inclined to think it's early rather than mid-70s. Essentially it's a fretted version of the bass on Ebay, and like a lot of Fujigen copies from the era, while it's an extremely well-made bass it isn't a fantastically accurate copy. The body's quite narrow & "slabby", it has a Jazz-width neck with an oddly round, chunky profile and it has all of the construction peculiarities common on mid-range MIJ copies of the era.

However what it also has is a very authentic P-bass tone, and it's a lovely player thanks to the typically high standard of Fujigen fretwork & build. I'd expect the Ebay example to be as consistently good, providing it's not been abused too badly in the last 35 years.

J.

[Happy Jack]

[quote name='Annoying Twit' post='1020995' date='Nov 12 2010, 08:53 AM']Not that I will be bidding on the Antoria, but I'm curious to know how nice your Ibanez was. 1972 is, I thought, before the golden era of Japanese instruments. How was it?[/quote]

[i]Pace [/i]Jon's post about the date (I was told 1972, but the guy who sold it to me was unlikely to know more about it than Jon!), the Ibby was a very nice fretless P.

It was not the greatest bass I've played, nor was it a piece of poo. It was just a nice P. I now have a genuine 1975/76 Fender fretless P. It's nicer than the Ibby was, definitely, but it cost me EIGHT times as much to buy, and it definitely is not eight times nicer to play or eight times better to listen to.

The thing that really made a difference was the fret-marking system, which is sheer genius.

[Bassassin]

Aprpos of not a lot, 72 ones & 75 ones are probably identical in pretty much every way.

Anyone else got any hairs need splitting, bring 'em over here.

J.

[Bassassin]

This looks quite tidy for £40 BIN:

[url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Fender-Jazz-Style-Bass-/270662847508"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Fender-Jazz-Style-Bass-/270662847508[/url]

Sunburst J hybrid with a Satellite neck. Pick up only from Dorset.

J.

[tauzero]

[quote name='Bassassin' post='1022095' date='Nov 13 2010, 01:58 AM']This looks quite tidy for £40 BIN:

[url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Fender-Jazz-Style-Bass-/270662847508"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Fender-Jazz-Style-Bass-/270662847508[/url][/quote]
Intriguingly described as "Manufacturer refurbished" in the "Condition" bit. I suspect that is, er, slightly unlikely.

[Bloodaxe]

My local Crack Converters (Lewisham) has a fairly tidy-looking bound 'n' blocked Sunburst Columbus Jazz for £65. Some wear to the finish on the neck, but looked quite well set up. Usual black-edged sunburst to hide the plywood.

Good deal? Par for the course? Rip Off?

[Bassassin]

[quote name='Bloodaxe' post='1023289' date='Nov 14 2010, 11:55 AM']My local Crack Converters (Lewisham) has a fairly tidy-looking bound 'n' blocked Sunburst Columbus Jazz for £65. Some wear to the finish on the neck, but looked quite well set up. Usual black-edged sunburst to hide the plywood.

Good deal? Par for the course? Rip Off?[/quote]
Play it, try & find fault/pick holes and they might knock the price down - I got a Satellite Jazz copy for £25 by doing this. The neck pup just needed to be re-soldered.

If they won't bite, hand over the £65 and walk out grinning - these are pretty decent 70s copies and would make at least twice that in a 99p/no reserve Ebay sale.

J.

[Slipperydick]

If this really a 70s one, it might be good.

I just dont like the ?? in the description. Tempted to have a punt, I've never even tried a fretless.



[url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Vintage-Antoria-Precision-Bass-Fretless-Japan-70s-/300492119662?pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item45f6b9de6e"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Vintage-Antoria-Prec...=item45f6b9de6e[/url]

Edited November 14, 2010 by Slipperydick

[Bassassin]

[quote name='Slipperydick' post='1023315' date='Nov 14 2010, 12:30 PM']If this really a 70s one, it might be good.

I just dont like the ?? in the description. Tempted to have a punt, I've never even tried a fretless.



[url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Vintage-Antoria-Precision-Bass-Fretless-Japan-70s-/300492119662?pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item45f6b9de6e"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Vintage-Antoria-Prec...=item45f6b9de6e[/url][/quote]
[url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?s=&showtopic=7473&view=findpost&p=1020743"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?s=&sho...t&p=1020743[/url] and the subsequent 5 or 6 posts.

Always assume any Ebay seller has no idea what he's talking about. For a change this one's admitting he knows nothing rather than just inventing random lies.

In short, it's a 70s Antoria built by Fujigen & these were very good.

J.