Musky

Maybe Bass Cellar has upped it's game since I was last in there. I gave up going there after getting fed up with either their total indifference or else being made to feel as welcome as a turd in a swimming pool. Wunjos a couple of doors down is far better, though not bass only so the stock is smaller. Still worth poking your head round the door for some nice oddities they get in though.

[quote name='MB1' post='49007' date='Aug 22 2007, 03:16 PM']MB1. Sure they did an active model of this ![/quote] I thought you used to have an active model? It was called the Classic BTW - I happened to come across an old review for it while looking for some info the other night. Incidentally, that CAT is back on the 'bay after the last buyer failed to stump up - BIN £70.

Rather depends what you describe as 'fair' condition. I take it you've seen the Aria thread in the ebay forum? It gives a flavour of the kind of prices Matsumoko era basses go for, and unfortunately for you they tend to be on the cheap side. The exceptions are generally the SB series (which can still go for bargain prices, considering their original cost and quality) and truly mint condition items. On the plus side, people are sloooowly coming round to the quality of these instruments and prices are (slowly) rising. At the moment though, I suspect you'd struggle to get half of the £250 you mention. But ebay is a weird place - if you read that thread you'll notice that an Aria CAT (bought for £26) sold for £76, but only after the guy listed it three times. Meanwhile, here's a laser that sold in Italy recently - [url="http://cgi.ebay.it/ARIA-PRO-II-HERITAGE-MADE-IN-JAPAN-1985-TIP-IBANEZ_W0QQitemZ150135552993QQihZ005QQcmdZViewItem"]http://cgi.ebay.it/ARIA-PRO-II-HERITAGE-MA...5QQcmdZViewItem[/url]

1. Is a light bass cabinet important to you? Yes 2. Would you be interested in a smaller designed cabinet for maximum portability? Yes (only if capable of enough bass) 3. What is the weight of your current rig now? 32 Kg 4. Have you ever had portability issues with this cabinet before? Yes 5. Would a Neo speaker make the amplifier more appealing? Indifferent 6. Would you want casters on the amplifier for added portability? No (if light enough) 7. Would you want the input to be in the back? Yes 8. Would you want the Ohm rating to be 4? No 9. Would you want the power rating to be over 200 watts? Yes (spot on would suit me fine) 10. Is a metal grille cover attractive on an amplifier? Yes Reminds me that I really ought to get a BFM Omni 10.5

If your tuner does turn out to be knackered, try your luck with getting a replacement from where you bought it. All electrical equipment is covered by a statutory one year guarantee.

Bloodaxe bought a lefty laser heritage off the 'bay for £69 recently, albeit with kent armstrong pickups. I'd say that was a bit of a bargain, but matsumoko Arias can be quite variable in their selling prices for some strange reason. Some very clean models can get a few people chasing them, others get no interest at all.

I couldn't find the original review I read (maybe it was in one of the weekly inkies that used to gear reviews at the time), but I did dig up a couple of reviews on the Demon (15w practice amp) and the VSQ 65. The review (in Guitarist June 1990) was of a prototype and had a RRP of £749. Designed by John Cooper, who also seems to have designed for Selmer. I googled his name and it seems he left a comment a year ago giving his email as [email protected] - maybe you could drop him a line for more info. They liked the amp, by the way - "an excellent, Britsh built, versatile valve combo". Meanwhile I'm back off to read a bunch of old Matsumoko reviews!

I remember a company called ProAmp from the early eighties (probably around '84). Two models that I know of, the demon and the viper - one was a biggish valve combo (100W?) and the other a tranny with a lower output. Can't remember which was which though. They stuck in my mind because they had a very good review at the time - if it was in international Musician I'll probably still have it somewhere. If these are the amps you're trying to get info for I'll dig out the mags.

[quote name='neepheid' post='47138' date='Aug 18 2007, 02:26 PM'][url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=160148168787"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...em=160148168787[/url] DIY.[/quote] Hmmm. DOA more like it.

No you're quite right, it would be ridiculous to suggest that quality somehow plummeted the day CBS took over, and that wasn't my intention. More that it was a process that reached it's nadir by the early eighties, and to be fair Fender were actually using poorer quality woods just before CBS took over (something that CBS would inevitably take the can for, in some punters eyes). Having said that, I've seen enough early 70's basses to realise that quality control wasn't up to todays standards, for instance. There are plenty of nice ones, but plenty of dogs as well - hence the comment about buying blind.

[quote name='wateroftyne' post='47110' date='Aug 18 2007, 12:11 PM']With respect, this is utter cobblers. For a looong time after the CBS takeover, Ps and Js continued to be made using stockpiled parts, on the same production lines, with the same machinery, by the same employees who had been there for years. Things only started to deteriorate when there were wholesale changes to the process aound '73.[/quote] Actually, I really don't think it is. CBS [i]did[/i] look for ways to cut corners, including Indian rather than Brazilain rosewood fingerboards, plastic fingerboard markers, messing with contours (something that was probably most visible on telecasters, particularly changes to the neck pocket notch) and poly finishes. And although Jazz didn't get the 3 bolt treatment until '73, the telebass and guitars got it in '71. The same machinery and personnel may have been involved but a huge increase in output accompanied the CBS takeover. It may have been pure snobbery, but even in the early seventies this 'utter cobblers' was common currency.

I don't have an issue with 'mojo'ed' basses per se (though there are limits - when does a nicely worn in bass become a hammered piece of junk?), though I do have serious issues with some of the unplayable heaps that Fender turned out throughout the 70's and early 80's. Fender quality took a downturn soon after CBS took over a basically got worse right up until 83(ish) when Bill Schultz took over and started addressing quality control. There was a time when people gassed for pre '65/'66 basses - now it seems that pre '75 is the magic date, and people are paying accordingly. To my mind it's the playability of a bass that counts, and that's where too many 70's Fenders fall down. Not that there weren't good basses being turned out during this era, just that you're buying a real pig in a poke if you don't try it first - ie, off ebay. Personally, if I was buying blind I'd prefer to take my chances with two 80's MIJ's rather than one 70's MIA. And to hell with the mojo.

I kind of suspect this would be a Burnside by Guild bass, produced in the far east in the late eighties. I know they produced super strat type and tele guitars, so it might be reasonable to assume they did a P style as well.

A bit hard to tell from the picture you've got in the 'For Sale' section, but it looks looks it may be a basswood body - basswood lacks any real grain structure (though curiously the two outside pieces of wood seem to have more grain than the central one). If you whip the neck off, try pressing a thumb nail into the bare wood - if it marks fairly easily it likely basswood. Basswood tends to 'fur' in screw holes as well. The pickups are more than likely Japanese. I've read about the odd E series Fender with US pickups, but they seem to be far from the norm. I've never read that US hardware was shipped out during this period (unlike in '82) and production never ceased altogether in the US, with a handful of people still turning out instruments. Mind you, I stand to be corrected on this.

[url="http://www.wdmusic.com/musicman_reg_style_bass_bridge_24411_prd1.htm"]http://www.wdmusic.com/musicman_reg_style_..._24411_prd1.htm[/url] Maybe you could email them about the exact dimensions.

I guess everyone's thinking along the same lines here - it's a domestic Fender Japan. Like Warkwickhunt says though, the difference is really just in the logo (and of course any perceived values). Domestic japanese Fenders later went over to Squier logos as well.

[quote name='warwickhunt' post='42361' date='Aug 7 2007, 10:46 AM']As you rightly state Musky, common sense dictates that there will be no difference between the Jap 'Fenders' of the day and the first series Squiers, as they were surely made in the same factory by the same employees. However, common sense doesn't apply when applied to the pricing of guitars, especially 'collectors instruments'. As it is, a large Fender/small Squier logo bass is worth more than a genuine Jap Fender from that identical period. Regardless of which is the better player![/quote] Ahh, see what you mean. I think these things are still amazing bargains, no matter what it says on the headstock, and I'd go for one over a similar era US Fender (which would likely cost more) every time. Incidentally, the squierjv.info site now seems to have been moved over to www.21frets.com

There's little difference between a Jap Fender and a Squier from this era, as far as I know, certainly in terms of quality. Correct me if I'm wrong here, but I thought Fender Japan were making instruments just before they were made available in the West (specifically Europe, initially). They impressed the head honchos at Fender so much that they were then exported, with a Fender logo for the first series and later with the Squier logo. Domestic Japanese instruments followed suit with the logos. The most confusing thing in terms of domestic squiers is that they were available in a wider range, and at a variety of price points - although I think that affects guitars more than basses. The squierjv.info site has a lot of information on JVs, both domestic and export.

[quote name='Bernmeister' post='41847' date='Aug 6 2007, 10:41 AM']Ooops i think the link is too long to work, but looking at the pics it maybe a jap export model. On my jv pbass mine has large squier logo with a small by fender logo unfortunately the previous owner swopped the chrome hardware for black which included the serial plate too so the only original parts are the headstock,frets, neck & the body. But its still a beaut to play [/quote] I think it's the other way round - it's a non export model. Or to put it another way, it's a japanese domestic model - there's no sign of an 'EX' stamp.

Wow, this guy has been really going for it [url="http://search-completed.ebay.co.uk/search/search.dll?sofocus=so&sbrftog=1&from=R10&satitle=&sacat=-1%26catref%3DC6&sadis=200&fpos=WC2B+4AH&sabfmts=1&saobfmts=insif&fis=2&ga10244=10425&ftrt=1&ftrv=1&saprclo=&saprchi=&seller=1&sass=richard_patterson&so=Show+Items&fsop=1%26fsoo%3D1&coaction=compare&copagenum=1&coentrypage=search"]http://search-completed.ebay.co.uk/search/...ntrypage=search[/url] All copied, of course.

[quote name='beerdragon' post='41294' date='Aug 4 2007, 04:03 PM']Proof that you have never seen it all [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/NEW-PRO-ELECTRIC-BANJO-WITH-FRETLESS-BASS-2-INPUT-JACKS_W0QQitemZ190133602461QQihZ009QQcategoryZ10177QQtcZphotoQQcmdZViewItem"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/NEW-PRO-ELECTRIC-BAN...oQQcmdZViewItem[/url][/quote] Probably not as weird as the fact that 6 people wanted it!

And here's the ad he ripped off his listing from [url="http://www.gumtree.com/london/51/11049651.html"]http://www.gumtree.com/london/51/11049651.html[/url]

I just had a look at my 73 P bass and Squier silver series, and though the size is about the same the radiusing is slightly different - most noticeable on the curve just below the 'ball' at the top of the headstock. On the squier the corner by the logo and the heel on the tuner side are both slightly sharper. Nothing that immediately leaps out at you though.