Annoying Twit

Too many unrealistic starting price Matsumoku basses today.

Then, by comparison, there's this one: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Brown-WESTONE-electric-quitar-/262180986016?hash=item3d0b345ca0:g:bZEAAOSwfZ1WZDOH

[quote name='Bigjas' timestamp='1449598385' post='2925048']
I was lucky this morning and checked in at the right time and bagged one of the 12 string acoustics. I check in to the mobile and desktop sites a few times during the day on my phone. I've been quite lucky recently and got a 5 string fretless and two nylon strung classicals. All have needed a bit of a set up and new strings but they are unbelievable value for money.

Jas
[/quote]

I had one of the 12 string acoustic dekos pass through my hands. I thought it played and sounded fine. Perhaps it felt its price a little bit, but there was nothing seriously wrong with it. It is the only deko I've seen in person that didn't need setup changes.

@CustardFilled - that looks really nice. Congratulations.

@Fisheth - all three dekos I've bought (one for someone else) played fine once the setup was fixed. Others have had more mixed fortunes.

I'm not sure if they were there when I started my prog, but I think they weren't. Hence, they would have been available when the program told me they were. If I hadn't been in a panic, I might have gone for the fretless Jazz. Maybe.

One thing though, this shows that dekos as a concept are still very active. I'm sure there will be other opportunities.

Absolutely loads went up on the main site, not the mobile site, but then my dreadfully unreliable work internet went down. I don't know how many are left, but there was a fretless jazz bass, 12 string acoustic, fancy CST-24TOL, rosewood tele, HBZ-2004 neck through.

I tried to get on here ASAP, but the internet isn't running

EDIT: Just checked. All gone. Sorry that I couldn't tell people sooner.

Various products of the Matsumoku factory.

Vantage bass: [url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Vantage-Bass-made-in-Japan-circa-1979-/281878148280?hash=item41a13f34b8:g:XQEAAOSwNphWZWpw"]http://www.ebay.co.u...QEAAOSwNphWZWpw[/url]
Thunder 1: [url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Classic-Thunder-1-Bass-Guitar-/231776787631?hash=item35f6f91caf:g:phAAAOSw7FRWZXbR"]http://www.ebay.co.u...hAAAOSw7FRWZXbR[/url]
Westone Thunder Jet: [url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Westone-Thunder-Jet-Guitar-/221962344085?hash=item33adfc9695:g:KOkAAOSwNphWZbLr"]http://www.ebay.co.u...OkAAOSwNphWZbLr[/url] What's that doing in the basses for sale
SB600: [url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Aria-Pro-II-SB600-bass-guitar-MIJ-Matsumoku-vintage-all-original-with-case-/272069856368?hash=item3f58a08c70:g:Ts0AAOSwNphWZeo5"]http://www.ebay.co.u...s0AAOSwNphWZeo5[/url]

Probably more if I look further.

EDIT: Vantage bass. Looks very nice to me, if not in fantastic nick. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Vantage-X88-Bass-guitar-Matsumoku-Japan-1982-/172021309342?hash=item280d44df9e:g:08kAAOSwp5JWUhhW

[quote name='Conan' timestamp='1449505895' post='2924155']
I have bought two Jack and Danny Jazz basses. Both were around £100-110. They look great, they play great and they sound great. As long as you can do a basic set-up yourself (intonation and string heights) then you can have a very playable, giggable (and recordable!) bass for the price of a set of pickups.

Highly recommended. [url="http://www.dv247.com/guitars/jack-and-danny-yc-jb-4-string-bass-guitar-3-tone-sunburst--200786"]http://www.dv247.com...unburst--200786[/url]
[/quote]

How well do you think that the Jack and Danny basses would play after a full professional fret dress, new professionally cut nut, and full setup? Compared to say a USA Fender?

When I see questions like this, I wonder what the sensibility is of spending £100 on a bass (e.g. a Harley Benton '75 Jazz or J&B Brothers Jazz, maybe Aria bass etc. and then spending £100 on a really good setup including full fret dress. Would that give something more playable than a new £200 bass?

[quote name='pfretrock' timestamp='1449487024' post='2923862']
Easier set up was the only reason I changed the bridge.

Have you tried contacting through the website for 5 pups? Looks like a very friendly guy.

[url="http://www.entwistlepickups.com/"]http://www.entwistlepickups.com/[/url]
[/quote]

I would only do so if I was definite about changing pups right now. I don't feel it's right to ask when I'm not too sure if I'd do it. Various google and ebay searches don't steal time from hard-working people.

[quote name='RickyV' timestamp='1449432131' post='2923498']
I think the standard HB pickups are generally weak. I am going to change the pick up in my standard series P. Sounds nice enough but just needs a bit more ooomph! Entwistle PBX or PBXN will do the job fine. Put Entwistles in my standard J as well.
[/quote]

I've done a search, but it appears that Entwistle P and J pickups are only available for four string basses, not five string basses

[quote name='pfretrock' timestamp='1449425882' post='2923433']
I changed the bridge... Foil is still under the one piece replacement bridge to ground it.

[url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/227421-thomann-selling-harley-benton-basses-as-decoration-only/page__view__findpost__p__2849693"]http://basschat.co.u...ost__p__2849693[/url]
[/quote]

IMHO this is what dekos are for. Fiddling around with, there being few price consequences.

I considered putting a new bridge on my PJ HTR 5, but I'm not sure it would make much difference. I'm looking into trying a Wilkinson Alnico pickup, but a 5 string JP set will cost as much as the bass. The standard pickups seem weak.

[quote name='pfretrock' timestamp='1449421489' post='2923387']
Prog 4: The four bridge parts are electrically isolated. The foil is there to earth the four individual bridges. .A ground wire connects the foil to the bass ground under the G bridge.
[/quote]

So yours has the foil too?

Edit: Pinweasel's post crossed mine in the ether. I see that it's standard. You'd think they'd have a better way of electrically connecting them than a visible piece of foil.

Unusual. I'm wondering if your instrument might be a return. That someone has fiddled with before returning. There's no sign of other instruments having the foil. Though. perhaps other owners of HB Prog. basses can comment.

He has made me another counter-offer. He reduced his price by £1000, so I raised my offer by 5p in return.

If it was my deko, I must admit that I'd be thinking of re-doing the earthing by adding a wire. If it's a black bass and you add a black wire, wouldn't it be near-undetectable even if you didn't route it underneath?

EDIT: I now have GUI tracking of dekos again. (see attachment)

I had a look at the photos of progressive basses on Thomann's site, and I can't see any foil there. Perhaps this is what made yours a deko. If the foil is there for the purposes of earthing, surely you coulld replace it with something that looks less stupid.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Bass-Guitar-Through-Neck-Hand-Crafted-/321938781396?hash=item4af50bf4d4:g:0-0AAOSwnipWU5mm

Surely that's a set neck, not a neck through?

Jazz bass gone. Left handed P-bass has now made it to the main site.

Looking forward to pictures.

EDIT: Jazz bass came back again while I was typing ????

I would have counter counter offered £1.23

EDIT: I received a counter-offer too. But, my counter offer from him was several times higher than yours.

I raised my offer by 8 pence.

[quote name='roman_sub' timestamp='1449225338' post='2921658']
£0.99 offer made!
[/quote]

I offered £35.

[quote name='Jonesy' timestamp='1449232593' post='2921776']
I hopefully have a Jazz on the way!

Now to keep an eye out for the 75 jazz with the rosewood board.........I want that neck!
[/quote]

I so want to see high-resolution pics of the bass. Good luck for the 'right' email.

Guitar, but when did this go up?

[url="https://m.thomann.de/gb/harley_benton_bigtone_vintage_orange_deko.htm?o=10&ref=mal_a_10&search=1449229092"]https://m.thomann.de...arch=1449229092[/url] Hmmm.... £80 is a lot for a deko.


Left-handed p-bass. [url="https://m.thomann.de/gb/harley_benton_pb_20bk_lh_standard_se_deko.htm?o=7&ref=mal_a_7&search=1449229092"]https://m.thomann.de...arch=1449229092[/url]

@ben4343. The vintage strats turn up now and then. But, you have to be very quick to get one of them.

This batch of dekos shows how important it is to be checking the mobile site. This is what my not-yet GUI program is producing as output:

[font=Menlo][size=2]Debugging Tracker[/size][/font]
[font=Menlo][size=2]Harley Benton CustomLine CLR-TriCone Deko mobile=yes main=yes[/size][/font]
[font=Menlo][size=2]Harley Benton B-30BK-LH Deko mobile=yes main=yes[/size][/font]
[font=Menlo][size=2]Warwick Mini Rock Thumb Bass 4 mobile=yes main=yes[/size][/font]
[font=Menlo][size=2]Harley Benton BJ-65Pro 6 String Banj Deko mobile=yes main=yes[/size][/font]
[font=Menlo][size=2]Harley Benton JB-75MN Black Vintage Deko mobile=yes main=no[/size][/font]
[font=Menlo][size=2]Harley Benton PB-20BK LH Standard Se Deko mobile=yes main=no[/size][/font]
[font=Menlo][size=2]Harley Benton CG300CE NT Deko mobile=yes main=no[/size][/font]

@Andytre - maple boarded black jazz bass is still there, he says with an evil glint in his eye.

[quote name='CamdenRob' timestamp='1449225100' post='2921651']
I had the natural and sunburst versions of the JB75 and they were both excellent instruments.... wouldn't have looked or felt out of place at twice / three times the full price, let alone if you managed to grab a playable deco...
[/quote]

It's still available even though the fretless prog has gone. I'm very tempted, but I don't need another 4 string fretted bass. I think it's far and away the best looking of the HB jazz basses.

This looks very nice. Maple board Jazz bass.

[url="https://m.thomann.de/gb/harley_benton_jb_75mn_black_vintagedeko.htm?o=5&ref=mal_a_5&search=1449224871"]https://m.thomann.de...arch=1449224871[/url]

Who wanted a tele?

[url="https://m.thomann.de/gb/harley_benton_te_90qm_hh_trans_blue_deko.htm?o=4&ref=mal_a_4&search=1449224871"]https://m.thomann.de...arch=1449224871[/url]

Fretless prog 4 string.

https://m.thomann.de/gb/harley_benton_b_450fl_bk_progressive_deko.htm?o=6&ref=mal_a_6&search=1449224871

This is the first time my new program has picked up significant dekos in real time.

Dekos including progressive bass.

https://m.thomann.de/gb/decorative_guitars_and_basses.html

[quote name='spectoremg' timestamp='1449173476' post='2921358']
Right all you eBay hawks, joking apart, WTF is going on with this sale? A piece of crap at a ridiculous price. Apart from the guy actually being mental, is there some kind of fiddle going on?*
*No 15-string fiddle jokes please.
[/quote]

I think the seller actually believes that it is worth £800. Seriously.