Bassassin

Just catching up on this thread so sorry for the late reply. In the 70s, Rickenbacker - like all of the "big brands" - didn't take the issue of (mostly) Japanese copies seriously. This is how Fender lost what slim claim to trade dress ownership they had - and what led to the establishment of Fender Japan - and it's why Gibson finally clutched the last straw of threatening late legal action against Ibanez' brand owners. Rickenbacker was - and still is - a much more niche brand, and a far more minor player, and I think never construed Fakers as a threat back in the day. What's interesting, and relevant, is that the modern Rickenbacker International Corporation (RIC) was set up in the mid 80s by John Hall, when he took over the business - if I remember, prior to that Rickenbacker was two separate companies, one handling manufacture & the other distribution (I think that was a common US business model in the early 20th century) which were wound up when Hall took over. So, RIC is a fairly young company & didn't actually exist at the time of the original 70s Fakers - you'll find this interesting: Registered RIC Trademarks So - RIC didn't legally own the registered trademark to any of their designs & trade dress before 1999. Anyone who wanted to take on JH over the sale of a verifiable 1970s Faker - and had the will & cash to go the distance - would very probably be able to hand him his well-padded ar$e. As would Hoshino Gakki, owner of the Ibanez brand, or Kanda Shokai, owner of the Greco brand, as both could demonstrate that they were selling instruments with these designs - and bearing their own brand names - back in 1972, long before RIC existed. The same would be true of John Birch guitars, who sold a Rick-based design continuously from the early 70s up until about 2000 or so. The reality is that despite the stature of the name, RIC is actually a small, family-owned business (owned outright by JH and his Mrs) and don't really have the financial heft to do much more than send C&D letters, and let their CEO prowl around the Internet personally barking at people who infringe his IP. Can't help wondering how the US' current economic situation, alongside the reputation for shoddy quality and abysmal customer service RIC is getting, will play out for them. Not a fan of the man, or "real" Ricks, tbh, but would be a shame to see them go. Any reason why you wouldn't want a 70s MIJ copy? Some of these are near-indistinguishable from the real thing and certainly better-made than 70s-era Rickenbackers. Apropos of nothing I suspect RIC is well aware that licensed Chinese/Korean Ricks would kill off their US business - the rabid RIC fanbase would consider it a massive un-American sellout/betrayal, and everyone else would choose the cheaper & inevitably better made Licensed Faker over a real one! Talk about rocks & hard places...

Very impressive - particularly the vocal, which with Rush is arguably the hardest thing to emulate. Used to do this song with my covers duo (programmed drums/keys) years ago - it was one of the only Rush tracks I had the vocal range to sing, despite me sounding nowt like Ol' Bignose. Will be interesting to see how this chap gets on with the err, squeakier stuff!

Re Aria & APII - it's worth pointing out that while these brands were predominantly made by Matsumoku, they were not exclusive.There are 100% verified examples of Aria & Pro II copy-era guitars made by both Fujigen and Kasuga, so it's entirely reasonable to assume the same was true of basses. This is one of the reasons that trying to ID from details can be a minefield. To complicate things further, there's also evidence of collaborative manufacture - bodies from one workshop, necks from another. It's also starting to be understood that some manufacturers exported finished components to Korea for assembly, as a sort of export duty avoidance loophole. Trying to get a handle on 70s MIJ production is a nightmare!

Just about - the lawsuit that never happened didn't happen in June '77!

You'd hope so. There are separate fees/documentation for export & import, so anyone sourcing from Japan needs to be confident that the seller will sort out their end.

The s/n is almost certainly April 1977 - it looks like the same format used by Fujigen (letter is the month, first two digits the year, remainder the production number) and this is one of several different formats Matsumoku used. I'd say it's quite unusual for a Matsumoku to sold unbranded, certainly a late 70s example, so I wouldn't be surprised if at some point it's had a brand name removed. Anyone's guess what that might have been though, and tbh it's not important - like all the Japanese factories, Matsumoku sold to numerous importers who would all use their own brands. Hope you can get some pics, would like to see this one.

Be very, very careful with anything involving rosewood or any other species covered by CITES. The paperwork is expensive & complicated and unless done fully & correctly, the instrument will be confiscated and destroyed. And you won't get a refund.

I quite like a chunky & over-engineered bridge. My personal favourite is the Schaller 3D - I think they look great and you can make very precise string spacing adjustments. Do they sound any better? Do they 'eck as like. I'm sure I remember back in the mists of time, someone posted an A/B comparison between a standard bridge & a Badass II on the same bass, same strings & setup - and the BAII was noticeably flatter & duller sounding.

Yep - Musima, those were. They made some of the 80s Marlins too. Same type of truss adjuster appears on a fair few low-end Korean & earlyJapanese instruments, along with other eminently sensible but uncommon features such as zero-frets.

It was actually this thread which motivated me to post this: https://www.basschat.co.uk/topic/327234-nbd-1976-greco-precision-bass/ @umcoo picked up a '76 Greco P from Japan for about £200 inc import duties etc - a minor project but a ridiculous bargain. The thread turned into a love-in for quality MIJ P copies. I wouldn't swap my 1980-ish Daion P, or my CSL Jazz for anything with a "proper" badge on the headstock.

Hey Brian - haven't got a spare, but as far as I know the current Epiphone type should be a drop-in fit, Chinese sellers on Ebay do them for about £20 or so. Of course if you're feeling flush (& if you reckon the Columbus deseves it!) there are nice Babicz & Hipshot upgrades knocking about. Had the bending problem myself on a Westbury Track 2 - looked like years of string tension got the better of it!

I sent him a link to pics of an identical Columbus - he also messaged me back saying he'll re-list it. Because Grecos were anything but low - end. From the mid 70s onward they were replica-standard, and the instruments that convinced Fender to set up Fender Japan - in partnership with Greco's brand owner. It's widely held that the last-run Greco Fender copies from 1982 were sold badged as Fender & Squier JVs - which are nudging at 4 figures these days. A good late 70s/80s Greco could easily be a £400 - £500 bass these days.

I see you know not of what you speak.

We're all pretty familiar with cheapo Fender copies turning up with wrinkly, badly positioned and frequently incorrect Fender logos slapped on the headstock - this is a new one on me: a low/midrange 70s MIJ Jazz (almost certainly originally a Columbus) that's had its logo blatantly sanded off and a Greco decal slapped over the top. I didn't even know fake Greco logos existed! https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Made-In-japan-70s-Jazz-Greco-Electric-bass-needs-attention-Project-Relic-MIJ/323345538867 Don't be fooled - this is entirely different to any Greco Jazz copy, if you know these instruments, not a product of either of the factories (Fujigen & Matsumoku) who built Grecos in the 70s. This bass is identical to the Columbus J copies that still turn up regularly and that many of us will have had experience of - OK but not great - and not the quality, or value of genuine Greco equivalents. Will fire the seller a message to point out what it's not - but I daresay they're quite aware already.

Plss, p!ss, p|ss. Piece of fosters.

Not sure. Probably around £375 or so. Never seen another one the same & that makes me a little bit uncertain!

Even with the import duty & electrical problem, that's a bargain. Lovely example of vintage MIJ class, that's a Fujigen Gakki build, like Ibanez of the same era & MIJ Fenders & Squiers. Since this is turning into a MIJ P copy love-in, here are my two: Daion Performer, from around 1980-ish, made by Yamaki Gakki: Ibanez 2366B, Fujigen Gakki, from 1972-73 as far as I can work out: Both lovely basses - but I don't really play Precisions so I certainly don't need two! Anyone want a very old, very, very rare Ibanez?

Looks pukka enough to me, not that I'm an expert. Clearly it's a recent-ish MIK/MIC example & not a "proper" Nagoya, Japan NJ though.

I remember when Status launched (as "Strata", until Fender got offended) there was a guitar version - didn't know it carried on after the name change. Can't be many of these around.

Nah - it's from a Maison - a decent 90s Korean-made Nanyo clone. Still a bloody waste.

Did a bit of a search & it wouldn't appear the BXP is available any more - I'd guess the bargain prices were dealers flogging off end-of range stock. So I'd say basically it's not a great trade imo, regardless of the quality of the instruments. Comparitive secondhand values aren't similar - your Sire's a current model & if in near-new condition, logically is worth +/- £100 or so less than its new price. Here are Ebay's current sold listings for Milennium BXPs, both 4 & 5 string versions. https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_sacat=0&_nkw=Peavey Millennium BXP&LH_Complete=1&LH_Sold=1&rt=nc&_trksid=p2045573.m1684 I'd say don't do it - unless the trade includes £250 your way!

The same gonk's defecated out a guitar as well. Check the BIN - https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Custom-built-new-build-distressed-electric-plug-n-play-guitar/273342896327

It's a cloned listing. Can't find the same bass on AB's completed listings but it's perfectly obvious: https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_sacat=0&_nkw=andy baxter bass&LH_Complete=1&rt=nc&_trksid=p2045573.m1684 Speaking of Andy Baxter - can't really comment on all that Fender & Gibson so-whattery, but £725 for an Aria Pro TSB 400 is well beyond the realms of cloud-cuckoo batsh!t.