Bassassin

Got my pickup back safe & sound & thanks alexcaber for the t-shirt! Hope the pup was of use & happy to help out!

What's the problem with the existing tuners? If it's the ones with the cast backs & torque-adjustable collars, I have a couple of 1980-ish basses with these and they're good quality units. 80s Yamahas also use a variant of these, with cast buttons instead of the cloverleaf keys.

[quote name='dyerseve' timestamp='1506580467' post='3379621'] Hmm. These arent actually that rare IMO. I just sold one and my mate bought one earlier this year after trying mine. They are phenomenal basses though, especially for the money. Think the seller is optomistic on the prices he mentions in the listing - about £250 is the going rate for one of these in good nick. As for the pups, they arent actually P pups despite appearances. Within the cover there are two seperate jazz coils with only half the pole pieces populated. Not sure why they did that but you cant argue with the resultant sounds these things can make. Very well balanced and comfortable to play. Lightweight to at 3.95kg. [/quote] True - should've said "P-ish"! I have an RSB Deluxe II (the P/J-ish variant!) and it's ridiculously versatile for a passive bass. I'd assume the exposed coils are simply for aesthetic reasons, the pup's specified pretty much the same as the MB-II, as far as I know. Interesting (and a little bit annoying!) that he's trying to conflate this bass with Cliff Burton's SB Elite Black & Gold. Entirely different instruments and at opposite ends of the range at the time.

It's from the same era - basically a 2xP version of the P/J RSB Deluxe II. Not sure why they used that name, though. Too bad about the missing knob - those Aria co-ax sets are twice as rare as rocking-horse poo.

[quote name='prowla' timestamp='1506062038' post='3376133'] Mind you, it's cheaper than this one: [url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Westone-Thunder-1A-bass-made-in-Matsumoku-Japan-1984/292248382043?_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIM.MBE%26ao%3D2%26asc%3D47510%26meid%3Decb95e64fba74db5998f921493afb342%26pid%3D100005%26rk%3D5%26rkt%3D6%26sd%3D302461789532&_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851"]http://www.ebay.co.u...5.c100005.m1851[/url] [/quote] And that one's going nowhere fast! Seller's a well-known overpriced dealer - [url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Avon-SG-bass-made-in-Japan-excellent-condition/302404064748"]cheap & nasty plywood Avon EB copy for £320, anyone[/url]?

[quote name='MoJo' timestamp='1505899701' post='3375024'] That must have been what the seller was testing here, hence the appearance [/quote] Turns out they're not idiot-proof! Mk 1 & 1A are great bargains considering the quality, shame the through-neck 2 & 3 tend to be more in line with other similarly built Matsumokus. Always fancied a 2xP Thunder 2.

[quote name='itsmedunc' timestamp='1505859671' post='3374875'] What a kin mess! There's a red one on that looks well for £140 BIN too! [/quote] £150 or so is the going price for these, seems like that's always been the case, probably because they're bomb-proof and there are thousands of them around. And Ebay's full of delusionals & chancers with ludicrous BINs & start prices. And they never, ever sell....

[quote name='pfretrock' timestamp='1505571429' post='3372931'] February 1952, as it happened. (sorry ) [/quote] Close enough for rock 'n roll?

I've done a few (occupational hazard of fixing up old Japanese guitars) and had good results with hand-hot water followed by compression on kitchen worktop under flat/heavy object. A hairdryer/heat gun could work too but be careful, concentrating too much heat on one area could easily wreck the whole thing.

1953, as it happens. But I think in the instance of the lyric of this song, the king in question is what we call a "metaphor".

Florence & The Machine. She has an immense voice, completely wasted in that messy, mimsy indie twaddle.

http://www.bradfordpriceproject.co.uk/ Like SP above, just a single page with links to FB & SoundCloud - having knocked up numerous band sites over the years, with varying levels of complexity, currently it doesn't seem important to have anything more than a token site alongside the social media stuff. We're currently a non-performing recording project - and still at the demo stage - so there may be a need for more as things develop. Edit: Should mention - knocked up with a very old copy of Dreamweaver MX, hosted in a small, dusty corner of webspace belonging to the charity I work for (with permission, of course!) with a redirected url.

[quote name='dyerseve' timestamp='1504987133' post='3368754'] Gee thanks so much for your valued opinion. [/quote] Apologies, don't mean to cause offence & didn't realise the bass was owned by a BC member. However. I do know a little about Japanese instruments from this era, and having (a few years ago now, admittedly) bought & sold them to earn a living, I do have some awareness of the market for them, and their values. The simple fact is that, like any vintage instrument, original components and finish, both in good order, are paramount to their value. Refinishes and non-original components (regardless of quality) are unlikely to add value. I can only look at an instrument from the perspective of what I'd expect it to achieve if I were selling it - and a VA900B in top condition would likely be a £350-£400 bass. They are excellent instruments but looking at Matsumoku builds from this era, the Vantage brand is valued a bit lower than similarly specced Westones, and both of those are poor relations to Aria Pro SBs & SB-Rs. Of course these are little more than assumptions on my part & I'd actually like to be proven wrong about your bass. I hope you get your asking price.

Irrelevant if you refer to the pickups correctly: "The boomy one" and "the tinny one".

HOW MUCH??? Ffs it's not even original.

That's interesting. I put together a PC-based recording setup a month or two ago & downloaded a few free/unrestricted DAWs to try: Reaper, Studio1 and Tracktion 5. Out of those I definitely find myself using T5 the most, despite (or maybe because of!) the unconventional front end - so I'll definitely give this a go. Hopefully my T5 projects will load without issue.

No. Was wondering about this the other day as I have a bass waiting for the pickup I lent him. Haven't heard a word since posting it off.

These are the kinds of parties bassists never get invited to.

Force 4 - Force 8 had a bound body with bookmatched top & maple board. I know because I have slightly uncomfortable GAS for one. Classy, understated thing this one - love that shape.

[quote name='SICbass' timestamp='1504443397' post='3364856'] Over a grand is a bit steep for a JV isn't it? [/quote] Without a JV serial neckplate it kind of isn't a JV. Done a fair bit of reading about 80s Squiers & the early days of Fender Japan under Kanda Shokai and never heard the slightest mention of a brass non-serial neckplate option. Hmmm indeed.

That got spotted in Ebay Corner a few days ago: [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/7473-japcrap-spotting/page__view__findpost__p__3362167"]http://basschat.co.u...ost__p__3362167[/url] Not MIJ but I do like the starry, starry neck.

[quote name='toneknob' timestamp='1504111552' post='3362782'] I met Nick Beggs in the queue to get into a Frank Zappa movie at the Prince Charles Cinema. His first sentence to me contained the word "willy" [/quote] I was lucky enough to get the opportunity to reprimand the lovely Mr Beggs for his role in influencing me to play hamfisted, inept & inappropriate slap lines on numerous unsuspecting songs in the early/mid 80s. He seemed quite amused but disappointingly didn't mention willies.

Now here's an interesting one - 1986 Ibanez Proline PL5050: [url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Ibanez-PL5050-Bass-Guitar-86-Jap-FujiGen-Made/122661478487"]http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Ibanez-PL5050-Bass-Guitar-86-Jap-FujiGen-Made/122661478487[/url] Essentially the debut of what would go on to be the SoundGear series. Very reasonable price for such a rarity, and in great condition by the looks. Shame (or lucky escape?) he won't post.

Just read the Ebay T&Cs, and it's now a requirement that anyone who wishes to sell through the site must be a compulsive liar.