Bassassin

Not me. I personally don't think it's "ripping someone off" to get a bargain because somebody doesn't know/care what they're selling & can't be bothered finding out. But then, I freely admit to being amoral scum. J.

[quote name='MutatisMutandis' timestamp='1432233692' post='2779588'] [url="http://basschat.co.uk/user/37645-mutatismutandis/"][/url] Has any body seen either of these anywhere? [/quote] Got a bigger/better pic? This one just links to your profile! Jon.

[quote name='Annoying Twit' timestamp='1432202245' post='2779063'] Apologies for not being more enthusiastic, but I can't buy every bargain. [/quote] I passed up the one that came up locally to me - if I remember I had a pm correspondence with Razze06 (who's just down the road form me) over who should have first dibs. I was happy to let Marco go for it, as I have a house full of crap already, but it was gone already. I think it's quite understandable for you to hold out for an Ibby Artist - more interesting bass, plus it has personal significance for you. J.

[quote name='MoJo' timestamp='1432188357' post='2778920'] [url="http://s1332.photobucket.com/user/markmojo1962/media/2379575_zpsxa9jqj6w.jpeg.html"][/url] At first I thought it was the perspective but I've found another photo of a similar model and my suspicions were confirmed. For some reason, they've placed the P pickup closer to the neck than it is on a Fender or Squier P/J. I wonder why they chose to do that as I would expect you've lost the classic P tone now Bassassin? [/quote] Never noticed the pickup positioning before but the Ibby 2369bwh was actually a very early signature bass, co-designed with Tetsu Yamauchi (Free, Faces), who possibly specified this layout. J.

[quote name='Annoying Twit' timestamp='1432156660' post='2778783'] @KB - That Bass Maniac bass looks very nice. How is it? This mid-80s Tokai MBX45 bass is on gumtree, and is located not too many miles from me. I don't know the model, how are these? Are they Japanese made, or perhaps Korean? [url="http://www.gumtree.com/p/guitar-instrument/bass-guitar-tokai-mbx-45/1117109763"]http://www.gumtree.c...x-45/1117109763[/url] £115 doesn't sound that expensive to me. But I don't know what these are worth. [/quote] These are MIJ as far as I know. Very uncommon basses - the 2-pickup version came up on Gumtree locally about 5 years back for really, really stupid cheap money, and I tried to dig up some info. Best I could do at the time was a catalogue on Tokai Register: [url="http://www.tokairegistry.com/images/catalogs/tokai_85-86_electric_p11.jpg"]http://www.tokairegistry.com/images/catalogs/tokai_85-86_electric_p11.jpg[/url] I think the Gumtree bass is an LBX60, rather than a 32" scale MBX. Anyway £115 does seem appealingly cheap - I'd definitely go & have a look at it. J.

[quote name='Truckstop' timestamp='1432109077' post='2778129'] Hopefully someone corrects the dude so he gets the proper amount of money owed to him. I'd like to think that BC wouldn't endorse ripping people off! [/quote] Oh, I think he'll do OK, it's currently over £50 with 6 days left. Interesting bass, never seen a Silver Series version of this before. Jon.

Seems Ged's become obsessed with collecting vintage basses. Wonder if he posts on here? Anyway, this is apparently what he's taken out on tour: J.

I remember sitting for hours playing one of these at a mate's party a few years back. Nice playing bass. Anyway, not sure if Maison was a manufacturer or (more likely) an importer's brand, but I remember the name being pretty common in the early 90s, a budget/mid-priced range of decent Korean-made instruments, heavily "inspired" by the popular models of the time. This looks like it owes an awful lot to SGC Nanyo's Bass Collection range (which in turn owes as much to Tune's Bass Maniacs) These pre-date Staggs by a few years. Anyway, these are what it wants to be: Just did a quick Google & there's a [url="http://www.maisonguitars.co.uk/"]Maison fan site[/url]! Seems maybe a bit over-enthusiastic... Jon.

[quote name='mattyb' timestamp='1431938722' post='2776280'] Anyone any idea what this is? I'm hankering for another fretless and this looks like it could tick all the boxes if it isn't made from cardboard! [url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/111673920625?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT"]http://www.ebay.co.u...K%3AMEBIDX%3AIT[/url] [/quote] Yes - it is/was a Satellite [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/93901-through-neck-mijmik-precision-thing-1980-ish/"]like my old one[/url]. These are from around 1980 and are now confirmed as Korean-made, so unfortunately nothing to do with Matsumoku or any other Japanese factory. I'd say they're OK if you get a good 'un but I wouldn't recommend buying blind, or paying much more than the £85 this one's at - quality control on cheap stuff back then was non-existent and there were a lot of total dogs. The dark stain on these can hide a multitude of cut corners - the body of mine was largely made from random offcuts with knots & holes full of filler, all hidden by the stain. However its neck was solid & made from quality timber, but the thin wood used for the fingerboard meant it had originally had a very high action, which a previous owner had rectified by roughly routing the body under the bridge. Can't tell what the string height's like on this example but I'd want a look. They're also very heavy, mine was the wrong side of 11lbs. On this one, someone's tried to paint the headstock to match the body, wouldn't be surprised if the logo's still under the paint. The tuners are the originals, but I have no idea why someone's turned the "G" upside-down. J.

[quote name='Paul S' timestamp='1431892086' post='2776016'] I think these are not crap? Vantage VS600B. Not for me at the moment but should put a smile on someone's face [url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Vantage-Bass-Guitar-VS600B-with-Brandon-custom-case-/321757639321?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item4aea3ff299"]http://www.ebay.co.u...=item4aea3ff299[/url] [/quote] Yep - very nice & not too common on this side of the pond. Pretty generic early 80s Matsumoku build - symmetrical body, 3-piece neck, 3-point bridge, 1x P pup - might even be a DiMarzio but not 100% about that. Interesting to see what it fetches. J.

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1431778904' post='2774885'] Presumably he's into hardcore..? [/quote] Tbh I can't profess to that level of familiarity with his taste in pornography. I'll ask next time I see him. J.

[quote name='yorks5stringer' timestamp='1431775038' post='2774819'] Lianne La Havas seems to being groomed for the gap left by Corinne Bailey-Rae? [/quote] Agreed, and I think that's a shame - the stuff she was doing solo was excellent & quite unique - now with a full band it she sounds (and looks) very anodyne. But that's the business, I guess. Jon.

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1431778077' post='2774862'] Brilliantly researched and hilarious. [/quote] And there was me thinking - bloody hell, stalker alert, I bet Mcnach's relieved that Luke doesn't still live in Edinburgh! But yeah - I think I'm about as GAS-free & unattached to gear as I've ever been. Only last week I swapped a bass & head as part-payment for some building work. ...Hope he looks after it, though... Jon.

[quote name='HowieBass' timestamp='1431728709' post='2774526'] Oh I forgot to mention that the chunky bridge looks a lot like the brass affairs found on Westone Thunder II and III basses so that's another possible Matsumoku connection. [/quote] You're quite right, & I think it is the same bridge. Still don't think it's MIJ though! J.

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1431713167' post='2774308'] Ha! I was really hoping someone else would start the campaign! Perhaps you, Jon..? I'll be right behind you! [/quote] [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/234482-revisit-rr-sales-on-bc"]Been there, done that, ran out of giveaf*ck[/url]. My own bloodyminded arrogance kicks in @ post #45. I'm not proud. J.

[url="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1250048087/ref=s9_simh_gw_p14_d1_i1?pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=001PG7GR2CQ1Y07H6XWA&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=455344027&pf_rd_i=468294"]Uncle Dennis has a book out soon.[/url] Very much looking forward to this. DD was one of my biggest formative influences & I still love his playing. The original Alice Cooper group was utterly unique. Jon.

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1431710868' post='2774270'] Ooh yeah. Perhaps it's time to review this forum's somewhat baffling ban on Rickenbacker products? [/quote] Tasty worms! In a can! Jon.

[quote name='Skybone' timestamp='1431701899' post='2774142'] From what I know of Aria Pro's, the first digit suggests the year, so I'd take a stab at 1983. The neck pickup is definitely an Aria. Found it. Aria Pro II WL Custom, though it looks like it may have been butchered somewhat over the years. [url="http://www.matsumoku.org/models/ariaproii/catalogs/1985/85_ap2_cat_pg19.jpg.html"]http://www.matsumoku...t_pg19.jpg.html[/url] [/quote] You could've read the thread & saved yourself the effort! Ain't a Matsumoku - it does not say Made In Japan on the neckplate. It's almost certainly a Korean-made, post-Matsumoku Japanese domestic market low-spec version of the 1985 WL Custom. If it's not that, then it's a no-brand knockoff of the WL, but I don't think it is. J.

If it's imported from Japan, that makes perfect sense - there are loads of Japanese-market basses that never get exported. I think he's correct, it's a mid-80s Japanese-market Aria Pro. If you like it & think it's fairly priced - buy it. I don't think you'll ever find another one. J.

[quote name='The Admiral' timestamp='1431669197' post='2773729'] I had an SB Special II which I very foolishly sold in the mud 1990s, and I'd dearly love to get back. Great basses, and underrated at the time, but commanding silly money these days in some circles. [/quote] Is that the bolt-neck, passive, twin soapbar? These have been changing hands for fairly sensible money (£200-ish) recently - it only seems to be through-neck SBs that have gone mad. Although not necessarily. Bargain/misprice of the millenium? [url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ARIA-SB-BLACK-039-N-GOLD-1-4-String-Bass-Guitar-Black-039-N-Gold-with-Hard-Case-/271813469931"]http://www.ebay.co.u...e-/271813469931[/url] J.

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1431676318' post='2773793'] I'm thinking that this bass is more likely to be early rather than mid 80s (contradicting Bassassin I know) mainly because of the bridge and tuner arrangement. [/quote] Contradict away! However, early 80s would be MIJ, which is contradicted by the neckplate according to all available info. Also, I can't remember seeing any MIJ Aria with this sort of cast BBOT-based bridge design, that looks very Korean to me. IIRC the first low-end headless to hit the market was Hondo's Alien (a Kramer Duke copy) which appeared in '84, so I'm pretty sure if this had been widely available, we'd know all about it - or at least those of us with long memories & an MIJ fixation would... [quote name='Strogg' timestamp='1431674477' post='2773780'] [b]Bassassin[/b], i found this info on serials [url="http://www.matsumoku.org/models/serial_no.html"]http://www.matsumoku.../serial_no.html[/url] If i understand correctly, they were using 7-chars s/n from `80 to `90, where first (or in some cases 2) letter defines the year of manufacture. s/n of this particular guitar is 3050019 (if we can believe the neckplate). However i don`t know if it could be applied to this guitar [/quote] The serial dating information on Matsumoku.org pertains to MIJ instruments manufactured by Matsumoku, up until the factory's closure in 1987 This is what the site says about later Arias: [quote] [b][font=Arial,Helvetica]Spotting and identifying early Korean models after production shifted to Korea...[/font][/b] [size=4][font=Arial,Helvetica]Early Korean models adopted similar looking serial numbers but were not indicative of the year manufacturered. Many early Koreans appeared to be nearly identical to the Japanese models with one important thing missing, at least on models with bolt necks and neckplates: "Made In Japan" or "Product of Matsumoku". Without this, it is not an earlier Japanese model.[/font][/size] [/quote] The caveat is that some information on that site is somewhat obsolete & in need of updating - and of course that Matsumoku did not make all MIJ Arias! I'm still inclined to go with the idea that this is a post-Matsumoku (or other MIJ) instrument & one that didn't make it to UK/EU/US markets - possibly home-market only. Strogg - just out of curiosity, what country are you in? That might give us a clue to where this bass would have originally been available. J.

This is an odd one. This looks to be related to a thing called an Aria Pro WL Custom. Lots of very obvious differences, but I do think this is an Aria, although I'd speculate it's a lower-budget, Korean-made version from the post-Matsumoku ('86/7 onward) era. The soapbar with the staggered poles is definitely an Aria unit (common on many mid-80s basses) but I can't really be sure about anything else. I don't think there's a method for decoding MIK serial numbers, but I don't think this is as early as '83 - the WL first appeared in '85 catalogues. AFAIK all Arias were MIJ until Matsumoku closed down, and these have MIJ-stamped plates. Whatever it is, it's a cool old bass & I'd be all over it. If it was cheap enough... Jon.

And the carve-up continues - from another seller, this looks remarkably like a BC Rich cheapo that's been assaulted with a Dremel: [url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Halo-Custom-Guitars-GVK-Hand-Carved-4-String-Bass-EMG-35DC-Fixed-Bridge/271841183277"]http://www.ebay.co.u...ge/271841183277[/url] J.

Burton played an SB-Elite Black & Gold I, which is basically the same bass as the SB-R60 - single pickup, passive electronics, conventional neck dimensions & string spacing. I think the cheaper (still bloody dear!) bass is a Korean-made SB-CB, a "tribute" which appeared 4 or 5 years ago. Looks like it has SB-1000 electronics & and SB-Elite style fretboard. No idea whether it's got the Elite neck profile, but it definitely ain't got any gold! J.

Can't be 100% sure but this looks like cheapish donor bass with lots of intricate carving & marquetry work. Wonder what it started life as? Jon.