Bassassin

[quote name='geoffbyrne' timestamp='1415276994' post='2598655'] Careful, Jon - you live in Scotland........ G. [/quote] Indeed - and I blend in quite well until I open my gob! Weirdly there are two ginger tossers in my band - & neither of us are Scottish. J.

They probably felt that was more politically correct than simply saying "NO GINGERS!" Jon.

[quote name='ash' timestamp='1415128513' post='2597054'] Yes I've seen those decals too! Here's some info about domestic JVs from 21 Frets - [url="http://www.21frets.com/squier_jv/domesticjv.htm"]http://www.21frets.c.../domesticjv.htm[/url] [/quote] Thanks for the link - interesting though, scroll to the bottom of the page & there's a J headstock with the same decals as the Ebay one. No MIJ label. And - on [url="http://www.21frets.com/squier_jv/jv_quick_guide.htm"]this page[/url], discussing "second issue decal" guitars there's this: [quote]Another very sought after domestic model, especially the first JV0xxxx guitars. During mid 1983 the decal style changed to a slightly smaller and less bold script (as per the original pre-CBS decals), the 'Made in Japan' designation also moved to the back of the neck where it meets the body. [/quote] So maybe it's real after all. I think I'd want to see electrics/neck pocket etc though. J.

I do indeed have a Sleekline: [sharedmedia=core:attachments:46249] Anyway, these are MIJ circa 1980 or thereabouts, and quality is consistent with other Fender-derived original designs of the era, like Ibanez Blazers & Aria RSBs. Kawai was a manufacturer as well as a brand, having acquired the Teisco factory in the 60s, and I always felt the styling of the Sleekline reflects some of those odd early Japanese designs. These are nicely-made basses, sen ash body, one-piece maple neck & decent hardware. Despite basically being a Jazz derivative, the Sleekline has a Precision-ish neck shape with quite a curved fretboard radius. Probably the only real weak point was the pickups - useable but a bit thin on my example. Mine's mildly (and reversibly) modified - basically when I got it, it was a bit of a wreck & I gave it a full stripdown & cleanup - I liked it so much with the scratchplate off that I made a cutdown version & stuck some different knobs on it. Swapped the pickups for some from the spares box, which beefed it up a little, & also ended up sticking on a Schaller bridge & some old Ibanez tuners I had lying around... Jon.

Pretty certain that Japan-market JV Fenders (not Squiers) should say Made In Japan on the headstock, not the heel. You can buy those Made In Japan heel decals on Ebay, funnily enough. Jon.

Both Korean & MIJ Hondos had DiMarzios as standard - not all of them by any means though. Quite a lot of Matsumoku-built instruments did too, not Westones, but Vox & Westbury did, and it also turns out [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/248491-1979-matsumoku-aria-pb-550-fretless-maple-neck/"]some Arias did too[/url]. I'm sitting here next to a Kasuga Scorpion which has a Model P as standard - once MIJ stuff started to be taken seriously, a lot of the manufacturers upped their game by using good-quality branded components, including Badass bridges & Schaller tuners as well. These Cort-made Kays came fitted with pickups called "Powersound" (see pic 3 in [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/82420-can-anyone-identify-this-bass/"]this thread[/url]) so the cream coloured unit on the Ebay one isn't original, which is what leads me to suspect it's a pukka DiMarzio in it. It's surprising what they turn up in - I once bought a Satellite P copy off Gumtree for £35 simply on a hunch that the non-original cream P pup was a DiMarzio - and it was. J.

TRC's been flipped to conceal the "Kay" logo, I'd say. I do like these, they're pretty much the first attempt by a Korean manufacturer to produce a serious decent-quality original design. Wonder if it's DiMarzio in the P position? J.

It's also a shoddily flung together, bodged-up piece of crap. [i]How [/i]much??? J.

That's pretty disturbing. I may have nightmares. Jon.

You can date a late 70s//80s MIJ Ibanez from the serial number - The first character represents the month: A=January, B - February etc, the next two numbers are the year and the remaining digits are the production number for the month. I think this one's likely to be '79/'80 - the RS900 doesn't seem to have been around for long. Roadster became Roadstar II in 1981 according to the old catalogue archive - anecdotally "Roadstar" was a misprint/Japlish mistranslation that stuck, should've been "Roadster II"! My RS924 is a lovely bass & a definite keeper. A bit heavy & tonally inflexible (can't blend the pickups) to be gigged very often, but a great bass to record with & pretty much irreplaceable these days. Jon.

[quote name='solo4652' timestamp='1413208813' post='2575821'] The neck pocket looks like a handy place to keep your supermarket trolley pound coin. [/quote] First thing I noticed. Best thing to do would be to yank it upwards & bung your quid in the other side - that might help sort out the trademark 70s Fender wonky string alignment... Jon.

[quote name='RhysP' timestamp='1414183770' post='2586976'] Probably the least desirable Gretsch ever made in both it's bass & guitar versions. [/quote] Gretsch in "bass I'd actually consider playing" shock.. I'd be all over that if it was £150. Jon.

Looks similar to what might happen if someone with negligible woodworking skills took a hacksaw & a rasp to their headstock. Hmmm... Jon.

Never owned, or played a JV, but like most vintage MIJ there would appear to be an awful lot of unsubstantiated mythology surrounding 'em, much of which seems highly contradictory. Like, for example, the story that the very earliest JVs began their trip along the Fujigen production line as Grecos. When Kanda Shokai (owner of the Greco brand & half of Fender Japan) did the initial deal with Fender USA, they were hastily re-badged as JV/big Fender/small Squier, as part of the deal was the cessation of production of Greco copies. This might or might not be true, but it would make the "most accurate copies evvar, meticulously made from Leo Fender's original hand-drawn blueprints" etc seller spiels a little bit implausible. JVs - and all subsequent non-US Fenders & licensed derivatives - only existed because Fender were crapping themselves at the money they were losing to superior, affordable foreign copies. They were less concerned with making museum-quality replica-grade reproductions than clawing back some revenue/market share, and they did the deal with Kanda because Greco was the brand they were losing the most sleep over. Apropos of nothing, my old '84 SQ Precision was the most beautiful, playable & best-sounding P I've ever had my mitts on. But then, I don't particularly like Precisions. Jon.

Good to see a couple of pics, looks tidy enough for its age. Hondo brand history here: [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hondo_%28guitar_company%29"]http://en.wikipedia....itar_company%29[/url] & copypasta of my response to your original post: [quote]I don't think any Hondo Rick copies were MIJ. Apropos of nothing, for the sake of pedantry, AFAIK all early Hondos were Korean (made by Samick), but some later models were MIJ, in an attempt to move the brand upmarket. Anyway, the Hondo 4001 copies are (unfortunately) a cut below their MIJ contemporaries, featuring ply bodies & slightly lower quality hardware. However, these are collectable basses and if in decent nick & well set-up, perfectly useable. As far as value's concerned, that's a lot harder to define & I'm not even sure we should discuss it on BC, given the policy regarding Rick copies. There is a Facebook group devoted to "Rickenfakers", which has several BCers in its membership. This would be probably be a good place to get more info. Jon. [/quote] Interesting the Wikipedia link claims MIJ manufacture for some models from the mid-70s. Not sure about this but if so, quite probable that the UK importers didn't distribute the higher-end models over here. JHS, like all UK importers of the era, sold different quality ranges under different names/brands - they had Zenta at the bottom, going up to Kasuga at the top, Hondo was low/middle. No question your mate's bass is MIK, though. Jon.

I don't think any Hondo Rick copies were MIJ. Apropos of nothing, for the sake of pedantry, AFAIK all early Hondos were Korean (made by Samick), but some later models were MIJ, in an attempt to move the brand upmarket. Anyway, the Hondo 4001 copies are (unfortunately) a cut below their MIJ contemporaries, featuring ply bodies & slightly lower quality hardware. However, these are collectable basses and if in decent nick & well set-up, perfectly useable. As far as value's concerned, that's a lot harder to define & I'm not even sure we should discuss it on BC, given the policy regarding Rick copies. There is a Facebook group devoted to "Rickenfakers", which has several BCers in its membership. This would be probably be a good place to get more info. Jon.

I've had a few Satellites, ironically the only decent one was a P copy which I picked up for £40 purely because it had a DiMarzio fitted. Neck like a treetrunk but otherwise surprisingly nice. Got £60 for it once I swapped the DiMarzio out... J.

[quote name='wotsy' timestamp='1413927578' post='2583827'] £150?! Was that not an Antoria version? [/quote] It was. I kick myself repeatedly every day for not grabbing that one when I had the chance... Jon.

Gawd - this again. The parts of the description relating to it being an "Ibanez" are a load of rubbish: [quote]...an Ibanez due to the shape of the headstock. If you compare it to other Ibanez basses of the era (circa 1980) it is indeed identical.[/quote] It's therefore "identical" to instruments that do not exist. Ibanez ceased to retail any copies around 1978, and none of their subsequent original designs had Fender-esque headstock shapes. I'm not an expert on Tokai, but there appears to be nothing whatsoever to suggest this has anything to do with them. Or any other Japanese manufacturer of the era. It's a very pretty bass & looks to be well-constructed (nice to see a copy with maple neck that doesn't have a stuck-on board) but this is more likely to be Korean/Taiwanese/Chinese and less than 10 years old than it is to be 80s MIJ. Sorry for going off on one, but I'm frustrated that sellers are still resorting to the "Rare! Lawsuit! Ibanez! MIJ! L@@@@@k!!!!!" nonsense to sell random unidentified instruments. And that punters still fall for it. Jon.

Highly, and in a demonstration of unbridled & undiminished optimism, he's been listing this at that price for about the last 6 months. Along with a £250 Hondo P copy & a £199 Satellite P... Jon.

[quote name='kodiakblair' timestamp='1413321101' post='2577201'] I'm sure there's a man in Edinburgh knows just how to sort a meddled bass [/quote] Link: [url="http://www.gumtree.com/p/guitar-instrument/eros-eb3-electric-bass-guitar-blonde-bombshell.-deep-and-twangy./1084582419"]http://www.gumtree.c...ngy./1084582419[/url] Not for me because a/ it's more than twice what I'd pay, & b/ I've recently moved to a smaller gaff & can't move for unsold basses, guitars & music gear... So no new gear for me for a while. Unless a £50 Balogh Odyssey turns up... Anyway, looks quite nice, I think it's a post '76(ish) Matsumoku judging from the smooth headstock shape, & it probably would've originally had an 8-pole Maxon single-coil in the bridge position. I think both pickups have been replaced - the old Maxon Mudbucker-alikes are narrower & squarer than the neck unit on this. It looks like whoever's fitted the new pups has made slightly shonky-looking mounting plates to cover the original routes & screwholes. J.

Just to remind - a chap on here's been trying to shift a Thunder II since April. Last time I looked he wanted £90 for it: http://basschat.co.uk/topic/235553-westone-thunder-ii-in-pearl/page__view__findpost__p__2435151 He won't post it & it needs some work but I have no idea why someone hasn't snapped this up. J.