Bassassin

[quote name='earhook' timestamp='1421453011' post='2661625'] Bummer... it had a knackered truss rod. Have ordered a jazz bass neck with black block inlays and binding for it. It should arrive tomorrow. [/quote] Shame about the original neck, but that should look great - pics when it's done! J.

I suspect here it's reasonable (for me) to assume that "replaceable" is in fact Japlish for "detachable". Q, E, and quite possibly, D. J.

[quote name='Annoying Twit' timestamp='1421432923' post='2661238'] What does it mean by 'maple replacement neck'? [/quote] Good question. From the rest of the pitch it sounds like a junk shop bloke who's Googled the bass for details, so maybe he means "detachable". J.

When I first decided to sell basses I didn't play much (some of which I'd owned for 10+ years) what amazed me was how I didn't miss them at all. I thought I'd be way more attached/regretful than I turned out to be. Jon.

Blimey. And to think back in the 70s they used to be Ayn Rand-indoctrinated crypto-fascists. Well,according to the NME, anyway. Jon.

On Ebay there's always the occasional out-of-hand bidding war leading to crazy prices or under-the-radar bargain, but there's usually a sort of median price range - I don't think it's changed much for Thunders. I had a nice T1 guitar which sold for exactly £150, about 6 years ago! Regarding current disparities, I refer my learned friend to [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/7473-japcrap-spotting/page__view__findpost__p__2636357"]my earlier post [/url]contrasting the same seller's Washburn Force 40 & (poxy) Westone Thunder! J.

[quote name='Annoying Twit' timestamp='1421329084' post='2659904'] Given that Mick didn't get the credit nor money that he deserved from his work with Japan, I'm not too displeased to see his estate benefitting in this way. [/quote] Fair point, no problem with that. I still think the buyer's exhibiting weapons-grade stupidity. J.

Prices for Thunder IIs & IIIs have always been higher (unless you drop lucky), I guess because of the Matsumoku through-neck thing, which seems to be something people will pay a fair amount for - look at the prices of Aria Pro SBs & SB-Rs. Bolt-neck Thunders have held their prices surprisingly well while much of the rest of vintage MIJ has been in freefall. They never went for much more than £150, and many still do - surprising considering how common they are. J.

Good lord, that's stunning. Until you get a hernia trying to pick it up. J.

Very early Rush tribute band? [sharedmedia=core:attachments:45167] Jon.

No, but it's unauthorised (or at least I strongly suspect it is) use of a protected registered trade mark of Rickenbacker International Corp, and as such the infringers will be dealt with by THE FULL FORCE OF UNITED STATES TRADEMARK LEGISLATION. UNTIL THEY BLEED!!!! Jon.

[quote name='Shabbs' timestamp='1421228049' post='2658551'] Cheers Jon, haven't even heard it yet, unstrung and needing a good clean and fret dress. Is it purely personal preference or is passive generally more desirable? [/quote] I'd say personal preference - never ben much of a fan of actives. J.

I think all the early Hohner headlesses had those EMG Select humbuckers, active or passive. If it's the same as the B2/B2A Steinberger copy, then the 2 versions are identical apart from the preamp, XLR out & on/off microswitch on the active version. My B2A sounds better with the pre switched off, anyway. Jon.

Keep the Rick, Keep the VMJ, read this thread! http://basschat.co.uk/topic/252421-ditching-fender-for-squier/ Having had a bunch of excellent Squiers over the years, I think you'd be paying for the name & not a lot else. And these days Fender's a franchise, not a manufacturer. Jon.

[quote name='Mickeyboro' timestamp='1421054169' post='2656490'] Who is Laura Doggett? [/quote] She was on The Andrew Marr Show on Sunday Morning. Ed Milipede didn't stick around to watch. [url="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-30766997"]http://www.bbc.co.uk...t-arts-30766997[/url] Quite like her voice, but the song barely exists. J.

In fairness, it probably depends what sort of tone you're after. I struggled to nail the sort of bright/snarly/touch of overdrive racket I usually favour without getting microphonic feedback, chances are it'd be fine with more neutral amp EQ & no effects. I didn't perservere with it, it's surprisingly heavy for a hollow/light metal body bass so I only gigged it twice. Looks ace on the wall though! J.

I believe it was an Italia Mondial.

Tokai Talbo FTW..... ...until you plug it in & it starts squealing like a piggy. Most resonant, microphonic body ever. Jon.

Or that the world is full of very stupid people with far too much money. Which is a good thing, if you can find one. J.

Musky's right about the bridges - this seems to be a flaw on a few early 80s Matsumokus with 3-point bridges, but they are interchangeable with any 3-point design so finding a replacement (if necessary) shouldn't be a problem. This is mine when I got it: [sharedmedia=core:attachments:45688] On a bass like a Track 4 I might feel inclined to replace it with something like a Hipshot Supertone or the new Babicz 3-point. Pickups were DiMarzio as standard, again something found on a lot of Mat basses at the time, should be wired for series/parallel switching which makes them quite versatile. Cream covers should be standard, you can check authenticity by hex key size (DiMarzios are imperial) or wiring colour, which will be white & green/black & red. The Ebay sale at £190 is an indication how far vintage MIJ prices have fallen in the last few years, the Track 4 is pretty high spec (set neck/carved top etc) and 5 or 6 years ago £350-£400 would be more usual for a good original bass. These are actually pretty scarce, much less common than the single-pickup/bolt neck Track 2 like mine. Jon.

That Vantage is quite special - they don't come up in the UK very often & I'm pretty sure I've never seen that model in real life. Quite relieved I've got past my "have to have it" phase... J.

[quote name='DarkHeart' timestamp='1420763132' post='2653290'] I bet its not a very cheap retro-fit [/quote] It's not available to buy yet, (mid-January, apparently) but it's probably not going to be much dearer than the standard Fender-fit Babicz - £79.00 from Bass Centre. Not really too expensive then, probably end up a bit cheaper than the Supertone. J.

[quote name='Annoying Twit' timestamp='1420735638' post='2652815'] I wonder if this will inspire Rickenbacker to have a bit of a rethink. [/quote] Just demonstrates the difference in corporate mentality - Babicz make a modern, improved update on Gibson's traditional design, Gibson start factory-fitting them. Hipshot make a modern, improved update to Rickenbacker's traditional design - Rickenbacker threaten legal action. Jon.

Looks like he's tried to clean the control plate by dipping it in the bog. In fairness, the logo actually does look a lot more like it says "Squizz" than "Squire". Jon.