Bassassin

I think that's started life as a Teisco or Kawai, probably mid/late 60s - something a bit like [url="http://www.mark-cole.co.uk/teisco/Images/literature/ad1-64_66.jpg"]the one in row 3 in this pic[/url]. Could be fun if it doesn't go for too much - that mudbucker's going to be loud! Jon.

Great bargains for whoever snagged them, but really if you're too lazy to pack up & post a bass, it shouldn't be too surprising when you get next to bugger-all for them. Not that I'm in any way bitter that everything I like the look of seems to be 300 miles away & colection only... Jon.

I own lots of basses from utterly cheap to a little under a grand (that's RRP - I am a gyppo so I never pay full price!) and my no.1 cost me £60. It's a late 70s MIJ Jazz copy, and is the best-playing & best-sounding bass I've ever had my mitts on. Alright, I've spent a bit on electronics & hardware (maybe another £60...) but I struggle to see how laying out an additional £900-odd would have got me something better. Jon.

[quote name='dmccombe7' timestamp='1404316717' post='2491544'] Was Kim Mitchell not Max Webster or with them. I'm sure it was them that supported Rush on Hemispheres or Farewell tour ?? Dave [/quote] Max Webster & Rush were very closely connected - remember this? [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PMM6Bhwpy0M[/media] Both bands set up together in the studio & knocked this out live - absolutely immense! Jon. (edited for better-sounding clip!)

That's a Tokai SD402, as in this 1986 catalogue: http://www.tokairegistry.com/images/catalogs/vol12p4.jpg As for value, they're not exactly common, which means you might have to wait a while before an avid Tokai collector turns up & pays silly money for it. Which could happen. If you just want a nice 80s MIJ guitar, Tokais from this era were very, very good. Jon.

[quote name='alyctes' timestamp='1404086984' post='2489222'] Allegedly Japanese-made so I'm going to post it here [url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Marlin-Idol-PB-26-vintage-bass-guitar-Teisco-Kawai-Japan-60s-short-scale-rare-/151341751929?pt=Bassi&hash=item233cabde79"]http://www.ebay.co.u...=item233cabde79[/url] It looks vaguely like one of those Russian 70s jobs, but prettier. [/quote] Seen one of these before, and they are definitely MIJ. This comes from an era when there were a lot of pretty out-there Japanese designs, before they realised the money was in copies! Quite cool in a bizarre way but not for £850! J.

That's weird - the links you've posted are both just giving me the front page of the catalogue! The one I posted is working for me, (MC series on the right, passive MC824 in the middle of that group) but here's a direct link for the image: [url="http://www.ibanez.co.jp/anniversary/65/6.jpg"]http://www.ibanez.co...ersary/65/6.jpg[/url] The Ebay one's a fairly close copy of the 824, very similar control layout apart from edge-mounted jack & toggle switch on the Ibanez. J.

[quote name='Annoying Twit' timestamp='1403912365' post='2487773'] Is the bass in this video a real Musician then? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VnejLmQGYhg [/quote] Yep - looks like an MC-824, like the one in this catalogue: [url="http://www.ibanez.co.jp/anniversary/expansion.php?cat_id=65&now=6"]http://www.ibanez.co...cat_id=65&now=6[/url] The Ebay one has the wrong headstock profile, 3-part rather than 5-part neck, sandwich body wings, wrong hardware (OK, that can be changed, but there'd almost certainly be bridge & tuner screwholes visible) and peculiar surrounds around the pickups. The pups are the only bits that look like genuine Ibanez parts. Anyway, the seller's pulled the listing - too bad, I was going to suggest you should buy it (you're in the market for a fretless, aren't you?) so we could dissect it & try to find out what it actually is! J.

[quote name='Annoying Twit' timestamp='1403854370' post='2487039'] Is that a real Ibanez logo on the headstock? It looks a bit hand made to me. [/quote] 'Course not - the bass is a Musician copy, someone's stripped the headstock face (no doubt to remove the original logo) & presumably stuck Letraset on it, or something. I'd guess the face would've originally been stained to match the body wings, in fact I think you can still see the remnants of the stain still in the grain. A real Musician would have had a veneer to match the body. J. .

Fretless Ibanez Musician [b]copy[/b]! [url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Ibanez-Musician-Fretless-Bass-Guitar-1980s-/131226139499"]http://www.ebay.co.u...s-/131226139499[/url] Now that's a weird one. No idea what it actually is, seller says it's MIJ but I'm not sure. Never seen pots like those before on anything, wiring looks tidy enough to be original. Still, £225 BIN if anyone fancies a pretty unusual lookey-likey. J.

[quote name='Leonard Smalls' timestamp='1403769043' post='2485991'] Just found this picky from 1989ish... [/quote] Kawai Sleekline! Don't see many of them. Jon.

All the best to you, Howard, hoping you're well again soon. Jon.

I suppose it's a fairly respectable DIY effort from someone who's clearly not a luthier, but expecting to get more than a hundred quid or so for that is ludicrous. Funny how you can always spot the home-made jobs, there's always something sort of wonky about the body & headstock shapes. Jon.

[quote name='Annoying Twit' timestamp='1403695868' post='2485349'] Shaftesbury Les Paul style bass. If I was less lazy I'd compare the shape to the Jedson posted a few posts further up, and therefore by implication to Jon's unbranded bass. [url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VINTAGE-SHAFTESBURY-LES-PAUL-TYPE-BASS-MIJ-JAPAN-70s-WORKING-RIPE-TO-RESTORE-/321442695774?pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item4ad77a4a5e"]http://www.ebay.co.u...=item4ad77a4a5e[/url] Said to be 'ripe' to restore. But it looks OK to me, just old. Reasonable starting bid and reasonable postage means that it'll make its true value. [/quote] Now that's interesting. "Steel Adjustable" plate, offset position dots & arrowhead trc tell us this is a Matsumoku bass. Just a week or two back I was reading somewhere (probably one of the MIJ boards or the Vintage Japanese Guitars FB group) and the concensus was that there had never been an Aria LP bass, and that Mat had probably never made one. I'm pretty certain I've never seen one before. However this one does look pretty far gone - the corrosion makes me think it's been sitting somewhere damp (a cellar or a shed) for a lot of years and all the screws will probably be rusted in. And the cracking around the fretboard looks very bad - I'd say the board is delaminated at both ends, plus the shot down the neck looks warped. I might take a chance on it if it was £50 or less delivered, but I think there are too many potential issues with this one. Shame. J.

Saw that last night & was sorely tempted - pretty sure you could easily sort out the unsightly neck lacquer wear, if you wanted. J.

[quote name='Conan' timestamp='1403536032' post='2483663'] I saw him on Saturday and he is OK. [/quote] Very happy to hear this - Howard's a diamond. Jon.

[quote name='KiOgon' timestamp='1403456003' post='2482848'] Both my lads are often up & about earlyish at the boot fairs this time of year. I am always saying " If you find any Fenders for a tenner or so - - - " Guess what my youngest came up with today! [url="https://www.dropbox.com/s/ntszo30rmoxcog4/2014-06-22%2016.52.27.jpg"]https://www.dropbox....%2016.52.27.jpg[/url] [url="https://www.dropbox.com/s/q36jgfhpen35svy/2014-06-22%2016.51.15.jpg"]https://www.dropbox....%2016.51.15.jpg[/url] [url="https://www.dropbox.com/s/rz6qty04pw8v7wa/2014-06-22%2016.51.20.jpg"]https://www.dropbox....%2016.51.20.jpg[/url] [url="https://www.dropbox.com/s/mxo7freml8xoqj2/2014-06-22%2016.51.39.jpg"]https://www.dropbox....%2016.51.39.jpg[/url] A couple of hours tinkering & it's a perfectly useable bass [/quote] That's the same as the bolt-neck Satellite I had - it was a really nice bass to play. Weighed a ton, though. J.

I think the "hefty cast bridge = improved tone/endless sustain" myth is exactly that. Having said that, I don't like Fender BBOT bridges mainly because they look like cheap crap, whatever they're on, and I've found in the past that aggressive pick playing can cause them to move around. Considering you probably won't want to be drilling holes in your 27-year old P, the Gotoh is a good recommendation, top quality build, looks good & should be rock-solid. In the unlikely event you would consider drilling new holes to fit a bridge, the Schaller 3D is worth a look, I'm a big fan of these for the roller saddles & adjustable string spacing, they're beautifully made bridges too. I agree with Paul S - the BA2 seems to be regarded as some sort of Holy Grail, but I find them bulky, crudely made and they add noticeable weight to a bass. Plus it's a bugger trying to find an Allen key to fit them! Jon.

Pics are so poor it's hard to tell, but it doesn't look like a sticker to me. Looks like a serial number at the top & Made In USA underneath, both stamped on the headstock. Just did a bit of Googling & I think it's laid out like this one: I'm pretty sure it's genuine. J.

That's lovely. Score of the year? J.

Looks like a generic Ebay no-name bass that's had a nasty headstock accident - note there are no clear pics of the pointy end, no idea what that hat-like thing covering the string retainer/zero-fret is. Owner probably got his dog to chew an appropriately-sized gap at the end of the body before installing the Steinberger-licensed Hohner bridge/tuners currently fitted. Jon.

Definitely not a copy, MIJ stuff from this era didn't try too hard to be accurate, I think the tuners are Schaller M4S, very similar to Grovers but secured with pegs rather than screws. These seem to have been commonly used on various 70s Gibsons. Anyway definitely a low start price, very much doubt if it'll stay that way for long! Jon.

You might be right about the bridge - haven't been on RickResource for about 4 years so I'm not exactly up to speed! I suspect the "official" redesigned tailpiece is still in limbo though & likely to remain there. Wonder if it ever existed in the first place... There's actually a searchable database of US trademarks - I remember seeing all the RIC TMs, including images, dates of registration etc. This was a few years back though & I have no idea of the address. I'll try & dig up the link again. J.