Bassassin

Probably sounds quite a lot like a P - one of the reasons I'm not (very) interested... The phase switch & odd wiring should help make it more versatile though. If it is original wiring (which I doubt), a translation of the text accompanying the identical Kasuga SCB-1200 in the catalogue would prove enlightening. Mr Twit? J.

I'm in the same position as you, financially - I'd love to buy this just to sit and gawp at it! According to that old Kasuga catalogue I linked to, there is a (lined) fretless version. If the recent appearance of these two very uncommon basses within a few weeks has established a pattern, we can probably expect the fretless to be along sometime in the first week of May. J.

There were quite a few of these knocking around on Ebay 5 or 6 years ago - I remember them for having a singlecut design that didn't make me gag (although opinions may be split on this!) and for being within my gyppo-esque budget. Which is to say that this bass hails from a "boutique instrument builder" in Taiwan or Indonesia. Nice looking bass but this probably cost around £200 new. Jon.

[quote name='Annoying Twit' timestamp='1395613952' post='2404465'] I much prefer the darker finishes on the Kasugas on your document. All of them look pretty nice to me, though. [/quote] That being the case, maybe you'll prefer this one: [url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/251499401197"]http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/251499401197[/url] Pro Martin brand again, starting at £150 and that's an absolute stunner. I strongly suspect that's a DiMarzio Model P in there as well. J.

It's ever so slightly ambiguous, but the model's called a Sunburst: [url="http://www.hamerguitars.com/?fa=detail&mid=909"]http://www.hamerguit...=detail&mid=909[/url] Confused me a bit when I first came across them - no idea if it's actually available in sunburst, either... Very nice-looking bass but it'll neck-dive like a rotter! Jon. Jon.

That's gorgeous. Want. Jon.

Same sort of thing as the Kay P copies, Korean-made rather than Taiwanese. I've had a couple of car boot Kays, and they were surprisingly OK after a bit of fettling. These old Shatellites are really the same as any other cheapo - poor quality materials & components, most of them are junk but there's the (very) occasional playable one. J.

Great looking basses, always had GAS for one but never actually played one. Not sure whether it's a recommendation or not but Nicky Wire from the Manic Street Preachers plays these. Jon.

The point of a covers band is to gig, therefore the point of your set list is to appeal to the audience you want to play to. It's kind of immaterial whether band members find certain songs "boring"! You need a band meeting to clarify what the point of the band is for the other guys, while making it absolutely clear what you want from it. If you can reach a concensus which involves gigging, I suggest you go & book a date or two yourself to force the issue. If it turns out that some or all of the other members aren't interested in getting out of the practice room then it's either a matter of biting the bullet & looking for something else, or replacing the guys who don't want to gig. Do you have time for more than one band? You could continue with this for the social aspect and find a second band to do a bit of actual work with! Jon.

Skinny neck/active/under £400 - sounds like something from the Ibanez Soundgear range to me, masses of choice within that price range if you're buying used. I've had two Japanese SR800s, regret selling both - excellent playable, versatile, lightweight & great-looking basses. Jon.

These ain't great, but that's a deal! Korean-made, splintery off-cut body, rubbish hardware - however I had one of these (Gumtree, £40, mainly for the DiMarzio Model P it came with) and after a good clean, fret dress, new hardware & setup, it played really nicely. Would've sounded great too, if I'd left the DiMarzio in it.

Dunno what it is (interesting old thing, if nothing else) but the "Ibanez Prototype" spiel is exactly the bovine bowel product you suspect. This whole "unbranded Ibanez" myth comes from the early 70s catalogues which simply show unbranded Fujigen factory stock shots. Since Ibanez was, is, and has only ever been a brand name, the notion of "Ibanez prototypes" (particularly 70s era copies) is something of a nonsense, and the rule of thumb is if it doesn't say Ibanez, it ain't one. It is an interesting bass, however nothing about it says it's even Japanese. 70s MIJ hardware is very easy to spot, and this bass doesn't have any, pickups are unusual & I'd be inclined to think it's quite a bit more recent than the 1974 he's claiming. If bids started at £80 rather than the ludicrous £800 I might be interested. J.

Postage is £995! From Uxbridge! Although I'd say it's coming via Shenzhen City, judging from what reads suspiciously like a Chinglish translation! Jon.

[quote name='Annoying Twit' timestamp='1395652799' post='2404619'] Everything about this screams that it isn't Matsumoku at all. [url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Columbus-Series-2-Sunburst-Electric-Bass-Guitar-MIJ-Matsumoko-Vintage-/161257731329?pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item258bb5b501"]http://www.ebay.co.u...=item258bb5b501[/url] [/quote] And you are quite correct. To me it screams "I'm Korean, I'm plywood and I'm from the early 80s!" Never seen an MIJ Columbus that looked remotely like a Matsumoku product. But I'm starting to think that in EbayLand "Matsumoku" has replaced "The Ibanez Factory" as the origin of anything remotely old & oriental. J.

Rebranded Kasuga Scorpion, like the one here: http://brochures.yokochou.com/guitar-and-amp/kasuga/198x/p4.html Quite a few Kasugas appeared with this "Pro Martin" brand. I seriously doubt it's officially connected to Martin Guitars, but what's interesting is that Martin contracted Kasuga Gakki to build their Sigma range from the early 70s onward - in fact I think the first examples carried the Martin branding. I suspect "Pro Martin" was a sort of sneaky re-badged sideline, in the same way Korean manufacturer Young Chang sold Fenix-branded Fender copies which were identical to the Squiers they were building under contract. Anyway I think it's probably a pretty good buy at that price, it will be exceptionally good quality, and I doubt there are many others in the UK with that, or any other brand name. J.

Not Jap, might or might not be crap - but definitely not the 1981 Matsumoku he'd like to think. Late 80s onward Korean Pointyhead. J.

Some of you might be amused by this Ebay auction: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/261424997235 I have messaged him with what I know about these (which is a fair bit) and a link to the review, but he has declined to update his ad with any facts! J.

Just to be contrary - pearl! Although black pearl would be even better... Anyway, I'm two years late to this particular party, but what a stunner - the whole design works so much better than you'd think it would. I'd like to see one of these with maple board/pearl blocks. Jon.

So I just don't know. Is this ad the biggest collection of cynical bullsh!t ever put together in a single statement, or is the seller genuinely a pitifully deluded & ripped-off tragedeian who actually believes this spiel? [url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/261424997235"]http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/261424997235[/url] The bass is a low-end Korean-made through-neck P copy from about 1980, commonly sold in the UK as a Satellite model 91. I'd like to give the seller the benefit of the doubt, but the fact you can see where a logo's been scraped off the headstock, and use of phrases such as "the Ibanez factory" tends to turn my cynicism dial up to 11. J.

[quote name='Hobbayne' timestamp='1394902041' post='2396519'] I use palm muting with a pick. I have been playing for many years and have never injured my self doing it!! [/quote] Same here, it's a big part of my technique when using a pick. Although saddles with long protruding screws can be a bit scratchy. A major part of pick technique is to get upstrokes & downstrokes even & fluid, and play from the wrist, not the forearm - unless you're Phil Lynott! And listen to Dennis Dunaway. Jon.

Nice example but IMO a bit overpriced, £150-£175's probably fair enough for one o' them. J.

I've wanted to try a short scale for a while now, had a few low-end 70s JapCrap examples (mostly cheap EB-0 copies) but that's not what I want. I have had some significant GAS for one of these for quite a long time now: Which is a Daisy Rock Stardust Elite - I think it's stunning and it's had some excellent reviews. I do appreciate that wanting to own this - and indeed gig it - means that I may well not be as other men. But that's not a bad thing. Jon.

That's a set-neck, isn't it? Anyway, does look like a bargain, if I wasn't being good & not cluttering myself with more basses I don't play, I'd be sorely tempted. J.