Bassassin

[quote name='Gust0o' timestamp='1384628174' post='2278960'] No, Simon, nothing wrong with protecting rights, so I'll have to join you in that minority - but I'll keep a toe-hold in the majority camp, who wonder if it was worth the brand damage to do so in such a fashion [/quote] Exactly this - I support RIC's right to protect their intellectual property, and appreciate that as a small business (certainly in comparison to their competition) it's particularly important to stay on top of potential infringements. However it's specifically Mr Hall and his behaviour which create & exacerbate the problem. This is nothing new - those who have been on BC for a while (and who have an interest in Ricks & vintage Rick copies) may well remember that I've had personal run-ins with him, resulting from my making innocent inquiries (from the perspective of a collector & enthusiast of vintage Japanese instruments) which ended up with Hall sending abusive and borderline threatening messages to me at my personal email address. It's hard to escape the conclusion that he is a thoroughly unpleasant, arrogant man who has nothing more productive to do with his time than trawl the internet looking for an excuse to harrass and alienate his potential customers. Much as I like Rickenbackers, I would never buy a new, or RIC - era one, and even feel quite discouraged from even GASing after an early 70s Fireglo 4001 with checked binding, full width inlays, cast bridge and wavy Grovers. OK, maybe not that discouraged... J.

Pickup cover on - nowhere to rest your thumb. Pickup cover off - big gaping hole with sharp metal edges designed to slice the end of your thumb off. Best just thrash it with a pick like Lemmy, or play a Jazz. Jon.

[quote name='LukeFRC' timestamp='1384556399' post='2278274'] Basically in the 70's and 80's, before Rickenbacker had european patents or trademarks (might be wrong on that) some nice people in Japan made copies of Rickenbackers for cheaper and in many cases better than the original. Some of your favourite famous rickenbacker players had japanese made ones... Nice basses - rickenbacker later stopped production of them and other copies - as is their right. [/quote] What's ironically amusing about this is that John Hall's Rickenbacker International Corp dates to the late 90s and his trademarks for the 4003 shapes & designs are actually some ten years newer - the basses being copied in the 70s were made by a completely different and now long-defunct company. One of those old Japanese copy brands was Ibanez, who were making Rick copies from about 1971, complete with checked binding & full-width inlays, just like the older 4001s. If they so chose, Hoshino Gakki, parent company of Ibanez, might have very good grounds to challenge RIC's claim to exclusivity regarding the 4001/4003 design. Despite all the bluff & bluster, RIC is a small, family-owned business (and realistically probably do not have the coin to pursue legal action against BC and its members) - so Mr Hall might want to take a moment to reflect on how fortunate it is that wealthy Japanese corporations have better things to do than take petty & pointless legal actions against inconsequential and anachronistic little American guitar-builders. Jon.

Maton Ibis: http://www.grouseguitars.com.au/matonibisbass.htm Antipodean oddness from the early 60s - seems there was only a couple of hundred or so ever made. I actually encountered one in the flesh about 14 years ago, being played by an old-ish (60+) Aussie guy whose band was practicing in an Edinburgh church hall. Got chatting & he told me a bit about it, stupidly I never asked for a go! Always had vintage GAS for one but had no idea they were quite so rare. Doubt I'll ever see another, one day I might have a shot at building a replica though. Lovely looking thing, imo. Jon.

[quote name='JapanAxe' timestamp='1384455436' post='2277004'] I believe Cimar guitars were made in the Ibanez factory. [/quote] [pedant]Technically there's never been an Ibanez factory - Ibanez & Cimar are brands owned by Hoshino, who use various factories to manufacture their products.[/pedant] Anyway, in the 70s & 80s Ibanez was made predominantly (possibly exclusively) by Fujigen Gakki, who are probably best known for MIJ Fenders & Squiers. Copy-era Cimars are quite a bit different from their Ibby counterparts & I tend to think they're from a different factory, although I couldn't say where. As for this J copy, actually Cimar's a possibility - I had a Cimar J yonks ago which shared a lot of the details you can see on this - round-end pups, little Gotoh tuners, big chrome trc etc. But then again an awful lot of JapCrap Jazz copies do. Really, it's not "an" anything - if it ever had a logo it's long-gone & most brands were pretty meaningless anyhow And I still think it was a Columbus. Probably. J.

Hi EmmettC, got any pics? If it's 1980-ish it'll be Japanese, from either the Matsumoku or Yamaki factories. Can't say about the tuners without seeing them, but a lot of old MIJ Washboards seem to have either semi-enclosed Schaller M4S copies or what I think are Gotoh Res-O-Lites. Probably quite pricey to replace unless the bass becomes a labour of love! Jon.

[quote name='Monckyman' timestamp='1383504266' post='2265197'] Kay/Teisco or Columbus? [/quote] It does look the same as the Columbus branded ones to me. Tbh they weren't that bad after a decent setup but more like £120 than £350! J.

Thanks very much for that, MEKer - I have old DiMarzio Model Js on my Jazz, love them and was leaning that way anyway, will see what sort of deal I can get on an Ultra. Re the Force 42, here's a link to the original thread, unfortunately the pics aren't there any more: [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/77957-washburn-relic/"]http://basschat.co.u...washburn-relic/[/url] Bassuklike66 is still active on here so hopefully still has the bass. J.

[quote name='itsmedunc' timestamp='1383311189' post='2262981'] My good god, I hadn't noticed that he wants £350 plus £40 shipping! [/quote] Bloody hell - the price of plywood these days! Jon.

[quote name='el borracho' timestamp='1383256922' post='2262367'] Clarissa? Think they were Italian made which would tie in with what Jon said. [/quote] Excellent detective work! A quick Google gives us this, from an acoustic: [url="http://i317.photobucket.com/albums/mm380/ebonyandivoryltd/Clarissa/ClarrisaClassicalGuitar007.jpg"]http://i317.photobuc...alGuitar007.jpg[/url] And a search on Fetishguitars comes up with this: [url="http://www.fetishguitars.com/?s=clarissa"]http://www.fetishgui...com/?s=clarissa[/url] Ignoring the bass, which is blatantly an unbranded Japanese EB copy, the guitar is very closely related to the CL on Ebay - most tellingly the unusual scratchplate. Shame there's no back pic, as a matching neckplate would confirm the ID - but I think we have a winner! J.

Ooh - it does, doesn't it? The "CL" brand isn't ringing any bells, but from the look of it I'd say it's 70s Italian. I've seen those bass humbuckers on a few 70s/80s Eko basses, and the stepped neck joint & odd-looking neck plate is remeniscent of Gherson. Shame about those horrid tuners bodged on, but that's easily fixed. Who's going to have a punt so's we can get a better look? Jon.

I'm certainly not going to quibble over model designations - mine's a lovely bass, and acquiring it in the first place was a ridiculous stroke of luck - the story's here on BC somewhere, I'll try & find a link. It's not without its issues though, unfortunately. I'm pretty sure the bridge J type pickup's not original - it's much lower output than the P-type and sounds quite "cheap", very thin & nasal. Do you have any specifications for the original equipment pickups on these basses? It's pretty unlikely that I'd be able to find an exact replacement, but it might help me choose something better than what's presently there. Point of interest - the J pickup is a narrow neck-width unit to accomodate the narrow string spacing of the bridge. I wonder if the earlier models with the chrome & brass bridges had the same spacing. A personal preference here, but I'm probably going to modify the circuitry of mine - reversible of course - because I really don't like a pickup selector toggle on a bass, it seems pointless and I find it can make getting a balanced tone from both pickups unduly fiddly. I'll probably wire them with individual V & T and fill the empty hole with a phase switch for the P unit. There's another BC member who has (or had) what I think is a Force 42 BBR - headless with the black/red finish. He offered it to me a few years ago, when I could neither afford it of had room for it - wonder if he still has it now? J.

[quote name='Bilbo' timestamp='1383059529' post='2259641'] I didn't notice you'd gone. [/quote] Frankly I'm amazed anyone did! J.

Very interesting research, MEKer, but I'm a little concerned that you're looking for absolute answers where there aren't any to be found! What it's important to remember is that any errors, inconsistencies and seemingly random changes in design, production and naming of these instruments are probably very little to do with "Washburn". When manufacture was contracted out to Japan in the late 70s, it's very likely that Washburn did business through a Japanese intermediary trading company which would have taken responsibility for sourcing manufacture, promotion and global distribution, much like Fender did when they contracted Kanda Shokai to handle the business end of Fender Japan. Some of the dates you mention are of interest - the plain truss rod covers from 1978 - 82 (ish) seem consistent with those instruments probably manufactured by Yamaki, which often have wooden covers to match the headstock veneer. Also the lack of records from 1987 backwards is consistent with the history of the Matsumoku factory, which ceased guitar production in 1986 and closed down in '87. I've been trying to get my head around the tangled & confused history of Japanese guitar manufacture for a very long time, and have learned to accept all the contradictions and incosistencies with a degree of Oriental-wannabe stoicism! The confusion around Washburn models & manufacture is reflected across the history of most of the brands, factories and distributors of the era, and can make it hard to fathom the big picture from all the conflicting details! If I were researching the specific history of MIJ Washburn, I'd try & find out which Japanese trading company handled the manufacture of the instruments - if they're still going (and many of them still are) they might be able to give you useful information. Btw - what do you think of the Moridaira - built Washburn Wing copies? J.

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1382963506' post='2258441'] Unfortunately there are two different types of Hondo II. A few are very nice indeed, but most are the worst kind of cheap far-eastern firewood. [/quote] Quite so. I had one of the "nice" ones - solid timber body, carved top, set neck, etc but most of them are nasty plywood Korean unpleasantness, from the era when Korean guitars were really not very good at all. Good choice with the Tokai Discreet - looks gorgeous in the pics & you can't go far wrong with Tokais. Jon.

[quote name='Prime_BASS' timestamp='1382994251' post='2258983'] Alright alright, less BikeChat and more BassChat. [/quote] OK, OK - or go [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/17518-so-who-rides-motorbikes-then/page__view__findpost__p__2258991"]here[/url] and rip as hard as you want! J.

[quote name='artisan' timestamp='1382974293' post='2258636'] Ok so whats wrong with Harley's then ? "all American clown bike" whats all that about ? I ride & love my Harley,i used to ride sports bikes like a lunatic until one near fatality too many,i still like sports bikes i just don't want to ride one ever again. So it really pisses me off when "fast" bikers slag of anything that isn't built for speed. But its ok you are just joking eh [/quote] Wow. That's a whole load of assumptions about me right there. Apart from the joking bit. Aside from the agonising oversensitivity and defensiveness of their riders, I don't have anything against Harleys in particular or [s]clown bikes[/s] sorry, cruisers in general. Don't think I'd ever own a Harley but I like some of them - the XR was a serious lump of metal & some of the V Rods can look pretty cool if they're not overdone. Never ridden one though so I don't claim to have an informed opinion. I've had quite a few bikes but never had - or wanted - a "proper" sports bike, my current bike's a 955i Speed Triple. Theoretically it's pretty quick but the reality is that the wind blast over 80 mph conspires to either rip your arms out of their sockets or just blow you off the back. It does quite like bends though. J.

Thank you to everyone who's chipped in since my last response - your good wishes, welcomes and concern for my wellbeing are most sincerely appreciated - do you still get that :notworthy: smiley? It's interesting - after the sh!tstorm of the last few years, I can honestly say that I'm in a better place than I can remember being in many years. I'm here to tell you that the secret to a contented, positive and optimistic existence is an uncomplicated life. Anyway a couple of responses. Eric - I've never considered "JapCrap" to be a pejorative term, it's a leftover from a youth spent tear-arsing around on Suzukis and Yamahas and playing Aria Pros, Washburns & Ibanezes, and unfortunately it continues to amuse me! They weren't crap in the 80s and even many of the early plywood horrors are oddly collectable now. I'd have trouble dropping the nomenclature from my language - along with YankW@nk, KoreaDiarrhoea and of course BritSh!t. Speaking of which... pete.young - no, it most certainly isn't! My profile pic might be a bit of a giveaway, however, and I strongly suspect I might have attracted less derision with an All-American Clown Bike! J.

BassBus is spot on, that's exactly what it is - a cheap 70s Japanese or Korean starter bass, and unsurprisingly, nothing to do with Roland! Jon.

[quote name='Annoying Twit' timestamp='1382893676' post='2257657'] Welcome back Bassassin! In this forum, you shine out like a shaft of gold when all around is dark. [/quote] Why thank you, Mr. Twit! It's good to see all the usual suspects still here after such a long time. It's like I never left! Jon.

Hi MEKer - sorry for not responding to this and any of your previous posts about vintage Washboards sooner, but I've been away from BC for some considerable time and have a bit of catching up to do. Like a transgender friend once remarked "I've been abroad - but I got better". Anyway, any new info about vintage basses & guitars of Japanese origin is always interesting and often useful - but frequently the result is only more confusion & apparent contradiction, and I fear that may well be the case here. My assertion that my bass is an SB-40 is not just conjecture, you see, I asked it and this is what it told me: According to the guys on the Matsumoku.org boards - many of whom have forgotten more than I ever knew - the "Vulture II" tag is kind of unofficial, and used to indicate this bass as a successor to the preceding symmetrical-bodied Vulture model. My bass is from 1982 (sn 820310) and is quite different in detail from the earlier models. Check out the Vulture II in this thread on the Mat forum: [url="http://www.matsumoku.org/ggboard/viewtopic.php?f=29&t=8936"]http://www.matsumoku...php?f=29&t=8936[/url] Although basically the the same model there are some major differences, most notably the pickup positioning. Control & truss covers are made from wood veneer and the hardware is quite different. On my bass the control cover's black painted aluminium, and the hardware is very high quality - a massive Chushin Gakki bridge and Schaller M4S clone tuners. It's pretty much assumed in the Mat community that these early Washburns like the one in the link were actually made by Yamaki, not Matsumoku - in terms of construction, detailing & hardware they are often near-identical to Yamaki's Daion range. My first quality bass many years ago was a 1981 Washburn B20 Stage - it had identical hardware, covers, control and pickup layout to the V2 in the link. I'd say that was a Yamaki-manufactured example, and my current SB40, made the next year, is an early Matsumoku, possibly a transitional model between the 2 factories. Jon.

You don't see too many of these: Tokai Talbo, 2000-ish reissue, the only one I've ever seen (so in a moment of madness, I bought it ), weighs a ton, is insanely microphonic & squeals like a stabbed pig. So it hangs on the wall & gets the occasional polish and the only reason I haven't sold it is that I know I'll never see another. Sad, really! Jon.