Bassassin

[quote name='fatback' post='1096182' date='Jan 20 2011, 11:29 AM']My bb400 serial is on the headstock, but it's small and just stamped in, so it's very hard to see unless you angle the light. Yamaha (U.S.) tracked the serial down for me with a phone call. Service or what.[/quote] Bit of a thread hijack - what's the serial on yours? I have a MIJ BB400S fretless with a weird number, wondered if there's a pattern. Jon.

[quote name='Paul S' post='1096340' date='Jan 20 2011, 01:57 PM']Jon - nothing anywhere as far as I can see on the bridge or tuners. Whatever it is the bridge is nice - I recently fitted a Gotoh to one of my Fenders and I think this is just as good or better.[/quote] Have you whipped the bridge off? Mine's branded underneath: [attachment=69470:chushin_...dge_base.jpg] Different bridge to yours (this one's quite BA-like) but notice how, like yours, it's quite overzealous in the number of screws it needs! J.

[quote name='Paul S' post='1096254' date='Jan 20 2011, 12:49 PM']I do favour the stealth look but, well, I guess the cream covers were original. I bought the P-Retro unit secondhand - had I bought new I'd have gone for black knobs, then probably changed all the hardware too for a completel stealth look. Which would have been pointless, probaby, as the bridge is a good quality chunky thing and the tuners are fine. Jon - would the tuners be Gotoh or a look-a-like? Anyway, I'm still grinning and REALLY looking forward to giving it a blast tonight.[/quote] If the tuners are Gotoh they will likely have a logo somewhere, possibly on the reverse. Do they have a Washburn logo on the fronts? I have a Washburn SB40 which I think is from the same era and the bridge, at least, is from Chushin - it's embossed on the reverse. Tuners on this one are big Schaller M4S clones, with no brand or logo & I suppose logic would suggest the hardware might well all come from the same source. Is there anything on the back of your bridge? J.

I am all in favour of the non-invasive hot-rodding of old JapCrap - and this is how you do it! Looks fantastic, & personally I think the cream covers should definitely stay. Jon.

Started with a pick because my favourite bassists - Burnel, Lemmy, Foxton, Dunaway etc were all pick players, dabbled with a bit of slap later but barely ever used fingers. Stuck with the pick until about 8 years ago when I just decided to generally brush up on technique - and these days it's gone full circle & I rarely use a pick. I play original progressive hard rock/metal and a lot of my playing's very aggressive, I naturally dig in hard, and love the tonal versatility of fingers compared to pick. I'm probably still a bit faster with a pick, although there's not much in it, and there are some things, such a palm-muting, that I simply can't replicate fingerstyle. I'm very glad I'm now reasonably competent with both techniques, now it's just my slap which is atrocious, and it's very likely to stay that way! Jon.

[quote name='Annoying Twit' post='1095497' date='Jan 19 2011, 06:59 PM']A shop in a town near me sells Anniversary guitars, and they said they get the bass in occasionally. Though, I've never seen one. They sell Anniversary Rick copy guitars, and the "300 series" 6 string is £349 at present. I think they sold the basses for £400 new, and that's consistent with this site: [url="http://www.expressmusicstore.co.uk/products.asp?code=80606"]http://www.expressmusicstore.co.uk/products.asp?code=80606[/url][/quote] 'Appen you're right, Ross. I suppose it was a couple of years ago these were being discussed, I seem to remember someone mentioning them being sold sub - £300 but there's been inflation & VAT increases since then. Still never seen one of these in the flesh - or a Rockinbetter either, for that matter. Wouldn't mind a look one day. J.

Tokai don't make a Rickenbacker bass copy. This is an Anniversary-branded one, set-neck rather than through (look at the back pic), and pretty decent according to a few BCers who have them. They are current, & I don't think they cost a lot more than this new, though. I actually spotted one of these on Ebay last night, similar price so possibly the same one. Can't find the listing now! Jon.

[quote name='karlfer' post='1094747' date='Jan 19 2011, 05:15 AM']I'm old enough to remember when Jedson were considered sh*te. The daft Telecaster shaped bass was a hideous thing to play IMO. This guy also has a Kay HideousBacker, which I'll be watching. If it doesn't go stupid, I will have a punt just to get the machine heads. Karl.[/quote] Early Jedsons, like the one you mention, were cheap & nasty but the later & higher-end ones were decent quality. There are Jedson geeks who will pay a fortune for the Matsumoku-built Les Paul copies, the "proper" Telecaster clones & some of the acoustics. This bass was sold branded as Jedson & a few other names but most were unbranded. They're pretty well-made as it happens & I'd quite like one to match my guitar version of the same thing! J.

Demonstrating sloppy left-hand technique, Dec 2010: Hair now obsolete. Jon.

[quote name='Ou7shined' post='1092084' date='Jan 17 2011, 02:08 AM']It's more about just keeping this section for discussion rather than personal ads.[/quote] A change of board title's in order if that's the case: "Ebay Links - post your Ebay links here" could be construed as ever-so-slightly ambiguous! I've not noticed too many auction plugs, tbh, but then I do tend to live in the JapCrap & 'Faker topics. On the whole it's been a lot quieter here since rattles started getting flung over the suggestion that posting links to interesting stuff you'd seen increases competition & stops folk getting bargains. Dunno if that was ever resolved. J.

Cue BC going into meltdown arguing about what a bass actually is. For the 2453rd time! Jon.

It's allegedly to stop 'em signing up to plug their auctions on the Ebay board. I fail to grasp how that's manifestly different to them plugging the same auctions on the For Sale boards, which I presume they're at liberty to do. Jon.

[quote name='sprocketflup' post='1090546' date='Jan 15 2011, 03:50 PM']the best bass Ive ever owned was an IGB40, had PJ pups and a lovely neck Im still on the lookout for one, in walnut/dark if anyone should happen to have one lying around [/quote] [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ARIA-PROII-IGB-40-BASS-GUITAR-MAHOGANY-BODY-/260723353082"]Anything like this one?[/url] J.

[quote name='wizbat' post='1091143' date='Jan 16 2011, 10:17 AM']The ric forum have been chuntering about it.[/quote] Tell 'em this has established a new benchmark for the most anyone's spent on a lump of Korean plywood! I'd do it myself but I'm banned there... J.

Gigged my SBV last night. Maybe if I'd dressed like that it would've attracted attention away from the sh!tness of my playing. Jon.

[quote name='dannybuoy' post='1090911' date='Jan 15 2011, 09:58 PM']I think I might go for one of these red ones, fit a black bridge and tuners, and add coil taps (which might need new pickups, not sure)...[/quote] Exactly what I was thinking. Need a source for cheap black Hipshot Rick bridges! J.

Have to say, the more I look at it, the more I like it. (I do think it's good! ) Hope it doesn't weigh a ton. J.

These are still available new: [url="http://www.projectmusic.net/aria-igb-68-bass-guitar-3391-p.asp"]http://www.projectmusic.net/aria-igb-68-ba...itar-3391-p.asp[/url] There are one or two on the Bay: [url="http://musical-instruments.shop.ebay.co.uk/i.html?_nkw=aria+IGB+bass&_sacat=619&LH_PrefLoc=1&_odkw=aria+bass&_osacat=619&_trksid=p3286.c0.m270.l1313"]http://musical-instruments.shop.ebay.co.uk...6.c0.m270.l1313[/url] This design dates back to the mid-80s and early ones were MIJ - not 100% sure but I think the pearl-coloured one is an 80s example, looks like it has the old SB - type bridge. Jon.

The schoolmate who showed me how to tune my first bass did me a big favour. I'd probably still be tuning it in fifths now, like I had been for a month before I was shown. Jon.

[quote name='EddieG' post='1089702' date='Jan 14 2011, 07:12 PM']Wonder if they've taken a bit of "influence" from these guys?.... [url="http://www.ansirmusic.com"]http://www.ansirmusic.com[/url] [/quote] Nah. The Ibby looks like someone's given it some thought, while that other thing looks like someone shut their eyes & pressed random buttons on a CNC machine for a laugh. I like these new Ibbys - anyone know what they're going to cost? Jon.

€908 = £765. Bloody hell. That bass is a Hondo. J.

[quote name='noelk27' post='1089101' date='Jan 14 2011, 11:19 AM']You took him up on his offer to provide references then? Oh, and as for the investigative work, I cannot lie, John (BB2000) is BC's very own Gil Grissom.[/quote] All I did was point out that as an owner of one of these I'd done a bit of research & found out they were identical to Cimar-branded basses from 1980 - & linked him to a catalogue scan to prove it, so it wasn't the early 70s Ibanez he was trying to claim. I also pointed out there were a lot of things about them that suggest that while they were sourced via Hoshino, they quite likely didn't come from Fujigen. Not what he wanted to hear! *Edit* Just checked my Fleabay messages & he did get back to me - he's slightly amended the listing & knocked a massive £20 off the BIN - it would seem a bit harsh to "out" him right now. I wonder if his "research" has led him here? J.

Both basses were originally bought by "Captain Fujigen", who, as the name suggests, predominantly flogs old JapCrap on Ebay. Looking at his feedback & sales history, he has managed to get some pretty silly money for some pretty nondescript stuff - I'm particularly struck by a [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=180599497100"]Peavey C5 he flogged for £345[/url] - I have an identical one of these which cost about £200 brand new 6 or 7 years ago, and a [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=180585644516"]Hondo 335 copy[/url] which he bumped for £345 on the basis of a pack of bullsh!t. This is a Korean guitar made by Samick - which is why it has a circular Samick inspection sticker on the back of the head. With an honest description it would fetch about £150 less than he got. He's set up an alternate ID to try & flip these two basses at a ridiculous profit, in the hope the buyers won't suss he's a dealer who just paid a lot less for them. J.

He really doesn't know the market - or his JapCrap - if he seriously thinks he can get nearly £500 for that. I'm all for a bit of honest profiteering, but I can't help thinking he paid over the odds for this, and is trying to flog it by knowingly misrepresenting it with a pack of lies. J.