Bassassin

[quote name='pete.young' post='1068793' date='Dec 24 2010, 03:09 PM']Now here's something you don't see every day - a Greco. [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Vintage87-GRECO-RB-model-Bass-MADE-JAPAN-/280607796836?pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item4155872e64"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Vintage87-GRECO-RB-m...=item4155872e64[/url][/quote] It's in Japan, and they're not that rare there - this one's 1987 and these were still in Greco catalogues in the mid 90s. This is a Fujigen bass, identical to the late 70s revision of the Ibanez 2388B/DX, apart from the binding, which is an unusual 3-ply on this. The 70s Fujigen copies had checked binding & it looks like they substituted 3-ply on later ones. For £600 (excuding postage from Japan & customs thievery) this is a bit of a mess - you'd have to really want the name* & binding. It's grimy, corroded, neglected-looking, has missing screws & there's even a magnet missing from the neck pickup. Twickerman - loads of the early 70s copies have checked binding and toasters, most of them have stereo outs & the bridge pup circuits feature the bass cut cap - so wiring a push-pot as a vintage tone selector would be easy. The only thing I think they never copied was the horsie - but considering most players seem to prefer to bin the pup cover, that's probably no bad thing! J. *EDIT - just noticed, it hasn't even got a nameplate. No reason to assume it was ever a Greco, then.

[quote name='chaypup' post='1068487' date='Dec 24 2010, 08:00 AM']I think I'm going to buy a load of [b][url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=230566344648&ssPageName=ADME:B:SS:GB:1123#ht_882wt_936"]Westones[/url][/b] and sell them in Germany...[/quote] No need - you can list them at ridiculous prices & watch them fail to sell here, too: [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/RARE-BLACK-WESTONE-THUNDER-1A-ELECTRIC-BASS-GUITAR-82-/250729812795"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/RARE-BLACK-WESTONE-T...2-/250729812795[/url] J.

Can't think of anything bass-related I particularly want - but as all GAS-sufferers know, it can strike suddenly and without any warning... On the other hand I've been making a list of everything I have to sell - which is a hell of a lot. Unfortunately, none of it's on anyone's shopping list! Jon.

Elixirs Picato 735 Those cheap ones off Ebay for £4 a set, that sound better & last longer than poxy (& wrapped) Roto Swing Bass. Jon.

Here are the rest of their designs - although I'm not sure that's the right word: [url="http://www.ansirmusic.com/our-basses.html"]http://www.ansirmusic.com/our-basses.html[/url] Although it's hard to think of a sane rationalisation for the underlying concept of these things, I find it hard to believe that it wouldn't be possible to integrate this angled-neck feature into a bass that doesn't look like a big pile of dog sick. And yet here we are. Jon.

[quote name='spinynorman' post='1067185' date='Dec 22 2010, 08:30 PM']I bet I hate them more than you. The only purpose they serve is to fray when you take the strings off, so you can't re-use them on another bass. I really hate it when they extend over the bridge saddle. Also hate the dust they create as you pull them through the bridge. The hideous colour is just the sh*te on the cake.[/quote] +100. Bloody useless stuff, I love the way that if you trim the ends of the strings before fitting them (as I do because sometimes I really don't want 25 winds around the post) this crap immediately starts to unravel & fray & fall off before the strings are even on. God forbid you should ever want to remove the strings to do something outlandish like clean your bass - unless you like your strings hairy with bald patches. However I have found you can use a little bit of Vaseline or grease to stick the hairy frayed bits back down if it's not too far gone though. Just had a thought - wonder if you could burn it all off? Jon.

First rig, in about 1980, was a Selmer Treble & Bass 50w head & matching 2x12 cab (about £30 from a charity shop) plus a home-made 1x12 bass reflex cab. My dad helped me make that & I wish I still had it. Wouldn't want the Selmer (it was sh!te) but they do fetch a few quid these days. At that time I had a shortscale no-name JapCrap LP-shaped bass, bought off a schoolmate for £50, which was actually half-decent. I did a fair few rehearsals with that lot but don't think I ever gigged it - as soon as I got in my first serious band I got a Washburn B-20 Stage series (lovely but incredibly neck-divey) and an HH VS Bassamp 100w 1x15 combo, which had a control panel that lit up green in the dark - epic stuff! These days I have a Gallien-Krueger RB700 1x15 combo & have jut got a Hartke 2.5XL to sit it on: [attachment=66973:GK_Hartke_rig.jpg] And an assortment of elderly JapCrap & slightly odd basses to plug into it. Jon.

Finally got this finished - not had a lot of time for the printed word lately. On the whole, it's an excellent, very well-written & highly entertaining read, Alex comes across as very likeable & affable, even when he's wallowing in the excesses of an insane level of success. Well - [i]mostly[/i]! Thoroughly enjoyed it, in fact he's a good enough writer that I hope he writes more books in the future. Going right back to August, Silentbob's next on the list so I've PM'd him. Jon.

[quote name='minceprince' post='1064070' date='Dec 19 2010, 10:00 PM']Picked up this old warhorse for next to nothing recently. It's pretty battered but that doesn't bother me at all. Was looking for a bit of info on it as I know next to nothing. Anyone help me out? Is it worth anything? It dates '76 judging by the serial number. Was hoping to fit a new bridge to it - can anyone recommend me one that'll fit? Thanks dudes.[/quote] That's an Ibby 2369B/WH. Quite an interesting bass, it's known as the "Tetsu" bass, because Faces bassist Tetsu Yamauchi was involved in its development & subsequently used them. Vintage Ibbys are quite collectable & 70s ones like this are none too common in the UK, primarily because the competing Antoria range were exactly the same instruments (including this bass!) and a lot cheaper when new. This being the case, don't do any mods you can't reverse if you decide to sell it at some point, so if you replace the bridge, use one that will fit the existing screwholes. A standard Fender-spaced bridge should fit, something like a Gotoh 201 should drop straight in. They lack the 2 front holes, but the base plate will cover them. As far as value's concerned, I'd think maybe £200 - £250ish. Vintage JapCrap isn't selling quite as well as perhaps a year or two ago, but the Ibanez brand does still incite a bit of an Ebay feeding frenzy. Jon.

Just got a lovely Hartke 2.5XL cab from Lee. Total bargain and it was a pleasure doing business with Lee. Jon.

[quote name='SS73' post='1066070' date='Dec 21 2010, 07:43 PM']Wrong end of stick guys, click on Bloodaxe's post and it shows a very odd looking binding, which has been off the bass and glued back on over the top of the over spray, basically it's stickin out like a sore whotsit.[/quote] Fair point, actually - you need to look at the huge full-size images to see clearly, but that's a proper shonky job. What a strange way to do it though - you'd think masking the binding, or scraping off the overspray with the edge of a sharp blade would be a damn sight easier than trying (and broadly failing!) to re-bind the whole bass!

[quote name='simon1964' post='1065934' date='Dec 21 2010, 05:18 PM']this is correct for a genuine Ric.[/quote] It's also correct for all the old through-neck copies I've seen, apart from a peculiar Italian-made Gherson. Apropos of nothing at all! J.

Sizes of Fender & Fender-alike bridges tend to be interchangeable - this even goes for pre-Fender Japan copies made in the 70s, and Fender-inspired designs like the Ibby Blazers. Looking at this one, I'm pretty sure the holes would overlap the ones on the bass, meaning one could bodge-fit it, inserting the end screws at an angle. I'm not recommending this for an instant but that might explain how it could fit a standard-spaced Fender body. Jon.

[quote name='razze06' post='1065786' date='Dec 21 2010, 03:37 PM'][url="http://edinburgh.gumtree.com/edinburgh/47/70592947.html"]http://edinburgh.gumtree.com/edinburgh/47/70592947.html[/url] "Grant" jazz copy with hardcase, near edinburgh, for very little dosh. I am leaving tomorrow morning for holidays, so I'm going to miss this, otherwise I would have had it. I understand Grant was the importer's name of the usual 70's JapCrap. Some say that Grant was infact the name of a Glasgow music shop in the 70's and 80's, and that they were the original importers of these.[/quote] Sold at the weekend unfortunately - and not to me! I missed it - but that's what you get for wasting an entire freezing Saturday playing Red Dead Undead Nightmare. Shame, this looks really nice, complete & original & a steal for £70. I did read somewhere that Grant was Grant Music in Byres Road's own brand. Apparently there was also an Edinburgh Grants music shop, dunno if the two were related. Seen/owned a few Grant brand instruments (including my first-ever bass, which was dire!) and they are generic MIJ stuff, same as Columbus & a lot of CMI, Avon etc copies. No identified manufacturer and available in a range of quality from cheapo plywood starter stuff to decent-looking mid-range gear like this J. Jon.

I know the feeling! I'm a lot better off now than I was a few months ago - but all I've bought is a bargain GK 700RB combo & a 2x10 cab. I don't want or need any other bass gear, & would have to shift a bass or two to clear space in the event I had an unanticipated GAS attack. I have to sell all my old backline as it is, so I'm just going to end up with a bigger GAS fund & nothing to spend it on. Well - nothing bassy anyway. I quite fancy [url="http://www.eagleeyefilms.com/gallery/d/11395-2/triumph_speed_triple_08-02.jpg"]one of these[/url]. aND A cAPS lOCK kEY. Jon.

RS824s had veneered bodies rather than the solid ash of the active RS924. Don't think they were ply, probably the butcher-block sarnie that most 70s Jap copies (including Ibbys) had. There were some absolute stunners - I nearly swapped my 924 for an 824BB like this: Ibby catalogues reckon this has a mahogany laminate body, so I presume this one (Brazilian Brown) is a paint finish. Sadly the fella was in the States and the cost of shipping & import duties would have made it stupidly expensive. Given a choice I'd have an 824 - the active on the 9 doesn't add much apart from volume, and there's no way to blend between the pickups, which I find quite limiting. Plus Steve Harris played a black 824. J.

[url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=280603733834"]Somewhat ambitiously-priced Ibanez RS824 Roadster.[/url] This is the slightly less-common passive version. J.

You can't go far wrong with an Ibby, vintage or modern. I've presently got an early 70s Precision copy, an '81 RS924 Roadster and a 2004-ish EDA900 - all very different basses but all excellent. For years my two main basses were a fretted & a fretless SR800 - recently parted with both and I'm regretting that a bit - and having gas for [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=310279661379"]one of these[/url] ain't helping! I've also got a project Blazer - presently in bits and requiring a refin, a few bits & bobs and a bucket of TLC. Hopefully I'll find a chance to get stuck into that soon. Jon.

Great-looking bass - and a fine collection of bassfaces too, if I may say so! J.

[url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=120662231846"]Ambitiously-priced Shaftesbugger[/url]. J.

I'm always amazed by how so many people are too dense to fit the pickup covers correctly - that looks bloody stupid. Quite like it in general (apart from the clunky FatAss II mod) but the RickResource Faithful will definitely be choking on their own spew over this! What's wrong with the binding? Jon.

Never seen any pics of Lynott using a twin-pup Roadster, but he did use a single pickup RS800 or RS900, and there are numerous shots of him playing Blazers. J.

Some of my favourite miseryguts slash-wrists ditties: Love Song (For A Vampire) - Annie Lennox Black - Pearl Jam Script For A Jester's Tear - Marillion Chance - Big Country Lazarus - Porcupine Tree The Kick Inside - Kate Bush First Orgasm - Dresden Dolls Go & find them yourselves, you lazy gits. Jon.