Bassassin

Nasty! But very uncommon, so some one might cough up. FWIW the plain neckplates with what looks like gold model no. stickers, and the truss rod cover shape would make me inclined to think this is Korean, not Japanese, and so nothing to do with the "illustrious" manufacturer he implies it to be! It's also likely to be mid-70s, as the Korean industry generally appears to have been 5-10 years behind Japan at that point. Jon.

[quote name='The Burpster' post='1061027' date='Dec 16 2010, 09:41 PM']J, check the pics its a Roadster. Nice one too - New Graphtec nut and it could be a doosey![/quote] Ah - Captain Thicky Mc Thickster reporting for duty! Sorry - didn't realise pics had been added - not sure how I missed them... Anyway, this is a rare one, never seen this model before and can't find a pic in any of the old catalogues. However, the closest relation I can find is a Roadster RS820 in this catalogue: [url="http://www.ibanez.co.jp/anniversary/expansion.php?cat_id=44&now=3"]http://www.ibanez.co.jp/anniversary/expans...id=44&now=3[/url] So following the Ibanez naming convention (8 prefix = passive, 9 = active), this one should be an RS920. Definitely never seen this before, I doubt there are many around, looks like this is a short-lived predecessor to the P/J equipped RS924, which I have. J.

[quote name='gizmo6789' post='1060964' date='Dec 16 2010, 08:23 PM']FIXED IT, THATS IT FIXED. Thanks to everyone who made a suggestion, a combination of moving the string down the machinehead, and lining the nut with some superglue, cured the problem straight off. gonna go gigging. Who ever said they wanted to buy this bass, make me an offer and il think about it.[/quote] Excellent - glad it's all sorted, these sorts of things are usually pretty simple to fix. Wasn't me who made the offer (that'd be Mr. F. Eric), but it would be good to see some pics & find out what it actually is - cos there ain't no such thing as a 1979 Roadstar! J.

[quote name='daz' post='1060635' date='Dec 16 2010, 03:04 PM']What are the names of these 1970s Jap' Ric' copies (apart from Ibanez) I just need to know what to search for.[/quote] Tricky question to find a straight answer to! The vast majority of 70s Fakers have long since had their original name truss rod covers removed, and replaced with poorly-faked Rickenbacker ones. These are usually a very roughly-cut piece of perspex over a bit of paper carrying a hand-drawn or smudgily-printed Rickenbacker logo. Most people selling an old Japanese (or Korean, or Brazilian, or Czech) Faker will say it's an Ibanez anyway. 99% of them aren't. The Ibanez 2388B range of Rick copies are very well made but are the most inaccurate of all the MIJ copies, and one of the inaccuracies is that most of them aren't stereo. Late in the life of the model it was heavily revised to make it as accurate as most of the other MIJ copies, and these are stereo.They're also very rare & will cost more than most other Fakers. Stereo Rick copies from a load of different factories were sold under brands like Aria, Aria Pro, CMI, Shaftesbury, Kimbara, JHS, Hondo, Arbiter and various others in the UK, plus a million other names around the world. They are about half & half bolt-on or through-neck in construction, but with the exception of the low-end plywood stuff like the Korean-made Hondo, I wouldn't be put off by a bolt-on; they are exceedingly well-made. There's a guy selling an increasingly realistically-priced Aria [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=114495"]here[/url], otherwise your best bet for finding one is the [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=270"]Rickenfakers sticky[/url]. J.

[quote name='RickIronWitch' post='1059831' date='Dec 15 2010, 06:26 PM']Started watching this and now it's been removed [/quote] Rule No. 1 when you're interested in a shonky, apt-to-get-pulled Rickenfaker listing: message the seller so you have a record of their username, if nothing else. I wouldn't worry though, it's highly likely to be back. J.

[quote name='gizmo6789' post='1059952' date='Dec 15 2010, 07:56 PM']It has been like this since i got it a couple of months ago. thought it was the fact the strings were old, changed the strings, no change, put my finger over the offending string on the nut and it cures the problem.[/quote] Do you mean on the nut, or on the string behind the nut? If it's the latter, it might be the string's break angle as it passes over the nut - if it's too flat, the string will rattle in the slot. Try making sure the string is wound onto the tuner post going top to bottom, so that the string comes off the post as low down as possible. Jon.

None of the modern copies are stereo, as far as I know. Many of the 70s Japanese copies were stereo though. On the whole these are a lot closer to being replicas of the original than any of the modern ones, so are somewhat more likely to sound like a Rick too. Jon.

[quote name='tom1946' post='1059275' date='Dec 15 2010, 08:21 AM']If you mean Eric's red monster[/quote] Oo-err Mrs; Matron! etc. J.

Bridge - Schaller 3D Pups - DiMarzio Model P (cream covers) Electronics - 250k pots, .047 Orange Drop cap Tuners - Schaller M4S Axes R Us, Fleabay & right here on BC should sort you out. Jon.

[quote name='hhoward' post='1058285' date='Dec 14 2010, 10:32 AM']since i bought it new in 1873, before the factory burnt down,[/quote] [i]I[/i] thought it was funny - considering the rubbish that people talk about old Japanese basses. Always wanted a Unicorn - you hardly ever see them though. Jon.

[quote name='ashley699' post='1058265' date='Dec 14 2010, 10:11 AM']I cant say i like the Tuxedo colours though with a non painted headstock, just my opinion but i think it looks odd. Ashley[/quote] I've seen this finish before - it's only the front that's white, the rest of the body's natural. Odd idea and it would look better if the headstock face was matched too. There are some Rickenfakers in odd colours knocking about - the Electra Corsair often appears with a dark-stained or black painted back & sides, natural front, plus a maple fingerboard with black inlays. Corsairs were made at different times by Matsumoku, Kasuga & Fujigen - I have seen bolt Kasuga & Fujigen versions with the same strange finishes. I think my favourite weirdo finish might be the radioactive green & yellow "SnotGlo" Matsumoku bolt-necks. I want one of those. J.

New nut is an easy task, but there could be a variety of different reasons for fret buzz. Is it only on open strings, has it always done this? BTW if it's 1979 it will be a Roadster, not a Roadstar. Show us a pic or two. Jon.

[quote name='spinynorman' post='1057397' date='Dec 13 2010, 03:15 PM']So now we can add "valued by Simon Catherall Curlsgirls of FabGroovy" to the list of things that add credibility to your eBay ads.[/quote] Anyone a bit concerned that an Ebay secondhand guitar dealer offering a valuation service is a system potentially open to a little bit of abuse? Wonder where he gets his stock? J.

[quote name='icastle' post='1057457' date='Dec 13 2010, 04:11 PM']J.A.P ? [/quote] Don't think so. C.H.I.N.E.S.E, probably. As a bass I like it, it's quite striking, not too fussed on the holes or chickenheads - but as has been said, it's a £200 project bitsa. Buy some bits & make your own! J.

[quote name='waynepunkdude' post='1057632' date='Dec 13 2010, 06:35 PM']Personally I played one of these, bloody heavy but a savage tone. They play really nice too.[/quote] That's my experience - I got one in a trade, lovely neck, loads of tonal variety, and beautifully made. From wood-effect lead, presumably! £285 is a very good price for one of these - shame there aren't more/better pics though. Jon.

How much??? Have to say I've been aghast, dumbfounded and in stitches over that particular Ebayer's spectacularly misinformed listings for a good few years now. I think he might well be that German fella's Scouser cousin. Jon.

If you're not averse to going down the vintage route, a Peavey T-40 sounds like it might fit the bill: [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=88904"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=88904[/url] Re: Ibanez Roadster - it's a range, not a specific bass, gets even more complicated later when they were rebranded (due to a typo) as Roadstar II, but there are probably over 20 different basses under the Roadster/Roadstar name. I have an RS924 Roadster - it's a lovely bass but not particularly versatile due to its inability to blend between the pickups. My Roadster's not for sale, but I do have a very nice Peavey T-40 that doesn't get the use it deserves, if you're interested. Jon.

Does nothing for me beyond making me faintly curious that it got a topic here - it's so insubstantial & insignificant that it's difficult to notice, and when you do actually become aware of it - it's a clone of a famous dead singer. Don't get me wrong, I don't hate it or anything. That would be a bit like hating a momentary, transient itch on your buttock. It barely exists, really. Jon.

[quote name='MB1' post='1056732' date='Dec 12 2010, 10:39 PM']MB1. J.Arthur Rank is! [/quote] That's what I had in mind... J.

[quote name='LukeFRC' post='1056573' date='Dec 12 2010, 09:16 PM']if it's neck heavy get better tuner[/quote] But... can you get better tuners that "Schaller Kluson Key" tuners? This is someone's bitsa project, isn't it? Is J.Arthur Palmer rhyming slang? Jon.

[quote name='Musky' post='1055754' date='Dec 12 2010, 10:28 AM']I noticed that he'd signed up here as well. The bit that really caught my attention was the bit about the truss [i]rod[/i] (singular). Not sure if that was just an error, but I thought that all Mat's had twin truss rods? [/quote] I've encountered single rods in their bolt-ons, never in the through-necks though. No idea why some had one while others had two. Maybe just cost-cutting. J.

We're out tonight for the first time since April (due to "life" getting in the way for other band members ) - and yes, I am looking forward to it! However when we're gigging regularly, as this band has for most of the last 10 years, I often can't be arsed with it & it can bug me all day on a gig day. Once I'm up there playing though, I love it. For me it's just a matter of keeping that in mind when I start getting hacked off about it. On reflection I have been pretty depressed for the last few months and I know bloody well it's largely because I've not been out playing. Jon.

£350's too much. It's a nice bass, and as good as bolt-necks get - it's the same as Ashley699's pictured up the page a bit, which went for £266 in an open, no-reserve auction. That's a lot more realistic. Jon. EDIT: [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=114495"]Oh look![/url]

[quote name='Mr. Foxen' post='1054026' date='Dec 10 2010, 01:54 PM']Hmm, so the one I was sold as genuine rick might not be. It has chromed saddles also, and is different to the two faker bridges, same screw hole spacing, but the other two have the squarer holes, smaller damper knobs, very similar skeleton underneath. Could it be a modern one is different? Anyway, the ones I'm making are gonna be far superior to either, except possibly missing the mute bit because the knobs are difficult to do in small batches.[/quote] Chrome saddles only appear on some copy bridges - and never on real ones. Rick tailpieces have come in 3 different versions over the years, there's a pic of the 3 different types shown from the underside [url="http://www.joeysbassnotes.com/Fakericks.htm"]here[/url], near the bottom of the page: Quite cool how your reinforced tailpiece is very similar to the current RIC part. Theirs are still cast from soft zinc alloy & apparently still bend, despite the extra mass. Lots of really interesting pics & comparisons on that site, if you haven't seen it before. J.