Bassassin

Either this, or something very similar, has been on before. The way it's been done looks to me like a conversion to headless, possibly the result of a headstock break. I did something similar to a guitar I maimed back in the 80s. Otherwise it looks like a generic late 70s/early 80s Japanese or Korean through-neck. I don't recognise the shape, but if I'm right about the headless mod, the body could have been reshaped at the same time. Or it could just be something obscure in the first place. It does look pretty cool for £150 BIN, as far as one can tell from the little pic. Not sure where you'd put it when you weren't playing it, though - apart from a couch or a case! Jon.

Quite rare, but loses points for changed pickups & bodged jack repair. The Greco versions seem to come up a lot more often, they're set-neck but otherwise identical. Probably cheaper too. Jon.

[quote name='paul h' post='1029782' date='Nov 19 2010, 07:05 PM']Late to the party again. Anyone care to summarize the last 10 pages for me? Did shouty man get his comeuppance?[/quote] I think he's pretty much guaranteed that he'll never sell his bass, or anything else on here, that probably counts as comeuppance. We've also seen the birth of a new forum celebrity - TIM. J.

Well, I don't suppose the poor sod's feeling any too happy about this at the moment. But really - what the hell did he [i]think[/i] was going to happen? He might think twice about chucking his rattle around & having a paddy next time - both online & out there. I'm kind of of the opinion that on the whole, the world might be a slightly better place if more people had it explained to them when they were acting like a right twat. J.

[quote name='Mr. Foxen' post='1029503' date='Nov 19 2010, 03:50 PM']Wipe down with meths and electrical tape. Electrical tape has fooled Bassassin in photos of a Rickenfaker.[/quote] If you're talking about your CMI pre-restoration, I think that was down to the pic quality rather than the artistry of the work! If it's not, then I blame short-term memory loss. I think electrical tape would have a tendency to peel off, particularly the lower side. I've seen painted-on "binding" on cheap 70s Korean tat, looked OK apart from where it was chipped. I think that's the best idea, if you can mask it accurately. J.

[quote name='Happy Jack' post='1029485' date='Nov 19 2010, 03:38 PM']That's rather nice, Jon, but the perspex fingerpull is a stylistic disaster.[/quote] Must admit I quite like it, although I doubt I'd have one on my (theoretical) copy because they get in the way of my artless right-hand flailing. J.

[quote name='tino' post='1029551' date='Nov 19 2010, 04:25 PM']Im happy enough buying bits and peices off here ....................never had a problem.........................................BUT SELLING( foget it) CHEAP WADS on HERE [/quote] Tino mate, I think you'll find that's your rather ambitious pricing structure. Some people have to accept that they're just life's natural Ebayers - I mean no insult or disrespect, after all it takes one to know one! J.

Interesting and strange, this. I missed this thread when it was new so I missed the first post, but I presume the OP has a vintage Faker he wants to modify into a 4005 clone. Of the handful of 4005 Faker projects I've seen, a donor neck from a different copy has been the most common starting point. So I don't know why it's been deleted (hopefully he'll post to explain) but I really don't think the threat of legal action from Uncle John's anything to do with it - unless it's sheer paranoia. This is the UK and last time I checked was not subject to US trademark laws, besides RIC is a business with better things to do than poke around personal projects on little UK bass forums. Read my post in the thread about this thread: [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?s=&showtopic=111252&view=findpost&p=1028126"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?s=&sho...t&p=1028126[/url] I'm more concerned that he fears being lynched by a bunch of pitchfork-wielding JapCrappers! While I do think there are better & cheaper sources of parts than a near-pristine 35-year-old CMI 4001 (like a bolt-neck Hondo - the rest of which is rubbish - or any of the much cheaper modern copies), this sounded like an interesting and serious project, and it's a pity to see coverage of it shelved. For the record, if I'm ever lucky enough to come across a cheap, beater 4001S copy, I want to build a 1950s 4000 clone: Jon.

[quote name='Low End Bee' post='1029265' date='Nov 19 2010, 01:15 PM']A brief review as I haven't had it long. Finish is really excellent. Hardware is good quality. Neck is like a very slightly shallower Precision. Fretwork is good. The frets are low and thin vintage stylee. Weight is about 8 1/2 lbs. It's very easy to play. Pickups have a lot of output. Lots of growl and a nice snarly rasp too if you get my drift. Really pushes an amp without being boomy. The neck took a while to settle but it had been travelling in different temperatures for a while before I got it. Thanks Parcelfarce for the additional 3 days in an unheated depot. Slight niggles. Vol & Tone do nothing much until they hit zero. I'll replace these. Side dots on the neck are tiny and done in MOP so I can barely see them. I'll get stickers. Fingerboard was dry as a bone. Gave it a bit of oil. Apart from that it's great. I'll probably swap the pickups as I can never resist doing this even when I don't need to. A bargain at £249.[/quote] Cheers for that - now, can I resist buying myself a nice red one for Christmas? Even though I don't do Christmas? J.

[quote name='Low End Bee' post='1029179' date='Nov 19 2010, 12:35 PM']I bought one. It deviates a fair bit from a Ric. It's very nice though. [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?s=&showtopic=109268&view=findpost&p=1028717"]Retrovibe RV4[/url][/quote] He does these in red with black binding/scratchplate now - can't say I'm not tempted. Any danger of a brief review? J.

Having looked at the bass in question, it's OK, I have no idea what it would cost new, but the realistically the market on BC for spooky goth kid basses is inevitably a small one. I've bought & sold a good few things on BC, never had a bad experience, and met some splendid people. Most importantly I have found that when you are trying to sell an instrument with niche interest (vintage JapCrap in my case) then you need patience, a realistic start price, a willingness to consider reasonable offers and haggle, and to be willing to post to the UK & Europe for a reasonable cost. I've never actually tried bellowing insults & accusations at my potential customers. Worth a go? Jon.

There's always sw@nky - works a treat when you're effing & blinding too! Jon.

Two Horrible Hondos, both sellers batsh!t mental in their own special ways: [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=230552367536"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...em=230552367536[/url] - this really won't be around long. [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=200544984534"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...em=200544984534[/url] - and this one will be there until he has a a reality check, or Hell freezes over. J.

Eh up, Captain Shoutychops. So you're bellowing at everyone and making huge, inaccurate generalisations about this community because no-one's buying your bass. I can think of three possible reasons for this scenario, which are as follows: i) Your bass is rubbish. ii) You want far too much money for it. iii) A combination of points i and ii. Since opening this thread on the subject you have successfully added another reason: iv) Behaving like a cock. I hope this has clarified things for you, unfortunately at this point I can offer no advice about how you could possibly rectify this situation, but I strongly suspect that ranting and shouting won't suddenly start being the best approach. Jon.

Got a look at it before the listing was pulled - definitely very shonky. Not certain, but didn't it say "Marcus Miller [b]style[/b]"? Wonder if it was one of these with a dodgy sticker: [url="http://www.bachmusik.com/en/music-instruments/bass-guitars/model-bach-bjb-s"]http://www.bachmusik.com/en/music-instrume...odel-bach-bjb-s[/url] Jon.

Is it really better than a Wal, or did he drag it out of a skip last week and make all that crap up? I wonder... Jon.

Rickenbacker International Corp, despite the important-sounding name is just a small, family-run American business and they do not have the legal right, reach or cash to touch anyone outside the US. Rick copies get pulled off Ebay because Ebay's a US company & happens to be based just down the road from RIC in California. You'll notice lots of Rick copies are currently manufactured and available - Rockinbetter, Shine, Indie, Anniversary etc can all be bought easily in the UK. The retailers, distributors, importers & manufacturers market these things openly - I doubt John Hall's particularly pleased about it but there's not a whole lot he can do. So I don't think he's likely to be too bothered by a little UK bass forum. The issue isn't really copies (or counterfeits, which are not the same thing at all), it's trademark protection. In the US, it's a requirement of law that a trademark owner (and all of RIC's designs are registered trademarks) has to take action against infringements to maintain ownership of the TM. If they don't, the mark enters the public domain & anyone can use it - which is precisely what happened to Fender & Gibson's body shape designs in the 70s. This is US-specific legislation meaning copies available in the rest of the world don't affect the US trademark ownership. None of this explains what happened to the build thread, though... Jon.

[quote name='neepheid' post='1027679' date='Nov 18 2010, 10:12 AM']They're possibly not retards - merely working on the statistical possibility that there's always someone out there who's more cerebrally challenged than oneself. "There's a sucker born every minute"? You're clearly not in their target market and I think you feel hurt and left out as a consequence, feeling the need to lash out because of your feelings of abandonment and rejection [/quote] That's an interesting analysis, but unfortunately somewhat wide of the mark. My feelings of abandonment & rejection are the result of a traumatic experiences at a strict single-gender school, and those are what drives me to don my gasmask and oilskins, grab my rubber-handled clawhammer and go out killing on a warm summer's evening. It's very cathartic and I'd recommend it to anyone. J.

That's really nice - I have a soft spot for the more modern Arias, they have a cheapo reputation they don't really deserve. This looks like a distant relative of the [url="http://www.matsumoku.org/models/ariaproii/catalogs/78_pb1500_slick/78_pb1500_slick.jpg.html"]PB-1500[/url]. They should reissue that one! Jon.

Another cretin making up fantasy rubbish to try & sell their broken junk. Can anyone explain why it is these retards seem to think that everyone else is even more stupid & ignorant than they are? Unbelievable! Jon.

Yep - Hohner The Jack bass, made in Korea by Cort, late 80s/early 90s, hardware licensed by Steinberger. Btw Hohner & Hofner are entirely separate brands, and Hofner have never made anything like this! Jon.

[quote name='kevbass' post='1027215' date='Nov 17 2010, 07:22 PM']Might be worth getting it and taking that fur off and if the finish is sh*te stripping it down?[/quote] Possibly but £120 is a bit much for something that might be wrecked underneath - certainly too much for a gyppo like me! J.

[quote name='Annoying Twit' post='1027374' date='Nov 17 2010, 10:09 PM']There have been a lot of this type and colour of bass on ebay recently. [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/CMI-EBO-Bass-Guitar-1974-Gibson-Copy-MIJ-SG-Shape-/120648657774?pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item1c17386b6e"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/CMI-EBO-Bass-Guitar-...=item1c17386b6e[/url][/quote] Or is it just the same one being flipped around like a stranded fish - check his feedback! He's also got a nice Maya Gibson Marauder copy which he bought about a fortnight ago too. Some of his "facts" are a bit arse-about-face - not sure where he's doing his research. J.

[quote name='kevbass' post='1027116' date='Nov 17 2010, 05:40 PM']I do wonder what all that fur is covering up, like a bad paint job underneath or damaged wood.[/quote] Nah. I expect he just thought this particular piece of early 70s, rare, never-seen-in-the-UK JapCrap was some cheap rubbish for him to f@ck up. Such a pity! J.