Bassassin

Realistically, if you bought it here, it's worth what you paid for it. Jon.

Ghastly. Another "Snoopy with a plank rammed down his throat" bass. I suppose the construction method's interesting - I've never seen anything like that before, but combined with the overall aesthetic (for want of a better word) it all conspires to make one of the ugliest basses I think I've seen so far. It probably makes an interesting sound when the wind blows through it, though. Jon.

First of all, some pics for the porn stash: [attachment=60664:front.jpg] [attachment=60669:headfront.jpg] [attachment=60665:back.jpg] [attachment=60668:headback.jpg] [attachment=60667:fullfrontal.jpg] [attachment=60666:fullback.jpg] It's had the full seeing-to: stripdown, thorough clean-up, frets polished (they didn't need crowning) and setup - apart from adjusting the truss rod; I don't have the correct tool & it doesn't need it anyway. It's strung with Picato 735s, as recommended by Eric, and it's a lovely player with a wonderfully comfortable neck shape, particularly accentuated following a decent setup and strings that fit! So far I've only played it on my own & at practice - my band's having lineup & member availability problems & haven't been able to gig since before I got the Peavey - but I'm finding the weight (and thinking about it, perhaps the weight distribution) to be a problem. Sonically it's very versatile and I think if I could stay comfortable for long enough I could coax the necessary cutting but guttural snarly racket out of it (think Rick-era Geddy Lee in a fight with JJ Burnel), but after 10 minutes my back feels like it should be making the sound I want to hear from the bass! This is quite odd, because my long-time favourite bass (a tricked-out JapCrap Jazz copy) is only 3/4 lbs lighter (it's 9.94 lbs while the Peavey's 10.75) but I can happily play a 2-hour rehearsal with it, and have gigged it hundreds of times. I'm inclined to think the T-40's significantly heavier in the body so it puts stress on my back in a different way. It's become one of these basses where I think I should sell it, right up to the point I pick it up & play it. Sitting down, obviously. J.

There's [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Peavey-T-40-Bass-Guitar-case-/170548310933"]this one[/url] on the 'Bay, too. Absolutely gorgeous - and Eric has already got one like this! Sadly not getting on with mine as well as I'd hoped. J.

I've had this happen many times - they're not necessarily scammers, I'm inclined to think they're usually bored little tossers who just want to bugger someone about for no particular reason. Just cancel all their bids and add their Ebay user name to your blocked bidder list, & forget about it. If they're persistent & create another Ebay account to persist in hassling you, rinse & repeat, as they say. Jon.

[quote name='TimR' post='977718' date='Oct 4 2010, 09:47 PM']Maybe not on this thread. I take the original question as what is the appeal of playing other people's music? What is the alternative if you don't write your own? It doesn't mean you are somehow not a proper musician.[/quote] I see. I don't know how much of a compositional contribution the OP makes to his successful originals band - if indeed they are still composing and gigging new material. If they're not, I think that puts an interesting perspective on the discussion which hasn't yet been touched upon. I guess I assumed your comment was aimed at me, since it's been me intermittently banging on about playing covers being unrewarding if you happen to write original material which you consider to be any good. This is only a personal perspective and I wouldn't for a moment wish to denigrate bassists who don't write. In fact players whose sole focus is their instrument are almost inevitably going to be more versatile and technically adept than some hapless jack-of-all-trades like me. J.

[quote name='TimR' post='977682' date='Oct 4 2010, 09:22 PM']It's is not essential to be able to compose good music to be a musician.[/quote] I'm not sure anyone's even implied that it is, have they? J.

[quote name='Stacker' post='977283' date='Oct 4 2010, 04:12 PM']I'll bet the RIC police on Rickresource contacted John Hall long ago about these fellas; I'm surprised they haven't gotten an injuction slapped on them yet, for they've been out for a while.[/quote] Not entirely convinced RIC's reach extends to the Czech Republic - in fact not too far outside the US. Lots of Rick copies seem to get openly sold with impunity these days, so it's probably a bit more than they can cope with. These are definitely a bit special-looking compared to the run-of-the-mill Rockinbetters & Anniversaries, and I'd love to get a good look at one. If I remember rightly there have been a few Bach threads on here before, although not for a while. Didn't the main guy from Bach actually post here a few times? Jon.

I had an SQ P, best Precision I ever played, absolutely beautiful burst & woodgrain: [attachment=60579:sqp2.jpg] [attachment=60580:sqp6.jpg] Really only sold it because I can never get the sound I want from a Precision so it never got used. I regret it every time I look at the pics - doubt I'll get the chance of another one as nice. As far as I know build quality of these & JVs are pretty much identical, main differences seem to be that JVs were highly detailed vintage reissues & the subsequent SQ range was based on Fender's current designs at the time. Jon.

[quote name='Stan_da_man' post='977172' date='Oct 4 2010, 02:52 PM']The band I'm in now I write and compose all the music.[/quote] I did say "most" bassists - and so far you're the second person in a 12-page thread who's responded to my observation. Which might well speak for itself. So anyway - you'd walk away from your songs & present band & never look back, for more regular gigs & a bit of cash playing covers? Me neither. J.

In response to the idea that playing covers will broaden your playing & make you a better bassist - absolutely. I learned to play entirely by playing other peoples' songs, and still love to learn & (try to) perfect other players' bass parts that stretch me & challenge me. The trouble is that audiences on the whole don't seem to want to hear the sort of covers which stretch & challenge the bassist! J.

Kimbara J for £20??? These are very, very good - Kimbara was the top-end range from importer FCN Music, and as far as I can tell all their electrics (acoustics are actually more common) were sourced from Matsumoku. Your bass is definitely a mid-70s Matsumoku, who exclusively used the Steel Adjustable type plate. The serial number is probably random - most are on copy-era Mats, but post 75-ish there were some dateable serials using a couple of different schemes on these plates. The pickups, with adjuster screws at the ends only seem to turn up on Mat Jazz copies too. Anyway here's the Aria-badged version of your bass: [url="http://www.matsumoku.org/models/aria/catalogs/75_aria/75_aria_catalog_pg3.jpg.html"]http://www.matsumoku.org/models/aria/catal...og_pg3.jpg.html[/url] I've recently got a batch of old 70s catalogues & leaflets (courtesy of Bass Doc) including a couple of Kimbara ones. The natural finish version of your bass is included (model N.124) and the spec gives the body wood as maple. I'm no wood expert but yours doesn't look "grainy" enough for that or sen, which was also commonly used. I do know they sometimes used birch laminates on mahogany, but I'm guessing yours is solid, by the absence of contour oversprays. Anyway, £20 is a steal, as would £50 have been. Lovely bass and please take more pics! Jon.

That really is cheap. That's the sort of thing a gyppo would buy simply for the outrageous profiteering opportunity. And me stuck up here in Edinburgh... Jon.

Can't tell with this one but this is probably why so many 70s Fenders have such dreadful string & bridge alignment. J.

[quote name='tino' post='976034' date='Oct 3 2010, 02:55 PM']Youve talked me into keeping the bugg*r.The neck swayed it...I cant understand how the body got in the condition it is and the neck appears unused.....I think they possibly used it as a cricket bat... Mrs T is gonna lose it....flowers me thinks may go some way to swaying it. .Yeah like that will do it Possibly 10 days in the Caymans might Shes already kicked my new Fender.....but there was a smile when the Mesa sold on the Bay [/quote] Just tell her about the massive profit you'll make on the Fender when it's finished. And that you'll sell it "as soon as the market picks up a bit". J.

[quote name='tino' post='975810' date='Oct 3 2010, 11:06 AM']Pics[/quote] Cheers for that! August '72, then? J.

[quote name='Delberthot' post='975940' date='Oct 3 2010, 01:26 PM']Thunderbird necks are a lot narrower at the heel than Fenders and the like. There's a seller in th US sells Epi parts. Pm me the width and I'll measure my thunderbird if you like[/quote] He'd have to move the bridge back to compensate but this with a T-bird neck would actually be pretty cool... Would need a forked stick to prop the headstock up, though! J.

[quote name='tino' post='975165' date='Oct 2 2010, 05:10 PM']Yes inkstamped numbers with a sort of engraved Maxon.... no way to test the reading though.......In fact just after my laST post I managed to buy myself a Fender 71 jazz body & neck from a pal that was insistent that he would never sell so Im splitting up this bass and parting it out to pay towards for the parts I need for the Fender....good old recycler that I am....its got a beauty of a neck,nice pups and most of the hardwares good the body needs love but nice basis for a relic....and I cant really undertake 2 projects at this point in time...ones pushing it as far as Mrs T is concerned Needs Must etc etc etc I will take a few pics of the pups for your records if you want them T[/quote] Not sure you'll necessarily make much of a profit parting it out - the unusual pups mean that the body, electronics & scratchplate aren't very much use without each other - there would have to be a bunch of people looking to restore the same type of bass & fighting over the parts for them to get decent bids. The neck would do OK on its own, but you're really only talking about £50 or so. Do it up a bit & sell it complete - sort the wiring, give it a meticulous clean-up, then take some clear, detailed pics & write a good description/listing title & it'll Ebay for a bit more than you paid. Anyway the pickup codes should be 5 numbers - the first is the pickup model, second the year (2=1972 etc), third the month and the last two the day of the month. J.

[quote name='noelk27' post='975615' date='Oct 3 2010, 01:05 AM'][url="http://cortleyguitars.tripod.com/"]http://cortleyguitars.tripod.com/[/url][/quote] Thanks for that Noel - bookmarked. Very interesting, genuinely never encountered this brand before. The bass in question appears to be a CB200: [url="http://cortleyguitars.tripod.com/Catalog1P6.html"]http://cortleyguitars.tripod.com/Catalog1P6.html[/url] J.

[quote name='Annoying Twit' post='975470' date='Oct 2 2010, 10:07 PM']Normally I wouldn't post a bass from the US. But I've never heard of a "Cortley" brand bass. I suppose that back in the day there were loads of micro-brands, the same way the Chinese factories will put "your" brand on a generic instrument. Was Cortley one of these, or was it a better known brand that I just hadn't heard of ye? [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Vintage-RARE-70s-Cortley-MIJ-P-Bass-Guitar-Case-Blond-/260672279280?pt=Guitar&hash=item3cb14752f0"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Vintage-RARE-70s-Cor...=item3cb14752f0[/url][/quote] New one on me, but there are probably hundreds of little US brands that were made in such small quantities that they never see the light of day. Nice-looking bass, but the seller hasn't got a clue what he's on about! J.

[quote name='karlfer' post='975423' date='Oct 2 2010, 09:12 PM']Even the horrendously long Metallica "Am I Evil" went down a storm.[/quote] Think you'll find that was Diamond Head. Metallica covered it. :ph34r: J.

[quote name='andy67' post='975454' date='Oct 2 2010, 09:56 PM']Hondo is my first instinct. andy[/quote] Nah. Johnston was probably right - I'd say Antoria. I don't think Hondo ever did an LP bass, and the pots look MIJ, not Korean. And yes - an Epi EB0 neck might very well work. I think it'd probably be too wide to fit without modification, though. J.

[quote name='ironside1966' post='975339' date='Oct 2 2010, 07:34 PM']I dont think he played on anything Steve jones did it.[/quote] This is right - original bassist Glen Matlock played on Anarchy In The UK and apparently they got him back to play on God Save The Queen, despite the fact he'd been sacked. Jones played everything else. Matlock plays on the Spu nk* bootleg - arguably the only "proper" Sex Pistols album - and he's pretty damn good. I remember reading somewhere that Alan Lancaster didn't play on any Status Quo studio albums. How rubbish would you need to be? Jon. *[i]Note to whoever programmes the autocensor - this [u]isn't[/u] a rude word. Look it up[/i].

[quote name='tino' post='975064' date='Oct 2 2010, 03:17 PM']I feel you are absolutely correct....had it to peices today PUPs are Maxon and lo & behold they work....its the control plate pots etc that are at fault,the neck is very nice with absolutely no fretwear but the body needs some love and a few coats of cellulose luminous green maywell get the vote ,tuners came up real good with a bit of spit and polish.....the bridge has all but had it but thats a relatively cheap fix in the big scheme of things... For Luminous green please read Olympic White....the GD was looking as I was typing Seen and all singing & all dancing control plate on Ebay USA with 28 different variations so thinking pop that baby in...could end up with something very nice for less than 200 sovs T[/quote] Ooh - interesting, seen a few of these pups but never with a brand stamp. Do they have an ink-stamped number as well? Many Maxxons tend to & you can date them from the serial. Very good news that they work - what are they reading? J.

[quote name='hillbilly deluxe' post='975094' date='Oct 2 2010, 04:11 PM']Prices ?[/quote] Lots for what they appear to be, if I remember rightly. J.