Bassassin

[quote name='Annoying Twit' post='919633' date='Aug 9 2010, 02:02 PM']Good luck with that. I won't be bidding, and I won't be contacting the bidder to somehow "reserve" it from under your nose either [/quote] Giving it some thought - I'll sit this one out because I'm currently taking on more projects than I could finish in my remaining lifespan! So if you or anyone else fancies a pop please go for it & I hope you get a bargain. Expect to see me offloading a lot of stuff I'm never going to finish/use on here real soon. Anyone want a brand-new Badass 2, still in the packet? J.

[quote name='Clarky' post='919607' date='Aug 9 2010, 01:42 PM']Edit: 10 years ago I owned a Fender 80s black/maple Jazz that was previously owned by Terence Trent Darby's player, or so I was told by Macari's on Charing Cross Road. Bit of a comedown from Willie Weeks, no offence TTD's bass player![/quote] TTD's original bassist was Cass Lewis, subsequently of Skunk Anansie. If it was him I'd be suitably impressed. I very much doubt if any of my tat has a high-profile provenance - although I did once have a Columbus Jazz copy with a big Cargo Studios (where early Joy Division & loads of Factory Records stuff was made) sticker on the back - and I always sort of hoped it might've been a Cargo house bass at one point. In which case it might have technically belonged to Peter Hook, who co-owned Cargo in the 80s. But I doubt it. Jon.

This topic would fare better if moved to the "Bass Guitars" forum, I think. Oi - Mods! I've actually got an Aria STB-GT. It's a gorgeous-looking bass but came with a couple of issues which I'd be unhappy with if I'd paid new shop price for it (which being a cheapskate pikey, I didn't). First of all the fretwork was a bit scruffy, with some ragged ends up the dusty end of the board, and a bit of buzzing & rattling here & there. I'm quite happy to roll my sleeves up and sort out stuff like this but I appreciate that most people aren't as hands-on. Secondly, the active preamp has a nasty habit of eating batteries, even when the lead's disconnected. I've been unable to find out why it does this so I have to remember to take out the battery when not using the bass. I'm not a huge fan of actives so my intention is to bin the preamp & original pup & replace it with a decent passive MM type with splittable coils, and try playing around with some interesting wiring options. Jon.

[quote name='Annoying Twit' post='919355' date='Aug 9 2010, 10:28 AM']My ears went up in a Snoopy like fashion when I saw the word "Status", thinking that maybe it was a Status neck like the UK made Westone 6 strings. But, it seems that it's only the hardware that's branded Status, and it might not be the same company. In any case, here it is for those with the practical skills. [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Status-Washburn-headless-Bass-guitar-body-and-Hardware-/300453646869?cmd=ViewItem&pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item45f46ed215"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Status-Washburn-head...=item45f46ed215[/url][/quote] It is a "proper" Status in that these were official licensed copies made in Japan & sold with the Washburn brand, as you say with genuine Status hardware & electronics. This is a potentially very easy project for someone who'd be happy bunging conventional J pups & wiring in, as a gyppo such as me might. I'm watchin'. Jon

[url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=270619342707"]This[/url] is quite simply extraordinary. I just don't know what to say... J.

[quote name='Oggy' post='918799' date='Aug 8 2010, 03:27 PM']Your a very lucky old git if you have the talent to not only play but also create fresh music - more power to your elbow Bassassin. Oggy [/quote] Many thanks for the kind words Oggy - I suppose I'm a writer first before I'm a bassist. I've certainly played my share of covers & enjoyed it (up to a point) but I've always got much more out of performing my own work! We have no illusions about commercial success - yes, I think there's probably an audience & therefore a market for what we do, but for me it's about making & playing the music - not trying to sell it! A lot of people seem to stop doing music for a good few years & then come back to it in their late 30s - 40s. I've played continuously - I did have 6 or 7 years out of bands but during that time I was focussed on writing & recording (alongside getting married/having kids/getting divorced) and it was creatively a very productive period for me. It meant when I got back into bands, I had a ready-made set, and in fact one of the songs from that era is still in my present band's repertoire! There was a discussion on here a while ago about giving up music, someone made a comment along the lines that "you're not finished with music until music's finished with you". That stuck in my mind - I like that a lot! Jon.

[quote name='Happy Jack' post='917948' date='Aug 7 2010, 01:26 PM']Did I mention [i][b]dull Pacific Rim instruments[/b][/i]? For some reason, Washburn have just never made it onto my radar.[/quote] I've got a soft spot for the late 70s/early 80s Washboards, probably due to my first "quality" bass being a B20 Stage series Explorer-ish posing plank. Borderline unplayable unless you had gorilla-arms, but a work of art as far as finish & attention to detail was concerned. And you have to admit £85 is ridiculous for a top-end Matsumoku/Yamaki (no-one's entirely sure) bass. Dull or otherwise! J.

Selling's a different matter. All my listings are 99p, no reserve and while most things are still reaching very good final prices, I've had a string of non-paying bidders lately. I think Ebay's attitude of buyer = God, private seller = dodgy scumbag has led to the place being full of tyrekickers just bidding stuff up for a laugh, because there are no consequences to being a twat any more. It really is sh!t these days. J.

It's certainly interesting, but I'm not quite sure. It's almost as though the question of how to design a bass guitar has been answered with "Strat on steroids". It's got an air of parts-box not-quite-rightness about it which puts me in mind of some of [url="http://www.givson.com/products8.htm"]Mother India's finest[/url]. Jon.

It's been getting gradually worse for the last 3 or 4 years, and they do insist on "upgrading" the search engine regularly to make sure it spams you with a lot of BIN tat (usually from the States) that you don't want. I've given up with saved search parameters for this reason so my search tends to go Bass >> Guitars >> Newly Listed >> UK Only - and I still manage to find a fair few interesting auctions that way. And there's still the occasional mad bargain to be found: [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Washburn-SB40-Bass-Guitar-/270616091785"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Washburn-SB40-Bass-G...r-/270616091785[/url] Jon.

Ice lolly sticks. You can use the side edges of the pocket to mark a template on each side of the heel & cut & shape bits of lolly stick to fit. Eat the lollies first. Glue 'em on and then use a sanding block to thin them until you get a firm fit. With any luck your scratchplate will cover the tops of the shims when the bass is assembled. Jon.

Not completely sure how I feel about this sort of thing. I suppose it should be right up my street, me being an old git involved in playing, writing & recording original material at an unsigned level, and that seeming to be what their "mission statement" is predominantly championing. However I can't help feeling that the last thing a band like mine needs is to voluntarily pigeonhole - and further marginalise - itself as a "mature" band. I'm not sure I'm expressing this too well - in fact I probably need to give a bit more thought to my reaction in order to articulate it to myself a bit more clearly. This is doubtless a good thing for some old gits - but perhaps not for [i]all[/i] old gits! Jon.

I'm not sure what there is to argue about here. The seller offers a returns policy which entitles you to a refund based simply on your whim. If he refuses to honour this he is in breach of Ebay's T&Cs and possibly risks having his account suspended. I strongly suspect his 10% surcharge also breaches T&Cs he's signed up to. Ebay is massively weighted in favour of the buyer. Send the bloody bass back & use Ebay's dispute process to force him to give you a full refund. And next time buy a bass off BC! Jon.

[quote name='OldGit' post='916043' date='Aug 5 2010, 02:42 PM']Wanted a loud one wiv lotsa wats £240 BIN? [url="http://www.soundslive.co.uk/product~name~Squire-Vintage-Modified-Jazz-Bass~ID~5360.asp"]£230 new[/url][/quote] Not as good as this gonk: [url="http://edinburgh.gumtree.com/edinburgh/37/63301037.html"]http://edinburgh.gumtree.com/edinburgh/37/63301037.html[/url] I dunno though - maybe that's a good price for a "Jass Percussion bass"... J.

[quote name='Mr. Foxen' post='916170' date='Aug 5 2010, 04:42 PM']Email him, saying you want it for the BIN, and he can cancel the bid.[/quote] I'll do that, if you'll loan me the £999 on an indefinite, interest-free basis! J.

[quote name='samuel' post='915645' date='Aug 5 2010, 09:16 AM']hello guys and girls, Just been offered my first fretless a hohner j. can't really find any info on these so are they any good??? price is only £90 which seems good value to me thanks[/quote] I'm guessing this will be a Hohner Professional from the 80s/90s, based on the fact that quite a few fretless Hohners Js come up on Ebay. Never played one myself but based on other Hohner Pros I've owned or played I'd expect it to be pretty decent, and that's a good price if it's in nice condition. If it looks good, plays well & sounds good it sounds like a deal to me. Even better if you can haggle 'em down to £75 or £80. Jon.

Sounds to me like there was possibly a manufacturing cock-up with your first one. I had a GB7 which I bought in about 2002 on my Ibanez SR800 - I had no problems with dropping to D and it had plenty of range to go a fair bit lower. Maybe there was a dodgy (or perhaps "experimental") batch. Jon.

[quote name='Geddys nose' post='915134' date='Aug 4 2010, 04:51 PM'][url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/rickenbacker-bass-guitar-/300452836683?cmd=ViewItem&pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item45f462754b"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/rickenbacker-bass-gu...=item45f462754b[/url] Can't imagine this being around long [/quote] Since some tard's placed a bid rather than hitting the BIN, it'll be around for a week. And I don't expect it'll be any particular bargain either. Jon.

[quote name='Annoying Twit' post='914719' date='Aug 4 2010, 11:05 AM']To me it looks a bit like a Westone Thunder 1 that's had its' share of the ugly stick. Are they better instruments than the easily available Thunders or do they have any other unique selling points? I do understand that collectors like to have a range of different things, but I'm thinking from the point of view of buying to use.[/quote] They're rare, Japanese & well-made - and that's about it as far as USPs are concerned. No idea whether it's "better" than a Thunder having never seen one outside of pics, but Kasuga quality's comparable with good Mats & Fujigens so I'd expect it to be good. It's a through-neck which I suppose puts it in the Thunder II / III bracket for comparison. Although it only has the P pup which will make it more limited sound-wise. Apropos of nothing, I've never seen one of these in the UK with a Kasuga badge. [quote name='Annoying Twit' post='914760' date='Aug 4 2010, 11:49 AM']Cimar Jazz bass project. Multiple issues. Buyer wants £99, and claims that a restored Cimar Jazz sold for £250 recently. [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/CIMAR-1970s-JAZZ-BASS-MIJ-PROJECT-SPARES-REPAIRS-/280543812228?cmd=ViewItem&pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item4151b6da84"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/CIMAR-1970s-JAZZ-BAS...=item4151b6da84[/url] I think £99 is too much, personally.[/quote] Agree. It's pretty shagged and to be fair it's not a very good bass to start with. The seller says "If you are reading this you will be aware of the relationship between these early Cimar models and Ibanez" and you know, he's quite right - I do. To elaborate, the relationship at this point was that Hoshino was the distributor for Cimar - and that's it. There were very good Cimar copies, but also low-end budget starter stuff such as this. The body's very thin & made from plywood, under the scratchplate you'll find a big splintery "swimming pool" route for both pup & wiring, the bridge is a two-saddle thing with screws designed to hack your hand to bits. I had one identical to this (£75 from a local pawn shop, needed a clean & a replacement pup) and that's what I found. These are a bit lower down the food chain than the Columbus J copies, IMO this is worth about £50 in its present state. J.

[quote name='Annoying Twit' post='914381' date='Aug 3 2010, 10:30 PM']Can I ask what you're suggesting might be happening? (Just your personal opinion of course.)[/quote] I'd be inclined to suspect that if a pretty nondescript Jap J copy gets bid to nearly £200 with nearly 5 days left to run, then there's a bit of shill bidding going on. The private listing means you can't check the recent Ebay activity of the other "bidders". Expect it to sit at £180 until the end of the auction, when (if the seller's lucky) a real bidder will get it for £180.01, or it will "sell" at £180 to be almost immediately relisted due to some spurious excuse. Unless of course I'm being wildly cynical. [quote name='Mr. Foxen' post='914383' date='Aug 3 2010, 10:31 PM'][url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Pro-Martin-Custom-Bass-Guitar-Thru-neck-Strange-Beast-/170522712547?cmd=ViewItem&pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item27b3f219e3"]Pro Martin?[/url] Looks sort of like some of the Cort made jobs.[/quote] It does - because some of them were knock-offs of the Kasuga Scorpion: [url="http://brochures.yokochou.com/guitar-and-amp/kasuga/198x/p4.html"]http://brochures.yokochou.com/guitar-and-a...ga/198x/p4.html[/url] And this is a Scorpion SCB900 with a different badge. Not something that comes up too often. J.

[quote name='spinynorman' post='914063' date='Aug 3 2010, 05:12 PM']It's a private listing. The shame [/quote] And.... it's just been bid up to £180. Mmmmmmkay... J.