Bassassin

I think it's fair to say there was some outstanding bass playing in quite a lot of 80s chart-botherers. What went wrong? J.

The only one I know about is the Japanese SQ series (around 1984) - these are longscale: Got any pics of the bass in question? A quick Google gives the impression that the Korean shortscale version just looks like a scaled-down P, rather than having the Tele head & unusual pickups the SQ has. Jon.

[quote name='matski' post='935960' date='Aug 25 2010, 01:54 PM'] Is Georgina (that's her real name) Prebble still at it? She went to school with my sister and once asked me to teach her how to play bass...[/quote] She is - and [url="http://www.myspace.com/diesofluid"]DSF[/url] are not 'alf bad if you like that sort of thing. J.

If we are allowed top-class bassists who made their name playing bubblegum, I'll have [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKIs_6qc4cQ"]Too Shy by Kajagoogoo[/url]. Jon.

[quote name='Bassassin' post='935844' date='Aug 25 2010, 12:24 PM']I dunno. I should probably actually listen to her music...[/quote] Did this. Belakiss play generic student union bar landfill indie, actually sounding a little bit out-of-step with the 80s & electro influence many of the genre's current bands display. Her root note basslines are quite appropriate and more complexity wouldn't add anything worthwhile to the song. Penguins are slightly more interesting & a bit more eclectic but not really a suitable showcase for technique either - you'd only notice the bass if it wasn't there. The singer really defines the songs, but her style & delivery is somewhat cliched. She sounds a lot like Grog Prebble from Die So Fluid / Feline/ Flinch, only a bit more one-dimensional. In short then - her bands are rubbish, stick to the sexy dancin'.

Interesting this - when I read the first post, my knee-jerk reaction was to think - you wouldn't have heard of her - or her band - if her Grandad hadn't been in The Beatles, and to muse briefly about the shallowness of the prerequisites for garnering attention (if not success) in the music business. Subsequently reading through, I'm now wondering if my initial response would have quite as jaundiced and prejudicial if she'd been introduced as "Zak Starkey's daughter". I think Zak has a level of credibility as a musician that his father, correctly or otherwise, has never been accorded - probably largely due to that snotty remark of Lennon's. That said I suspect the majority of the general public are only aware of Zak (if they're aware of him at all) for being Ringo's kid. I dunno. I should probably actually listen to her music... Jon.

[quote name='noelk27' post='935579' date='Aug 25 2010, 01:44 AM']The original SB-INT was not built by Matsumoku.[/quote] Thanks for that Noel - I knew they were MIJ but had an idea they were from '87 and therefore post-Mat. J.

I'd say decide what you want from a Jazz, then buy the bits & put one together yourself. Jon.

As an when - and it's not really a practice, just playing through a set of songs it looks like we're never going to gig again, because it looks like we're never going to gig again. Jon.

[quote name='karlfer' post='935205' date='Aug 24 2010, 07:31 PM']I'll get me coat then study how to get back to plot. Karl.[/quote] Good plan - dredging up all these old memories has made the nightmares start again... J.

[quote name='tino' post='935030' date='Aug 24 2010, 05:20 PM']Change of subject....got a 1974 Ibanez copy thinking of putting a Badass on ....anyone here done it...pros surely cant be any cons....can there???[/quote] 1974 Ibanez copy of what, Tino? If it's your 2388B/DX then don't - get a Hipshot, which is a direct replacement for the old bridge and will also allow string spacing adjustment - important on those parallel Rick-type necks. If you went for a Badass you'd have to fill/cover a bleedin' great route and would permanently alter what is (as you know) a rare & collectable bass. Plus the BA2 is an ugly, hefty primitive lump of slag. J.

Very nice bass, that & I'd be surprised if it didn't play as good as it looks. Modern Arias don't have the reputation the vintage ones do, and I think that's a bit undeserved - the newer ones I've played (I have 3!) are well made & very good quality for the money. Ross - you might already know, but the IGB range does date back to the mid 80s, so there are a few MIJ (possibly Matsumoku) examples which come up from time to time. Jon.

[quote name='Annoying Twit' post='934187' date='Aug 23 2010, 09:19 PM']Why does this have Tokai in the description?[/quote] Either a: because the seller's a liar, or b: because there's a (possibly spurious) suggestion that some of Hondo's higher-end stuff - ie not this - was latterly made in Japan by Tokai. There are certainly some confirmed Matsumoku Hondos in the early 80s Professional range, but I've never seen anything positively ID'd as Tokai. I'm now pretty certain that all of their 70s copy stuff (even the nice ones like the set-neck LP I had) was Korean in origin. J.

Resesve on the Washburn's £275. I'm out, then. [quote name='karlfer' post='934138' date='Aug 23 2010, 08:29 PM']Yes mate. She still makes toast by nailing bread to the wall and burping at it. [/quote] Yep - that's her alright. Does she still shave "down there" with that industrial sander? At least, I [i]think[/i] she was shaving with it... Oh, and if you ever find out what the 3rd nipple does, could you let me know? J.

[quote name='tauzero' post='934002' date='Aug 23 2010, 06:34 PM']Is [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Fretless-Bass-with-Case-/270623035822?pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV"]this[/url] a Matsu? Come to think of it, has someone already posted a link to it? [/quote] It certainly isn't. It's Korean-made, probably originally sold as Satellite, very heavy, solid but not particularly good quality. I really hope no-one pays £150+ for this - I sold one of these a few weeks ago for £58, which was a good few quid less than I paid for it when I bought it here! That Washboard Vulture's lovely -I won't be bidding, but I asked the geezer what his reserve is. J.

Has that got a varnished fretboard or bare wood? J.

Presently I have genuinely lost count of how many basses & bass projects are stacking up around me. I don't really want to depress myself by counting the bodies, and adding up what I spent on them, but considering the type of disreputable junk that gives me amusement and ensures my playing stays sloppy and awkward, at a rough guess it's probably not more than about £120. Jon.

Mid 70s is about as accurate as you can be about non-serialised ones, which I assume this is. Value, on BC probably £300ish, on ThiefBay maybe £350 - £400, particularly if a bidding war kicks off. Anyway: CMI = Cleartone Musical Instruments, which was a sub-brand of Marshall Amps, apparently set up by Big Jim to side-step a dodgy/restrictive distribution deal the Marshall brand was tied to. As well as amps they sold guitars & basses, predominantly Japanese-made copies but also some original designs made in the UK by Ned Callan. This of course is a JapCrap copy & a damn fine one it looks too. These are the same, as far as I can tell, as the Shaftesbury & Cimar-badged through-necks, and are very accurate, realistically they only compromise on the original with the generic little tuners and single truss rod. Because they appear under a few different brands, this type is fairly common but I'm really stumped as to who made them. I can say though it wasn't Matsumoku (who did make CMI bolt-neck fakers), Fujigen or Kasuga - their Rick copies are well-documented and have idiosyncrasies and differences that make them easy to recognise. As far as I can see this one looks in great condition, very unusual to see the bridge pup cover still in place, they are usually the first thing to get removed/lost, just like real Ricks. More pics, as soon as you like! Jon.

[quote name='BassBus' post='933551' date='Aug 23 2010, 12:49 PM']Tell you what I'm tired with is a lot of the contributions to this thread recently. BGM is a mag that has to cater for a wide range of players and genres. You can't please all of the people all of the time, as someone once said. If you are that unhappy with it do as some have done and go else where and stop whinging. I think they do a pretty good job. I don't read it from cover to cover but I can usually find enough to satisfy me. There have been a lot of complaints about type setting and typos in the mag. Well quite frankly some of the contributers to this thread should check their own posts first before they criticise others. Rant over. [/quote] You know what? I strongly suspect if you give it a little consideration, you'll appreciate that a pretty good representation of the magazine's readership is right here. Complaining about it. Jon.

[quote name='waynepunkdude' post='928365' date='Aug 18 2010, 09:14 AM']The guy in the shop where I got my ABM cab from told me Mark King had played through it, could be true as they do get a lot of old tour stuff in there but he obviously didn't realise that wouldn't be a selling point to me.[/quote] Well, if that counts - in 1981 I bought a bass (Washburn B20 Stage series) from Macari's in Charing Cross Road, which is where Mark King apparently worked as a bass salesperson before L42 turned pro. I was just a snotty kid and have no recollection of who got the bass down from the wall, or whether or not he played any boinkety-boinkety slap lines on it before handing it to me, whereupon I probably fumblingly attempted to play something by Rush - most likely Xanadu or Red Barchetta. So, apropos of nothing at all, really. J.

My band organised live music for a small festival in Edinburgh for 5 years - backline was provided and we had a strict 30 min running time for each band & a 15-minute changeover. We did make sure we got each band's equipment & setup requirements off them well in advance so the sound guys knew what they were dealing with. Bands, sound crew & organisers all knew exactly how it was (hopefully) going to work beforehand, and on the whole everything went pretty smoothly. Realistically the best you can do is assume backline is provided unless you're told otherwise, and let the organisers know your specific requirements (no. & type of amps, no. of mics/DI etc). Make sure your set is brief unless you're told otherwise & drummer brings his own breakables. Jon.

[quote name='warwickhunt' post='933460' date='Aug 23 2010, 11:12 AM']The x1 Jazz + x0.5 Precision pup seems an intriguing mod' I'd like to know the rational (and how it works) behind that. If it is wired in then its obviously intended to beef up the D G strings but I'm just not sure how that would pan out or (and this is my guess) is it just a Jazz pup and the 1/2 P pup is just to fill in the offending space![/quote] Why not ask - it's either Ms Charles or a close acquaintance selling the bass, or I doubt they'd be offering a signature! I don't think that neck looks the same age as the rest of the bass. Finish on the headstock front looks a bit orange-peel, too - I'd say it's a replacement. J.

What a strange modification. Not sure why you'd do that. Yolanda's been an active session player for years & her own band's supporting Level 42 on their upcoming tour, so it's a reasonable assumption that she can play a bit. Jon.

[quote name='karlfer' post='933074' date='Aug 22 2010, 09:03 PM']Didn't know you'd met the wife Jon. [/quote] [i]You[/i] married my ex? J.

[quote name='Annoying Twit' post='933249' date='Aug 23 2010, 12:03 AM']I asked if the can get me a Rickenbacker 4003 bass guitar for less than £600.[/quote] Oh, no bother. They'll sort you out with one of [url="http://www.tradetang.com/for-sale/Rickenbacker-4-string-bass-Sunburst-Jazz-bass-Solid-body-Electric-bass-Free-Shipping-new-68864/122208-2519862.html"]these[/url]. Maybe even two! J.