Bassassin

I can only speak from my own experience here, but I kind of feel most of the JapCrap starter stuff from the 70s was just in need of a good setup. At 16 I didn't have a clue - I just though my first few basses were rubbish! These days adjusting truss rods, setting intonation, dressing frets etc is second-nature, and to be honest I've found very few old Japanese basses & guitars that couldn't be made to play nicely with a little bit of work. J.

This was common on older Yamahas, not sure if they still do it. My 80s BB400S fretless has this, there would appear to be some logic behind it as a design idea but I don't think in practice it's noticeable. Jon.

[quote name='rockbass' post='840247' date='May 17 2010, 09:48 PM']Hi Jon, OK, set up your tools and speed up the gears, there's a bunch of lads standing in line. As far as I'm concerned do it either way it may be an experience. Do you need a template drawing of my current plate for the right shape and the screw holes? Or do you think the plates are matching each other? If so, I could drill the holes by myself. If you don't wanna announce your price for it right here send me a private message. Gunnar[/quote] OK - I had a go at engraving last night - sadly it was an absolute disaster! I either don't have the right tools - or more likely the right skill or steady enough hand to get the right result. So that's a no-go. However I'm pretty sure I can do a convincing Ibanez logo on a card underlay if you're interested in that. For the ones I've done previously, I've used a pic of a real Rick cover, scaled to the right size, as a template, so I think that's likely to be the right shape for your bass. If you're happy to drill the holes yourself, that would be best, because you'd be able to mark the positions exactly. As far as cost's concerned - I really don't know! I've never done a commission before. Would £35 sound reasonable? Dave - if you're cool with a clear cover with printed underlay, I can do that no problem. J.

According to the TB thread linked earlier, the importer/seller fella has these made to his specs - hence the set neck on the Aero & slightly shorter scale lengths. J.

I doubt it will be any particular bargain - I expect it will reach pretty much its secondhand market value. I start all my auctions at 99p no reserve and no-one's had a quid guitar yet. Quite the opposite, in fact. Jon.

I'd love the chance to bring this one back to life - if you don't fancy doing it, give me a shout. Columbus was the one of the most common JapCrap brands in the UK in the 70s, most of them were pretty low-end but build quality was not bad & they tend to have good necks/frets. My first guitar was a Columbus SG, and it was actually pretty good - until I snapped the headstock. Jon.

[quote name='rockbass' post='839086' date='May 16 2010, 06:35 PM']Hi Jon, strange to me either, that's why I've been entering this forum and asking. I don't wanna switch a copy into an original. But as I mentioned in my first post it was bought as a RIC. And now after years puting it apart for a cleanup I was checkin' the Ser-No. and I was wondering.... With my question before: [i][b]'So I'm wondering if one could get a plate seperately with 'Made in USA'?'[/b][/i] I didn't mean to buy one by myself, there's already one. Oppositely I'm interested in having an adequate TRC too, how can we get together on that? Gunnar[/quote] I understand what you mean now! OK - the plate on the bass is probably a real Rickenbacker one - back in the 70s it was possible to buy spare ones from Rickenbacker. They don't sell them any more - mainly because so many ended up on copies, like yours did. Now, the only way a Rick owner can get a replacement is by exchanging one they already have. I think you should ask the guys on the [url="http://www.rickresource.com/forum/index.php"]RickResource[/url] forum to take a look at your cover and check whether or not it's real. There is a "Rickenbacker Appraisals" sub-forum there that is for things like this, and those guys know everything there is to be known about Rickenbackers. If it is genuine, then they'll probably also be able to tell you how much it might be worth - the 1960s / 1970s back-printed Plexiglass ones are very rare & sought after, as far as I know. I could easily make you a TRC the same as the ones on my basses, & I could print an Ibanez inlay to go underneath it. As far as an engraved replica is concerned, I haven't tried doing this yet so I'm not completely sure I'll be able to do it! I will experiment with engraving a logo on some scrap 2-ply plastic, and if it works I'll let you know! Jon.

[quote name='Soloshchenko' post='838953' date='May 16 2010, 04:19 PM']I've said it before and I'll say it again, I'd love it if you wrote a book on the history of Japcrap/Rickenfakers mate.[/quote] I'd love to do it - but there's only 5 people in the whole world who would buy it! ______________________________________________________ Gunnar - you know it's not a Rickenbacker, & it's not made in the USA, so putting a fake TRC on it seems a bit strange to me. The 70s Rick copies are fantastic & collectable instruments in their own right & I feel they should be celebrated as such. I have 3 Rick copies, none of which had their original covers when I got them, so I've made my own from 4 mm clear acrylic: [attachment=49905:trc_x3.jpg] The designs & logos are printed on thin card inserts behind the clear covers, apart from the plain black one which is simply sprayed black on the reverse. Ibanez Rick copy truss covers were made from 2-ply white/black scratchplate material, with the Ibanez logo engraved on the front so the black lower layer showed through: [attachment=49912:f377_3.JPG] I'm quite interested in trying to engrave scratchplate plastic in this way, so I might be able to make an accurate reproduction Ibanez trc. If you're interested, let me know. Jon.

"Fret Less"? I don't know what's wrong with Ebayers these days. It's "frettles", as any fule kno. Jon.

The Rick copies are being discussed in the relevant thread on the Ebay forum: [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?s=&showtopic=270&view=findpost&p=835383"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?s=&sho...st&p=835383[/url] Personally I think they look great - I love the white/black binding one & the MM-style pups are an interesting approach on a Rick clone. The price is also better than pretty much anything else on the market (new or vintage) and if I had a spare £300 to drop on one, I might well. I wonder if the importer/seller would consider making any examples available to BC members for review? Jon.

Sorry Noel - it's a Fujigen bass, the very small/fine chequers on the binding are the main giveaway here. The serial's Fujigen too - read the first digit as a letter: I, the 9th letter of the alphabet, representing the 9th month. Second 2 digits are the year and the remainder is sequential production run for the month. Meaning this was the 6773rd instrument built at Fujigen Gakki in September 1977. Ithangyew!!! Anyway, I'd be 99% certain it was an Ibanez - in Europe/the UK (not sure whereabouts you are, Gunnar) far & away the most common examples of Fujigen 4001 copies were branded as Ibanez. I think this is a late example of an Ibanez 2388B/DX, these had their specs updated to resemble mid 70s Rickenbackers, and used more authentic pickups/surround. Earlier 2388Bs had full-width sparkly inlays copied from pre '73 Ricks (as was the chequer binding) and used Gibson-style chrome pickups. I assume when Fujigen started building 4001 copies (as far as I can ascertain around 1971/72), replica pickups weren't in production, so they just used whatever was available. Anyway excellent pics Gunnar, and the bass looks to be in great condition for its age. Is the truss rod cover a real Rickenbacker item, or do you know if it's a replica? If it's real (which it might well be if it's been on the bass since the 70s), the back-screened Plexi covers are very sought-after by Rickenbacker collectors & fans. Jon.

I have a guitarist mate who used a bass head with a 1x15 in his death metal band for years - reckoned it was the only way to get the low-end grunt he was after. And it did sound terrifying! Conversely, about 100 years ago I blew up the amp part of my HH VS bass combo and subsequently ran a borrowed 60s Marshall guitar head through the cab, until I got another amp. For a while back then, I pretty much was Lemmy. And to think if I'd managed to hang on to that old Marshall head, & still had it now, I could probably buy my own planet with what I could flog it for... Jon.

[quote name='Happy Jack' post='838191' date='May 15 2010, 03:32 PM']Does that mean it doesn't need a truss rod? [/quote] I dunno but I doubt it's got one! J.

[quote name='Johnston' post='838047' date='May 15 2010, 12:05 PM']Are they Dimazrios with the hex pole pieces???[/quote] Probably, but not always. You get Schallers that look exactly the same, as do some of the late 70s/early 80s Jap P pups. Me, I'm none too convinced it would be harmonically correct, even if you could get more than two strings not hanging over the edges of the board - the frets don't exactly look parallel! J.

[url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=120569468799"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...em=120569468799[/url] Home-made bass that looks like it's been hewn from a single big lump of mahogany (apart from a scarf-jointed headstock), lots of genuine skill, care & attention has gone into shaping & sculpting this & it's actually a very striking-looking object. Which makes it such a shame that its creator has evidently never seen an actual bass guitar & has presumably put this together from a box of random P copy bits, using a rough pencil-sketch as a guide. This'll never work! Jon.

White pearl - or why not black pearl? Never seen that on a black/rosewood/pearl blocks J before, I think it would look great. Jon.

Going to be jamming with a Rush-fan drummer soon, so I've had to dust down a few lines I haven't played for a decade or two - plus a few I've never played, so Beneath, Between & Behind has just got a couple of run-throughs. Nice & straightforward for a Rush song, so I set myself the challenge of learning the instrumental part of Free Will note-perfect - I've never worked it out properly before. Feeling quite pleased with myself because although it might still be a bit untidy, I think I've nailed it. Jon.

[quote name='bassplorer' post='616086' date='Oct 3 2009, 09:53 PM']That could be a Greco or a Electra (Corsair) as they used to call their Ric.copies. Made by a very good builder brand in japan by the 70s called Matsumoku. It is an excelent copy bass and for most of the people that has had the chance to play a Ric. and some of these copies the diference in quality of sound and playability of these guitars is almost nothing. That is why Rickenbacker still very concern when they see them on E bay ...[/quote] I don't think it's either, for a number of reasons. First of all, I assume this bass is in the UK - Greco is a home-market brand in Japan, as was Electra in the US - neither were officially imported to the UK so that alone makes it quite unlikely. Secondly, Greco's 70s 4001 copies were initally made by Matsumoku & Fujigen simultaneously, and subsequently by Fujigen alone - this bass is not either. Again, Electra's Corsair model was sourced at different times from both of these factories, and also from Kasuga Gakki - & I'm 99% sure Kasuga did not make this bass. The reason Rickenbacker are concerned by copies is nothing to do with their quality - it's simply because the existence of copies threatens their ownership of their trademark designs. Under US law if they do not pursue & prevent every visible infringement of their trademarks, they lose the right to exclusively use it, which would mean anybody & everybody had the legal right to make Rick copies. That's why there are so many Precision, Jazz, Les Paul, Strat, Telecaster etc copies - Fender & Gibson didn't act to protect their designs. Jon.

[quote name='rockbass' post='836738' date='May 13 2010, 11:37 PM']Hi, I guess I'm the same as [b]'monkealan'[/b] and maybe a bit late on that thread: I'm new in here and I might be cheeky too and I've been researching a lot and also my dad bought a 'Rick' in the late 70's which I now use but neither of us knew anything about it. It looks evan the same in details as Al's, except mine has got a black switch and a white string sattle. And very astonishing there's a printed one-letter/6-digits number at the back of the head, I always thought this was the RIC Ser-No. which isn't, but it seems like an IBANEZ-No. This copy is very accurate made and has a thru body neck and JETglo color, the checkerd bindings are matching to Rick's. But it has just one truss rod and it's head and even the cavity matches to a 77 IBANEZ Western Guitar I owne. This makes me believe that it's made by IBANEZ or GRECO. I appriciate any clue on the manufacturer of this bass? Cheers Gunnar[/quote] Hi Gunnar - if you post some pics of the bass it should be possible to ID it accurately. If it's an Ibanez, that will be easy to spot - there are some variations but all Ibanez 4001 copies have black & white chequered body binding, rather than the plain white most copies have. The binding does appear on some other manufacturers' instruments but I'd need to see some pics to be 100% sure which was which. A point worth mentioning - it won't have actually been [i]made[/i] by either Ibanez or Greco - these are both just brand names owned by Japanese trading companies, who contract various factories to build their instruments. During the 70s Ibanez & Greco both used Fujigen Gakki to manufacture their instruments, so often they are identical apart from the names. Greco did also use Matsumoku, and again the 4001 copies from that factory are very easy to spot. Fujigen basses will have a serial like the one you describe, and I am inclined to think that's what yours is, but some pics will confirm it. Jon.

[quote name='backwater' post='836290' date='May 13 2010, 04:01 PM']Yep, me If it still had frets I would have kept it as it is light, easy to play and looks pretty good. Half-tempted to buy it back and get it fretted but I'd probably get killed by the wife Andy [/quote] It's tiny - just stick it in a cupboard or behind the couch, she'll never know. [quote name='Mr. Foxen' post='836431' date='May 13 2010, 06:05 PM'][url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/4-String-Bass-Guitar-/250632453448?cmd=ViewItem&pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item3a5adbbd48"]Dun if jap, but nice ash body, and might be hex pole pickup.[/url][/quote] Nice - I think that might be a Melody, from It'ly, although I'd need to see the back (neck construction & plate type) to be sure. Could be an old Dimarzio or Schaller pup stuck in it, too. J.

[quote name='razze06' post='836226' date='May 13 2010, 02:54 PM']Anyone for cricket? Washburn on [url="http://edinburgh.gumtree.com/edinburgh/38/58485138.html"]Edinburgh gumtree[/url][/quote] That's a very good price - these are stoopidly rare. If it still had its frets, I'd have had no choice. Looks like he bought it off a BCer in Edinburgh a couple of years back: [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=10647&hl=washburn+bantam"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=...washburn+bantam[/url] J.

A standard 20-fret Fender-type neck won't work on that body - there isn't room to reposition the bridge any further back than where it is now. I'd be dubious about a 24-fret neck working either, assuming you could find one with a compatible heel. If the project's just to build a small-bodied bass, you might be better off picking up a cheap P or J body & getting busy with a saw! J.

[quote name='Soloshchenko' post='835793' date='May 12 2010, 11:35 PM']Those music bakers look really cool hybrids. If the pickups are sh*te I suppose replacements are easily sourcable as well. Are these a brand new? I've never seen one before.[/quote] These are new - they don't seem to be related to any of the other current copies - the other setneck ones (as opposed to neck through) have too many frets. I think the guy who's selling/importing them should be made aware of this thread & should give us a review example. J.