Bassassin

[quote name='Annoying Twit' post='835557' date='May 12 2010, 06:46 PM']Are there bigger scans?[/quote] It's a real pity that this site doesn't have bigger/better quality scans, particularly the more esoteric brands. I've found a few Japanese catalogue archives over the years and some of the images are ridiculously small - even worse than these. Realistically you're safe from me pressing you into translation service, I have been threatening for years to do a JapCrap website (a book would be better, my vanity says) but it would largely be photos & my verbal diarrhoea, I imagine. If it ever happens! I wouldn't let any of the JapCrap forums get wind of your linguistic versatility though - they've been after translations of various Japanese vintage guitar books & magazines for years... Anyway if you're interested (not for translation purposes!) there are better quality Greco catalogue scans here: [url="http://psyco.jp/greco/cata.html"]http://psyco.jp/greco/cata.html[/url] And a mass of scans from numerous brands - predominantly acoustics, but there are a few basses & electric guitars: [url="http://www.oldguitar.jp/catalog/catalog.htm"]http://www.oldguitar.jp/catalog/catalog.htm[/url] But never mind the Japanese - check out that dot-neck Rickenfaker in the 1973 Greco catalogue. :brow: J.

[quote name='TankJon' post='835530' date='May 12 2010, 06:21 PM']Anyway, as far as I know Cimar was the cheap Ibanez range in the late 70's early 80's but thats all I found. It does explain why it looks like an Ibanez Blazer though.[/quote] A tenner? you're worse than me. That's about it, what you've put. Cimar started as a separate brand in the 70s, using Hoshino (Ibby brand owners) for distribution, it seems in the late 70s Hoshino took over the brand completely as a sort of budget Ibby range. Interestingly some models are identical to their Ibanez counterparts - the Cimar Stinger is the same instrument as the first Blazer design. At this point they were coming out of Fujigen Gakki, the same factory as Ibanez, but later ones, which are actually branded as "Cimar by Ibanez" appear to be quite low-end Korean stuff. Anyway yours is one of the good 'uns and we'll let Mr Hoshino tell you about it: Looks like all it needs is strings, a couple of chrome knobs and a hose down and it'll be sorted out. Jon.

[quote name='Annoying Twit' post='835456' date='May 12 2010, 04:56 PM']Any Lost-watching bass guitarists should buy two, one white, one black. [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/NEW-Retrovibe-RV4-Black-Bass-classic-styling-DON-T-MISS-/190396416848?cmd=ViewItem&pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item2c5482c350"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/NEW-Retrovibe-RV4-Bl...=item2c5482c350[/url][/quote] Oh god - only 4 episodes of the final season left... Yes, I am a really bad person. :ph34r: So - white/black bound/set neck Faker for cheap? I really like that, imo it p!sses all over the Rockinbetters & Anniversarys aesthetically, and I think the fat MM 'buckers look really good. Dammit - I want one! J.

[quote name='Annoying Twit' post='835392' date='May 12 2010, 04:06 PM']PS: I lived in Japan for four years. Being illiterate got stale REAL FAST, hence plenty of motivation for the reading and writing bit.[/quote] Ross mate, you are going to be [i]so[/i] useful in translating all the Japanese catalogues - here you go: [url="http://www.geocities.jp/guitarofworld/cataroueMAIN.html"]http://www.geocities.jp/guitarofworld/cataroueMAIN.html[/url] Let me know when you're done. J. (btw & )

[quote name='Annoying Twit' post='835289' date='May 12 2010, 01:54 PM']If you mean 浅間山 for Mt. Asama, then that is a very strange name. It more or less translates as "wretched" or "cursed" "interval". Maybe that has something to do with the volcanic activity there[/quote] Thanks for that - I have no knowledge of the Japanese language & was just regurgitating misinformation I picked up on one of the other boards! I hope the rest of my sources are not as misleading! J.

[quote name='Annoying Twit' post='835135' date='May 12 2010, 10:55 AM']Kay SG type bass. £9.99 start. The seller is local to me but doesn't do collection or viewings. They sell a lot of stuff, and I wonder if they do house clearances. [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/VINTAGE-KAY-BASS-ELECTRIC-GUITAR-PLEASE-VIEW-/400121220661?cmd=ViewItem&pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item5d29154e35"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/VINTAGE-KAY-BASS-ELE...=item5d29154e35[/url] Edit: Does that bridge cover look a bit wonky? Does the whole thing look a bit home made?[/quote] I think these are low-end Taiwanese beginner stuff - I'd pay a car boot price (about £15 - £20 ish) just as a flipper, but I doubt an Ebay one would go for that little. This one looks quite tidy considering it's being sold as a project - so I'd say house clearances or car boot trawls is where their stock comes from. The bridge cover's just held on with that screw in the middle - it'd twist straight. In answer to your earlier question about Kawai - I can't do much better than point you at this coincidental thread: [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=87742"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=87742[/url] They made good stuff, alright. Eric - love to see some pics of your bass (is yours branded Lincoln?) but sadly I'm too skint/got too many basses to be making any offers right now. Must clear a few out first! If you're after a guitar version, try searching for these names as well as Lincoln: The Asama, Memphis, Bozo & Torchy. I love Euro brand names! Asama is the most common brand - apparently it's a mountain in Japan & the name translates literally to "Big Bottom". J.

[quote name='Annoying Twit' post='834682' date='May 11 2010, 08:45 PM']What is this? Looks like one of the early Hondo basses doesn't it? Nice (IMHO) through neck, except the headstock seems to be making a bid for freedom. [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/QUALITY-MADE-THRU-NECK-BASS-PROJECT-LINCOLN-/270577702175?cmd=ViewItem&pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item3effb0151f"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/QUALITY-MADE-THRU-NE...=item3effb0151f[/url][/quote] Real shame about the headstock break on this, been slightly gaseous towards these for a while. These are a bit of a mystery (which I'd like to think I've solved) on the JapCrap boards - they appear with several thousand different names all over Yurp & the US in both bass & guitar versions. There are several threads about these on the Matsumoku board - Ebayers usually claim them as Mats because of the Hippy Sandwich body/neck - but this is what they really are: [url="http://www.fernandes.co.jp/others/catalog/1978_f_01/27.jpg"]http://www.fernandes.co.jp/others/catalog/1978_f_01/27.jpg[/url] With a few variations in pickup/controls, it's a Fernandes "Custom Hand". Where do they get these names? According to one of the Japanese vintage sites, Fernandes was built by either Kawai or Tokai at this point. And I've seen an 8-string version of this.... :brow: J.

[quote name='Annoying Twit' post='834825' date='May 11 2010, 10:49 PM'][url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1983-Greco-4001-S-McCartney-model-bass-guitar-VERY-RARE-/130390772125?cmd=ViewItem&pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item1e5be5499d"]Greco 1983 Paul McCartney Model[/url] Looks good. I'm expecting it to go for a fair wodge of cash.[/quote] Gorgeous, that. I do wish people wouldn't p!ss about with reserves though - what's the point? J.

Hard to say because PF series Ibbys don't come up that often - but if it's all original (and I mean [i]all[/i] of it, right down to the knobs & switch tip) then this seems a fair price. Being Scumtree, the seller will likely be open to haggling so £350 isn't unrealistic. I can't be sure from the pics but the pickups might not be original - I'd expect to see covers on Super 70s from this era. Vintage Ibanez like this are becoming collectors' toys these days and it's worth bearing that in mind - no irreversible mods if you ever wanted to sell it on. Anyway pics & specs here: [url="http://www.ibanez.co.jp/anniversary/45/1.jpg"]http://www.ibanez.co.jp/anniversary/45/1.jpg[/url] Jon.

You have a better chance of this working if you use a 24-fret neck - the extra frets effectively make the 12th fret position further away from the neck/body join, which will give you 5 or 6 more cm to play with for your bridge positioning. The downside of this is (if it works) the likelihood of a very neck-heavy instrument. Whatever you do, measure up carefully before you start buying parts or trying to put stuff together! Jon.

I've never seen one of those branded as Sumbro before - they're usually unbranded or labelled Zenta or Jedson. No idea who made these - they're very early copies, possibly late 60s, and don't have any manufacturer-specific traits I've been able to identify. One of my first JapCrap tart-up jobs was the guitar version of this, which I still have, & it's a nicely-made & somewhat quirky little plank. I'd quite like a matching bass - but £220 for this is fruitloop, about £100 over the odds on an optimistic day and about 75% more than I'd consider paying. Plus he gets an automatic 15% deduction for his "Ibanez Factory" bullsh!t. Where does he think he is? Ebay? J.

[quote name='bigthumb' post='833595' date='May 10 2010, 08:53 PM']Ha ha! Just been watching too. Terry Trent Derby or what ever his name was, bass player had a funky looking Thumb.[/quote] That'll be Cass Lewis, presumably. Jon.

[quote name='Annoying Twit' post='832367' date='May 9 2010, 05:15 PM']What is an Azumi bass? I can't find much information on them. [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Vintage-Azumi-Victory-Bass-guitar-Super-rare-/180504789979?cmd=ViewItem&pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item2a06ec83db"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Vintage-Azumi-Victor...=item2a06ec83db[/url] This is local to me and if it were interesting, I could pick it up. Except, that I'm not sure that it is sufficiently interesting for a £200 starting bid. Looking at this page, the guitars look a bit like a "me too" effort copying Matsumoku style, but not as good. [url="http://www.jedistar.com/jedistar_vintage_guitar_dating_a3.htm"]http://www.jedistar.com/jedistar_vintage_g...r_dating_a3.htm[/url][/quote] Azumi was something to do with Chushin Gakki - a light engineering firm turned guitar factory, as far as I can find out. This looks familiar - I think this has been up before, & it's pretty expensive considering it's a basic P-derived design & has been majorly refinished. If it was £100 (ish) BIN it might make an interesting player, but Azumi ain't exactly a collectable brand, considering there's only half-a-dozen people who've heard of them. J.

[quote name='Alien' post='832643' date='May 9 2010, 10:49 PM'][url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Peavey-Bass-Amp-Mk3-XP-300chs-Black-Widow-Speaker-/270573745144"]Mk3 head and a BW equipped Megabox[/url] Worth a punt surely? A[/quote] If it goes for anything like the current £75 bid then yes - I'm currently using the same head into a BW115 and it rocks - stupidly loud for 150w. Jon.

Or make your own from a bit of scaffold pipe & half a P pup, plus a bolt with a hole drilled through it for a tuner: [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBqRfzAIUf8"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBqRfzAIUf8[/url] He sometimes slaps on it using the spanner he tunes it with. Jon.

[quote name='Soloshchenko' post='831870' date='May 9 2010, 12:51 AM']Looks a nice one at a decent price. Another black binding one as well. Aren't they meant to be rare?[/quote] There aren't any black-bound copies, as far as I know, certainly not from the 70s era because there were no black-bound 4001s to copy. This is the same "modified" one that's popped up a few times in the last couple of months: [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/4001-BASS-GUITAR_W0QQitemZ270563145415"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/4001-BASS-GUITAR_W0QQitemZ270563145415[/url] [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/4001-BASS-GUITAR_W0QQitemZ270568782343"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/4001-BASS-GUITAR_W0QQitemZ270568782343[/url] And old Uncle Ash is trying to flip it for a poxy £50 profit - or more like £15 after Ebay Tax. It must be a total dog. J.

[quote name='Annoying Twit' post='831657' date='May 8 2010, 06:32 PM']Aria Pro II Primary bass. I thought this looked a bit newer than the 1970s, but I've found quite a few references to them. [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Aria-Pro-II-Primary-Bass-/130389528637?cmd=ViewItem&pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item1e5bd2503d"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Aria-Pro-II-Primary-...=item1e5bd2503d[/url] E.g. here: [url="http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=450199"]http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=450199[/url][/quote] The serial number he gives would date it to '78, if it works like a Fujigen number. I've seen serials like this a few times on Mats & I think they're the same. Aria certainly did make copies into the 80s for the Japanese home market (there are a few 80s Jap catalogues [url="http://www.geocities.jp/guitarofworld/AriaPro2Catalog.html"]here[/url]) so it's likely they were around all the time Matsumoku was making guitars, and might or might not have been officially exported. Nice Primary, you don't see very many of those. J.

[quote name='MuseMatt' post='831433' date='May 8 2010, 01:54 PM'](mkay, doublepost..) It's saved I got me a nice Sandberg Precision and treated the Ibby to a set of new strings to make up for threatening it (A)[/quote] Nice one! It'll love you long time now! J.

Buy a bass from [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showforum=19"]here[/url]! You'll get loads more bass for your money! Jon.

If you do a bit of digging there are some interesting factoids floating around regarding the MII Sunns - which of course may not be entirely accurate! Apparently the Sunn brand was EU - only, the same guitars were Squier II in the US and are fairly sought-after. I also read that it's rumoured that early bodies & necks were surplus MIJ production. This sounds like Ebay [s]bullshit[/s] hype and I take with several large mouthfuls of salt, but there's certainly a huge discrepancy between the excellent quality of the necks/fretwork/bodies & the frankly rubbish hardware. Anyway, I'm hoping a Sunn Mustang P will turn up a the local car boot for a tenner. And if I wait long enough, it probably will... J.

Black nylon Dunlops, 1mm, not the Tortex ones because they don't flex and can snap if you're heavy-handed, like me. The springier nylons give a lot more feel than a rigid pick and I'd say a slightly more full & rounder tone. Jon.

[quote name='BurritoBass' post='829974' date='May 6 2010, 07:51 PM']Now I remember these back in the day & they were Squier's budget range. £130 is a bit hopeful or am I missing something? [url="http://www.josaka.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=24895"]http://www.josaka.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=24895[/url][/quote] About half that would be nearer the mark. The early ones (with the Fender-shaped headstock & Sunn amps type logo) are seriously undervalued for how good they are, if the Strat I had was anything to go on - one of the few guitars I regret selling. Jon.

[quote name='AndyTravis' post='828975' date='May 5 2010, 09:08 PM']Granted, the spelling may be down to Dyslexia. Now i feel like a snidey c***.[/quote] I don't think the seller's a native English speaker, judging from the sentence construction & odd phonetic spelling. Great big fiddle though, that. Jon.

Seller says this: [quote]I don't know where it was made as i bought it off of a friend... It plays well and really looks the part.[/quote] Which doesn't exactly sound like he thinks it's the real deal. Jon.