Bassassin

[quote name='Ou7shined' post='700998' date='Jan 4 2010, 09:26 PM']My bad.[/quote] Well - not exactly! I can't help but be irritated by Ebayers who misrepresent what they're selling like this. Apart from being dishonest, this sort of bollocks ends up being accepted as "fact", and for an anally retentive, neurotic trainspotter such as myself, that's borderline intolerable. The relationship between Cimar & Ibanez is confusing and there's no clear answer to who made what, where & why - at least not yet. 70s copy-era Cimars were not built by Fujigen - I had a Cimar Jazz & it was a pretty low-end & cheaply made copy, while others were actually superior to their Fujigen/Ibanez counterparts - the Cimar Rick copy was much more authentic. It's not yet been established who made these, or the subsequent original designs. It does appear likely that the later instruments were from Fujigen, though - the best evidence for this is the Cimar Stinger/Ibanez Blazer Mk 1, which are exactly the same instrument. So far this appears to be the only example under both badges but if we assume that all MIJ Ibbys were Fujigen (which is the prevailing conventional wisdom among Ibby collectors) then there's your evidence. This would appear to be substantiated by the headstocks of other early 80s Cimars, which tend to "borrow" both of the Blazer designs. The obvious conclusion to jump to is that these Cimars [i]are[/i] low-rent Ibanezes, but it's probably more likely that all of them were just factory-originated designs, and available to whoever wanted to buy 'em. My 1980 CSL Jazz copy has the "Early Blazer" head & I've seen the later style too. There's a rare MIJ brand called Oakland, whose range included a Mk2 Blazer bass & guitar, identical in every way apart from a slightly different headstock. In the US, Ibanez "clones" pop up with a bewildering range of names - which is what's at the root of the Ebay myth that ever second MIJ guitar is an "Ibanez with a different name". The "Cimar by Ibanez" thing is a little more clear-cut - although it's not known if Hoshino Gakki ever actually owned the brand - in fact according to a former Hoshino US employee, who posts occasionally on the Ibanez Collectors forum, they didn't. It's likely there's no clear-cut answer - Japanese business relationships seem to be oddly incestuous & much less directly competitive than the Western model, a distributor (like Hoshino) might own shares in the factory it orders from, and vice-versa, and in turn a second distributor might have shares in both, so working in a mutually beneficial way is preferable. Anyway. Lesson over, hope you were paying attention at the back because there'll be a test tomorrow. J.

I've seen these before, believe it or not! Presumably back in the JapCrappy 70s some importer was badging basses up as Status. Nothing to do with Mr Green, remember his range was originally "Strata". Which Leo's old mob took exception to. Shame the pics aren't better - this looks like a half-decent mid 70s JapCrap Jazz - early Fujigens had those chunky chrome pups. Don't recall them having the varnish screwed on, though. Jon.

[quote name='allighatt0r' post='700855' date='Jan 4 2010, 07:47 PM']That's not a bad looking bass (imho). shame he wasted the bottom left section of his multi shot photo on the throw instead of the headstock![/quote] That's not a 70s copy, though. J.

Cimar. Not an Ibanez, because they have "Ibanez" written on them. Which is surprisingly easy to spot, once you're conversant with that little-known fact. It's this: [attachment=39348:cimarbasscatalogue.jpg] Specifically a Cimar XR2065BS. In the case of this example the "BS" presumably refers to the suggestion that it's an Ibanez in disguise. It's an early 80s bass & an original-ish shape and therefore nothing to do with any imaginary lawsuit. Ibanez & Cimar were related by this point, possibly both originating from Fujigen, & being distributed via Hoshino. These pre-date the mid-80s "Cimar by Ibanez" cheapos, so it's not known if Hoshino actually owned the brand at that point. I've actually got one of these in a less-original but generally tidy condition. It's presently gathering dust so I'll be watching this one with a degree of curiosity. J.

If you want a Grabber copy, you might be as well waiting for a JapCrap one to come up. My old one: [attachment=39306:front.jpg][attachment=39307:heads.jpg][attachment=39308:details.jpg] Yep - wish I'd kept it. J.

I think this is an Italian-made Melody copy (M logo on the headstock) - someone on here had one a year or so ago, I expect a bit of searching might turn up some info. Never seen a Melody in real life, but I had a no-brand Japanese one a while back - it was a ringer for the real deal & I probably should've kept it. Jon.

[quote name='2x18' post='697341' date='Dec 31 2009, 05:10 PM']Avon calling!!! [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Avon-3-4-scale-Made-in-Japan-1970s_W0QQitemZ180451158979QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV?hash=item2a03ba2bc3"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Avon-3-4-scale-Made-...=item2a03ba2bc3[/url][/quote] How much? I think Avon's gonna be calling for a while! That Westy on the other hand will probably be a steal for someone. J.

[quote name='waynepunkdude' post='697468' date='Dec 31 2009, 07:05 PM']Sand all of the paint off down to bare wood, then finish it with some 1200 grit sand paper then build up and sand back at least 20 coats of primer then depending on the finish you want put on several coats of either nitrocellulose for a matt finish or I use Plastikote paint for a gloss finish that's the basics I use. *Disclaimer* I am not a specialist I have built up my technique on several of my own basses and after trial and error this is what I have ended up with, if you need any help PM me.[/quote] Wayne - if you're going for a solid colour finish, how come you go to the trouble of sanding back to the wood? Being the lazy, corner-cutting pikey I am, I'd think you could just key the original finish with sandpaper or wire wool & dispense with most - if not all - of the primer. I recommend Screwfix own brand black/white/clearcoat gloss spray - loads cheaper than Plastikote! Jon.

I'd avoid using WD40 on fretted boards, whatever the material. It contains solvents which probably aren't going to be good for the adhesive that holds the frets in! Ebonol & phenolic are both non-porous plastics, so anything that doesn't actually polish the surface of the material will just sit there as a coating - and come off on your hands & strings. J.

[quote name='umcoo' post='696788' date='Dec 30 2009, 09:55 PM']Hmmnn, the ones I posted up the top are 400. Still 'fairly' cheap for what could be a cool bass. Here I go, convincing myself again [/quote] £400??? Someone's 'avin' a larf - or trying to justify having forked out for the "Ventures" branding! Check out the headstock, bridge, scratchplate, pups - everything. They're from the same factory. That Aria's the same bass with a more authentic bodyshape, a proper JapCrap knockoff brand name - and even the little plastic jewel stuck in the logo, just like the old '60s Aria Diamonds had. All at about 1/3 of the price. I'll have three. J.

At first glance I thought it was the same bass as the Aria Diamond DMB380 - ostensibly a reissue of the old Matsumoku Mosrite knockoffs, these have the correct reverse Mosrite body shape: [url="http://www.ariaguitars.com/int/03_products/pro_eb_dmb_380.html"]http://www.ariaguitars.com/int/03_products...eb_dmb_380.html[/url] I had a muck about with one of these at Music Live a couple of years back - it was pretty nice, played well & was surprisingly sexy in the flesh. About £160 ish. The two basses do look identical, apart from the body shape. Jon.

[quote name='saxosim' post='696656' date='Dec 30 2009, 07:54 PM']Hi All, Thanks for the advice on the concord 2, I have sold the Bass guitar tonight to a very keen collector who came over and is chuffed to bits with it and seems to really love Westone guitars. It sold for £170 which we are really pleased with and seems very fair based on the values everyone mentioned. Thanks again, regards Simon[/quote] That's excellent, a really good price & I'm dead chuffed it went to someone who appreciates these things! Was it through the Westone forum? J.

[quote name='derrenleepoole' post='696114' date='Dec 30 2009, 09:14 AM']Well, not to get in an argument about prices, I have seen Thunder's fetch £300 on eBay... admittedly before the recession though. Like I said, I'm not familiar with the Concorde II, so couldn't comment on an accurate price, but putting a good reserve wouldn't do any harm would it, even if my guess was slightly out! Or, you could just let the auction run, I think you might get a nice price. The analogy of it being a cheaper bass when new is a little poor. Squier's were cheaper basses when introduced, and look at what an original 1982 Squire will bring now! Not saying this bass is equivalent to an '82 Squire though [/quote] Thunder IIs & IIIs (neck-through, high-end) certainly can & do fetch £300+ prices, bolt-neck Thunder 1s really don't, unless it's shill bidding or random nutters! The original MIJ Squiers are part of the inexplicable world of vintage Fenders now - which is a logic-free zone, as far as I can tell, and more to do with brand association than the actual instruments. I've had two 80s MIJ Squiers (both built by Fujigen Gakki) & they were both lovely - but I've also had many basses & guitars built by Matsumoku, like this Concord, and there is genuinely nothing between them in terms of build, materials & components - in fact arguably some of the hardware on this bass is a lot more substantial & "better quality" than the Fender/Squier equivalent. Matsumoku had a great reputation, which is well-earned. I think with Ebay prices/final values so much of it's to do with the visibility of the listing & the popularity of the item - people will be specifically looking for Westy Thunders because they're currently a popular & sought-after vintage MIJ bass, sadly the same isn't so much the case with the Concord. You have a point about the historical retail value, but that's probably part of what affects the popularity & quantities available now; back in the day, the Concord was a good budget bass, but the Thunder I was an [i]excellent[/i] budget bass - it sold more, had a rock-solid reputation, is regarded with affection by people who started out on them - and I'd say as a result is more desirable now. J.

One of my favourite basses (particularly for recording) is an early-80s Ibanez RS924 Roadster - which has only single passive volume & tone, plus a 3-way selector. There's no way of blending the pups and it's massively frustrating. As a JapCrap geek, I'm a bit of an anorak about keeping things original (and this one's near-mint) but every time I play it, I'm tempted to rip out the selector & replace it with a pan pot. Jon.

That's unfortunate & I can understand your perspective based on that. It is a risk, but very much a calculated one - it's inevitable that the higher-profile brands will get a lot more attention - and therefore bidders - than more niche names. The risk can be minimised, though. On Ebay you can use the completed listings tab to search, & gauge what Ebay's market value is for a particular brand & model. You can then study the listings themselves, based on price differences, and work out (if it's not already obvious) which listings get a better response (more page views, more bidders), and why. Ebay's default search parameters address the listing title only, so you must make sure it contains specific keywords that somebody searching for the item you're trying to sell will use in their searches. You also want as much passing trade as possible so people doing general searches (for example "Musical Instruments > Guitars > Bass") will see and notice the listing. Which means keywords that get them in (easy) and a bold & noticeable thumbnail pic - coupled to a potentially outrageous bargain start price. This method definitely works for me and what I sell (predominantly vintage MIJ guitars) but obviously comes with no guarantees. Broadly speaking I prefer to sell through BC these days, but it's horses for courses - the market for Moridaira Strat copies on here is a tad limited, in the same way that there are a lot more knowledgeable bassists here than an Ebay listing's likely to reach. My only "failed" Ebay sale so far (apart from a couple of auctions I cancelled to sell directly to BCers) was a near-mint 1989 Ibanez SR800 fretless, which I listed with a £250 BIN - and got no takers. I subsequently sold it here for £25 less - which is what I would have paid in fees anyway. I experimented with a BIN because I was pretty certain that if I'd 'Bayed it at 99p, no reserve, I probably would have got about £100 for it - it's neither a common nor a particularly popular bass "out there". J.

[quote name='Annoying Twit' post='695949' date='Dec 29 2009, 10:05 PM']I put a lowball on that. I don't know how it works around here, but just in case, my bid is far too low to call "dibs" on it. Anyone thinking of bidding a reasonable bid, be my guest.[/quote] I won't be bidding so best of luck! Although it is just down the road from me - quite happy to collect it on your behalf. And look after it for you, for a year or two... J.

It's plastic - I'd have a shot with T-cut or a similar mild abrasive polish, which works a treat on other hard plastics. Test it on an inconspicuous area first, though - as they say on the tin... Jon.

[quote name='Conan' post='695672' date='Dec 29 2009, 04:03 PM']I was under the impression that if you didn't set a reserve price, then you had to let the item go for whatever the highest (or only!) bidder was prepared to pay? Surely then, not putting a reserve on it is very risky as you could potentially have to virtually give away a valuable item.[/quote] Theoretically yes - but it's highly unlikely if you have a good, easily-searchable listing, with detailed, honest description & good photos. Helps if what you're selling is fairly desirable in the first place. Why is a reserve (and therefore a"pretend" low start) better than just starting at a price you'd be willing to accept, assuming you don't have the guts to risk a low start? [quote name='bassatnight' post='695699' date='Dec 29 2009, 04:34 PM']If you have a Bass thats worth at least £1000 you would be an idiot to have no reserve and put it on at say a £10 start[/quote] What - and have hundreds of potential bidders swarming around it, hoping it's going to be them that bags a £10 Rick 4003? That's [i]exactly[/i] what you want. If it's an item with a known & specific market value (like my theoretical Rick) you can be assured that it will reach that, will have attracted probably hundreds of watchers, dozens of little low-bids, and if it's still low in the last 12 hours of the auction (which again, is what you want) then there's a very strong likelihood that you'll get some serious 3 or 4-way competitive bidding in the final few minutes, which will shove the final price significantly higher than market value. People take bidding really personally, and there's nothing like a grudge-match mixed with Ebay Madness. I've sold 50 - odd guitars & basses on Ebay and have seen this dozens of times. For the record, every one of my auctions has been 99p, no reserve, and even with Ebay's exponentially growing fee structure, I'm very, very happy with the end results of my sales. The actual process of dealing with bidders, stupid questions, people who can't/won't read listings etc is another matter, but goes with the territory. J.

Neither the £35 Ebay sale or "a good reserve of £300 - £350" are remotely realistic. This [b]isn't[/b] a Thunder 1 - and regardless of the ridiculous BIN sums that Ebay chancers sometimes list them at, they DO NOT generally sell for £300+. The Concord is a less popular (& when new, cheaper) bass than the Thunder 1 & a realistic sale price will have to reflect this. Currently a good Thunder 1 will probably fetch £150 or so on Ebay, or about £30 less on here. This Concord looks to be in very good original condition, with its original hard case & very little visible evidence of use or play wear (although the poles on the P type pickup look rusty) - and the condition & originality are in its favour. If this were mine, in a 99p/no reserve Ebay auction I'd expect at least £120, and if I listed it here on BC I'd ask £150 and be prepared to haggle. However the owner chooses to sell it, I'd strongly recommend being willing to pack it and post it. The £35 one on Ebay would have sold for considerably more if the seller could've managed to drag themselves to the PO with it. Jon.

Ebay is full of idiots & scammers - my blocked bidders list grows pretty much every time I try & sell anything. Re undisclosed reserves - it's something I completely fail to understand the point of. If I was unsure that an item would reach its market value with a low starting bid (99p, in my case) then I'd either start the auction at the lowest amount I'd be prepared to accept, or do a BIN with offers. I think secret reserve prices simply put people off - personally if a seller refuses to tell me the reserve, then I simply move on. As a buyer, the basic rule of Ebay is that another one will be along sooner or later, and be cheaper & better than the one you missed. When selling I find it helps to discourage the tards by being very, very specific about the terms & conditions of the auction, and stick them in bold red underlined type at the beginning & end of your listing. After a few Ebay sales it's not hard to second-guess most of the questions, demands, requests etc, so you can just politely refer them to the conditions of your sale. If that doesn't put them off, block them. In the face. Or just sell your stuff here. Jon.