Bassassin

Giving it a miss this year for the first time since its inception. A bit sad really but it's increasingly becoming a small, shallow, over-expensive, corporate, bass & bargain-free disappointment. They really need to bite the bullet & either call it a day or radically re-think & re-structure it. And tacking a dodgy has-beens & no-marks metalfest onto it ([url="http://www.hellfirefestival.com/?page=lineup"]Hellfire[/url]) isn't the way to do that. Jon.

Snoopy bass. Curse you, Red Baron!! Jon.

[quote name='rapscallion' post='645889' date='Nov 5 2009, 12:17 AM']Any tips for staining a headstock Bassassin?[/quote] Sorry, never done that - but I'd be interested in how to replicate an age-darkened maple look if anyone else knows. J.

Easy job - I have refin'd a few headstocks & it's dead easy to get a pro-level finish, even using cheap rattle can paint. If you're going for natural, black or white I recommend Screwfix own brand spray paint / lacquer. First, I roughen/flatten the original surface with light sandpaper, say 600 grit, then mask off the edges & nut/fretboard. Next I build up successive light coats of my base colour until it's completely opaque. I dry each coat with a hairdryer, which means the process is quite quick. This would be the point to apply a decal if you're using one. Then build up successive coats of lacquer in the same way, hairdryering between each coat. I tend to spray about 10 - 15 coats, because it's going to need some cutting back to get a good finish. The boring bit's next - put your neck in a safe place and leave it there for 10 days or so. You'll have a fairly rough, orange-peely surface to your lacquer, so next, gently sand it with very light paper - I use 1200 grit for this. Once it looks smooth & even all over, break out the T-Cut until you can see your face in it. This is my old Grabber copy (which I wish I hadn't sold!) which got a refin because the original brand (whatever it was) had been sanded off, & someone had attempted to draw a Gibson logo on in marker pen - which of course had sunk deep into the grain of the wood. Everyone loves a genius! [attachment=35744:grabberhead.jpg] Jon.

Very silly bass - I like it. Very much in the tradition of slightly bonkers Italian design, IMO. Jon.

[quote name='sirmontofgue' post='644396' date='Nov 3 2009, 02:09 PM']Jon, Thanks for all your help... With the knowledge you've gleaned and the photos have you got any other info on the bass, and was it worth the £300?[/quote] I think this is the same bass as yours, only black & with a different brand name: [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1970s-Ricky-classic-4001-Bass-Guitar-by-CMI-70s_W0QQitemZ260497210507"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1970s-Ricky-classic-...emZ260497210507[/url] So yes - £300 is a pretty good deal, IMO, and to be honest Rick copies - even the cheapo bolt-neck plywood ones, seldom sell for less. No more concrete info about Shaftesbury copies, I'm afraid, but from your info I now know that the sunburst copy in my avatar wasn't a Shafty. No idea what it was though! J.

I'll bet that's not the worst crime that he ever did. J.

[quote name='Happy Jack' post='644108' date='Nov 3 2009, 08:23 AM']Now hold, I say [i][b]HOLD [/b][/i]it right there boy! £500 for a CMI? [b][color="#FF0000"][size=4]£500?[/size] [/color] [/b][/quote] Not you, then? I guess the recession is officially over then. Happy days! J.

[quote name='sirmontofgue' post='643934' date='Nov 2 2009, 10:10 PM']Jon, Thanks for all the answers so far. I've been a bit busy lately, but here are the answer to your questions: Is the fingerboard lacquered or bare wood? Yes Are the inlays real Mother Of Pearl, plastic pearloid or plain silver/grey plastic? Plastic pearloid I reckon Does the red part of the fireglo go all around the edges of the body or are there uncoloured parts? All round the body Does the truss rod adjuster have an allen key or a brass hex nut? Brass hex nut Are the body wings single pieces of wood or a "sandwich" split around the edges? Sandwich split Hope this helps[/quote] Very helpful info, thanks! I can now conclude that the bass I had as a parts donor was originally a Shaftesbury, or at least from the same factory. It had sandwich body construction & a hex nut truss adjuster - the other things I can't be sure about because of the "modifications" but these are enough to be 99% sure it was the same as yours. Bumnote - your Kimbara was probably a Matsumoku, identical to the one on the left in my avatar. I found a scan of a Kimbara Rick copy review from International Musician mag, quite hard to read & I don't think it's the entire article, but interesting anyway: [attachment=35642:Kimbara_...ew_IM_RW.jpg] J.

I wouldn't be particularly worried by a crack like that on any of my own basses - however I wouldn't be too cool about it if I was thinking of paying 3K for a vintage Fender. Likewise the interesting hide-the-ply BowelBurst refin. If it wasn't for the huge chunks of finish knocked off the edges I would think it was hiding something, rather than just being rubbish. Jon.

[quote name='Happy Jack' post='643484' date='Nov 2 2009, 03:36 PM']Incidentally, it's worth bearing in mind that GAK sell these (new) for £559.[/quote] Get a grip! J.

[quote name='spinynorman' post='642860' date='Nov 1 2009, 09:31 PM']Not strictly JapCrap, a (maybe) 1980s MIK Aria Pro II TAB 60. I saw it towards the end of the auction and wasn't sure enough about it to float £300 shipped, but I think it looks really nice. Does anyone know anything about them? [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=130339863390&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT"]Aria Pro II Tab 60[/url][/quote] Nice bass and worthy of inclusion in this thread, but 90s at the earliest - it has the modern "Aria" block logo. I've had a few recent Arias & Aria Pros and they're very nice, and I'd say underrated instruments. J.

Spotify these: Xanadu Cygnus X-1 La Villa Strangiato Free Will Red Barchetta The Camera Eye Subdivisions Distant Early Warning Territories Mission Dreamline Animate Earthshine Workin' Them Angels Should give you a decent cross-section of both Geddy's style and Rush from the 70s to the present. Jon

It's pretty gruesome, and exactly what is the point of that stupid paddle on the end? I like the "domino" neck inlays, though, and can appreciate it as an attempt to break with convention. Shame it turned out so foul. Jon.

In a gig scenario, the moment I know there's any sort of recording medium rolling, I start playing like an arse. Jon.

[quote name='stingrayfan' post='642411' date='Nov 1 2009, 11:23 AM']..and if you ever want to sell it on, it will look better with the original on it.[/quote] It'll also sell better - JapCrap's getting more & more collectable & keeping things original is wise if you're ever going to sell. Are these a standard Fender type? If so a BA2 or Gotoh should just bolt straight on & you can swap back if you want to sell it. JOn.

Heavier gauges will exert a higher tension so you'll have to tweak your truss rod to keep the neck profile the same. Don't do this against string tension - slacken them off first. Different gauges & tensions, plus adjusting the truss, will inevitably mean some action/intonation tweaks will be needed. It's a quick job if you have the right tools, and a good idea to get into the habit of doing it anyway. Jon.

[quote name='Lew-Bass' post='640891' date='Oct 30 2009, 11:17 AM']I got this bass online from purpleturtle music in Manchester around 6 months ago, and I haven't been able to find any information on it atall apart from this: [url="http://www.musicradar.com/gear/all/guitars/electric/bass-guitars/fretless-bass/sb-405-fl-19851/review"]http://www.musicradar.com/gear/all/guitars...fl-19851/review[/url] No-where sells it and the one I have is the only one I've ever actually heard about, it's left-handed aswell Any info would be great thankyou, it's abit of a puzzle currently[/quote] 'Ere we go: [url="http://www.ariaguitars.com/int/03_products/pro_eb_sb_40.html"]http://www.ariaguitars.com/int/03_products/pro_eb_sb_40.html[/url] This is the 4-string fretted version but yours will have broadly the same spec & materials - you'll find a lot more references & info if you Google for the basic SB-40 model. It's no longer in Aria's current model list, I remember looking at the SB reissues 5 or 6 years ago, because I always wanted an original Aria Pro SB when I was too young & poor to afford one! I'd guess that's about when yours originates from, if you bought it new then it was probably old stock. Jon.

The more I look at this, the more faked it looks. You can see the real wear - eg the little dark patch in the middle of the bare wood on the back shot & the rubbed & grimy-looking areas on the front. The rest's been scratched & flaked off by the looks of it. And someone should tell him that "plenty of fret wear" [u]isn't[/u] a desirable sign of relic'ing! J.

[quote name='Beedster' post='640743' date='Oct 30 2009, 08:59 AM']...you shouldn't take a sander to your already slightly mojo'd bass. It could be the sweetetst Precision ever, it could be a dog, but the wear looks unusual to me?[/quote] Exactly what I thought. 35 years of wear & tear to expose all that fairly clean, pale wood underneath? Go back to Relic School, pal. For whatever reason, people do seem to be prepared to pay fairly silly money for once-derided CBS-era Fenders, but why would anyone think that 20 minutes with the wet & dry will make them pay even more? Jon.