Bassassin

I don't think it was me - I was standing in Holyrood Park watching a pair of Tornado F3s screaming overhead. Might've been my Evil Twin, though. Jon.

Aria ftw. The Js are all sweet but they're "just Fenders", after all. Jon.

[quote name='lemmywinks' post='577631' date='Aug 22 2009, 04:05 PM']Nice old Roadstar: [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Ibanez-Roadster-bass-MIJ_W0QQitemZ320415050185QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV?hash=item4a9a39a9c9&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Ibanez-Roadster-bass...id=p3286.c0.m14[/url] £160 BIN, he wants £25 postage though, grrrrrrrrrr[/quote] 1980 Roadst[b]e[/b]r (RS800, I think) rather than Roadst[b]a[/b]r - very good price considering what some of these fetch. Postage is a bit of a p!sstake though - that'll cost about £11 fully insured to send with ParcelFarce. [quote name='budget bassist' post='577639' date='Aug 22 2009, 04:14 PM']I've never understood that and i never will. The people listing these rickenfakers aren't doing anything wrong so long as they don't actually try and pass it off as a rick, so what's the problem?[/quote] It's US trademark law. In order for Rickenbacker to retain exclusivity of their designs (like Fender & Gibson haven't) they have to be seen to take action against any infringement - and a 35-year-old copy is as much of an infringement as a brand-new one. It's US law but it works in the UK because Ebay is a US company based practically next-door to RIC, so they'll pull auctions when they're flagged up rather than risk having RIC suing them! If they lose exclusivity then any & every no-mark little Taiwanese guitar factory can churn out as many rubbish Rick copies as they want. The only way RIC (which is a tiny, family owned & run business) would be able to compete with this is to do a Squier or Epiphone & license their own low-budget import range. Rickenbacker is such a niche brand that it's unlikely they'd be able to compete on this level, the reputation of the brand would be affected, sales of "real" Ricks would be hit and they'd probably end up having to sell the brand to a stronger competitor. Personally I think this would be a very, very bad thing. J.

Well - I pronounce the Westbury Track 2 project complete - new switch works perfectly, a minor fret dress, re-strung it with some sensible gauges (the strings it came with were very light) and it's cured the open E-string rattle & choke without having to do any nut work - and it's getting gigged tonight. Result-tastic! EDIT: Update - gigged it, liked it a lot. The Dimarzio pup is set a lot closer to the bridge than other P-equipped basses I've played, and that gives it a real aggressive & defined snarl, & maybe a bit less "thud" than normal P positioning. It's a pretty comfortable little bass too, a fair bit lighter than my mahogany-bodied J or the Rickenbuggers. The small, symmetrical body makes it feel a bit more of a reach to the low frets & does make it feel a little neck-heavy compared with what I'm more used to - but after a couple of minutes I didn't really notice. A great little bass which I think I'll be using quite a bit. J.

Did you point out to him that the body couldn't be from 1959? Hope you didn't - I'd far sooner see him try & justify this load of rubbish! J.

[quote name='skankdelvar' post='576297' date='Aug 21 2009, 02:52 AM']That is one of the trashiest bitsa's I've seen in a while. Neck looks well wrong too - off a cheap Jap copy? Headstock logo partially scratched out. Bridge plate with elephantitis and brand new saddles? It's not been trashed - it's been pulled out of a skip. Love the way this [i]Toad's[/i] worded it to cover his arse. There's a place in Hell for people like that.[/quote] I don't think the neck's JapCrap - if it is it would have to be one of the later, more accurate copies (Silver Series Ibby or Tokai or something) - you don't see maple/pearl, bullet adjuster & skunk stripe all that often, never mind together. I'm by no means convinced about the body - look at that huuuuge bridge pup route - it's either had one of those round-end Jap jazz pups in it or it's been badly hacked out to take a standard Jazz pup. I think a look under the scratchplate would be a revelation. Nothing's entirely obvious because of the (deliberately?) dreadful show-nothing pics, though - but isn't the bridge a BAII? The Entwhistle thing is clearly bollocks - this is a car boot bitsa he paid £20 for last Sunday. Jon.

[quote name='Weird War' post='576163' date='Aug 20 2009, 10:25 PM']Excellent stuff, Jon, the new album sounds very promising. May we safely assume that a quality array of Japcrap is wielded during your live show?[/quote] Usually just the one! The recorded stuff was mostly the Ibanez RS924 Roadster (weighs a ton but records wonderfully) with guest appearances from the Frankenbugger & refurbed Cimar XR2065. Which I keep thinking about selling, but then change my mind when I hear how good it sounds! J.

[quote name='starman' post='575995' date='Aug 20 2009, 07:52 PM']JJ Burnel[/quote] Yep. Him. Jon.

[quote name='JanSpeeltBas' post='575508' date='Aug 20 2009, 01:33 PM']As for Wesley: did someone ever try their Vigier-copy? Must be as bad as this Chinese made Neotone Ritter Ripoff![/quote] For the record - I did! I think it's more of an anorexic Rickenbacker (AnorexRick?) shape but that does give it an air of Vigier... Vigienbugger? I dunno. Anyway, for £99 it's a really well-made little bass - through-neck, real (not photo) flamed top, wooden binding, 2-way trussrod and nice quality hardware. Let down mostly by the active circuit - useless rubbish in mine (although I think it was actually faulty) which I binned & swapped for an Artec 3-band, back when you could get them from Hong Kong for £15 - sorted. The finish is a bit iffy too - the MeconiumGlo front is not to everyone's taste (I quite like it) but the back, neck & headstock is simply oversprayed with thin matt black that literally rubs off on your clothes & hands! I gigged mine a few times & then decided the back would have to be refinished - so I took it apart, stripped off the paint & now it's awaiting a convenient window of opportunity for refinishing. I might re-shape the headstock a bit as well - it's fugly & in no way sympathetic to the body design. It's not very weird & wonderful but I have an acrylic P-bass project waiting in the wings too. Anyway - carry on! Jon.

[quote name='Mrs Tinman' post='574605' date='Aug 19 2009, 07:17 PM']You already know what the Tinnie household think of this. Keep up the good work! We [b]will[/b] haul our sorry arses up to Edinbugger to see you sometime! [/quote] Be lovely if you did - but to be honest we'd far sooner play somewhere in your vicinity, we always like to get out & about and play to new people. Hometown gigs are frequently more of a necessity than a pleasure. Wonder if I'm unusual in finding that? J.

[quote name='casapete' post='574420' date='Aug 19 2009, 04:48 PM']Ace Chuck berry clip. The bemused looks on the faces of the band is fantastic! Chuck remains for me the best of the rock&roll pioneers. Been fortunate to see him half a dozen times, and he's varied from being amazing to indifferent but always somehow enjoyable. Met him (briefly)once too. Can be notoriously difficult, as anyone who's seen the footage of him rehearsing with Keith Richard etc in the film 'Hail Hail Rock&Roll'. Often let down by using under-rehearsed pick up bands (what I would have given to play for him though!) As a songwriter unequalled in my view,and a direct inspiration for so many legendary band/performers/writers. Still gigging at 82 years old. Go Chuck go![/quote] Arguably rock's first lead guitarist too - fantastic, witty songwriter & a living legend. An ancient Chuck Berry hits compliation was one of my favourite albums as a kid. Jon.

I would say relieve yourself of the burden by way of an act of charitable kindness. Give it to me. God will smile upon you. Jon.

Could just be a coincidence - however - it's in the Ebay section, not Basses For Sale. Therefore fair game. J.

[quote name='jamiejames' post='574103' date='Aug 19 2009, 01:17 PM']1) Do you welcome a bass specific shop in Scotland 2) What would you like to see in stock 3) Are you more likely to visit the shop or use our online service 4) Roughly how much do you spend on bass goods in a year 5) Is this likely to increase if you had a bass shop you could visit?[/quote] 1 - Definitely (or since it's Glasgow, definAtely!) 2 - A decent range of realistically-priced used/vintage stuff. Ebay is working hard to squeeze out private sellers so a shop with a good & varied secondhand range might be opportune. It would be good to see some less mainstream new stuff - Lace Helix, Status etc - things you don't get in GuitarGuitar. 3 - Probably a bit of both. I'm in Edinburgh & don't get through to Weege all that often but a website which let me see instore stock & prices would be an incentive. 4 - Realistically probably less than a grand. Like my sig says, I'm a cheapskate Pikey & most of my gear comes from either BC or Fleabay, Glumtree & the local car boot. 5 - The above is partly the case because there's no local (ish) bass shop - so yes! I'd also like to suggest a good range of components - hardware, pups & electronics, necks & bodies. BC is a perfect gauge of how popular building your own bass is - but trying to find the right parts can be a severe pain in the arse. Access to good recommended luthiers/techs & amp techs through the shop would be good too. Oh, and open it in Edinburgh. Jon.

This looks like a low-end 90s Ibanez to me, it's possibly MIJ but most budget stuff was Korean by that point. Certainly not 80s and not "vintage and rare". It first appears in a 1992 catalogue: [url="http://www.ibanez.co.jp/anniversary/198/17.jpg"]http://www.ibanez.co.jp/anniversary/198/17.jpg[/url] Ebay being Ebay, it's had lots of bids from excited punters - one of whom who will probably be a bit disappointed when they unwrap it. Unless shomeone'sh being shilly. Jon.

Cheers Garry - will PM you back shortly. We may need to talk... J.

Thanks! It does look sweet, even if it ain't a player yet! Bassmingo - no actual polish, just T-cut paint restorer out of Halfords, which I've found to be excellent for polishing up instruments with polyurethane finishes. These sorts of paintjobs have about a thick coat of clear poly lacquer over the actual colour, so a mild abrasive like T-cut buffs out all of the little scratches & with enough work can get a shine close to new. It also works on plastic parts - my scratchplate was cloudy & opaque pretty much all over, took a lot of effort but it's come back quite well. J.

[quote name='allighatt0r' post='571789' date='Aug 17 2009, 05:04 PM']Just get one of those "Faker" or "Fecker" logos for it! ...In all honesty, how would this compare to an identical spec Fender from the same year? Are they really just as good? EDIT: Interesting G string! :brow:[/quote] Looking again, it doesn't actually say "Hondo" - maybe they'd realised! If it's 1981 then it's pre the MIJ Fenders - & US instruments were still being produced under CBS & their dubious quality control. I'd be surprised if it didn't stack up well against a "proper" Fender. Matsumoku were pretty much at the top of their game at this point. J.

It's not a Shaftesbury, they had small enclosed tuners & I've only ever seen Fireglo coloured ones. My first reaction is perhaps one of the late 70s Fujigen-built copies but I'd expect checked binding, which I don't think this has, and it would definitely have a serial number. There were quite a few non-specific Japanese brands - Fresher & Fernandes both did similarly spec'd examples - but it could also be a Brazilian-made Giannini. I think I'm tending to lean towards Giannini at the moment - the truss rod adjuster might confirm this - Gianninis I've seen have a single rod with long brass nut, as opposed to the recessed allen keys used on most Japanese copies. It's possible there might be some identifying marks behind the scratchplate on the pots/pickups, or even written inside the cavities. Jon.

Pics as promised: [attachment=31029:track2full.jpg][attachment=31028:track2front.jpg] [attachment=31030:track2head.jpg][attachment=31027:track2back.jpg] It's really come up rather well aesthetically - just that big chip on the back corner & a bit of buckle rash in addition to the more usual level of wear & tear. Mostly looks great from the front. I'm getting a replacement phase switch sent so I'll swap out the dodgy one, then I'll replace the nut, if I have the right size in t'parts box, otherwise I'll just shim this one, it's not worn or damaged at all. In other interesting news - the Track2 on Ebay sold for £230. Which is quite good to know! J.

I've just updated the Maya29 Myspace page with a medley of tracks from our forthcoming album,[i] The Fifth Sun[/i]. Which is, to be blunt, a concept album. About Aztecs. There's still some work to be done on the album but the excerpts (roughly a minute from each song) I think give a taste of what we're getting at. I've also uploaded a couple of curiosities - covers we've never played live, one of which features some fretless playing that didn't make me cringe anything like as much as I thought it might! [url="http://www.myspace.com/maya29band"]http://www.myspace.com/maya29band[/url] Jon.

[quote name='Happy Jack' post='570051' date='Aug 15 2009, 04:56 PM']Yes yes yes, I KNOW it's a Hondo, but it's not actually that horrid. The photos are hi-res and show what appears to be a rather nice MIJ P-bass. At £139 BIN that might be worth a punt. [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/RARE-MIJ-PRECISION-BASS-60s-shape-BODY-japan-p-bass_W0QQitemZ290340170815QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV?hash=item43999f6c3f&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/RARE-MIJ-PRECISION-B...id=p3286.c0.m14[/url][/quote] Definitely! There are a few of the higher-order MIJ Hondos around (I have a lovely set-neck/carved top Les Paul copy) and this is certainly light-years ahead of the plywood Korean stuff that usually turns up. MIJ Hondos were sourced from Matsumoku (confirmed) & Tokai (allegedly) - this one does not have a standard Matsumoku neckplate but if the numbering follows Uncle Mat's then it's from 1981. He's presumably dropped the BIN since you posted - now showing £129. I'd say that's pretty good, if you could live with the logo! J.

[quote name='Bassmingo' post='569923' date='Aug 15 2009, 02:03 PM']Hey there, just joined today and saw your thread. I have the exact same track II with the exact same problems. I inherited it from an old boss, so it cost me nothing. it all works, except the bridge has a split at the A string, and it was missing the toggle switch. Where did you get your replacement bridge from? and how much did it cost? If we can help each other in any way about these basses, just let me know.[/quote] Hi - bit of a coincidence because I've just put it back together & was about to post an update! Anyway - a couple of problems, no. 1 being my new micro-switch for the pup is defective - works fine in one position but no sound in the other. The switch appears to be the problem rather than my wiring... Problem no. 2 is that the nut's cut a bit too deep so there's choking & rattling on the open stings, particularly the E. Nothing major, then, but annoying nonetheless. Bassmingo - my replacement bridge came from another BC member who had one (minus a couple of saddles) in his parts drawer, I paid him £6 for it which was more than reasonable! Possibly someone else will have one so you could start a topic in the "Wanted" forum yourself. Alternatively, you can get [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Gibson-Epiphone-3-Point-Bass-Guitar-Bridge-New-Nickel_W0QQitemZ190328599052"]these on Ebay[/url] from a Canadian seller, they do go for sensible prices & according to everything I've read should be an exact fit. The new switch on mine came from Ebay - basically 3 for £5, I assume the other ones will work OK but I need to find out the seller's replacement/exchange etc policy before I fit another. The wiring schematic is easy to find - the pickup in the bass is a Dimarzio Model P and there's a PDF for wiring it to a phase switch on the Dimarzio website. Anyway, mine's certainly looking a lot better now than it did a week ago. It took plenty of T-cut & elbow grease to get a shine back on the body & scratchplate and it looks pretty good now - if a little "roadworn" - fortunately I don't mind a bit of genuine "relicing" on an old bass. I'll take some pics later on before I start pulling it apart again & messing with the nut. I'll give it a bit of a fret dress too while I'm at it. By the way - good score getting it for nothing, while [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Westbury-Track-2-Electric-Bass-Guitar-Japan-Matsumoku_W0QQitemZ260462633979"]this[/url] may be ever-so-slightly optimistic, it's nice to know when you've had a bargain... Jon.

[quote name='TMB' post='568701' date='Aug 14 2009, 09:56 AM']There is a raging arguement amongst my friends and collegues.[/quote] I would assume they're not musicians. You should point out that music isn't a competition. Jon.