Bassassin

I picked up a Columbus J a few years ago - it was OK but not fantastic, the body was ply, neck was pretty decent (but I remember it being a bit chunky), hardware was functional. As for the origin of Columbus, it's speculative. It was a UK importer brand so it's unlikely they sourced everything from the same factory, although their low-end LP copies (the ubiquitous black ones) have been 99% ID'd as Maya/Rokkomann. Variable quality - I've had 5 over the years; that Jazz, an SG (my first-ever g*it*r), two black LPs and a Strat. The best one was the SG, nice solid mahog body, real MOP inlays, green-button Kluson copy tuners - wish I hadn't killed it. I still have the Strat, although it's currently on The Bay - it's a later Columbus Mk2 and has no identifying marks - I'd say it's either Korean or one of the more obscure Jap factories like Moridaira. Either way it's not a bad little g*it*r at all. J.

Well - that's a turn up for the book. Whatever that means: [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/El-Maya-Bass-guitar-INCREDIBLY-RARE-80s-Japan-fabulous_W0QQitemZ120439151149"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/El-Maya-Bass-guitar-...emZ120439151149[/url] I should add - this isn't Deaver's, just a really weird coincidence. This is only the second one of these I've ever seen! J.

[quote name='deaver' post='522116' date='Jun 23 2009, 10:15 PM']I think with p&p it bottomed out about £30 more in the end didn't it? Could be wrong my maths seems to have been a little awry of late El J[/quote] Maybe... Same thing happened with a lovely Ibby ATK I spotted about 18 months ago, £95 BIN - or £250 to me a year later! J.

Sorry to wee on anyone's fireworks here but WRM is Wild Rose Music, who were an Ebay cheapo importer/reseller from a few years ago. The bass in question is a copy of a [url="http://vesterfansite.nl/data/storage/attachments/b6c447077499aef765a57f0523698b6c.JPG"]Vester Argus[/url] - WRM sold other basses "inspired" by obscure oriental designs, including a green-stained wooden Tokai Talbo knockoff. There's no reason to believe this ain't a decent bass - but it's not a custom instrument so don't go paying custom prices! These were probably not much more than a ton when new. Jon

[quote name='BigRedX' post='520070' date='Jun 21 2009, 05:09 PM']Never understood the fascination for the covers on Fenders. Was there a practical reason for the pickup covers? I know that the bridge cover held a foam string damper, but I can't see any possible use for the cover over the pickup.[/quote] As I understand it, it's a handrest. In conjunction with the finger-rest on the "wrong" side, the intent was that you rest the edge of your palm on the cover, anchor your fingers on the rest & pluck with your thumb! I like the look of them but can't easily play with them in place - I either need to use the top of the pup as a thumbrest, or if I'm using a plectrum, rest the edge of my palm just behind the saddles. Jon.

It's just a matter of personal taste, I used light stings (95-35) for years. Players like Geddy Lee & Mark King are known for using very light gauges & it's not done their "credibility" any harm! I'd recommend experimenting with a few different sets & find what feels best for you - never mind what anyone else thinks. Personally I found myself favouring slightly heavier gauges when I started working on my fingerstyle, having been a pick player for years, & these days I use very boring, middle-of-the road 105-45 sets - I prefer the higher tension because I'm a bit heavy-handed. Light strings do tend to be a bit thinner tonally, but I never found it was anything a bit of judicious EQing wouldn't compensate for. Jon.

Probably someone made 'em an offer they couldn't refuse. Let's just hope they didn't sell it for £50! J.

Hide-the-ply bursts will usually black right over the contours as well as the edges. That said, something don't look right about this. Maybe the burst's a refin? Jon.

Do like. Despite the mods it's sort of cool to see that it still has the original little JapCrap tuners. Actually re-reading it he's not saying it's been refinished - he says that if a Shergold [i]doesn't[/i] have finish cracking, then it's a refin - and this one does. I would like to get one of these someday. Unfortunately, not today! Jon.

Sounds good! Be sure & post some pics when it's all done. Hipshot is the way to go, I think, I love the one on my Kasuga (apart from the weight!) and I'm looking for a black aluminium one for my Frankenbugger - the standard one on it has lifted visibly since I fitted it. J.

That Hondo's looking good for a bass from the 1940s! - Apart from the terminal tail-lift... Could be a decent bargain project though. J.

Lightly sand the bits you're going to spray to give the new paint a "key" otherwise it'll just rub off - there's no need to strip the body though. If you're going to use fluorescents (or any other bright colour), you will have to undercoat first. Fluorescent colours have to have a white base coat. I'd also recommend lacquering over whatever finish you go for once it's sprayed, this will make it last longer & be more resilient. Rattlecan lacquer can be expensive if you use Halfords or B&Q, but I've found Screwfix's own brand to be excellent at half the price: [url="http://www.screwfix.com/prods/21687/Paint/Spray-Paints/No-Nonsense-Acrylic-Varnish-Clear-400ml"]http://www.screwfix.com/prods/21687/Paint/...ish-Clear-400ml[/url] Bodger's tip: spray in thin coats as recommended, but instead of waiting for each coat to dry normally, borrow your wife/girlfriend/mum/sister's hairdryer & give the paint a warm waft for a few seconds - it accelerates evaporation & you can build up successive coats much more quickly this way. If you're lacquering & want a nice gloss I recommend T-Cut & lots of elbow grease to get rid of the "orange peel" & get a mirror finish. Make sure that you leave the paint a good while - a week or more, to properly "cure" before you do this. Jon.

Pack of lies. It's Ebay, innit? Jon.

Like Musky said, yours is the same bass as the Ibanez equivalent, built by Fujigen Gakki, who were responsible for MIJ Fenders. I was watching that one & you got a bargain - a little while back these were hitting £200+. Yours is one of the very early ones, it's identical to the version in the 1971 Ibby catalogue: [url="http://www.ibanez.ru/info/catalog/1971/13.jpg"]http://www.ibanez.ru/info/catalog/1971/13.jpg[/url] Chrome trc & black-button tuners disappeared in subsequent versions. You'll notice that there's no logo on the catalogue bass, that's because these are factory stock-shots & it's thought the model numbers are factory designations too - which makes your bass an Antoria 2365B! I could tell you lots of boring stuff about the Antoria brand - but I'll keep that to myself, unless you're actually interested! Jon.

[quote name='2x18' post='518859' date='Jun 19 2009, 09:19 PM']Ibanez [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/vintage-ibanez-bass-guitar-look-like-lemmy-foxton-macca_W0QQitemZ130313808531QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV?hash=item1e574eea93&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=65%3A10%7C66%3A2%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318%7C301%3A1%7C293%3A1%7C294%3A50"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/vintage-ibanez-bass-...%3A1%7C294%3A50[/url][/quote] That's the one that was up (twice!) at £1000, back for a reality-check! He'll probably get his £500, but not much more. J.

That's an Epiphone ET-280, built by Matsumoku in Japan around 1975. This one looks like a great car boot find, it appears to be all original apart from missing a bridge cover, which is usual. These come up on Ebay every so often & probably would go for between £150 - £200 on there. I'd recommend leaving it stock - these are getting quite collectable & "upgrading" components (tempting as it might be) will adversely affect its future value. Jon.

[quote name='Happy Jack' post='518222' date='Jun 19 2009, 11:32 AM']There's so much stripped pine in that photograph, it's like bleedin' Norway in there! [/quote] What - no mention of the porthole? The [s]fire hazard deathtrap[/s] pine cladding looks awful but is nice & dead acoustically. Besides I'd get evicted if I took it off... J.

I'm quite partial to their 50p snot dogs. My little studio setup is nicely accommodated by Ikea's brilliantly-named "Jerker" computer desk: Jon.

I've never been particularly covetous of other peoples' gear ( except when I was a kid & couldn't afford owt) but I have a soft spot for Dennis Dunaway's EB-0 Frog Bass: [attachment=27220:dunaway_frogbass.jpg] And his '72 Jazz: [attachment=27221:dunaway_jazz.jpg] I probably wouldn't play them - just put them on the wall & make occasional blood sacrifices. Jon.

Mr Foxen posted this on the Rickenfakers thread but I thought it was interesting, unusual - and cheap - enough to merit its own topic: [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/5-or-6-String-Thru-Neck-Bass-Active_W0QQitemZ280359276006"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/5-or-6-String-Thru-N...emZ280359276006[/url] Also available as a 5er for the same dosh. It's likely a bit rough & ready & I do think the f-hole spoils it a bit (should've used a Rick-type cat-eye design!), but if I was a bit more flush & fancied dabbling with a 6 I would be up this like a rat up a drainpipe. So to speak. Jon.

[quote name='Mr. Foxen' post='515782' date='Jun 16 2009, 09:37 PM'][url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/5-or-6-String-Thru-Neck-Bass-Active_W0QQitemZ280359276006QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV?hash=item4146b70de6&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=65%3A10|66%3A2|39%3A1|240%3A1318|301%3A0|293%3A1|294%3A50"]Close enough to count I think.[/url][/quote] Tell you what, I'm glad they ruined that with the foul f-hole otherwise I'd have been £210 down. Should've gone for a proper Rick-style cat-eye hole. Still - £189 for a neckthrough Rick-shaped 6? And I'm wondering if someone's been spying on [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?s=&showtopic=21783&view=findpost&p=438083"]Wizbat's Shukers[/url]? J.

Balcro's pointyhead will be a mid 80s version while Ou7shined's one on the slab here is early 80s - both from the same Korean sweatshop, by the looks of it! They might well be from the same place as the similar Hondos of the era, which would possibly be Samick. Encore is just a brand name (owned by John Hornby Skewes) and they'll source instruments from whoever sells 'em cheapest - they were coming in from India in the early 90s, AFAIK. Anyway, despite the fact someone's taken a sander to Ou7hined's Encore, I'm inclined to think the guy's telling the truth about the cracking down the skunk stripe - I've seen the same thing on 2 projects of mine. Both my Kawai Sleekline & my prize-winning £5 Marlin rat-bass had this, and I assume it's to do with unequal wood shrinkage, or something - the truss rods on both basses work fine so I don't think it's delamination. Anyway, I [s]fixed[/s] bodged it by running superglue around it (just in case it was coming apart) and then building up successive coats until the chipped area was filled. You can then lightly sand it smooth & polish it up with T-Cut or somesuch. It's still visible if you look closely but it's completely smooth to the touch. Jon.

[quote name='2x18' post='515259' date='Jun 16 2009, 01:13 PM']Expensive Ibby Fretless [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/IBANEZ-2366FLB-FRETLESS-BASS-VINTAGE-70s-NR_W0QQitemZ260429840289QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV?hash=item3ca2d3ffa1&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=65%3A10%7C66%3A2%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318%7C301%3A1%7C293%3A1%7C294%3A50"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/IBANEZ-2366FLB-FRETL...%3A1%7C294%3A50[/url] Will.[/quote] Nice, but £700, not including the missing bits? Not too sure about the seller's knowledge "the fretboard is mahogany" - o rly? I have one of these, with frets & a maple board (and both ashtrays & original knobs) - in the unlikely event anyone buys this for £700, mine will be on Ebay next week! J.