Bassassin

[quote name='Moos3h' post='550640' date='Jul 24 2009, 10:05 PM']I am always suspicious of sunburst basses/guitars that get to black before the forearm contour, are they hiding the fact the body is ply?[/quote]Yes, in the case of this one (I know 'cos I had one) and some others - Ibanez & Antoria, for example, were mahogany with an ash veneer front & back, the contours were black to cover the veneer edges. And he's ruined a perfectly average bass here. J.

I picked up a couple of pairs of Legacy PH-150 cans at Music Live last year for my home studio. At £10 each I wasn't expecting much but they're ace, very robust, & the closed back design excludes a lot of external sound. They come with 2 cables - straight & curly, and even a little velvet bag to keep them in! Sweet! Jon.

[quote name='Clarky' post='550465' date='Jul 24 2009, 06:21 PM']Just never dare mention Rickenfakers or they will hunt you down like a dog [/quote] Funny - they seem to quite like me over there & I never talk about anything else! Although maybe it's because [spoiler][size=1]I haven't told them I don't have a real Rickenbacker...[/size] :ph34r: J.

Never seen one in the flesh but I think they look the biz, had GAS for one for a while. A couple have come up on here in the last couple of years but no-one was up for a swap for my Tokai Talbo. Still waiting! Jon.

[quote name='jimairtraffic' post='549659' date='Jul 24 2009, 01:23 AM']Only problem is finding them! Jim[/quote] Keep watching Ebay - and the Basses For Sale forum here, they do come up quite often. Secondhand is getting dearer but only proportionately to new retail price - and you really will have a job finding a new 'un. If you're not fussed about finish and the details RIC change from year to year, you shouldn't have to wait long before a decent used one comes up. It also might be worth your while registering on the RickResource forums, people buy & sell all the time on there. Most of the members are in the US but you might still get a decent deal importing one. Best of luck! Jon.

[quote name='Earbrass' post='549055' date='Jul 23 2009, 03:49 PM']Also I think Faithless has been treated rather harshly in this thread; it's very easy for a post to come across as less polite (or otherwise having a different 'tone') than may have been intended if you're writing in a language that isn't your native tongue.[/quote] Actually Faithless was very polite, and also very clear in his criticism - which was aimed at those of us who have praised Zoe's rendition. I presume he thinks either that praise will not encourage her to improve, or that we are just humouring her with disingenuous approval. Personally I don't think either is the case - positive encouragement from one's peers is an excellent motivator, and Rhythm Stick is a notoriously tricky line which Zoe played very ably. Jon.

Why do these home-made hack-jobs always look so crude & lumpy? You'd think if someone was going to go to the effort of hacking a bass up like that, they might spend an hour or two with the sandpaper to make it look a bit less like it had been chewed. Do they just get bored or what? Jon.

Lovely playing Miss Z, and tight as a really tight thing. I suspect there are people 3 times your age crying as they listen. No, I [i]know[/i] it. Jon.

[quote name='riff raff' post='546973' date='Jul 21 2009, 08:19 PM']nice one posting the alembic link........... again and again and again and again....................for me that will never get old.[/quote] Made you an avatar: That'll cheer you up every time you log on. J.

If there's still tape left stuck to it, heat it gently with a hairdryer to soften the glue & make it peel off easily. Glue residue comes off easily with acetone/nail varnish remover, which your wife/gf/sister/mum/transgender alter ego should have - but be very, very careful using this stuff on plastic, as some types can melt horribly. I destroyed the top of a pickup with one careless swipe of a cotton bud. Too bad I didn't have this to cheer me up: [url="http://alembic.com/club/messages/393/67321.jpg"]http://alembic.com/club/messages/393/67321.jpg[/url] Jon.

RUN AWAY!!! Excuse me, I just have a panic reaction to these... My first-ever bass was nearly identical to this - slightly different headstock & branded Grant. It was diabolically awful - it sounded vile, was near-unplayable, impossible to tune & intonate & had such a misaligned bridge the G-string was off the fretboard up the dusty end... At least I think the dots on mine were in the right places! With a start like that it's a miracle I played bass for longer than a fortnight. Unless this one's a significant upgrade over mine, I don't think the bridge is original, mine had a crude 2-saddle design. Perhaps that's why the strings on this one are over the fretboard rather than thin air... Mine was Japanese - it had an MIJ-stamped neckplate, but lots of low-end Japanese & Korean guitars turn up with identical designs so Korea's equally possible with this. Mine was purchased brand-new in mid-1978, so this might be later than you think, it seems these crude-looking starter instruments were sold throughout the 70s and possibly even beyond. Jon.

I'd assume it was £10 from the car boot last Sunday, & he hopes he'll be able to bump it on the Bay for £50. Not getting a huge amount of attention listed like it is! J.

[quote name='Mr Fudge' post='546286' date='Jul 21 2009, 12:25 PM']Very very true ... also someone on this forum pointed out recently (a fact that I had forgotten over the years) that Geds Jazz had some dodgy wiring that contributed to his sound. It's all in his fingers though isn't it really??? [/quote] I suppose - the Steinberger & Wals sounded very different, but maybe that was what he was after at the time. He's playing a Precision on the first Rush album & still had a lot of "that" tone, even back then. Any idea what the dodgy wiring was? Maybe that's the answer the OP's after. J.

I don't know much about Hofners, but the Literacy Police spotted this: [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Hofner-Electric-Base-Guitar_W0QQitemZ300331628017"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Hofner-Electric-Base...emZ300331628017[/url] Might be worth keeping an eye on if you're in the Midlands... Jon.

He's got an Ibby RS824 up as well - £600!!! [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/RARE-1980-Ibanez-Roadster-Bass_W0QQitemZ200365158249"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/RARE-1980-Ibanez-Roa...emZ200365158249[/url] Wonder if he's been on here & reading that thread where I said JapCrap was recession-proof? What have I done???? :ph34r: Jon.

Historically Geddy Lee fooled most Rush fans into thinking his 70s Jazz was a 4001, particularly on [i]Moving Pictures[/i] but allegedly on a good few other Rush albums too. Alternatively there's this approach: Jon.

Very rare piece of 80s JapCrap, that is - it's been listed before & was mentioned in the JapCrap Spotting thread: [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?s=&showtopic=7473&view=findpost&p=530131"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?s=&sho...st&p=530131[/url] He's dropped the price a bit but it's still pretty dear IMO, shame it's not the neck-through version. Jon.

Probably a pointless pack of lies based on that response - backed up by the fact X Ray Spex never "toured everywhere" & split up in 1979 - before this bass was made! Nonetheless £50 was probably a reasonable price for an Ibby Blazer project, assuming it's complete & nothing's wrecked. Jon.