Bassassin

See anything familiar here? [url="http://www.matsumoku.org/models/aria/catalogs/75_aria/75_aria_catalog_pg1.jpg.html"]http://www.matsumoku.org/models/aria/catal...og_pg1.jpg.html[/url] Although I'd hesitate to say it [i]was[/i] an Aria A-200 - for that we'd need an Aria logo on it. This same design of bass seems to come up quite a lot, from different manufacturers & different countries. The Arias were definitely Japanese, but recently the exact same bass (apart from having a black scratchplate) came up on Ebay - with a definite Made In Korea label... There are quite a few of these knocking about, the vast majority unbranded - if you trawl through the JapCrap Spotting Ebay thread, you'll find one or two listings still active, and if I remember, one or two other BCers have had them. Jon.

[quote name='David Nimrod' post='96562' date='Nov 30 2007, 12:11 PM']Anyone care to leave any ;-)[/quote] Indeed I will, sir: Mr Nimrod is now the owner of my Ibby SR800FL fretless, proffered a very prompt payment once the deal was struck, and patiently bore with me buggering about & not sending it to him as quickly as I'd hoped. Diamond geezer, as the comedy Southerners say. Jon.

[quote name='waynepunkdude' post='283322' date='Sep 13 2008, 07:53 PM']I challenge this entry it isn't in a playable condition. [/quote] Had I known the pic was destined for such a high-stakes contest as this - I would have put strings on [i]before[/i] taking the pic - so as it is, you're suggesting I should be penalised for poor timing! Unfortunately I later made the mistake of cleaning it up - well, a bit - so now I can't procure a representative pic! J.

[quote name='Prosebass' post='282978' date='Sep 12 2008, 11:21 PM']...unless anyone can beat it before the end of the weekend.[/quote] I like a challenge. Paid a fiver for this & felt shafted: [attachment=13286:bassfromhell.jpg] Just needed some strings & "worked" perfectly. Shame you can't see the jack hanging by bare, frayed wires out of the body in this pic. Jon.

Cheers for all the suggestions - getting one made (or having a go myself) is a last resort, really, I'm hopeful that the hole pattern for SQs will turn out to be standard - but it seems no-one knows, not even the people on the JV forum. But they're all g*it*rists anyway. J.

[quote name='Marky L' post='282181' date='Sep 11 2008, 09:45 PM']I guess this HAS to be a wrong 'un, but.. yeah I know, too good to be true ..[/quote] Well, the pics aren't giving much away, but at first glance I'd say that's genuine. Most copies have normal, dark rosewood boards, not the light, orangey wood used here. The inlays look genuine, Rick inlays are poured pearly resin, not the cut-out pearloid material used on copies. The pickup positioning & type also looks genuine - copies usually have the smaller 1/2" gap between the end of the fretboard & the neck pup, and the bridge pup looks like it has a rounded bobbin, not the more squared-off type on copies. Broadly speaking copies are pretty easy to spot, even the best ones - because they were never meant to be counterfeits, many of the details weren't copied too closely. That postage is odd, though - maybe just a mistake? J.

[quote name='doctor_of_the_bass' post='282250' date='Sep 11 2008, 11:31 PM']..didja get it superglued??![/quote] Unfortunately not had the chance yet. Tomorrow with any luck! J.

Yep - never had a fag burn before! J.

Four on a stage, usually just two in the studio (me & singer). Jon.

[quote name='Musky' post='281937' date='Sep 11 2008, 03:59 PM']4001's always had twin truss rods as well. If you've got one with a single TR it might be worth taking a closer look at it, because that's not normal for a Rick.[/quote] However - it's perfectly normal for most Rick copies. Post a pic or two. As I understand it, most screwed-up necks on 4001s are as a result of people trying to adjust the truss rods incorrectly - they don't work in the same way as a conventional rod. If you tighten the nuts to try and adjust the relief, it can cause the fretboard to separate from the neck, and all manner of other nastiness. The "proper" way of setting a 4001 neck is to manually flex the neck to the desired relief, and then adjust the nuts to hold it in place. 4003s - and Japanese copies - have conventional truss rods. Loads of people have, and do use rounds on 4001s - in fact that's half of the sound. Probably lighter gauges are best, though. Jon.

[quote name='Mr. Foxen' post='281519' date='Sep 10 2008, 11:11 PM'][url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/CIMAR-VINTAGE-RICKENBACKER-4001-BASS-REPLICA-STEREO_W0QQitemZ120303980216QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item120303980216&_trkparms=39%3A1|66%3A2|65%3A10|240%3A1318&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14"]Cimar[/url] 120303980216[/quote] Good spot Oli. Wonder if it'll manage to stay up - quite a few listings with the "R" word seem to be getting through lately. btw knobs arrived safe & sound - cheers! J.

A firm & manly handshake of appreciation to Oli, an upstanding young gentleman who sold me three of his finest shiny knobs - at an agreeably reasonable price. Jon.

[quote name='doctor_of_the_bass' post='281500' date='Sep 10 2008, 10:55 PM']Superglue! I think that these basses suit all types of plate - white, black or tortie - I'd try and repair the white one, then buy a couple of others! Sims will be able to duplicate the plate for you etc. Nick[/quote] It'll be getting superglued tomorrow! J.

Just got a delightful (if a little mucky) SQ serial Squier Precision, 83/84, great original condition - but it's arrived with the scratchplate shattered. The rest of it looks like this: Anyroad up, simple question, what, if any, replacement scratchplate will be an identical/exact fit? And wouldn't it look lovely with a Tort? :brow: Jon.

[quote name='beerdragon' post='281172' date='Sep 10 2008, 03:35 PM']I wonder what the error in the listing was.[/quote] Probably an offer he couldn't refuse. J.

[quote name='Darkstrike' post='281068' date='Sep 10 2008, 01:12 PM']Only a five min difference! I had the reply box open as I searched for the pic! Anyway, the one you played, you could call it the "Cliff Burton Special" [/quote] For years I though Cliff played an Ibanez copy - because of the big Gibson mudbucker in the neck position. J.

[quote name='Darkstrike' post='281011' date='Sep 10 2008, 11:54 AM']The Indie Ric copy is different again, but does look very close to the Rockinbetter, its got no bridge pickup cover, and a fender style bridge. [/quote] '+--> QUOTE ('Me - half an hour ago ') The current Rockinbetter & Indie basses are quite different - the Indie is set-neck, not through-neck, and does not have a Rickenbacker-shaped headstock. The one I played had different hardware too. According to the main man at Indie, it's made in Korea.[/quote] Although the one I played/examined did have a bridge pup cover - with a Jazz pickup under it. J.

[quote name='cytania' post='280951' date='Sep 10 2008, 10:27 AM']As far as I can figure it Tokai only made Rick copies in the 70s. The new Rockinbetter basses you see in shops today are made for Indie in China and do not related to Tokai in anyway. So if that is a Tokai expect it to show plenty of wear. Beware the new Rockinbetter's because their 'fireglow' paint looks more like a 'fadedglow'. When I first saw one for a few minutes I entertained the fantasy that they had been in shop window for decades and could be mine for a 70s price... Neckwise my humble fingers found them tiring, very like a new issue Burns Bison bass. Nothing like a real Rick neck.[/quote] As far as I know, Tokai [i]never[/i] made a Rickenbacker bass copy in the 70s. I've never seen one, and it does not feature in any vintage Tokai catalogue. The current Rockinbetter & Indie basses are quite different - the Indie is set-neck, not through-neck, and does not have a Rickenbacker-shaped headstock. The one I played had different hardware too. According to the main man at Indie, it's made in Korea. The most accurate modern 4001/4003 copy is the Shine - I don't know if it's imported to the UK, but is available elsewhere in Europe - in a variety of attractive colours, too: [url="http://www.tiptop.se/cgi-bin/multipage.cgi?id=2525"]http://www.tiptop.se/cgi-bin/multipage.cgi?id=2525[/url] [url="http://www.tiptop.se/cgi-bin/multipage.cgi?id=2523"]http://www.tiptop.se/cgi-bin/multipage.cgi?id=2523[/url] [url="http://www.tiptop.se/cgi-bin/multipage.cgi?id=2522"]http://www.tiptop.se/cgi-bin/multipage.cgi?id=2522[/url] [url="http://www.tiptop.se/cgi-bin/multipage.cgi?id=2524"]http://www.tiptop.se/cgi-bin/multipage.cgi?id=2524[/url] There are some nice Chinese-made 4004 copies knocking around too - Bach Guitars, based in the Czech Republic import some quite stunning ones: [url="http://www.bachmusik.com/en/c100208/model-rbb/"]http://www.bachmusik.com/en/c100208/model-rbb/[/url] Don't know how easy/what it would cost to import one of these - but the most expensive version is £230. J.

A lot of people praise these, although a vintage 70s JapCrap Rickenbugger would at least look more accurate. Most modern Tokais are made in Korea, and don't have much relation to the 70s & 80s Japanese ranges, which came predominantly from Tokai Gakki's own factory, and other manufacturers deemed to be of sufficiently high quality. This Rockinbetter's quite interesting, it's always referred to as Tokai Rockinbetter - but funnily enough no matter how hard you look, you won't find a reference to "Rockinbetter" on Tokai's website - or, as far as I can tell - "Tokai" anywhere on the instrument. There was no Tokai Rick bass copy back in the 70s & 80s. I'm not convince there's any connection beyond the mass anecdotal consensus of The Interwebs. Jon.

Bloody hell. And I thought I'd done OK getting an old Japcrap Jazz from there for £25... Jon.