Bassassin

I do like SBVs - folk here from the original Bassworld site will remember Mr Arrowhead Guitars (reincarnated on BC as Paul C) went through a rather strange phase of collecting these - I don't know how many he had, but his avowed intent was to collect them all, Pokemon-style: every model and colour permutation! I don't think he quite achieved that - but he had loads, as well as the SBV-500 and its numerous colours, in Japan there were various different pickup permutations, special edition models & feck-knows what else. And then there were the vintage ones... Anyway, with any luck Paul will drop by this topic & post a photo of The Collection, but mine was originally one of his (a duplicate) and look - there it is, being played by a gonk in a dodgy hat: I love mine (must gig it again soon!) but because I have a penchant for maple & blocks, I really want this version: Jon.

It's funny - Columbus is a bit of a mystery, despite the fact they were so ubiquitous in the 70s & 80s. I have no idea who owned or distributed the brand, or what happened to them. They were featured in the old "Bell" musical instrument catalogues from the 70s, but so were many other brands. I've had 4 over the years - my first guitar was a Columbus SG, bought very secondhand in 1981, and I subsequently had an LP copy too. I had a Jazz copy & currently have an LP, just like my old one, which I'm renovating. Mine were all Japanese copies, but it seems by the mid-80s the brand had gone down the pointyhead/Superstrat route, and was being made in Korea, like most budget instruments were back then. Not sure when Columbus disappeared, I think they were gone by 1990. Sorry I can't be of more help - but it's surprising how little info there is about them. Jon.

[quote name='charic' post='237687' date='Jul 11 2008, 10:55 PM']I just wana know how captain japcrap knows what they are [/quote] Captain Japcrap is all-seeing, all-knowing... ...and plainly has far too much time on his hands, as well as an eidetic memory for low-end tat! :ph34r: Could there be a more pointless & futile "talent"? J.

I've actually got a few contemporary Arias (as opposed to the "proper" 70s & 80s JapCrap ones) and if mine are anything to go by - they're unfairly overlooked. This is an Aria STB-GT: [attachment=10708:stbgtfull.jpg] It might just be a piece of wood that makes noise - but it's a pretty damn :brow: one - in my opinion! I've also got an acoustic bass & a PE-series g*it*r, all of them are well-made, very nice to play, and sound good too. That said - you can't argue with SXes for quality per quid, from what I've read about 'em. Jon.

[quote name='The Burpster' post='237514' date='Jul 11 2008, 06:45 PM']is it me or is it just ...... Odd..... :wacko:[/quote] It's [i]special[/i]. I think this guy sold (or at least, listed) something similar a little while back. I remember the err, daubs on the headstock. Jon.

I've noticed it it on a few no-name 70s P copies, as well as some early pre copy-era JapCraps. It's on these old Arias: [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] These pre-date Matsumoku's known involvement with the brand, so it's not clear who exactly made them! I'll do a bit of digging & see if I can find a P with this adjuster from a known brand/builder. £60? Steal. J.

[quote name='noirpunk' post='236876' date='Jul 10 2008, 09:00 PM']Ibanez? How many of those were badgeless then? Out of interest how much is it worth?[/quote] JapCrap in-joke, NP. Every Japanese bass or guitar ever to appear on Ebay, or anywhere else, is an Ibanez, made in the famous Ibanez factory. Really, there's no such thing as a badgeless Ibanez - there can't be, because Ibanez [b]is[/b] only a badge. It's a brand name, owned by Hoshino Gakki, a trading company which contracts various factories to make Ibanez-branded instruments. Anyroad up, that's a lovely-looking P, could be a Fujigen (Fujigen Gakki was the factory which made Ibanez in the 70s - amongst many other brands) but the odd skinny neckplate & that style of truss adjuster makes me think not... I can't quite tell from the pic - but is the neck made from 3 pieces of maple? If so, that's a common construction technique on some better-quality JapCrap. From the pics, I wouldn't want to hazard a guess at a maker (they all look the same!) but there might be some clues on the hardware & electronics, if you took it to bits. Mind me asking how much you paid for it? J.

Crack Converters can be surprisingly reasonable - a while back, one by me had a Satellite (similar ilk of crap to Hondo) J copy up at £50 - I tried it & one of the pickups was dead, I asked if they'd knock a bit off (expecting a tenner, at best) and walked out with it for £25! It was just a dry joint on a pot, as well... If the neck on that Hondo was irreparably screwed - ie not fixable with truss adjustments or shimming - then you're better off shot of it. Jon.

[quote name='madiccy' post='235638' date='Jul 9 2008, 12:27 PM']Ahhh Could Be...Thanks I Paid £20 for it.[/quote] It's not home-built. It's a Shaftesbury, made in Italia by Eko: [url="http://www.fetishguitars.com/html/general/shaftesbury.html"]http://www.fetishguitars.com/html/general/shaftesbury.html[/url] It's had a refin - which I'd try & remove, if it was mine. Which, regrettably, it's not - unless you'd take £25 for it! BTW welcome to BC, Iccy. Jon.

Blimey - one I missed! I'd go for it if it doesn't attract last-minute bids, probably make a decent project. I'm 99% sure it's not an Avon - most of them - and every Avon J I've seen - had a metal headstock badge - if this had had one, there would be holes where it was pinned on. There's no MIJ on the neckplate - it was possibly a Satellite, or from the same source. Six & half-a-dozen, really, the quality will be comparable. Good luck! J.

That'll be an Avon (brand) from Rose-Morris (importer/distributor & huge London music shop). A lot of sellers aren't very bright. I think I've seen the one you mean - EB-0 medium scale, hard case, still got its ashtray on. I had an identical bass (as far as I can tell from Mr Numpty's crap pics) with a different brand name, & it was OK - very, very limited bridge, single coil pup posing as a mudbucker, ply body, decent neck. It did sound quite authentic, despite the pickup only being a single. I didn't mod mine - sold it on when I got bored - which didn't take long... I also made a significant profit - which is worth bearing in mind before you do anything to modify old JapCrap - some people do collect this stuff & will very often pay more than you might expect... J.

[quote name='Dave Dubya' post='234676' date='Jul 8 2008, 01:11 AM']So...Avon basses - are they really Jap "crap" and a waste of money? I'm looking at this at the moment for a build project and, as long it stays fairly cheap, I'm might bid.[/quote] Is it a particular one or just an Avon in general? Avon was generally the cheaper end of the market - the brand was owned by Rose-Morris, who also had the Shaftesbury brand. Shaftesburys tended to be higher-end copies - but having said that, I've seen some later Avons which were very, very nice - for example a Gibson Marauder g*it*r copy which was near-identical to the real thing, played & sounded lovely. However some of the earlier ones were pretty cheap & cheerful - the EB basses & J basses will tend to have ply bodies & not-great pups & hardware. That said, a truly rubbish neck seems to be very uncommon on any JapCrap - this is probably because the really unplayable ones have long since gone off to that great landfill in the sky... I'd say, by all means grab it if you can get it cheap enough - the great thing about JapCrap is its resellability, if it's not what you're after. J.

[quote name='Sibob' post='235134' date='Jul 8 2008, 05:39 PM']kneck?? You've been looking at these types of listings too long Jon Si[/quote] Sorry about that - obviously I meant to say "arm". J.

It actually looks like a 70s JapCrap P neck to me - looks like the sort of wide, originally chrome trc you often find on these. Obviously, now painted one of the "colours that you see". The seller's also got a set of old JapCrap-stylee tuners on as well, probably from this kneck, sorry, [i]shaft[/i]. Useful for spares. If you're me. :ph34r: J.

We've had the Kneck, the Arm, and even the Handle - but now, the fountainhead of linguitstic invention that is Ebay brings you... [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Bass-Guitar-Shaft_W0QQitemZ370067002291QQihZ024QQcategoryZ42455"][b]The Bass Guitar Shaft[/b][/url] Jon.

Unfortunately my hands are on the wrong way for this - and I'm a little too poor... However, looking at his other & previous listings, this guy looks like potentially a good option for anyone after a new Rick at a more sensible price - like this: [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=170212377613"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...em=170212377613[/url] That went for about £500 off list price - and the two he's got up at the moment have full-width inlays, a vintage feature only reintroduced a couple of months ago. Jon.

[quote name='noirpunk' post='234219' date='Jul 7 2008, 03:29 PM']I was offered it for £40 but declined..[/quote] That was silly! I would've given you a ton for it! J.

[quote name='nick' post='234055' date='Jul 7 2008, 12:10 PM']Very tempted, but just bought a Yamaha SBV500, which sort of covers Jazz bass needs. Otherwise I probably would. I think Mayas generally made cracking good basses.[/quote] I have an SBV too - and they are great basses, as well as being real head-turners. The Maya's good for what it is - but obviously a lot of the appeal of the early JapCrap is more its collectability & curiosity value, rather than its practicality - and this one is a bit idiosyncratic! J.

[quote name='Happy Jack' post='233776' date='Jul 6 2008, 09:29 PM']A slightly more convincing 'Faker: [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Beatles-Paul-McCartney-Bass-For-Vox-1960s-style_W0QQitemZ290243805763QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item290243805763&_trkparms=39%3A1%7C65%3A10&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Beatles-Paul-McCartn...id=p3286.c0.m14[/url][/quote] I[i] thought[/i] that bizarre item title seemed familiar: [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Vintage-60s-Paul-McCartney-Beatles-Bass-Guitar-For-Vox_W0QQitemZ300216908861"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Vintage-60s-Paul-McC...emZ300216908861[/url] Different seller & not an attempt to spoof the first ad - this bass looks like it was probably a Shaftesbury, once upon a time. The Fresher's interesting, never seen a bolt-on before. Although despite being "in fantastic shape" it does look a bit like it's been flung out a window. J.

[quote name='nick' post='233753' date='Jul 6 2008, 08:37 PM']Nice looking Maya Jazz - love 'em myself [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Maya-bass-Jazz-copy-Japan-vintage-70s-MIJ-Japanese-NR_W0QQitemZ120279610122QQihZ002QQcategoryZ4713QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Maya-bass-Jazz-copy-...1QQcmdZViewItem[/url][/quote] Go on, make us an offer... J.

Bigger pic - actually the background off Norm's Myspace - the design looks like it incorporates part of the Bass Centre logo - this is probably a prototype of the one they sell. Jon.

Don't care whether they're Fakers or not - that second one with the MM type 'Bucker is [i]gorgeous[/i]. :wub: J.