Bassassin

It is hard to be 100% sure from such a (deliberately?) unclear photo - but I'd say copy. First of all, the pinky/yellow Fireglo is very un-Rickish, genuine basses from this era tend to have darkened quite a lot, and wouldn't have been so garish to start with. Also the colour of the fretboard wood isn't much like the orangey rosewood Ricks have. Moving on, the curve of the scratchplate follows the contour of the body curve - look at a genuine Rick & you'll see the two edges don't run parallel like this. I think you're right about the tuners, although I'm not sure here - remember Ricks pre-75 (ish) had Grovers, with smaller & squarer keys. Also, the truss rod cover doesn't look like it even says "Rickenbacker" on it, does it? Anyway - I've sent him a request for more pics - I've asked to see the headstock, tuners, jackplate, truss adjusters etc. If he doesn't send them - it's a fake & he knows it! J.

Excellent price - I've paid more for secondhand ones from Gumtree ads. Too bad I don't need any more! Jon.

I suppose I can understand the prices of the Green Label range - anything built in the UK is going to be pricey. The other range is insanely overpriced for Korean (at best) mass-produced derivatives. They'd be fine if they were £200 - as it is, I've no idea who will buy either range. And the designs - yet more re-hashed, creatively & artistically bankrupt Fender & Gibson inspired drabness. I fail to see the point of these, on any level. Jon.

Sunday night roundup - not much to report: Serious bargain-basement 80s kitsch - a Marlin, in white with black/red binding. Party like it's 1983! [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=140199304544"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...em=140199304544[/url] Avon EB-0 copy. Words fail me: [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=180208354444"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...em=180208354444[/url] Southpaw Aria Pro Laser Heritage: [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=180208670765"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...em=180208670765[/url] Nice looking Aria Pro SB-R60 fretless, buy this & find out what £18.79 worth of bubble wrap & cardboard looks like: [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=250208006836"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...em=250208006836[/url] Odd little P copy with mini-Humbucker, I'd say Korean, He says Teisco. Which makes a change from Ibanez - but it's neither: [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=190192338829"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...em=190192338829[/url] J.

Holy Grail of dance music, that is - they've been fetching increasingly stoopid prices since the Acid House daze of the late 80s. To think I nearly bought one back in the early 80s, just to muck about with. Jon.

[quote name='paul, the' post='123242' date='Jan 19 2008, 02:48 AM']Cheers Jon! Although the ad suggests they're not Mahogany.[/quote] I'd think they probably are - having seen a lot of basses & guitars from Fujigen, they don't tend to use ply too often. The "finished in mahogany" is probably just a peculiarity of the Japlish translation! [quote name='WishICouldWalk' post='123256' date='Jan 19 2008, 09:01 AM']Is it me or should the person who decided to put those truss rod covers on the headstock be turned into sushi?[/quote]Are we talking about the Fender copies here? Another peculiarity of the Jap factories' construction methods, most of the Fujigen/Matsumoku/Rokkoman Fender clones had this until quite late in the 70s. Tends to go hand-in-hand with 3-piece quarter-sawn maple necks on many of them. Personally I quite like them, one of the inexplicable little quirks that makes these instruments a bit more individual, like the round-end Jazz pups that turn up on a lot of them. J.

[quote name='Happy Jack' post='123179' date='Jan 18 2008, 10:57 PM']Now this is a VERY nice example of a Greco P-bass: [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/JAPAN-FUJIGEN-GRECO-Vintage-Precision-Bass-N-MINT_W0QQitemZ290199262144QQihZ019QQcategoryZ4713QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/JAPAN-FUJIGEN-GRECO-...1QQcmdZViewItem[/url] If it was a J, then I'd probably have to go for it.[/quote] That's a lot for a Fujigen P copy, particularly when you consider shipping from Japan & import bumrape tax. Very quiet on the JapCrap front post-Xmas, particularly the elderly copies, but there's one or two oddities. A medium-scale P copy, absurdly high start: [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=310015589681"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...em=310015589681[/url] Another old Kay P copy: [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=290199414797"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...em=290199414797[/url] A very strange & interesting semi-acoustic: [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=290199537819"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...em=290199537819[/url] A Hondo licensed S D Curlee: [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=160200114714"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...em=160200114714[/url] Aria SB1000: [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=250206670869"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...em=250206670869[/url] And [i]another[/i] Washburn Force 40 - you don't see any in about 5 years of regular Bay-scouring, then 2 turn up in a week: [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=170185698770"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...em=170185698770[/url] J.

[quote name='The Burpster' post='122644' date='Jan 18 2008, 09:03 AM']You are limited a bit with strings on the Hohner but the Spirit can use double ball end or single ball end so you can use whatever strings.... (MASSIVE bonus).[/quote] I have seen an adapter for the Hohner on Ebay, which allows the use of conventional strings. Typically, I can't find the bloody thing now, but they do exist. Not much help, really! J.

I have a Hohner B2A, which I've had from new (waaaaay back in the 80s!) and it's my permanent gigging backup. Ebay is always full of Hohner B2s, they do tend to be quite pricey - usually the less comfortable side of £200. Often they're listed as new - I think they're still available outside of the UK - as far as I know the Hohner brand isn't currently available here. I've never played a Steinberger Spirit, so I can't really comment - but I always assumed it was the same bass rebadged - after all the Hohner is a licensed copy. Another alternative is the H&S brand - a German importer which sells through Ebay, they frequently have a nice-looking set-neck Steinberger copy which sells for about £120-ish. I've seen one of these in the flesh, in a music shop in Barcelona (unfortunately didn't get the chance of a play) and it looked solid & well put together. They don't currently have this listed on Ebay - but they do have a twin-neck (!) which might give you some idea: [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/H-S-Headless-Doubleneck-Double-Neck-Bass-headless_W0QQitemZ360013012274"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/H-S-Headless-Doublen...emZ360013012274[/url] Jon.

[quote name='PJPofStHelens' post='119492' date='Jan 13 2008, 01:32 PM']...the screws holding the tuner on to the headstock all appear to be firm.[/quote] Worth clarifying that the screws aren't to hold the tuner onto the headstock - that's the job of the hexagonal nuts you're asking about! The screws actually lock the tuners in position, and stop them from spinning around under string tension - so it's vitally important to make sure they're secure too. Jon.

It does sound to me that a fret level & dress is what's needed - this is a pro job which requires specific tools & experience, though. Possibly a neck shim, too, but a luthier will do that, if necessary, as part of a set-up. It doesn't sound too serious to me. Jon.

We definitely did play dress-up more in earlier lineups of the band (it was all a bit gothy/cyber a few years back) - however our current guitarist & drummer, whilst being exemplary musicians, possess style measurable in negative values, which makes it much harder work. Also, we have a female vocalist who is naturally the focal point onstage, so this is typical: [attachment=4937:maya29edit.jpg] Really, no-one's paying too much attention to the ugly gits with instruments, and no-one has to give Nick a hard time for turning up in a Hawkwind t-shirt. We've all been doing this for a long time (the band's been gigging since 2000 & this line-up's 5 years old) so confidence isn't an issue, ever - our favourite gigs are to new audiences who don't know what to expect, and we're seldom what they do expect. I don't think, at this point, specific stage outfits for the guys in the band would make any difference either to either our performance or an audience's reaction. It's all about the music, maaan. Jon.

[quote name='andy67' post='120880' date='Jan 15 2008, 03:57 PM']aye right!! status my ass! [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Vintage-Status-Jazz-Bass-Japan-circa-1973_W0QQitemZ320207162845QQihZ011QQcategoryZ4713QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Vintage-Status-Jazz-...1QQcmdZViewItem[/url][/quote] But it is. 70s importer brand name, I've seen these before, not sure if it's a UK brand. Remember Rob Green's basses were originally called "Strata" until Fender got arsey - whoever used Status originally (early 70s by the look of the bass) would have been quite within their rights to do the same! J.

No idea about all the electrickery, but the bass is a 70s Kay P copy - these have been talked about on here a bit lately - you'll find a few mentions in the JapCrap thread - and of course the infamous "Dog Bass"! The J pup isn't original, but the routing looks quite well done, so the rest of the mods might be similarly OK. Might be a fun project, I had one & they play OK with a bit of work, original pup on mine sounded pretty good too. Jon.

Remember, if you're putting a replacement neck on your Geddy, if it's going to be a different scale length, you'll have to reposition the bridge to compensate. If you go for a longer scale, make sure you have room to move the bridge back - I doubt there would be room for a 36" or longer. Jon.

Hard to tell from the pic - but I had it pegged as an 80s-ish Hondo P copy. It has the slightly hooky headstock, and looks like it has the bogseat type bridge saddles that you see on these. I'd be comfortable paying about £50ish for it, including postage. Not that I'll be bidding. J.

[quote name='Paul Cooke' post='120216' date='Jan 14 2008, 05:10 PM']too late... it's been pulled... you should have gone for it while it was there...[/quote] You'd've had to be quick - it started at 16.57.23 and was pulled at 17.03.15! He obviously ticked the "Buy It Now" box by mistake! And if the OP hadn't hung about asking whether £15.99 was worth a gamble, & had just hit BIN... Jon.

[quote name='paul h' post='120062' date='Jan 14 2008, 01:22 PM']If there were that many threads about her, I reckon I might have heard of her before. I've been around a while in different forms. I was on Basstalk and Bassworld. I'm sorry if you find my wanting to discuss a Lydia video an irritant. But this IS a discussion forum. P.[/quote] +1. I've never noticed any threads about her before, never seen the videos. What a great player/vocalist. [quote name='TheBigBeefChief' post='119833' date='Jan 13 2008, 10:42 PM']Just read through the thread that was closed. Laughed so hard a bit of wee came out. Glad I'm not the only one who offends the oversensitive types.[/quote] I think the difference is that you clearly go out of your way to do so! Must admit I wondered what had happened to Tanya. Jon.

The changeover from MIJ to CIJ indicates a change in factory - originally Japanese Fenders were built by Fujigen Gakki - Fender chose them initially because of the quality & accuracy of the copies they produced under the Ibanez & Greco brands in the 70s - far superior to the US CBS-era Fenders. Production was moved from Fujigen in the 90s and subsequently split between Dyna Gakki & Tokai Gakki, although I think it's predominantly Dyna at present. It's these instruments that are labelled CIJ. All three factories have a history of high-quality guitar manufacture, and as far as I know Japanese Fenders are all very consistent, regardless of the factory of origin. Jon.

Definitely a suss looking duplicate listing - but the real mystery's how the fark I missed such a glowing example of JapCrap absurdity! I had one of them, way back. Jon.

Anyway, this one is old & Japanese - original-style 1980 Ibanez Blazer, with single humbucker & headstock the same as my Cimar project, high start price, but a 3-day listing might mean it doesn't attract many bids: [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=190189859101"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...em=190189859101[/url] Aria Pro Laser Heritage - quite uncommon, looks OK, neck pup not working: [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=160198084723"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...em=160198084723[/url] Satellite P copy, back for about the 3rd time, and still far too dear: [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=280191724955"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...em=280191724955[/url] J.

I played the Indie at Music Live '06 - it was, for the money, complete rubbish. It felt cheap & tacky, if it had been £120, no problem but £500 was a complete pisstake. I also met & chatted to "Mr Indie Guitars" about it & he was really quite cynical, basically saying it's half the price of a real one, so people will buy it anyway despite it being cheap & nasty. He also had no idea about RIC's design trademarks & their aggressive protection thereof. The fact it no longer seems to be part of the Indie range would suggest he's found out. The Rockinbetter does seem to be connected to Tokai, but doesn't seem to be in their catalogues at all. It looks a little more authentic than the Indie, it has the correct headstock & I think is neck-through. There's also a copy made by Shine, which sometimes pops up on Euro Ebay branded as Johnson. Apart from having a not very Rickish headstock, it's probably the most accurate, having a big Rick type tailpiece/bridge, convincing looking bridge pup cover & surround, and is fitted with Seymour Duncan's Rick upgrade pickups. None of them look the part as well as a 70s JapCrap effort, and are all likely to be dearer too. J