Bassassin

Metallica's James Hetfield played bass & sang in a band called Syrinx. Yes - it was Rush covers. Opeth guitarist/vocalist Mikael Akerfeldt originally joined the band as a bass player. I'm sure I read somewhere that Bruce Springsteen was gigging as bassist in a heavy rock band immediately before he was signed by Columbia.

It's actually easier to look at it and go "no, Yamaha & Ibanez never sold anything remotely like this piece of broken tat". Quicker, too.

Apart from the heel-adjust truss rod, and, erm, modifications, I'd say that's it.

That's funny - there was a post on here last week, someone wondering if they should buy this: https://www.basschat.co.uk/topic/429286-what-make-is-this/ Never spotted this on Ebay, but it's neither Yam nor Ibby, just some generic cheapo P/J that some idiot's brutalised with power tools. The inlays are curious but something - maybe the overall condition and wilful mutilation it's suffered - sort of make them scream "stickers".

Just checked out the seller's current listings - a neck like the OP's is exactly what I've been after for a J build I've been wanting to do for ages. Even been toying with the idea of using a L/H neck for a reversed headstock - and they do have one. Unfortunately they are a little more expensive now - £78.88 delivered.

I've encountered these, as will be of immense surprise to precisely nobody. They appear to belong to a small but curious sub-category of 80s MIJ instruments - copies of original Japanese guitars & basses. And obviously this is an Ibanez Blazer copy. Despite what the seller says they're not from the "Ibanez factory", and beyond cosmetic appearances, are different & lower budget than the originals. This is madly overpriced - £425 would be pretty stupid money for a real Blazer. It is sort of cool though - I've never seen a factory fretless Jarock before, and they did come in nice sparkly colours; I was outbid on a glitter pink one a while back - I was out at £70. Apropos of nothing, if anyone's interested, these were also sold (in the US, I'd guess) under the Madeira name - which was a licensed sub-brand of Guild.

Would've served him right if it had done that!

Generic formerly-white PJ bass that someone has attacked with power tools.

A long time ago, I said this: "A gentleman is a man who can play slap bass. And doesn't." I take some (negligible) pride in having seen that repeated, uncredited, elsewhere on several occasions. I don't hate slap, but I'm in a position - probably not a unique one - to appreciate that what I said is correct. I know this because I can't play slap (at least, not very well), but spent a lot of years in my 20s trying to shoehorn it into any & every available song, irrespective of whether it was appropriate or not. And given my musical bag's tended to be rock, metal & prog, it was largely very, very inappropriate. Fortunately it was just a phase, one I think I got past when I spent a few years not playing in bands & concentrating on solo writing & recording, which I think (or hope!) helped me get some insight into what worked & what didn't. I haven't slapped a bass with any degree of seriousness in probably 25 years or so - apart, perhaps when that nice Mr Wooten's double thumbing technique became a thing. That was interesting to dissect and learn, up to a point, particularly to find it was largely just playing percussive up/down strokes (ooer Mrs) with the thumb, much like a meat plectrum. One thing did serve as a reminder why I stopped slapping, and this helps keep me on the straight & narrow. About 10 or so years ago, my then band used to organise the live music at a local community festival. One of the bands we put on had sent in a good demo of well-written and competently performed indie pop - think somewhere between Coldplay & Travis, but maybe a bit less whiny. The demo gave no clue to the fact that live, their bassist crammed absolutely every 4-chord strummy ode to bedsit heartbreak with relentless, clattering, pokkata-pokkata-boinkity-boinkity-pokkata-pokkata-BOINK. I was just thinking - bloody hell, that used to be me - and then he started doing that thing of launching the bass (a Stingray, naturally) so it spun around his back on its strap. If I'd had the presence of mind to record it & put it on Youtube, I swear it would still be getting hits & being shared on drumming forums to this day.

I hoped that was the case! Can never tell though, they've been depressingly & increasingly popular since Load. I remember a mate who'd been a big fan since Kill 'Em All days coming back from seeing them on that tour ranting "They should just call themselves 'Licker' - 'cos they're not f**king metal any more!"

Thread needs to be renamed "What's your personal favourite album by (insert artist here). I say this simply because so many of the recommendations are so very, very wrong!

What - so unless you have a specially calibrated tuner, you couldn't correctly tune a guitar fitted with this anyway? I've wondered about it myself but am tending to concur with @ead .

I've had residual Status GAS since playing a mate's S2000 in 1985. This really isn't helping!

Both sound good to me, both identifiably "P". As likely to be inherent differences in strings/pickups as anything else.

Only just seen this thread - IMO good call not to buy the (somewhat overpriced) Greco because you'd probably have been sorely disappointed if you wanted it to sound like a proper 60s Hofner. The pickps, despite appearances, are single-coil Maxons, exactly the same as these: These are quite bright-sounding pickups, used in many early 70s MIJ basses (intended to be hidden under covers) and can sound quite authentic in Jazz or Rickenbacker copies - less so in other basses. Much as I love the old MIJ stuff, that Squier's a great choice - and a bargain!

Missed it. Bugger.

That's fascinating - I had no idea about those US Ibanezes. Will have to read more about them. I've seen pics of the Bunker before but didn't know about the neck construction. Just assumed it was a hugely aesthetically challenged take on a headless design.

Interesting - didn't know the Electra brand had been revived. Back in the day there were actually two US-based Electras (and an Electa in Australia, but that's another story), the best known owned by St Louis Music. These use the old SLM logo and the headstock shape common on the SLM Electra Westones. The old ones are very rare in the UK & Europe, being a US distributor brand but I do like the look of these - the 2x reversed P setup is very interesting. Great-looking basses too.

Cool - interested in hearing more about the more upmarket stuff they're introducing. Cerainly looks the business.

Swedish proggers Opeth (who are probably my favourite current band) released most recent album in Swedish & English versions - I definitely prefer the Swedish version. Despite having no idea what Akerfeldt's on about...

I've found RM small package deliveries seem to be all over the place. Ordered something from Ebay a month or so back, didn't turn up so after 3 weeks I chased it up, and received a refund. Item turned up a couple of days later. Seems to have settled into a pattern of pretty much everything being 5-10 days late, doesn't bother me as long as stuff turns up eventually. I should point out to everyone talking about using ParcelForce for basses - unless their T&Cs have changed recently, their insurance does not cover musical instruments. They will cheerfully sell you upgraded cover - but instruments are specifically excepted items in the small print.

Nine hundred quid? Nine hundred quid for some cheapsh!t Tele parts artlessly bodged onto a knackered old bat that was probably a fiver out of a charity shop? Amazing. Hope it sells.

You can buy tuners - sorry, turners - like that brand new on Ebay for a tenner. Abandoned "projects" like this always amaze me from the perspective that they can progress so far before the person finally realises they lack any of the necessary ability, understanding, competence, skill, or any grasp of basic proportions and aesthetics. Or, evidently, any appropriate tools or materials. Or presumably even one of those free paper tape measures from Ikea. I'm finding the back view a little upsetting. It's been nailed together, hasn't it? With actual nails.

For help with model ID, I can point you towards Fernandes' catalogue archive. There's a lot to go through... http://www.fernandes.co.jp/catalog/ Unless the model number's on the instrument, then the ID's pretty speculative, and for several reasons (pickup position, dot board, no rear ashtray holes) I'm pretty sure it's nothing like as early as 1975. Fernandes, like most Japanese home-market brands, have model numbers reflecting the original RRP in yen, eg an FJB-80 cost 80,000 yen. So if prices increase, model numbers change in relation. Weird, I know. Anyway I'm sort-of inclined to think this might be a later bass, maybe an 80s or 90s RJB series. But I'm no expert on these. Ferrnandes is a brand I've had very little to do with, being predominantly home-market, they don't turn up too often & I've never owned one - but I would say £225 equivalent for that appears ridiculous from a UK perspective. They're replica-standard instruments, incredibly high-quality, and I would speculate that's close to 1/3 what you'd pay at home, if it's in good order. So if it sounds like I'm basically saying buy it, then I probably am...