Bassassin

Can't see a problem with this tbh. I have a long history of gigging with pre-recorded backing going back to the mid 90s, when my cover band made an executive decision to gig as a duo, basically so money was split 2-ways rather than 3 or 4. Me & the guitarist both had 8-track recording setups so recording keys, rhythm guitars & programmed drums was a formality.

My subsequent originals band gigged for a while with pre-recorded drums (programmed stuff from demos I'd done) when our meat drummer smashed up his leg in an alcohol/steps based incident.

I've not been in a gigging band for a while - but tech being where it is now, my musical collaborator & me are starting to discuss going out again, as a duo. The whole other people/herding cats element was what killed our (rather brilliant) last band & on reflection, soured the experience of creating music for a little while. It might be nice to only have ourselves to blame when it all goes predictably & grotesquely wrong, just for a change.

On 25/08/2023 at 19:49, The Funk said:

I have a pair of late ‘70s Japanese doublenecks (guitar neck / bass neck) which were made in the same factory as the Ibanez models of the era but rebadged with a different name on the headstock for the UK market. One of them says Antoria and the other says CMJ.

70s Antorias were made by Fujigen Gakki & were the same instruments as their Ibanez counterparts, even down to the model numbers - for most, the only differences were the brands & price tags, Antoria being somewhat less expensive. The Jazz/Strat (Jrat? Strazz?) is super-rare as either Ibanez or Antoria and doesn't appear in any of the surviving catalogues of either brand, so it's anyone's guess what the model number was.*

The SG/EB is a CMI (Cleartone Musical Instruments, essentially a Marshall amps sub-brand) and these weren't made by Fujigen, and so are unrelated to Ibanez. CMI sourced from numerous factories & from the details I can see (3-screw pickups, head shape & trc style) I'm pretty confident this is a Matsumoku made instrument. It will have 'Steel Adjustable Neck' stamped neckplates & random undateable serial numbers - although there will probably be pickup codes for accurate dating.

I've always fancied a guitar/bass twin-neck simply for (theoretical) ease of going between guitar & bass ideas when composing stuff. And for showing the guitarist what he's doing wrong.

*Edit - update - apparently it's a model 2407 & called a Gemini. Although I can't help but wonder what magic source of info an auction house has that's unavailable to the wider online MIJ geek cognosenti!

https://www.guitar-auctions.co.uk/sale/145/418/1976-Antoria-Gemini4-Model-2407-double-neck-basselectric-guitar-made-in-Japan-ser-no-C76xxx9

On 22/08/2023 at 15:20, SteveXFR said:

A mate of mine worked with them a couple times. Apparently they hate each other. Arrive at the venue separately, separate dressing rooms, don't speak to each other and leave separately. 

Used to see one or other of them pretty regularly in a south Edinburgh supermarket. At least - I assumed it was one of them, could well have been both, studiously avoiding each other.

23 hours ago, Newfoundfreedom said:

 

I'm not sure if the delamination issues are with the bass. As I read the add it sounds like it's the case that's delaminated. 

 

I know very little about the bass, but it's very pretty, and electrical issues are easily fixed.

 

Agree the text is referring to the case. Some of the pics of the bass do look as though there may be lacquer cracks between the rear of the top wing & its centre, and the neck. That might be delamination but if so it doesn't look structural, or a difficult fix, Still, not what you'd expect if you were paying over a grand for one of these.

These are rare, high-end basses and there is a (very small) enthusiast/collector community for the brand & manufacturer - but prices are all over the place. They sit for years unsold at two grand but are snapped up at sub-£1000 prices. Given that this one has some known issues (likely of a very minor electrical nature) but also might have some delamination problems, I'm not sure who he thinks will drop £1200 on it in this state.

If I was still buying & selling I'd be taking a gamble on it for about £500 as it is.

1 hour ago, jezzaboy said:

It`s always amazed me that Ibanez don`t re do some of the older models, I mean Fender have been doing it for decades!

 

But maybe the only ones who would buy them would be sad gits on bass forums 

I think they reissued the Blazer guitars back in the late 90s, don't think there was a bass though. They did recently reissue the 70s Black Eagle bass.

Would be hilarious if they reissued their 2388B Rick copy. And then claimed trademark rights on the body & headstock shape, because they were selling them in 1972 & Rickenbacker International Corporation (who own the trademark) didn't exist before 1984. But no-one should be that cruel to poor old John Hall.

23 minutes ago, Lozz196 said:

If I recall correctly Mick Quinn, the bassist from Supergrass used to use an Ibanez bass - whatever their Precision copy was - as he said the output was stronger/hotter in comparison with the Fenders of the time.

Ibby Blazer, I think. Pickup would have been a Super P4 hex-pole DiMarzio clone, which tend to be pretty pokey.

Same as the P unit in my '82 RS924 Roadster, which is the best-sounding P/J bass I've had. The J unit's silly-hot, clocks around 12k, if I remember.

Really wish I'd picked up a bunch of these a few years ago back when they went for £70 / £80 or so.

1 hour ago, Beedster said:

 

Deep Purple £125  

 Reality check:

https://www.inflationtool.com/british-pound/1969-to-present-value?amount=125&year2=2023&frequency=yearly

Small Faces' £450 fee:

https://www.inflationtool.com/british-pound/1969-to-present-value?amount=450&year2=2023&frequency=yearly

31 minutes ago, Burns-bass said:

Lindo is a bricks and mortar business. It’s about 2 minutes from my house…

Didn't know that - they used to be all over Ebay a few years back.

12 hours ago, Russ said:

Ebonol is basically just phenolic, isn’t it?

 

I tried one of the new Ibanez EHB fretlesses recently, with the blue Richlite fingerboard (which is basically phenolic resin-infused paper!).

Ebonol's compressed black paper & resin. Presumably Richlite's a trademark for a slightly different (less black?) product.

Don't think I've had an ebony-board fretless but the two rosewoods (Ibanez SR800FL & Yamaha BB400S) from recollection seemed duller & less mwaah-y than the ebonol board Squier VMJ that followed.

That said I prefer my lacquered maple Sire V7 to any of them - although it does require a delicate touch as it tends to exaggerate string-on-fingerboard clacks & clatters.

I'd avoid the Encore unless you are left-handed. Lindo was a cheapo Ebay brand from 10 or so years ago.

Agree with @Lw. - the budget Harley Benton stuff coming from Thomann (or J&D from dv247.com) is light-years beyond starter-level stuff from a few years back.

On 30/07/2023 at 10:05, Mike Bungo said:

I’ve ordered one at £129 😳😂 it looks the exact same to me and maybe why he didn’t admit to what it was… 

Totally is a G4M he's playing. Maybe he doesn't remember the brand & just assumes it's MIJ because cheapo basses used to be Japanese back when he were a lad.

51 minutes ago, ezbass said:

Not at all, just not your bag. If you don’t like Yes or Zep, you’re never going to like Rush. I do like Yes and Zep (although not all of it, not by a long chalk) so I was already predisposed to Rush I guess.

That's it in a nutshell. Rush's first six albums are essentially Zep & Yes in a blender, with Geddy's vocals being Plant & Jon Anderson following a teleporter accident.

I am a huge Rush fan.

Interesting one-off mod, looks like a stock BB3000 that someone's taken to JayDee & got circuitry installed in. Had a refin & a BA2 as well.

Dunno how I've missed this one so far! Really interesting & uncommon model, probably the debut of the SR body shape in the Ibanez range. The MC2924 Musicians from the same era had the same body shape too.

To be pedantic (sorry!) I think this is an RB760 - the RB830 was essentially identical but 32" scale. It's a fantastic bargain & I wish I could buy it! GLWTS!

I do like that. Always been Reverend-curious, and that colour reminds me of the finish on some 70s Rick copies:

Affectionately known as SnotGlo.

On 14/07/2023 at 12:17, tauzero said:

 

Who'd have thought it? https://www.ebay.ca/itm/285105361623

We do all realise these are Dan Armstrong copies - or to be more specific, as they have branding - counterfeits, I hope?

These are available with colour-changing LEDs, if you look around. Just saying.

14 hours ago, Jean-Luc Pickguard said:

Looks okay if you date it according to this guide: https://www.fuzzfaced.net/serial-numbers-stratocaster-japan.html

That's a lot of info I've not seen before & a lot of contradictions to what's accepted/established as the basis of dating MIJ/CIJ & identifying manufacturers.

Would be interesting to know sources for the new info. Unfortunately this makes dating & correctly IDing Japanese Fenders more complicated - especially those bloody E serials!

Headless twin neck 4 / fretless 5, fretless on the top. Jazz width, maple boards with the fretless lined & pearl blocks on the fretted. Compact body to minimise weight with offset through neck(s), top neck possibly angled slightly back to improve access to the bottom neck. Passive J pickups (not decided what make/models) controlled by 3x co-ax stacked pots. Not quite sure what it'd look like - body shape maybe a little like an Aria SB (pointed horns, slight offset) but as compact/minimal as possible. Body wings stained a different colour to the natural through sections, possibly green or blue.

Realistically (yeah, this is proper realistic!) I may need to have several of these made as there are areas I can't make a decision about without actually playing it - as keeping weight down's a priority & twin-necks are inherently unweildy, 32" scale might be sensible but I'd need to A/B it with a 34" (35" for the 5er?) to see. Also there's the colour dilemma. And body materials - how much additional weight would clear acrylic wings (with colour-changing LEDs, obs) add?

Yep, gonna need at least five of these.

Looks rubbish.

@KK Jale - didn't know that about fiddle-type f-holes, & they always look a bit crap on basses & guitars. I say that as a fan of the look of the original Thinline Tele, which IMO would be improved by a Rick-style slash hole.

I do like that a lot, looks like a very well-done conversion.

Would be seriously interested if I didn't have both an SR500 and a wilfully decapitated bass already. And if you weren't 400-odd miles away...

GLWTS!

5 hours ago, Shea Stadium said:

 

Hello hello, that's called theft and robbery. You, ll make a good business man but a lousy musician and human being. Even Tokai put their real name on the headstock. Take a Leaf... You should do the same. 

 Actually it's no such thing. It's potentially an infringement of copyright/trademark, however I doubt that in 1973 Fender would have felt too threatened by a kid putting a sticky label on his bass. They had bigger problems to deal with back then - such as every Japanese factory turning out Fender clones that were infinitely superior to their own lazy CBS-era crap.

Fantastic to hear these - if I was asked on pain of death to name my favourite album of all time, it'd be Quadrophenia. The Who was the first band I really got into, long before I ever picked up a bass, and I've always considered Townshend to be a visionary, genius-level musician. I was aware he had his own studio & demoed songs before presenting them to the band but this is the first time I've heard any, and I'm quite amazed by the detail, refinement and completeness of these versions of songs I've known & loved for decades. Plus what a tight, precise drummer he is!

Thinking about it, these are demos for songs to be recorded/interpreted by The Who - it's perfectly reasonable to assume that Pete would have played the bass & drum parts as he imagined his bandmates - who he'd worked with for over 10 years by this point - would play them. Less dictating what they should play, and rather second-guessing what they would play. Working with them the way he did would've had a huge influence on his approach to bass & drums anyway, I'd expect.

I learned a loooong time ago that any marginally noticeable quantity of alcohol or drugs in my system trigger an immediate disconnect between brain & hands, and I just play absolute rubbish. Pint of water by the bottom of the mic stand, & that's it.