noelk27

Well, there are lots of string manufacturers that fly under the radar, such as Maxima/Optima and Sfarzo, making strings for electric/acoustic guitar/bass, as well as those operating in Asia, such as Zijin (Kong Yuen) and Guangzhou (Alice) in China, and Yale (YH) and Samick in South Korea. The statement that there are around half a dozen manufacturers in the world did make me laugh, as the last time I looked into this the list extended to around 70 manufacturers of electric/acoustic guitar/bass strings, but that's just a subset of all musical instrument string manufacturers.

[quote name='uke' timestamp='1347919875' post='1806793']"full pro set up by me" Can he say this?[/quote] There's no professional body or standard qualification for guitar repairers, so, yea, he can.

Paisley Freight http://www.paisleyfreight.com/

[quote name='Fat Rich' timestamp='1347185051' post='1797685']It looks like it has a Status graphite neck in the Top of the Pops clip?[/quote] Not on the first of his StingRays - the one, estimated to be a '79, purchased from Sam Ash, in New York, in '82. That one has been re-boarded, with a 100+ year old touchboard from a double bass, but is otherwise stock. He did purchase another two fretless StingRays, one in an identical finish to his '79. Were Status manufacturing carbon graphite Stingray necks prior to July '83?

[quote name='witterth' timestamp='1347155758' post='1797550']No one likes a Know it all J is for....[/quote] Would rather know the facts, than perpetrate internet rumours. And it appears to being implied that his first fretless was the StingRay. That's not correct. His first fretless was a Fender Precision, in addition to his first bass being a fretted Fender Precision. The Fender was purchased over a year before the first of his StingRays, and was featured on Nick Heyward's North of a Miracle and Go West's Go West, alongside StingRays. He also acquired a Pedulla Buzz Bass, which was routinely used for studio recordings.

[quote name='witterth' timestamp='1347089189' post='1796785']Fretless MM stingray is what he was known for at the time ... wouldn't touch a Precision back then. How times change.[/quote] I guess, if you're ignoring that his first bass was a Fender Precision, which he used when he worked with Jools Holland's Millionaires and with David Knopfler, as well as it being his main fretted bass, until he acquired a Warwick Thumb. [quote name='cloudburst' timestamp='1347089822' post='1796789']'79 Fretless SR plus Boss OC-2 plus an obliging sound engineer on Paul Young's No Parlez album were the 3 ducks which lined up to bring Pino charging into to our lives in the first place.[/quote] I guess, if you're ignoring that the first project he used the Stingray/OC2/direct to desk combination was Gary Numan's I, Assassin, released in late '82, and a big hit album, before playing on Nick Heyward's North of a Miracle, released in early '83, another big hit album. Paul Young's No Parlez didn't appear until mid '83.

Two M&S clothes hangers and a cricket bat.

There's one (at least) in the UK. Imported for £8,000.

[quote name='greyparrot' timestamp='1346846275' post='1793923']everthing seems to be there even that strange key thingy!![/quote] aka tuner torque key. That's the tool that goes missing most often, so it's good to have that still. Lots of things in its favour. The bolt-on (detachable in Aria speak) 600 has a different character to the set neck version, and all the through-neck models. Always liked the attack you can get from that design/pickup combination. That said, the through-neck models are more commonly what people associate with the SB design. If it was an early 700, in A1 condition, with the add-ons, you'd probably get £450. Given what you say about condition (excellent as opposed to good), I'd hold firm at £400.

The kit should comprise: a snap-lock button pouch, with printed APII branding; an owner's manual; a guarantee card; two Allen keys; a tuner torque tool; and an APII branded cleaning cloth. Complete kits don't come along that often. The last one I spotted was with a 700, from '80, which sold for the equivalent of £328. Without the kit the usual price would be closer to £300, in good condition. The case looks clean, but it's the later (green-lined) version. The first version had red lining. The green-lined version usually doesn't add much to the value. Realistic pricing would be between £350 and £400. Anything over that might be a touch optimistic. Many BCers out there who have gotten excited and paid over the odds for an SB, and not been able to realise their investment when they come to sell. With this example, I'd be tempted to put it up on eBay, to give it as wide an audience as possible. If you do, be prepared to post internationally, as I can see this one heading off to the US.

Do you have the original owner's manual (circa A5 sized) and APII branded pouch in which the manual, tools and cleaning cloth should be stored?

It's just too easy to negotiate on the high street these days. By way of example, I've just picked up a Fender Strat Deluxe, 2010 model with V profile neck. List price circa £1,600. Street price circa £1,250. Price paid £1,000. With street prices for those LTDs starting around £750 or £800, you'd be able to walk out the store paying less than £700. In your shoes I'd be pitching around two-thirds of the best street price, assuming it's A1 condition.

[quote name='flyfisher' timestamp='1346794854' post='1793480']I can't see that the actual 'damage' to the copyright holder can be very much ($10 for the CD perhaps?)[/quote] Well, there are a number of categories in damages, but, generally speaking, the assessment would have been for compensatory (actual) damages and punitive (exemplary) damages. The compensatory assessment would have been based on the legal download fees lost to the copyright holder. Taking the number of files (31) the legal download fee (say, $1) would have been multiplied for the first loss (the original illegal download: $1 x 31) and, as the files were posted to a website and subsequently accesses/downloaded by others, the legal download fee multiplied by the number of subsequent downloads (if 5,000 downloads per file: $1 x 5,000 x 31, so $155,000). The punitive assessment is intended as a form of punishment, and it is for the jury to determine what it considers reasonable in the circumstances, but a factor of two or three could be considered unduly lenient. Personally, having admitted liability, but then taking issue with quantum, the guy is lucky he got off as lightly, as it's entirely within its competence for the appeal court to revise the award of damages upwards, if it considers the appellant’s cause frivolous.

[quote name='Krysbass' timestamp='1346674203' post='1791736']I guess it may have been priced so high because of typical current prices for Japanese-made basses - for example; Ibanez or Yamaha?[/quote] It was priced so high because the vendor was telling tall tales the Brothers Grimm would have been proud of. Thunder basses routinely sell for £2,000, he said. Where ask all of us, in Neverland? True, the buying power of the Pound against the Yen has dropped substantially since 2007. For that reason the distributor/reseller pricing of goods from Japan has certainly gone up, which has certainly pulled up some used guitars/basses prices, but not by the 700 to 800 per cent suggested in the listing for this Thunder. The real world situation would be closer to 40 or 50 per cent, for desirable models, based on the increased used goods importation costs. This Thunder listing also ignores that it is certain ranges (more so, certain models or periods within ranges) that attract the best prices. But so many eBay sellers always want to ignore the little things, like facts and reality, never mind condition and originality. Of course, this also all ignores fashion, which has the likes of Westone and Vantage (Matsumoku designs) consigned to the "nice in their day", "used to have one of those", "my first bass was" categories. If you're looking at Westone, collectors are in search of Electra models (the originals), not the also-rans, which is certainly where most Westone models exist (with one or two exceptions, such as certain Prestige models), with the smallest market being the purchaser looking to acquire (reacquire) their first. But no one, except the most delusional, would think about paying £2,000 for a Thunder.

[quote name='Soloshchenko' timestamp='1346574405' post='1790601']Why don't you message him saying you'll revise the feedback if he honours the original price? I would[/quote] But would you really want to deal with someone who has pulled this sort of stunt? I wouldn't.

[quote name='Lozz196' timestamp='1346346682' post='1788152']Probably less delusional than the person who ends up buying it[/quote] It won't sell at that price. If the BIN was £500, even in that condition, with case etc, it would struggle. Opening price of, say, £250 with a BIN of £400 and it would have a chance.

[quote name='davehux' timestamp='1346328213' post='1787888']No harm in dreaming, I suppose.[/quote] There's a difference between dreams and delusions.

[quote name='Paul S' timestamp='1346319852' post='1787766'][D]one a search of the forums here and discovered they are good quality[/quote] I'd have to disagree about that assessment. Definitely at the bottom of the scale, quality-wise, for production from Matsumoku. Certainly built to a price point, which shows. Usual b*llsh*t about all these coming with DiMarzio pickups, etc, etc. Matsumoku's own, in-house pickups, or stuff sourced sourced from Maxon. Personally, at anything more that £50, I wouldn't waste your money.

Just how delusional do you have to be to list a Thunder II with an opening price of £1,000 and a BIN of £2,500? The mind boggles! The other week a beautiful APII SB-R150 sold on eBay for a little over £400. One of Aria/Matsumoku's finest bass models, which would have been a bargain at twice the price. Seriously, I want to get access to the world where people are paying £2,000 for Thunders, because I've got a rack full of basses I'd sell at that money!

[quote name='Sean' timestamp='1346269971' post='1787349'][S]ome people baulk at paying £2k for an instrument that is easily mistaken by Joe Public for a mid-range bass. But then again these people that baulk probably wouldn't buy a Sadowsky because it looks like a Fender copy.[/quote] Actually, a lot of those people would probably go out and buy a Custom Shop Fender, spending £2k +, or a Master Built Fender, paying £4k +. But, as a 2000 series BB is easily the measure of any Master Built Fender, guess the last laugh is with the Yamaha owners.

[quote name='skankdelvar' timestamp='1344875227' post='1770498']Gibson USA QC has been questionable for some years now[/quote] One of the issues here, though, is that the OP's Melody Maker Series guitar isn't "Made in USA", but fabricated in Asia, thereafter finished and set up in the USA. Alongside it's issues with the US Department of Justice and the Fish and Wildlife Service, for its violations of the Lacey Act, Gibson is also being investigated by the US Department of Commerce and the Federal Trade Commission for its misdescription of goods as "Made in USA" when those goods do not meeting the standards of "all or virtually all" of the good being made in the United States.

Very, err, sparkly, and red.

Neither of mine are the X versions, as I don't like the look of the control and scratch plates. You're lucky you found somewhere with one in stock to try out. Most of the resellers/authorised dealerships I spoke with weren't prepared to get one in unless I paid for it in advance. Crazy situation. I had to wait until I was out of the country.

[quote name='Clarky72' timestamp='1346253564' post='1787051']+1[/quote] Oh, with a list price difference closer to £1,500 I'll agree, the jump from 1000 to 2000 series in terms of cost is crazy. But the production of 2000 series instruments is limited. It's not quite made to order, but it's pretty close. The 2000 series does feel like a higher quality product.