Telebass Posted April 23, 2008 Share Posted April 23, 2008 Mooching around the Sale Area of our local Recycling Centre (as you do), noticed a bass-size Warwick Rockbag, in fair nick. Lo and behold, within was a rather distressed, defretted, Yamaha RBX250. A steal at £4! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beerdragon Posted April 23, 2008 Share Posted April 23, 2008 Pictures? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul, the Posted April 23, 2008 Share Posted April 23, 2008 Oooh, lucky you. Pic us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Telebass Posted April 23, 2008 Author Share Posted April 23, 2008 OK, here's the pix. If anyone has any clue as to the possible age of this bass, or general info, I'd be grateful. General view: Headstock. there's one odd tuner, but I'll rectify that tomorrow at the shop: Body, front. This is after significant cleanup. The strings are a set of part-used Rotosound SM55 half-rounds, and the knobs are from my Squier TB, which now has a set of Fender Precision knobs. Fingerboard butchery... Back: Back at the shop tomorrow, I'll see how well the truss rod is, sort out the odd machine head, and generally sort the set up. I'll also see just how hard a job it might be to refret it. Certainly worth £4! Actually, for my £4, I got the bass and gig bag, a boot iron, and 3/4GB of PC2700 DDR memory. So maybe it cost me, say, £1.50? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thedarxide Posted April 23, 2008 Share Posted April 23, 2008 I'm pretty sure it's mid 90's. I vaguely recall reading a review in Guitar magazine, but the natural finish one had a flamed maple photo finish on it. Something about those pickups bothers me, but I can't think why. I'll fish in the loft tomorrow and see if I've still got the mag. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buzz Posted April 23, 2008 Share Posted April 23, 2008 Nice steal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul, the Posted April 23, 2008 Share Posted April 23, 2008 Looks good, good find. What's it like working in a music shop? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Telebass Posted April 23, 2008 Author Share Posted April 23, 2008 Fun, most of the time. If you've no choice but to work at minimum wage, at least do it in a decent toy shop! And I've learnt to be a half decent tech, too, which is always useful. Got to have a good hefty grope around a rather nice Oly white '69 P-bass recently. It was really a nice bass. But little if any nicer than my '03 MIM P to play. Just had that cool, I've-done-39-years-gigging look about it. Nice to paly with the vintage stuff, but I'd never spend the money on it. Current Fenders are easily as good, even allowing for the fact that the specs are not identical. One thing, though...Anyone comes near me with a Floyd Rose, I'll hit them with it... Tech's worst nightmare. Bloody horrible things to put on a guitar... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
budget bassist Posted April 23, 2008 Share Posted April 23, 2008 (edited) Haha bit of a bargain there! Fret job looks well bodged though... Also +1 on the floyd rose thing Edited April 23, 2008 by budget bassist Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SJA Posted April 23, 2008 Share Posted April 23, 2008 early 90's, i'd say. I've got an old Yamaha catalogue from 91/92 with a red RBX250 in it. pickup looks stock- exposed polepieces. alder body. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
s_u_y_* Posted April 23, 2008 Share Posted April 23, 2008 £4! I've heard of some bargain prices before, but that's a new record in my books. Good find! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LukeFRC Posted April 24, 2008 Share Posted April 24, 2008 might be easier to keep it fretless, and sort the fretboard out. I recn you could do that, sell it on here and almost double the price you paid for it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
budget bassist Posted April 24, 2008 Share Posted April 24, 2008 [quote name='LukeFRC' post='184243' date='Apr 24 2008, 01:12 AM']might be easier to keep it fretless, and sort the fretboard out. I recn you could do that, sell it on here and almost double the price you paid for it! [/quote] You mean... he might almost make £8!? Nahhh surely not? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buzz Posted April 24, 2008 Share Posted April 24, 2008 If worst comes to worse and the truss rod is nips north, you might as well get it replaced and replace the fretboard while your at it, you at least owe the bass that much as you got it for peanuts, and it won't cost too much, leaving you with what'll be a good beater for sub £100 easily. Probably much cheaper if you could source a neck off ebay though. For some reason, it's simplistic brilliance and mojo make it look rather good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thedarxide Posted April 24, 2008 Share Posted April 24, 2008 [quote name='SJA' post='184228' date='Apr 23 2008, 11:59 PM']early 90's, i'd say. I've got an old Yamaha catalogue from 91/92 with a red RBX250 in it. pickup looks stock- exposed polepieces. alder body.[/quote] Yeah, I concur, I found the magazine (Guitar Magazine Jan 1997). Yamaha changed the design in 1996 to 2x2 tuners, a longer bass horn, and the treble horn points outwards. The pickups look weird to me because they're sealed units on the redesigned ones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dubs Posted April 24, 2008 Share Posted April 24, 2008 what a find, surely even the gig bag is worth more than £4! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Telebass Posted April 24, 2008 Author Share Posted April 24, 2008 (edited) Now it has not only had a bit of a setup, and the odd tuner replaced, but it has frets! Truss rod was slack; it had probably never been adjusted, ever. That's what made me bang the frets in. It'll need a dress, of course, which is beyond me, but it will be worth having that done. Edited April 24, 2008 by Telebass Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Telebass Posted May 15, 2008 Author Share Posted May 15, 2008 Well, I've been using the Yam as my 'learn-to-play-again-after-surgery' bass, and although the amateurishly beaten-in frets are all over the place level-wise, I reckon I like it. Quite a lot! Now, this may be cause for some serious therapy, as I'm never seen clutching anything but a Fender! If I can get the frets level, I'll gig it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickeyboro Posted May 15, 2008 Share Posted May 15, 2008 In the unlikely event it replaces the 51 RI in your affections I'm first in line to get it back! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Telebass Posted May 15, 2008 Author Share Posted May 15, 2008 (edited) Oooh Mickey, no way that's going anywhere! Numero uno most of the time now! A great bass, and getting better. Fully dressed with the correct metalwork and raw maple finger rest, it's easily the sexiest bass of the stable!. I'd swap it for a black maple neck standard 70s P, but it would have to be a corker...it's that good a bass to me. But, should I need to move it, you're first in line! TBH, I'll probably be buried with it. Edited May 15, 2008 by Telebass Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7string Posted May 16, 2008 Share Posted May 16, 2008 Just found this thread... What a great find! It's even better than my £6 Laney 30W bass practice amp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Telebass Posted May 18, 2008 Author Share Posted May 18, 2008 Nice when it happens, isn't it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ashevans09 Posted May 19, 2008 Share Posted May 19, 2008 Nice find mate! Guitarist in my band has one that hasn't been defretted and it certainly ain't a bad bass Well in Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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