Thanks to a hot tip here - http://basschat.co.uk/topic/314757-nice-mij-yamaha-bb300-in-edinburgh/ - I've returned from Embra the owner of a dusty & dinged BB300 I've yet to do anything with it but it seems like a pretty solid bass with a bit of character I know its made in Japan as that's stamped on the back of the headstock as is the serial number 144278. I've done a bit of googling but can't find anything regarding date of manufacture etc.. it seems to be a bit of a black art