Just a couple of days ago I went to look at a used Precision - a 1975 in olympic white with black scratch-plate and rosewood fingerboard.
If it hadn't been so expensive (£2,200), I could easily have bought it over the phone sight unseen as the sales-person had told me it all looked fine, nicely aged etc. I always ask someone over the phone what the WORST feature of an instrument is. He said in this case, that it was a little nick in the finish just behind the scratch-plate and under the strings. I thought "Jeezo, this one sounds like a minter" and made the fairly long trip to see the instrument:
Here's what I found:
- The general feel was "a bit beaten up" as opposed to "nicely aged" but I guess this is quite subjective.
- As well as nicks all over the body, it appeared that a lightweight drill had slightly wandered over bits of the body and headstock accidentally while plugged in.
- Intonation was off on at least one of the strings.
- Action was too high when compared to my own 74 Jazz and other Fenders I've played of this vintage.
- I think this high action was possibly to compensate for the fact that the first 4 frets (at least) were grooved by all 4 strings and needed replaced. So the action will have needed to be raised to stop string buzz (one of you with a bit of experience here could perhaps advise if this sounds like a fair assessment). In any case, the strings still buzzed a fair bit when fretting them at the headstock end of the neck.
- The truss rod was adjusted to the point where the end had disappeared up the neck by about 1cm inside the heel - not sure if this is OK or a problem with the neck already being at full adjustment (again someone more expert than me could advise).
- Thumb-rest missing, no ashtray, jack socket a little loose and strap hooks not original.
- Fender hard-shell case missing Fender logo, one of the latches missing and very well beaten up
On the plus side the instrument was light, but it shows you what some shops will take well over £2k for, whilst telling you from a safe distance that it's in "good condition and nicely aged".
CB
PS: If anyone does have a 1974/75 Precision in the above colour scheme for sale, please let me know. Ta.