Burns-bass

There are too many unknowns, and while the story is great, it doesn’t add anything to the appeal of the bass to me. I genuinely don’t get the appeal of a refin as the demand is always for originality, plus it’s been hacked around so I’m dubious of it’s playability, too. I also find the value someone has put on it as a reflection of the current madness and mania of the vintage market. People are free to do what they want with their money, but I’d hate for someone to spend cash on this and be disappointed. AB has a 63 jazz or later 65 for much less cash. I love old basses and some of them are amazing - like the one you picked up and put on here. All original, genuine provenance, realistically valuation, and looks absolutely fantastic. 5 of those would increase in value far more than this would.

You’ll make a sale contingent on an independent appraisal. Happens all the time when dealing antiques or art. If the seller refuses to do this then you’ll know whether to walk away I guess. If I was buying a guitar of this value I’d want this independent appraisal as I’d add it to my insurance as well. If you buy from a dealer you have the receipt which establishes the value, privately you’ll need some proof it’s worth what you say it is. (Gruhn makes a good amount of cash doing this through online appraisals) It’s all irrelevant as this bass looks like junk to me, but it’s what I would do if I were interested. As much as I am a trusting person the value in this is in its originality so I’d do everything I could to establish what was and wasn’t right before parting with a penny.

Obviously yea, but so many people get funny when you start asking them if you can take their guitar apart…

He’s forgotten to mention it’s been refretted and that half the screws aren’t original, so I’d be cautious. To be honest, I don’t know what I had for dinner Monday.

Provenance is more the ownership, it’s a a guide to its originality and authenticity. If I was buying this I’d make the purchase contingent on an expert appraisal from a vintage dealer. They’ll do that for a set fee (I’ve used the service), which would give me peace of mind over the hazy reminisces of someone who (with all respect ) is likely in their early to mid 70s. To give some context, I paid the AA £100 to check over the last used car I bought. They identified a few issues which were sorted before the sale. Its a pretty standard thing to do if you’re spending thousands of pounds…

I’d take anything the seller says about the colour and originality with a large pinch of salt. I’m not impugning his character, merely that it’s hard to remember every detail over the 60 odd years this bass has been on this earth. The refin makes it even harder to date the bass and it assess its originality. I genuinely don’t understand why people would spend thousands on something with such questionable heritage, but that’s because when I did have vintage gear I’d always try and get stuff with cast iron provenance and assurance that every component was original or not. Personally I’d stay well clear of this, but I’m not the target market, I’m sure.

I’ve seen people do mad things to instruments. For those who can’t access it, this is what we’re talking about… Given the even finish on the rest of the bass there’s obviously something going on here. Caveat emptor, etc.

Just checked and it looks pretty bad. Could be an additional pickup that has been badly filled in.

Oh, but we had a written agreement about how it would be paid for before I spent a penny. We took 10% of all gig funds off until it was paid for.

Last year I bought the PA for our band and we paid it back after doing lots of gigs. I happily stored it while I owned it, now it’s a communal asset we had some “lively” conversations about where it was going to be stored and who would carry it to all the gigs (not me is the answer!!!). It worked well as a model for buying it, but it’s not something I’d do again.

It’s been refretted too, and who knows what else. It’s a wonderful story and surely that’s half the fun with a vintage bass?

I started playing on a vintage Kay bass I bought for £15. It was good enough to gig on, and I sold it for a profit (rare in my experience!). I’ve had a clear out of stuff, and happy to send you a few bits that might help, including a lead, strap and whatever else I can find in my box of stuff. Just send me your addrsss.

The Entwistle connection is nonsense. Perhaps be owned it, maybe he didn’t. It won’t imbue this bog standard late 60s P with any mojo. The idea that GH don’t inflate valuations for some tenuous celebrity connection is also nonsense. The video literally illustrates that they would. Be sure to visit the sale room and check out the bass is my advice. My estimate in this mad world or Fender craziness is £6000 plus commission. If you want a vintage Fender with a realistic value go to a trusted dealer.

It's not a 62 Sunburst finish. It's been refinished, and you're right tort guards were as standard. It's probably because they're taking the seller at his word, and he (or his family) have forgotten to mention it and the seller doesn't really know what they have. I'm sure it's a lovely bass, but when you can buy a genuine 60s refin from ATB with all the provenance attached for less than half that, I know where I'd go.

I think this is brilliant.