Eight Posted May 15, 2011 Share Posted May 15, 2011 Just noticed there seems to be an unusually high number of old Fenders for sale right now. Is this just a symptom of the hard times everyone is on, or is something weird going on? Maybe they're all due to fall apart in 2012 - some kind of built-in expiration? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yorks5stringer Posted May 15, 2011 Share Posted May 15, 2011 (edited) As the world is due to end in 2012, I guess the sellers are just trying to cash in......! Edited May 15, 2011 by yorks5stringer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rayman Posted May 15, 2011 Share Posted May 15, 2011 More people are skint, and are unloading basses that are worth decent money because they need to is my guess. The problem with "Vintage" Fenders is that some of them might well be old and all that, but often they're really not very good, and IMO overpriced. I sold my old '78 Precision, admittedly a year or so ago for around £850/900 from memory, and that was a good 'un. They seem to be going for well into the thousands at the moment, which I don't get and won't pay, because I don't think they're worth it. I've played [i]some[/i] absolute dogs from the 70s. "Vintage" does not always mean "Good". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassman Sam Posted May 15, 2011 Share Posted May 15, 2011 [quote name='Rayman' post='1232318' date='May 15 2011, 07:10 PM']More people are skint, and are unloading basses that are worth decent money because they need to is my guess. The problem with "Vintage" Fenders is that some of them might well be old and all that, but often they're really not very good, and IMO overpriced. I sold my old '78 Precision, admittedly a year or so ago for around £850/900 from memory, and that was a good 'un. They seem to be going for well into the thousands at the moment, which I don't get and won't pay, because I don't think they're worth it. I've played [i]some[/i] absolute dogs from the 70s. "Vintage" does not always mean "Good".[/quote] Spot on. I've played some dogs from the late '60's and '70's that guys have payed top prices for. Just look at some in Denmark Street. Rip offs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
warwickhunt Posted May 15, 2011 Share Posted May 15, 2011 These days I'd be seriously concerned about 'Fakes'! There have always been good copies/fakes but these days the attention to detail is just scary and I reckon unless you know your stuff absolutely inside out, there's a fair chance of getting stung! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eight Posted May 15, 2011 Author Share Posted May 15, 2011 (edited) [quote name='warwickhunt' post='1232335' date='May 15 2011, 07:18 PM']There have always been good copies/fakes but these days the attention to detail is just scary and I reckon unless you know your stuff absolutely inside out, there's a fair chance of getting stung![/quote] That's one thing I've definitely learned here. I don't think I'd ever buy a "vintage" Fender from anywhere other than BassChat - and even then I'd only do it if the seller was a respected and knowledgeable member. Edited May 15, 2011 by Eight Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wesfinn Posted May 15, 2011 Share Posted May 15, 2011 I think theres definitly more about than there were built. Also most of them ended up getting stripped in the 70's and now theres a heck of a lot of 'original finish' basses turning up on ebay. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PauBass Posted May 15, 2011 Share Posted May 15, 2011 I don't know about other sellers but, in my case, and my defence, I'm only selling my '76 Jazz because I bought two 60s ....a '65 P Bass and a '66 Jazz! Soon my '75 will be up for sale too but for the only reason mentioned. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PauBass Posted May 15, 2011 Share Posted May 15, 2011 [quote name='gareth' post='1232358' date='May 15 2011, 07:34 PM']Exactly right. Dogs exist in all eras - some say more in the mid/late 70's But there are dogs from the 60's and early 70's Just as there are decent basses from the mid/late 70's As ever you cannot generalise[/quote] +1 My 75 P bass and my '76 and '78 Jazz are all really good instruments! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eight Posted May 15, 2011 Author Share Posted May 15, 2011 (edited) [quote name='PauBass' post='1232362' date='May 15 2011, 07:36 PM']I don't know about other sellers but, in my case, and my defence, I'm only selling my '76 Jazz because I bought two 60s ....a '65 P Bass and a '66 Jazz! Soon my '75 will be up for sale too but for the only reason mentioned.[/quote] Ah. Interesting theory - are the prices of 60s Fenders good at the minute? Encouraging a load of 70s owners to part with theirs in search of even more ancient models? Edited May 15, 2011 by Eight Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hillbilly deluxe Posted May 15, 2011 Share Posted May 15, 2011 I used to have only vintage gear,amps as well as basses and guitars,but since the prices of even the dodgiest looking gear has rocketed,i dont anymore. Sure id love another 60's Fender,and i think that i could easily have spotted a fake when i had vintage gear,but nowadays who knows what you are buying.I also agree that there seem to be far more vintage fenders about than ever,especially custom colour ones.What happened to all the 70's ones where you could get a coin between the neck and the body ?I remember having a problem giving a 70's Fender Musicmaster bass away for free. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rayman Posted May 15, 2011 Share Posted May 15, 2011 If I was in the market for a Fender now, I wouldn't waste my time and hard earned on some long shot from 30 years ago, I'd just buy a new one, and by new I mean 2010 to present, because Fender are producing some really great basses right now that out play a lot of the driftwood from the 70s. Don't get me wrong, some of these old basses really do have some kind of voodoo mojo thing going on, but a lot of them really don't. Only my opinion of course. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clauster Posted May 16, 2011 Share Posted May 16, 2011 I think as well, for the speculator, there are more attractive propositions around right now in terms of potential return on your money. Fender prices are near to topping out I reckon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doddy Posted May 16, 2011 Share Posted May 16, 2011 [quote name='hillbilly deluxe' post='1232373' date='May 15 2011, 07:46 PM']What happened to all the 70's ones where you could get a coin between the neck and the body ?[/quote] I think they all ended up in a shop in Hollywood. When I was there the other year,there were a bunch of '70s Jazz Basses with rather large neck pockets-and in some pretty horrible colours as well. They weren't stupidly expensive either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xilddx Posted May 16, 2011 Share Posted May 16, 2011 Most of them are 1970s three bolts, priced up with Vintage and Rare, and the necks aren't aligned properly - the G is nearly off the board on most of them. And yet, the same ol 'I jus creamed in my pants, if only I had the money' comments keep getting posted. That said, there have been a couple of very nice looking 1960s ones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xilddx Posted May 16, 2011 Share Posted May 16, 2011 [quote name='hillbilly deluxe' post='1232373' date='May 15 2011, 07:46 PM']I used to have only vintage gear,amps as well as basses and guitars,but since the prices of even the dodgiest looking gear has rocketed,i dont anymore. Sure id love another 60's Fender,and i think that i could easily have spotted a fake when i had vintage gear,but nowadays who knows what you are buying.I also agree that there seem to be far more vintage fenders about than ever,especially custom colour ones.[b]What happened to all the 70's ones where you could get a coin between the neck and the body ?[/b]I remember having a problem giving a 70's Fender Musicmaster bass away for free.[/quote] ? There are plenty there mate, look at the string/neck alignment Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bremen Posted May 16, 2011 Share Posted May 16, 2011 [quote name='Rayman' post='1232515' date='May 15 2011, 10:19 PM']If I was in the market for a Fender now, I wouldn't waste my time and hard earned on some long shot from 30 years ago, I'd just buy a new one, and by new I mean 2010 to present, because Fender are producing some really great basses right now that out play a lot of the driftwood from the 70s.[/quote] [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/FENDER-1952-PRECISION-BASS-UNBELIEVABLE-VINTAGE-FENDER-/390314169520?pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item5ae08994b0"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/FENDER-1952-PRECISIO...=item5ae08994b0[/url] 'Unbelievable' is about right. For that price you could buy over 20 new ones, and at least one of them would be a gem. When, incidentally, did they start through-body stringing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xilddx Posted May 16, 2011 Share Posted May 16, 2011 [quote name='bremen' post='1233027' date='May 16 2011, 01:53 PM'][url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/FENDER-1952-PRECISION-BASS-UNBELIEVABLE-VINTAGE-FENDER-/390314169520?pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item5ae08994b0"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/FENDER-1952-PRECISIO...=item5ae08994b0[/url] 'Unbelievable' is about right. For that price you could buy over 20 new ones, and at least one of them would be a gem. [b]When, incidentally, did they start through-body stringing?[/b][/quote] 2009 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bremen Posted May 16, 2011 Share Posted May 16, 2011 [quote name='silddx' post='1233032' date='May 16 2011, 01:56 PM']2009[/quote] So that very clean 1952 P is an £18000 fake? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xilddx Posted May 16, 2011 Share Posted May 16, 2011 [quote name='bremen' post='1233049' date='May 16 2011, 02:06 PM']So that very clean 1952 P is an £18000 fake?[/quote] Sorry, thought we were taking about the American Standards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simon1964 Posted May 16, 2011 Share Posted May 16, 2011 [quote name='bremen' post='1233027' date='May 16 2011, 01:53 PM']When, incidentally, did they start through-body stringing?[/quote] Pretty sure they orignally had through body stringing when they were introduced in 1951, so it would be correct for a 1952 model. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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