Geek99 Posted October 22, 2012 Share Posted October 22, 2012 Recently there has been a spate of us made precisions on fleabay - none has gone for a fortune compared to what they cost newAll had the ABS hard case, one had case candy as a bonus. Can anyone advise a fair price (ballpark) for a recent ish one and if there are any years to avoid ? If I'm spending serious money (for me, anyway) I don't want to buy from a known duff period. Or should I just stick to Japan fender and Indonesian squier ? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RhysP Posted October 22, 2012 Share Posted October 22, 2012 Do you already have a Japanese Precision? If so there is unlikely to be any advantage in buying a US one - the Japanese Fenders are very highly regarded & quality is certainly at least on a par, if not better, than the US models. The quality is certainly more consistent, with far fewer QC issues than are found on the US models. The only thing some people say is that the pickups on Japanese models are not as good as the US ones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geek99 Posted October 22, 2012 Author Share Posted October 22, 2012 I have a jap 62 jazz and an Indonesian squier p from 2006 which has kind of turned my head to precisions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dom in Dorset Posted October 22, 2012 Share Posted October 22, 2012 It can be as much down to the market at any particular time. Last year I was saving up to buy an Aerodyne, while I was getting the money together ebay was full of them going for £400-£500, sometimes not selling at all. By the time I'd saved up the money there was one, going for silly money. I bought a US 2006 jazz from the market place here in the end, when I got it the set up was lousy (I noticed that only the delux models were set up well on a trip to Guitar Guitar) Took a bit of effort to get it going but it's now exactly what I was after. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted October 22, 2012 Share Posted October 22, 2012 Hmm, US Precisions - well of the current new-ish ones, I`ve seen them go from between £500 - £850, that`s any from the pre 2001 models, the 2001 - 2008 models (with S1 switching) and the 2008 - 11 series. Having had examples of all three, I`ve found them all to be roughly the same on quality and playability - the word I`m looking for is excellent. Some don`t like the S1 period - the S1 is basically a switch on the tone control that switches the pickups from series to parallel (or the other way round). In practice, this means that the bass can suddenly sound a bit like a Jazz when using this. I didn`t much like it, so never used it, but this feature wouldn`t put me off buying one. I liked all of the ones I had - the 2008 onwards series I found to be lightest, the pre 2001 the heaviest. That said, having just bought a Japanese Precision, I`m knocked out by how good it is, though the electrics/pickups have been upgraded, so can`t comment on the original components. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geek99 Posted October 23, 2012 Author Share Posted October 23, 2012 (edited) Hmm think I m steering towards jap Edited October 23, 2012 by Geek99 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iconic Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 I'd love a US Fender if only for the romance of owning one, but I'll wait until I can outplay my MIM...which means it could be a long wait As a car dealer I find the market for bass's quite interesting and at times quite similar, more in line with the heart lead purchases of the fussy, finicky and often downright fickle classic market. A number of bass's seem to have gone thru a "couldn't give um away" price which is when my interest perks up to "can't buy one for sensible money" when I start looking to buy , but take care, both markets can be somewhat changable at times with years and colour combo's' & fads' also muddying the waters...but as they blurb says "investments can go up & can go down" as a case in point, I'd like one of those old Washburn 1000's, when I started looking (early 2010) a clean 'n tidy one, up on its toes, was around £175/£200 and didn't set the phone on fire, then they go for £250, then £300 then £450+ (one on Fleabay for £650, but unsold!) and now from where I'm looking they appear to be a bit 'sticky' again even at £400 odd? I saw this with Ford Cortina's years back. The older members here will remember the ye olde MK2 1600E, although always popular when new to few years old (a golden rule for an aspiring classic) they went from desireble to forgotten banger 'fodder', to top draw card carrying investment in a little over 4/5 years, then overnight it seemed everyone who wanted one had bought one and prices stagnated then suffered "degraded residuals" as a new car dealer may say) although never back down to earlier values... So what does this say about later US Fender's currently...I'm not quite sure, but they are always going to be a solid seller up there with the best although a US Fender is an aspirational purchase for most and we are in an economic slump. It's a tough market at the moment for pretty much everything for sale and I see prices for a lot of top end bass's getting a little soft, but quality always sells if it's priced correctly, so a good time to buy long term perhaps? If you can afford it buy the best.... PS: I know post 2009 Fender did a big revamp of MIM's build, not sure if this also applies to the US Fender's? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geek99 Posted October 24, 2012 Author Share Posted October 24, 2012 (edited) Ok I took the plunge and did my usual "last 3 seconds" steal on eBay Scored a black 2011 60th anniversary precision Anyone got one ? Well it has a "60th" neck plate anyway Edited October 24, 2012 by Geek99 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LukeFRC Posted October 24, 2012 Share Posted October 24, 2012 [quote name='Lozz196' timestamp='1350941376' post='1845481'] That said, having just bought a Japanese Precision, [/quote] a surprise there! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted October 24, 2012 Share Posted October 24, 2012 Yes, a bit unexpected - but very glad I took the plunge. An awesome bass, really comfortable neck to play. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kurosawa Posted October 25, 2012 Share Posted October 25, 2012 SQ-series (MIJ) Squiers are still a bargain. They began to climb earlier this year but came back down. Now MIJ Fenders and Squiers are both dipping in price. Good news. I bought a SQ P over 10 years ago for $350 and another recently for $400. In real terms, that's a drop (it should have inflated by 1/3). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fingerz Posted October 26, 2012 Share Posted October 26, 2012 IME, Us or Japan, even Mexican Isnt really relative when it comes to tone/playability. There's good and bad of each. If you find an instrument that's decent and you love playing then it's golden regardless of what's written on the end of it. Prices tend to vary for each model, but just do some googling of what you're looking at and you'll get a good idea of whether the price is good or not. My most valuable instrument to me happens to also be the cheapest. I guess a big decision buying an instrument is whether it's an investment/bargain or a playing thing... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gsgbass Posted November 2, 2012 Share Posted November 2, 2012 I recently bought a 2012 Am. Std. Precision. I really did some serious looking, and comparing the finished detail. When I saw the quality consistency of the Am. Std.'s around town, I ordered my Candy Cola Precision, since there were no Candy Cola in any store stock. I received it on 10/31/12 in perfect condition. The neck, and the fretboard are great. Frets are fitted to the board, with no sharp edges. A good job on the rounded edges on the fretboard also. Set up on my Precision is right on as well. The CS 60"s pup sounds great. If I was unable to play the Am. Std. Precision, I would get a Mexican made, Roger Waters Precision. A great Fender Bass. Best of luck on your quest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geek99 Posted November 2, 2012 Author Share Posted November 2, 2012 thanks - its good but not as good as I thought it would be - its not three times better than a Mex, and its not half as good again as a CIJ. I've listed it for sale if anyone would like a shot. [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/190837-fs-immaculate-blackwhitemaple-us-precision-2011/"]http://basschat.co.uk/topic/190837-fs-immaculate-blackwhitemaple-us-precision-2011/[/url] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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