Cheap 'Buy It Now' P basses on e-bay.... catch??

[dazza14]

Just seen two cheap Fender P Basses on fleabay.
One at £279 from a shop and one at £275 private sale.
Both MIM but isn't that really cheap???

Doth one smell a rat?

[Jono Bolton]

I don't think so. I've been toying with the idea of selling both my basses to fund one new one, but having a look at the For Sale section on here, £250-£275 seems to be the going rate if you want to get rid relatively quickly, there are a few around £300 that have taken a while to shift. Unfortunately the second hand market seems to be quite slow at the minute, and because MIM Fenders are ten-a-penny only the verry keenly priced ones seem to sell.

[hamfist]

[quote name='Jono Bolton' timestamp='1365593496' post='2041447']
I don't think so. I've been toying with the idea of selling both my basses to fund one new one, but having a look at the For Sale section on here, £250-£275 seems to be the going rate if you want to get rid relatively quickly, there are a few around £300 that have taken a while to shift. Unfortunately the second hand market seems to be quite slow at the minute, and because MIM Fenders are ten-a-penny only the verry keenly priced ones seem to sell.
[/quote]

+1

Although my advice before buying any MIM Fender (even more than many other brands/lines) is to play them first. THe % of dogs is pretty high, although no-one will deny there are some gems in there too.

Edited April 10, 2013 by hamfist

[Jellyfish]

Mine is up for sale currently at that price. Doesn't seem that cheap to me, they're fantastic basses! (my one has been played quite a bit, but I love that 'played in' feel).

[markbunney]

Mine fender mim has been up for sale as well at the upper end of that range for a month or so. Its had a few sniffs of interest but no takers yet

[KiOgon]

I sold 2 MiM P-basses last year IIRC £275 & £300, both in excellent nick, new strings with cases, 1 + gigbag, so I'd say that's the going rate for a good player that's clean/tidy.

Also sold a Fretless MiM P, can't remember exactly, could have been a bit less

[Adee]

I bought a superb MIM-P for £250 last year, seems to be the going rate. £300+ and it will hang around

[White Cloud]

I bought a pristine used MIM F Jazz 5 years ago for £199. The fret job was a little hit and miss but that aside it was a good little bass. I would not consider £300 to be particularly cheap.

Have just checked out ebay and, correct me if I am wrong, the P with the B.I.N of £275 is actually made in Japan. Now thats a game changer! They are in a different league from Mexicano examples IME.

Edited April 10, 2013 by White Cloud

[dazza14]

When i said "cheap" i mean compared to a Squier. I always thought a second hand Fender would still be more expensive than it's more revered 'cousin', just shocked that you can pick up a MIM Fender for not too much money.
I'm trying to get hold of a 2011 Fender P in good condition, my daughter is two years old and just loves making sounds on my bass so i thought it would be good to get her one that is her age, but i thought i'd be looking to spend much more than the £275-£300 region.

[Jono Bolton]

[quote name='dazza14' timestamp='1365667587' post='2042463']
When i said "cheap" i mean compared to a Squier. I always thought a second hand Fender would still be more expensive than it's more revered 'cousin', just shocked that you can pick up a MIM Fender for not too much money.
I'm trying to get hold of a 2011 Fender P in good condition, my daughter is two years old and just loves making sounds on my bass so i thought it would be good to get her one that is her age, but i thought i'd be looking to spend much more than the £275-£300 region.
[/quote]

The new range of Squiers such as the VM and CV series seem to retain their value pretty well in comparison to the Fender Mexican Standards. Maybe because there was such a hullaballoo about how good the Squiers were when they first came out. "Knocks spots off my mate's Fender" and various other phrases were - and still are - thrown about, no doubt they're good instruments but I don't think that the decline in resale value of Mexican Fenders is unrelated to the popuarity of the Squiers.

I traded a bitsa Jazz to get my P Bass back about 2 years ago, and the seller who had the P was advertising it on here at £350. If I were to put it up for sale now, in much better condition than when I got it (I've done a lot of work to it), I'd probably be looking at £100 less.

[Jono Bolton]

Another thought: A lot of people selling Mex Fenders on here have changed various components (pickups, scratchplates, bridges etc) and then put them up for sale at round about the £300-plus mark, so I would expect a stock P Bass to have a slightly lower asking price. Maybe the number of modded MIM basses on here have skewed our view of the value of these basses?

That said, I'd be put off paying a higher price for a bass with a bunch of mods. Often they're referred to as "upgrades", but surely that's relative to the owner and their needs compared to what they have? If I got a P Bass with a Gotoh 201 or a Seymour Duncan Quarter Pounder pickup, they'd be a the first things to go, but to someone else they might be the bees knees.

[Jono Bolton]

In spite of the pickup choice, I reckon this: [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/204708-for-trade-upgraded-mim-fender-precison-blue-agave/"]http://basschat.co.u...son-blue-agave/[/url] is a pretty good deal.

Edit: Although I've noticed that it's just for trade, although I'd say the trade value is pretty good

Edited April 11, 2013 by Jono Bolton