alstocko Posted September 10, 2013 Share Posted September 10, 2013 (edited) I'm in London tomorrow, may check this out, but is it worth the asking price? Fender fans assemble! http://www.macaris.co.uk/guitars/Bass/fender_bass/p/78_music_master.aspx Edited September 10, 2013 by alstocko Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Truckstop Posted September 10, 2013 Share Posted September 10, 2013 It's about £250 too much I think. I don't think I've ever seen one that expensive! Most seem to go for around £400-£600 depending on condition and case/candy. Maybe some especially good examples could be worth £700-£750 but that's at the real high end. It'd have to be in perfect condition, unplayed, original case and candy AND a decent player. Most Musicmasters I've played have been pretty bad instruments. Great tone, but horrid to play and cheap feeling. I've owned two and played maybe another half dozen and there's only one of them that I wish I owned! Sorry mate, but I think you could do better if you held on for a while! Alex Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
molan Posted September 11, 2013 Share Posted September 11, 2013 I agree, way over-priced. It's getting close to a late 70's P price and that's, generally, a much nicer instrument. Lazy listing for Central London shop as well. There's stacks of information around about Musicmaster basses. Feels like they are trying to use a lack of info as a rarity factor sales pitch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alstocko Posted September 11, 2013 Author Share Posted September 11, 2013 [quote name='Truckstop' timestamp='1378856409' post='2205769'] It's about £250 too much I think. I don't think I've ever seen one that expensive! Most seem to go for around £400-£600 depending on condition and case/candy. Maybe some especially good examples could be worth £700-£750 but that's at the real high end. It'd have to be in perfect condition, unplayed, original case and candy AND a decent player. Most Musicmasters I've played have been pretty bad instruments. Great tone, but horrid to play and cheap feeling. I've owned two and played maybe another half dozen and there's only one of them that I wish I owned! Sorry mate, but I think you could do better if you held on for a while! Alex [/quote] That's a shame! I thought it seemed a bit expensive, but all I know about is early 60s precisions. I'd like to own an old fender short scale some day but not for a bigloss like that. Thanks anyway, Alec Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alstocko Posted September 11, 2013 Author Share Posted September 11, 2013 [quote name='molan' timestamp='1378882705' post='2205840'] I agree, way over-priced. It's getting close to a late 70's P price and that's, generally, a much nicer instrument. Lazy listing for Central London shop as well. There's stacks of information around about Musicmaster basses. Feels like they are trying to use a lack of info as a rarity factor sales pitch. [/quote] What I thought as I managed to find quite a bitof information over google this morning. I expected better, but then you may have a case with the rarity factor. What are the better short scale fenders? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Truckstop Posted September 11, 2013 Share Posted September 11, 2013 A good Musicmaster is a wonderful thing! You will be able to pick them up from £350. A common mod is to swap out the strat pickup and fit a hot rail so that you can get an even response over all the strings. They have a terrific sound, almost like an acoustic bass but with more definition. Sort of like playing a regular bass unamplified. Mustangs are also worth a shout but have a completely different sound. Very chunky and mid-heavy. The Japanese re-issues are awesome. You may also be able to find a Bullet. Essentially a Musicmaster but made in the 80's with a little more care and attention paid in the design and build processes. Proper split coil and better build quality. As always, try before you buy! Alex Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
throwoff Posted September 11, 2013 Share Posted September 11, 2013 [sup]It is a fun thing thats for sure, and that is silly clean but I agree, too much.[/sup] [sup]Having said that I played a 1978 Mustang bass in Wunjo many years ago, at £1200 I thought it was about 300 too much, left it on the peg and left. [/sup] [sup]Decided 2 days later that despite being over priced I bloody loved it and had to have it, went back to find it sold [/sup] [sup]If the heart says yes then sometimes you need to overrule the brain.[/sup] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BetaFunk Posted September 11, 2013 Share Posted September 11, 2013 [quote name='Truckstop' timestamp='1378892076' post='2206028'] A good Musicmaster is a wonderful thing! You will be able to pick them up from £350. [/quote] I'd love to know where you can pick one up for that price. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chriswareham Posted September 11, 2013 Share Posted September 11, 2013 Rule of thumb - if something's for sale in Macaris then you can find it much cheaper elsewhere. They were trying to flog a solid state echo, one of those that were sold under various names like Melos and Stage, for about four times what they sell for on eBay. They also had a tatty Melos tape echo that they wanted over twice what they go for online. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Truckstop Posted September 11, 2013 Share Posted September 11, 2013 [quote name='BetaFunk' timestamp='1378894217' post='2206087'] I'd love to know where you can pick one up for that price. [/quote] I got lucky on eBay for one of mine. Turned out to be a bit of a money pit and sold it on after giving it a clean and swapping the electronics out. At a loss unfortunately Truckstop Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul S Posted September 11, 2013 Share Posted September 11, 2013 I bought one cheap on ebay that has a bit of an issue with the body that is making it pretty largely unsellable. Well, I bought it but the problem is potentially worse than I thought. In as much as the body could split into bits. Anyway, I've been chatting with the Bass Doc this week about turning it into a 'Mustangmaster' [size="4"]©®™[/size]using a P-pup I have kicking about plus a Ki0gon wiring loom. I quite like the sound as is but it is a bit thin so it will be interesting to see how the pup change affects the sound. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ash Posted September 11, 2013 Share Posted September 11, 2013 That's too much for a Musicmaster - you can get them easily and there are many nice clean examples but I wouldn't pay more than £450 for a decent one. My first bass was a cream Musicmaster purchased from Kingfisher Music for the princely sum of £85 in 1981! I still have the owners manual although I swapped the instrument for a more 'grown up' long scale Precision a number of years later when I was 18. I'd love that bass back mind, it had a distinctive flaw to the finish on the front - a dark rectangular patch where the finish had been obscured by a sticker! My Dad also replaced the volume pot as it got broken by a stray drummer...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BetaFunk Posted September 12, 2013 Share Posted September 12, 2013 [quote name='Truckstop' timestamp='1378920418' post='2206563'] I got lucky on eBay for one of mine. Turned out to be a bit of a money pit and sold it on after giving it a clean and swapping the electronics out. At a loss unfortunately Truckstop [/quote] As i said, i'd love to see one at the price you quoted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MB1 Posted September 12, 2013 Share Posted September 12, 2013 MB1. Steep! Frankie say... Nay, Nay and thrice Nay! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Truckstop Posted September 12, 2013 Share Posted September 12, 2013 [quote name='BetaFunk' timestamp='1378945210' post='2206988'] As i said, i'd love to see one at the price you quoted. [/quote] And I just said I bought one for around that price and then sold it on at a loss. So that's at least two occasions I know of of a Musicmaster selling for £350. Both on eBay. Maybe you're not looking hard enough? Truckstop Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1970 Posted September 13, 2013 Share Posted September 13, 2013 [quote name='chriswareham' timestamp='1378905076' post='2206292'] Rule of thumb - if something's for sale in Macaris then you can find it much cheaper elsewhere. They were trying to flog a solid state echo, one of those that were sold under various names like Melos and Stage, for about four times what they sell for on eBay. They also had a tatty Melos tape echo that they wanted over twice what they go for online. [/quote] you'd almost think they were running a business or something Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BetaFunk Posted September 13, 2013 Share Posted September 13, 2013 [quote name='1970' timestamp='1379095921' post='2208709'] you'd almost think they were running a business or something [/quote] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BetaFunk Posted September 13, 2013 Share Posted September 13, 2013 [quote name='Truckstop' timestamp='1379026869' post='2208031'] And I just said I bought one for around that price and then sold it on at a loss. So that's at least two occasions I know of of a Musicmaster selling for £350. Both on eBay. Maybe you're not looking hard enough? Truckstop [/quote] I can't say i look every day on ebay and although there are plenty that have been messed about with, i've not a decent Musicmaster with original pickup, pots that haven't been refinished or stripped at that price for a couple of years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ash Posted September 15, 2013 Share Posted September 15, 2013 Here's a couple at a more realistic price one excellent one trashed! http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Fender-Musicmaster-Bass-1978-/130986688793?pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item1e7f6a4119 And http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Fender-Musicmaster-Bass-Guitar-1971-Vintage-Fretless-/190898960892?pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item2c7276f9fc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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