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Is a '63 Precision worth at least twice as much as a '73 ?


JapanAxe
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I have a '73 Precision that I love, but I am also GASing over a '63 that's up for sale. The asking price is more than twice what I paid for the '73 - can it really be worth it?

Although it's a question only I can answer when I have both in front of me, what does the BC Massive think?

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[quote name='JapanAxe' timestamp='1441902816' post='2862845']
I have a '73 Precision that I love, but I am also GASing over a '63 that's up for sale. The asking price is more than twice what I paid for the '73 - can it really be worth it?

[/quote]I'm going to say yes, but I have an agenda ;) :D

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I feel over twice as smug owning an early 60s one than an early 70s one :)

As above though a good pre CBS guitar is astonishing and more of them are good. A good 70s one can be a thing to behold too but for me in a totally different way. One of those really heavy growling bastards would be a great addition to my fleet.

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The answer is no they aren't worth twice the price in my honest opinion, and I've owned a great deal of pre CBS and 70's Fenders. But that doesn't mean I'm right....

The pre 1968 Fender basses have a feel and vibe all of their own, which is lovely when you get a good one and very meh when you get an average one, and there's a fair few of those. But, that kind of vibe is difficult to replicate so they have a certain uniqueness which has huge appeal. But I don't think that makes them better, just different, which leads you to price... Which are now are insane for pre CBS and many later ones, so basically the value for money as a players bass has totally gone. If you get an all original one then at least you have a 'collectable' that'll hold value for being original. Getting a non original one is an entirely different story and will only make sense if you really want that old school vibe. Theres no reason not get a refinished one if you can afford it, want the vibe and want it as a players bass, just remember these days you really are paying for the privilege of playing some very cool rock n roll history.

This is just my opinion and all that, many will argue it and I wouldn't blame them :)

Edited by Chiliwailer
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I have a 76 P which I love deeply, but I still have GAS for a pre-CBS P.

One day I will buy one, but I don't want to bust my ass doing it. Next time I have a chunk of disposable it'll certainly be on the cards, but if I'm going to do it at all, I'd like a 1960 P which is going to be a little pricier than a 63, but there it is.

[quote name='AntLockyer' timestamp='1441905566' post='2862865']
One of those really heavy growling bastards would be a great addition to my fleet.
[/quote]

My 76 P is 8.5lb - just to be irritating. But it certainly is a growling bastard, no doubt about that. :)

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[quote name='gary mac' timestamp='1441903628' post='2862856']
It's more collectible, which obviously equals more costly :)

Is it worth it? Well it's not going to be twice as good but if you get a good 60's one, they are very special. My one gives me a very pleasurable feeling each and every time I open the case.

So does my 75 though :lol:
[/quote]

And my '73!

[quote name='ezbass' timestamp='1441904598' post='2862861']
I'm going to say yes, but I have an agenda ;) :D
[/quote]

So do I :ph34r:

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1441908388' post='2862897']
My 76 P is 8.5lb - just to be irritating. But it certainly is a growling bastard, no doubt about that. :)
[/quote]

And my '73 is 9lb4oz so anything less is a bonus. It can growl, but it's also a sweet-talking mofo... or something.

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[quote name='Sibob' timestamp='1441950158' post='2863142']
If you've tried both, and you think the 63 is twice as good, and you can afford it....then yes :)
[/quote]

I haven't tried both, and I almost dare not until I could afford to take the plunge. And yes, that is exactly how it would have to go. Actually I did try an early 60s P in the Bass Gallery a couple of years ago, but I was in 5-string-buying mode so it was just idle curiosity, I wasn't assessing it as a potential purchase.

Re-phrasing my original question, who here has paid loads more for their 60s than for their 70s P, and specifically why?

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Depends on the individual bass if it's not just for hanging on a wall to me.
My 2007 P Bass walks all over the 1968 I had in every department. I had a go on two 1977 P Basses recently that could have been from different planets too. One was as good as my 2007 but it felt nicer because of the wear and the placebo of vibe. The other was just a badly lashed together boat anchor that sounded like an elastic band on a shoe box,
I've had a go on a few pre CBS ones and they've admittedly all been really very nice. I guess the wrong 'uns got to be firewood.
Things cost what people are prepared to pay for them.

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[quote name='JapanAxe' timestamp='1441959700' post='2863208']


Re-phrasing my original question, who here has paid loads more for their 60s than for their 70s P, and specifically why?
[/quote]

I had 70's basses at the time I moved into Pre CBS. The reasons were:
I) it suited me (vibe, feel, sound, look) and my band (style)
II) i wanted the supposed 'best possible' vintage era Fender
III) i thought they were cool bits of history
IV) I needed to get it out of my system


Now it's well and truly out of my system, and my current P's are perfect for me and have a great value for money return despite being around £2k each. So it's never again unless I've got huge expendable income to throw around for the fun of it. Like that'll happen :)

I guess I'm mostly interested in this thread because the prices are wild now, so you need a damn good reason to get one if it's a lot of money to you.

Edited by Chiliwailer
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Because you're very likely to find someone prepared to pay twice as much (or more). That person might even be you.

And as time passes, the differential will most likely get bigger, not smaller.

Opinion? Yes, I suppose, but one based on how vintage & rare values have routinely moved over time. Not just in basses, but in pretty much every collectable.

And yes, a 1953 would be worth double what a 1963 would cost you. Broadly speaking.

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Trouble is - as long as there are people who will pay silly money for guitars, there will be people who will ask silly money!

I'd love to get my mitts on a '59 P, but would I pay £8k+ for one? Not under normal circumstances, but with a lottery win under my belt, probably!!!

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I have owned a decent number of very nice pre-CBS Precisions and now consider myself to be past the snobbery of those basses. My favourite period for them is 1966 to 1973/4 because you get a nice light bass which is every bit as good as a pre-CBS bass without the price tag.

So, as an investment - yes. As an instrument to be played - no.

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[quote name='JapanAxe' timestamp='1441902816' post='2862845']
I have a '73 Precision that I love, but I am also GASing over a '63 that's up for sale. The asking price is more than twice what I paid for the '73 - can it really be worth it?

[/quote]

Is this the current price ratio between a 70s and an early 60s P-Bass? Yes, that's how the market is.
Is it worth it? Only you can decide. Do you want to collect? Or just make music? Or invest money? Or own a piece of history?
Very different aspects which can mean ís it worth it'....

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[quote name='Bassman Steve' timestamp='1441975580' post='2863430']
I have owned a decent number of very nice pre-CBS Precisions and now consider myself to be past the snobbery of those basses. My favourite period for them is 1966 to 1973/4 because you get a nice light bass which is every bit as good as a pre-CBS bass without the price tag.

So, as an investment - yes. As an instrument to be played - no.
[/quote]
[quote name='xroads' timestamp='1441982493' post='2863534']
Is it worth it? Only you can decide. Do you want to collect? Or just make music? Or invest money? Or own a piece of history?
Very different aspects which can mean ís it worth it'....
[/quote]

Well I am a player, not a collector or an investor. My own rule is: if it says 'take me - I'm yours' it comes home with me. I have never regretted a purchase made on that basis, whereas 'this seems to meet my requirements' can lead to buyer's regret!

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[quote name='JapanAxe' timestamp='1441991764' post='2863676']whereas 'this seems to meet my requirements' can lead to buyer's regret!
[/quote]Been there. The basses I have kept and enjoyed/enjoy the most are the ones that have 'spoken' to me when I picked them up despite them having apparent shortcomings. Others, which on the face of it, ticked all the boxes on my criteria list, failed to excite me and I never really bonded with.

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[quote name='Bassman Steve' timestamp='1441975580' post='2863430']So, as an investment - yes. As an instrument to be played - no.
[/quote]
I agree with that. Check this video under (first 60's basses and later 70's).
But still the 60's look, the part of history, the earlies thin necks, etc...
[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0P-6gGZzG8"]https://www.youtube....h?v=P0P-6gGZzG8[/url]

Edited by Emanew
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