The price of Musicmasters

[EllCurrell95]

What is going on with the price of Musicmasters these days?! I bought one 6 years ago for £500 and even then thought that was over the top. I sold it shortly afterwards but recently started to miss it so had a look around for another and they all seem to be around £700-£950! Is it just people trying their luck or are people actually paying these prices? 

[shoulderpet]

Yeah the prices are crazy, I owned one many years ago, I brought it for £75 and moved it on after 2-3 years, it was a terrible bass, weighed a ton, terrible bridge, cheap pickguard, the cheapest nut ever and the tone was terrible, really murky sounding, now on Ebay there are Musicmasters going for close to MIA Fender prices which is ridiculous when you consider that this was Fenders budget offering at the time that these were made, they even made the bodies from leftover wood from other instruments and put a strat pickup in to save costs

[SurroundedByManatees]

The asking prices for musicmasters are mostly way too high indeed. They are just asking prices though, those overpriced basses aren't going anywhere usually. 

Sometimes it seems that if 1 person puts up a type of bass for ridiculous cash, a lot of people think it's actual worth it and copy the price. 

I'd still fancy one though, if one would pop up at a normal price. 

 

[Happy Jack]

I can remember genuine US-made Musicmasters being described to me as "cheap copies" of the Mustang ...

 

[Paul S]

Silly money - cashing in on the zeitgeist that short scales seem to be currently enjoying.  I had one for a while, a '79 I believe.  I've also had a Squier Vista Series Musicmaster and a Squier VM Mustang.  The two Squiers blew the Fender out of the water completely in every respect.  I had the Musicmaster modded to have a Wizard Trad pickup put in it, which improved the tone no end.  But it was still heavy and clunky.  I bought it pretty cheap so it didn't matter.

[Jean-Luc Pickguard]

I have a couple of '71-72 musicmasters I bought quite a few years ago. One cost me £100 from a seller on gumtree and the other was £400 from Denmark Street.

They have a certain charm and the sound can be vastly improved by putting in a cool rails strat pickup. Both of mine are fairly lightweight and the necks feel at least as comfy to play as my JMJ mustang.

[shoulderpet]

2 hours ago, Paul S said:

Silly money - cashing in on the zeitgeist that short scales seem to be currently enjoying.  I had one for a while, a '79 I believe.  I've also had a Squier Vista Series Musicmaster and a Squier VM Mustang.  The two Squiers blew the Fender out of the water completely in every respect.  I had the Musicmaster modded to have a Wizard Trad pickup put in it, which improved the tone no end.  But it was still heavy and clunky.  I bought it pretty cheap so it didn't matter.

I can well believe that the Squiers would be better, tbh my Squier Jaguar bass is a much better bass than the Musicmaster I owned (also a 79) ever was, I would get another Musicmaster IF the price was low (£400-500) with a view to modding the crap out of it

[Fil1ip]

One has just sold on auction site at £546? I have seen them at £1300 asking price from a shop

[GuyR]

On 11 June 2020 at 11:09, Jean-Luc Pickguard said:

I have a couple of '71-72 musicmasters I bought quite a few years ago. One cost me £100 from a seller on gumtree and the other was £400 from Denmark Street.

They have a certain charm and the sound can be vastly improved by putting in a cool rails strat pickup. Both of mine are fairly lightweight and the necks feel at least as comfy to play as my JMJ mustang.

I sold a very early blue musicmaster to Andys in Denmark St in 1983. Had a deep gash in the bottom and headstock fag burn. Previously owned by Joe Brown, I think I got £80 PX against a jv squier I still have. It would be too small a world if one of yours.........

[shoulderpet]

8 hours ago, Fil1ip said:

One has just sold on auction site at £546? I have seen them at £1300 asking price from a shop

That is a more reasonable price than the £700-800 ive seen them average, still not sure I would pay that nowadays when you can get an mim mustang p/j for around the same price ,

[Jean-Luc Pickguard]

2 hours ago, GuyR said:

I sold a very early blue musicmaster to Andys in Denmark St in 1983. Had a deep gash in the bottom and headstock fag burn. Previously owned by Joe Brown, I think I got £80 PX against a jv squier I still have. It would be too small a world if one of yours.........

One of mine is Daphne blue but neither has a gash or fag burn.

[GuyR]

21 hours ago, Jean-Luc Pickguard said:

One of mine is Daphne blue but neither has a gash or fag burn.

Thanks for replying. One of these days I might chance across it again. They are so easy to play. Mine had the original black tolex case, which I guess won't fit anything else.