Vintage Fenders

[Mrbigstuff]

1 hour ago, bigthumb said:

BassBros '63 Jazz bass 😍

 

And I'm only £18k short of the asking price too! 

Sounds silly saying this. But given it has a period correct case as well it’s not a bad price compared to others. 

[bigthumb]

12 minutes ago, Mrbigstuff said:

Sounds silly saying this. But given it has a period correct case as well it’s not a bad price compared to others. 

 

I don't think it's silly at all. I'd be all over that if I had the funds. It has to be one of the bast examples I've seen and BB's prices are always sensible. The '73 stripped Jazz is a beauty and well priced too and being it's my YoB I'm hoping it sells soon as I could get into trouble! 

[Mrbigstuff]

9 hours ago, bigthumb said:

 

I don't think it's silly at all. I'd be all over that if I had the funds. It has to be one of the bast examples I've seen and BB's prices are always sensible. The '73 stripped Jazz is a beauty and well priced too and being it's my YoB I'm hoping it sells soon as I could get into trouble! 

Only saying that because £18.5k is still a lot of money for a bass guitar!

[Burns-bass]

37 minutes ago, Mrbigstuff said:

Only saying that because £18.5k is still a lot of money for a bass guitar!

It’s utterly preposterous for a mass produced, factory built item. Fender could build something the same (or better) using the same materials pretty much.

[Rick's Fine '52]

11 minutes ago, Burns-bass said:

It’s utterly preposterous for a mass produced, factory built item. Fender could build something the same (or better) using the same materials pretty much.

Shame they haven’t though. 

[Burns-bass]

39 minutes ago, Rick's Fine '52 said:

Shame they haven’t though. 

Why would they?

 

The vintage mania is what keeps Fender relevant and cool. Reality is a modern Fender is a better instrument for gigging than a vintage one. From a purely practical point of view. 

[Mrbigstuff]

46 minutes ago, Burns-bass said:

It’s utterly preposterous for a mass produced, factory built item. Fender could build something the same (or better) using the same materials pretty much.

If that were possible surely someone else would have done? Alleva Copollo, Moolon, Olinto all try but miss the mark.

we can discount the ‘aging process’ as being a reason for “the sound” because the jap lawsuit stuff doesn’t sound as good, neither do similar period Gibsons or rickenbackers.

 

But are the same materials available? Where do the trees grow and the wood cut? Are they old stored timber or grown in the same climate as what Fender used at the time? Tree felling is more strictly regulated now than it was in the 60s and transportation across continents more expensive. 
 

What about the pickup copper or magnets? Can they be produced the same way now?

 

I assume nobody will ever know?

[Burns-bass]

8 minutes ago, Mrbigstuff said:

If that were possible surely someone else would have done? Alleva Copollo, Moolon, Olinto all try but miss the mark.

we can discount the ‘aging process’ as being a reason for “the sound” because the jap lawsuit stuff doesn’t sound as good, neither do similar period Gibsons or rickenbackers.

 

But are the same materials available? Where do the trees grow and the wood cut? Are they old stored timber or grown in the same climate as what Fender used at the time? Tree felling is more strictly regulated now than it was in the 60s and transportation across continents more expensive. 
 

What about the pickup copper or magnets? Can they be produced the same way now?

 

I assume nobody will ever know?

I don’t think vintage basses really have a much better sound. I love my vintage bass (less for the sound and more for what it means to me). 
 

I’m not a vintage bass hater. But I do think £18.5k for the 63 Jazz Bass is crazy. It’s not a Jaco-style 62’ slab board or a stack knob. It doesn’t even have the mutes. 
 

Stick it through an amp and it’ll sound the same. I speak from experience (they really do!)

 

Or, to put it another way, if nobody ever knew you owned it or know how much it was worth, would this bass be worth £18.5k to the person?

 

Vintage instruments at this level are speculative investments or status symbols. That’s all good. 

[Woodinblack]

45 minutes ago, Mrbigstuff said:

If that were possible surely someone else would have done? Alleva Copollo, Moolon, Olinto all try but miss the mark.

 

I think they would hit the mark pretty well if the person playing was blindfolded.

 

I have heard many vintage fenders, some are great, some are dogs, most are pretty good (I guess most of the bad ones have been thrown away in the 70s), but if you didn't know it was a vintage fender, it wouldn't sound special either way.

 

They sound good to some because they are being listened to with their eyes and heads. 

 

Youre paying for a rarity not a sound.