Vintage Fenders

[jimijimmi]

Just now, Reggaebass said:

That’s brilliant, well done, it’s great when something comes along that you’ve wanted for a long time and especially something that doesn’t come up very often , hopefully you’ll share some pics when you’re ready 

yeah, fortunately I was in a position to make it happen.

I only currently have the photos from the advert, im yet to see it in the flesh 

[Reggaebass]

1 minute ago, jimijimmi said:

yeah, fortunately I was in a position to make it happen.

I only currently have the photos from the advert, im yet to see it in the flesh 

It certainly looks good and I think it’ll be even better up close, very cool 

[jimijimmi]

1 minute ago, Reggaebass said:

It certainly looks good and I think it’ll be even better up close, very cool 

ive sent you a private message  

[Bagman]

50 years old 

[Reggaebass]

52 minutes ago, Bagman said:

50 years old 

Very nice Bagman, looks great 

[Lozz196]

Does indeed

[Pow_22]

Anyone spotted this stunner from Bass Bros?  Seems a reasonable price too for a 66?  Very clean

 

https://bassbros.co.uk/product/1966-fender-precision-bass/

[Mrbigstuff]

19 minutes ago, Pow_22 said:

Anyone spotted this stunner from Bass Bros?  Seems a reasonable price too for a 66?  Very clean

 

https://bassbros.co.uk/product/1966-fender-precision-bass/

Nice example but I had to double take on the price. It’s probably a bit more than I’d expect for a 3tsb 66.

[Reggaebass]

Gardiner Houlgate Have got a few interesting lots coming up soon, the 71 ghost town bass seems a high price though 

[Sparky Mark]

5 hours ago, Mrbigstuff said:

Nice example but I had to double take on the price. It’s probably a bit more than I’d expect for a 3tsb 66.

I'm also thinking this is a bit too expensive for a standard colour CBS Precision. Obviously, dealers are always wanting to drive prices upwards.

[Belka]

21 hours ago, Mrbigstuff said:

Nice example but I had to double take on the price. It’s probably a bit more than I’d expect for a 3tsb 66.

 

15 hours ago, Sparky Mark said:

I'm also thinking this is a bit too expensive for a standard colour CBS Precision. Obviously, dealers are always wanting to drive prices upwards.

Bass Bros are normally pretty competitive with their prices. This does seem a bit high, but I'd guess the reason is the condition. It's in extremely good shape for '60s bass and I guess to collectors that is worth the premium.

[Reggaebass]

I had quite an itch for a nice 66P and looked at them for a long while, I still can’t make up my mind on the wider nut width,  they varied from around 6.5k - 8k , it’s at the top end price wise but good condition and original case, I can see it being sold soon , if I was closer I’d be tempted to have a look 

[Sparky Mark]

I'm always aware that a vintage bass might be in excellent condition because it was considered below average when played.

For me, a decent amount of play wear indicates a single, or a number of players have preferred to use it over the years.

Also, another benefit of a roadworn instrument is that new dings are stress free.

Edited 16 hours ago by Sparky Mark

[Belka]

I want to ask for some help in identifying stuff. 

 

So, on Friday I picked up a Jazz bass from the Gallery. I've been interested for a while in acquiring a really good '70s Jazz and tried out various basses from different shops. This is the one I picked:

 

https://thebassgallery.com/collections/bass/products/fender-72-77

 

It's a complete mutt and it weighs a frankly ridiculous amount, but it sounds so good. The only close competitor was a walnut '77 at Wunjo, but it was twice the price so I went for this one.

 

Anyway, on getting it home, I had a good look and thought that the neck does not seem right for a '77. No bullet truss rod, the older Fender rather than Schaller tuners, and 4 bolt. It looks very much like a '74 neck - the only thing '77 on there looks like the decal, which could of course be a fake. 

 

On removing the neck, I saw the 8 number code - it reads as 0203 0974.

 

I looked this up on various Fender reference pages. Basically; 02- Jazz bass 03 - fretted maple neck/fingerboard 09 - 9th week 7- 1977 4-Thursday

 

So this code also indicates 1977.

 

Can this be right? I'm generally very skeptical of the idea of old parts lying around in the parts bin making their way onto later basses - it generally just means Frankenbass/partscaster. I mean, 1977 was not even a transition year like '75/76 could be considered to be. I've never seen any bass post 1975 without the three bolt/bullet truss rod.

 

Perhaps the received wisdom is wrong - could the 74 mean 1974 rather than 1977 and Thursday?

 

If its a fake, why would someone who has the knowledge to fake a date stamp get the year so wrong (perhaps a guitarist without much knowledge of basses)? 

 

Has anyone ever seen something like this before? I really don't care either way as I bought it for the sound rather than any kind of originality, but I was thinking of replacing the decal with a more appropriate 67-1975 TV logo, and if there's any chance it somehow is a '77 I would of course not do this.

 

It will be receiving a new pickguard and pickups though - DiMarzios are interesting but a bit too dark for me - I have some '66 Pure Vintages to try out. And modern tort is just nasty. For now I'll probably go with a black one to match the logo. If it's somehow verified as a 1974 neck I might consider Lavaguard/Spitfire to make something nicer.

[Burns-bass]

1 hour ago, Belka said:

I want to ask for some help in identifying stuff. 

 

So, on Friday I picked up a Jazz bass from the Gallery. I've been interested for a while in acquiring a really good '70s Jazz and tried out various basses from different shops. This is the one I picked:

 

https://thebassgallery.com/collections/bass/products/fender-72-77

 

It's a complete mutt and it weighs a frankly ridiculous amount, but it sounds so good. The only close competitor was a walnut '77 at Wunjo, but it was twice the price so I went for this one.

 

Anyway, on getting it home, I had a good look and thought that the neck does not seem right for a '77. No bullet truss rod, the older Fender rather than Schaller tuners, and 4 bolt. It looks very much like a '74 neck - the only thing '77 on there looks like the decal, which could of course be a fake. 

 

On removing the neck, I saw the 8 number code - it reads as 0203 0974.

 

I looked this up on various Fender reference pages. Basically; 02- Jazz bass 03 - fretted maple neck/fingerboard 09 - 9th week 7- 1977 4-Thursday

 

So this code also indicates 1977.

 

Can this be right? I'm generally very skeptical of the idea of old parts lying around in the parts bin making their way onto later basses - it generally just means Frankenbass/partscaster. I mean, 1977 was not even a transition year like '75/76 could be considered to be. I've never seen any bass post 1975 without the three bolt/bullet truss rod.

 

Perhaps the received wisdom is wrong - could the 74 mean 1974 rather than 1977 and Thursday?

 

If its a fake, why would someone who has the knowledge to fake a date stamp get the year so wrong (perhaps a guitarist without much knowledge of basses)? 

 

Has anyone ever seen something like this before? I really don't care either way as I bought it for the sound rather than any kind of originality, but I was thinking of replacing the decal with a more appropriate 67-1975 TV logo, and if there's any chance it somehow is a '77 I would of course not do this.

 

It will be receiving a new pickguard and pickups though - DiMarzios are interesting but a bit too dark for me - I have some '66 Pure Vintages to try out. And modern tort is just nasty. For now I'll probably go with a black one to match the logo. If it's somehow verified as a 1974 neck I might consider Lavaguard/Spitfire to make something nicer.

There are lots of inconsistencies with that, starting with a 72 Fender body being that heavy.

 

You’ve bought it from a shop which gives you rights. I’d want to know on what basis they believe it to be a legit body and neck, because these are easy to fake.
 

There aren’t enough images of things that matter in the original for sale ad for experts to assess what it is you have. 
 

(I’m not saying it is a fake, I’d personally want so reassurance if bought what I’d paid for.)

Edited 3 hours ago by Burns-bass

[Geek99]

Plenty of experts on here @Hellzero? Amongst others 

[Mrbigstuff]

If the neck has been refinished it’s most likely had a new decal, and possibly a mod to the truss access. I’m not sure of the screw measurements for the tuning pegs ever changed in the 70s, but if there are holes behind then it would have had something else over its life.

[Burns-bass]

28 minutes ago, Mrbigstuff said:

If the neck has been refinished it’s most likely had a new decal, and possibly a mod to the truss access. I’m not sure of the screw measurements for the tuning pegs ever changed in the 70s, but if there are holes behind then it would have had something else over its life.

There’s no way the neck ever had a bullet truss did in it. That’s a factory made neck.

[Reggaebass]

I can’t quite work out what’s happening with the neck, a S7 should have a bullet truss rod and 3 bolt neckplate , but the stamp reads 1977 4-Thursday, and to me the logo looks genuine , strange 

[Belka]

1 hour ago, Burns-bass said:

There are lots of inconsistencies with that, starting with a 72 Fender body being that heavy.

 

You’ve bought it from a shop which gives you rights. I’d want to know on what basis they believe it to be a legit body and neck, because these are easy to fake.
 

There aren’t enough images of things that matter in the original for sale ad for experts to assess what it is you have. 
 

(I’m not saying it is a fake, I’d personally want so reassurance if bought what I’d paid for.)

I agree - lots of inconsistencies and to be honest I can't really say how accurate the description of it was, but to be fair it was fully disclosed as a parts bass and I bought it for the sound rather than any idea of value/collectability..

 

The only things dating the body to 1972 would be the neckplate (1972) and the pots (1970). Early '70s bodies do tend to be a lot lighter than late '70s, especially as most of them were still alder at this point, but ash bodied basses around 5kg were a thing even back then.

 

There's also the possibility that it's a maple body - Fender did experiment with maple that was even heavier with ash in the early 70s - Steve Harris' original P bass is an example of this. There's not much bare wood visible so it's hard to tell, but the neck pocket is fairly intact and unpainted with no sign of it ever having been a three bolt, so I don't think it can be earlier than 1974/75. I'm also pretty sure it's not an aftermarket body. The pickup routing and neck pocket show the usual (poor) quality of CBS Fender, and the '70s pickup spacing is hard enough to find on aftermarket bodies even now.

[Burns-bass]

1 minute ago, Reggaebass said:

I can’t quite work out what’s happening with the neck, a S7 should have a bullet truss rod and 3 bolt neckplate , but the stamp reads 1977 4-Thursday, and to me the logo looks genuine , strange 

Most likely @Mrbigstuff got it right with a 4 bolt neck refinished.

 

worth checking the underside of the neck to see if there was ever a 3 bolt fixing (I’m guessing not!)

[Reggaebass]

If it was an earlier neck that would make the heel stamp wrong and the headstock logo wrong 

[Burns-bass]

2 minutes ago, Reggaebass said:

If it was an earlier neck that would make the heel stamp wrong and the headstock logo wrong 

Guess all we’re going to do is to confuse matters! I shall wait to see what the consensus is.