Vintage Fenders

[mowf 67]

I've been looking for a P-bass for a while now but beginning to think the price of a decent one is just not justifiable. I'd like an original sunburst, ideally pre-CBS and definitely one that's been played and has got the scars rather than a case queen but they are crazy money.

[chris_b 4,340]

11 minutes ago, mowf said:

I've been looking for a P-bass for a while now but beginning to think the price of a decent one is just not justifiable. I'd like an original sunburst, ideally pre-CBS and definitely one that's been played and has got the scars rather than a case queen but they are crazy money.

A "decent" Fender Precision would be a 2014 American Standard. It's unlikely that you can guarantee that a "vintage" Fender is better than a more recent one.

[weezergeezer 8]

32 minutes ago, mowf said:

I've been looking for a P-bass for a while now but beginning to think the price of a decent one is just not justifiable. I'd like an original sunburst, ideally pre-CBS and definitely one that's been played and has got the scars rather than a case queen but they are crazy money.

What you think is crazy money wont be in 5-10-15 years time

[weezergeezer 8]

8 minutes ago, chris_b said:

A "decent" Fender Precision would be a 2014 American Standard. It's unlikely that you can guarantee that a "vintage" Fender is better than a more recent one.

Any bass or guitar boils down to personal preference and how much you can afford IMO..and Ive played plenty probably more than most on here

I started playing in the early 60s absolute with crap gear clawed my way up to better stuff

[mowf 67]

29 minutes ago, weezergeezer said:

Any bass or guitar boils down to personal preference and how much you can afford IMO..and Ive played plenty probably more than most on here

I started playing in the early 60s absolute with crap gear clawed my way up to better stuff

Absolutely agree. Personally speaking I'm just a sucker for the mojo that an old bass carries, I'd much rather have something that's been around 40-50 years with a few stories to tell than something that's brand new and probably much nicer to play! And you're right, spending a fortune on the right bass now wouldn't necessarily be a bad investment.

[weezergeezer 8]

2 hours ago, mowf said:

Absolutely agree. Personally speaking I'm just a sucker for the mojo that an old bass carries, I'd much rather have something that's been around 40-50 years with a few stories to tell than something that's brand new and probably much nicer to play! And you're right, spending a fortune on the right bass now wouldn't necessarily be a bad investment.

Agree with you there friend..most people would rather spend the money on a new car or holiday..but not everyone has the love of old vintages..

[GuyR 430]

3 minutes ago, weezergeezer said:

Agree with you there friend..most people would rather spend the money on a new car or holiday..but not everyone has the love of old vintages..

Thank goodness they don't, otherwise the prices would be even more painful. And give me a worn looking bass every time. There are usually two reasons for a pre cbs Fender to be pristine; either it has a sad story, or it is a dog, of which there are plenty. 

[weezergeezer 8]

just to add a comment what people probably dont realise is that there buying a work of art

not a can of beans so to speak..which is the same price more or less wherever you go in the country what one person percieves as expensive another sees as not

you can spend £10- 75k + on a car and drive it off the showroom and it will devalue instantly let alone over the next 5+ years

 

[walshy 1,929]

7 hours ago, LukeFRC said:

Was looking for a P bass, 65-66 probably in budget, Earlier If beat up more! I found ppl would help with “book price” valuations but actual asking places would be far over that

You should’ve bought one of mine 😂 I know what you mean re prices though, things are super crazy and the ones that seem too good to be true normally are. That’s the reason a I build some now too, get what I want at a fraction of the costs

Edited January 3 by walshy

[TheGreek 6,525]

Isn't @cd_david selling an early P bass in the "For sale "thread"?

Haven't found it yet but @0353203 has two vintage Ps available:

https://www.basschat.co.uk/topic/411637-1961-fender-precision-bass-price-drop-to-£9750/

https://www.basschat.co.uk/topic/440254-1965-fender-precision-bass-price-drop-to-£5100/

 

Edited January 3 by TheGreek

[onehandclapping 92]

23 hours ago, LukeFRC said:

You managed to sell it, and keep it?! 

It’s been here 10 months,covid thing,we don’t want to courier it and our borders closed,it’s a mate so hopefully very shortly 

[LukeFRC 2,107]

49 minutes ago, onehandclapping said:

It’s been here 10 months,covid thing,we don’t want to courier it and our borders closed,it’s a mate so hopefully very shortly 

on the desktop version now and can see that your location is in Oz so that makes sense!

[cd_david 146]

3 hours ago, TheGreek said:

Isn't @cd_david selling an early P bass in the "For sale "thread"?

 

Thanks, I was thinking of selling my 78 Walnut but it was only to buy a specific bass. I tried them both side by side and decided not to sell it. 
cheers 

 

Edited January 3 by cd_david

[TheGreek 6,525]

This???

https://www.gumtree.com/p/guitar-instrument/1966-fender-precision-bass/1382890422

[wateroftyne 3,643]

Just now, TheGreek said:

This???

https://www.gumtree.com/p/guitar-instrument/1966-fender-precision-bass/1382890422

That'll be one of our very own Si's instruments, I think...

[TheGreek 6,525]

I thought it looked familiar...

[Reggaebass 5,286]

I know by late 74 the jazz four bolt neckplate changed to the 3 bolt, has anyone had any experience with the 3 , as I’ve heard mixed reviews, would you let a 3 put you off buying one ,🙂

[bassbiscuits 1,250]

I don’t think the three-bolt neck plate in itself is a problem design (don’t Musicman basses also use them?) 

I think there was some decline in manufacturing quality during the same era, meaning the three-bolt models are also associated with sometimes shabby neck pockets, poorly aligned necks etc.

But like anything else there are plenty of good, bad and indifferent ones around regardless of the year. I wouldn’t be put off a good 70s Fender bass just because it had a three-bolt neck.

[gareth 836]

On 03/01/2021 at 17:02, GuyR said:

 There are usually two reasons for a pre cbs Fender to be pristine; either it has a sad story, or it is a dog, of which there are plenty. 

When I got back in to bass playing some 20 years ago after stopping to have a family - and cos I couldn’t stand that whole mark king slap rubbish - a dealer friend showed me a collection of old fender precisions and a Fullerton AVRI (1983) 

The Fullerton AVRI was easily the best bass and the cheapest, the one I bought and still have - along with lots of other Fullerton AVRI’s I have since acquired😀

Edited January 10 by gareth

[SurroundedByManatees 384]

Re: 3 bolt neck mounting. 

Indeed the 70s 3 bolt Fenders can be a bit loose. It's not to hard to stabalise though, by putting chips of wood in the right places.

I've got a good result on a '75 by narrowing the body holes for the 3 screws by inserting wood chips, and adding a thin slice of wood in the neck cavity where a gap was on upper horn side. Since then, it was much more stable. 

Edited January 10 by SurroundedByManatees

[gareth 836]

19 minutes ago, SurroundedByManatees said:

Re: 3 bolt neck mounting. 

Indeed the 70s 3 bolt Fenders can be a bit loose. It's not to hard to stabalise though, by putting chips of wood in the right places.

I've got a good result on a '75 by narrowing the body holes for the 3 screws by inserting wood chips, and adding a thin slice of wood in the neck cavity where a gap was on upper horn side. Since then, it was much more stable. 

Like two ends of the spectrum 

The magic and mystery of Leos finest pre cbs basses to the horror of three bolt necks allied to worn out machinery unable to produce the precise tolerances necessary 

[Burns-bass 1,422]

2 minutes ago, gareth said:

Like two ends of the spectrum 

The magic and mystery of Leos finest pre cbs basses to the horror of three bolt necks allied to worn out machinery unable to produce the precise tolerances necessary 

Harsh, but probably fair.

[gareth 836]

1 hour ago, Burns-bass said:

Harsh, but probably fair.

What’s interesting is that three bolt necks can work but they need tight tolerances, necks that fit tightly in to neck pockets

Leo proved this could be done with the pre eb stingrays and then the early G&Ls 

I’ve had all of these basses and they work brilliantly but I’ve never had a three bolt fender bass 

 

Edited January 10 by gareth

[Reggaebass 5,286]

Would I be right in saying that natural finishes weren’t offered until around 1972, and I don’t like to see joins in the wood bodies, is a one piece body rare , because  pretty much all the ones I see are 2 and 3 piece 🙂

[mowf 67]

4 hours ago, Reggaebass said:

Would I be right in saying that natural finishes weren’t offered until around 1972, and I don’t like to see joins in the wood bodies, is a one piece body rare , because  pretty much all the ones I see are 2 and 3 piece 🙂

I've got a '75 P that I had refinished in natural when I bought it 20 odd years ago, as the previous owner had seen fit to do a DIY snakeskin effect job on it... The body is definitely two different lumps of wood and somebody told me it would have been a solid colour originally to mask this fact, don't know how true that is but sounds feasible. You can see the join line running between the bridge and the scratch plate in the photos.