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Do you have a birth year bass?


BassAgent

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18 hours ago, tobiewharton said:

I'm ambivalent about it, but understand the appeal. I'm 1983 and I think the Precision Specials were cool. If I had a need of something in that ballpark and found a good one for a good price, the year matching would be a bonus.

Not sure if you've ever tried one of the Precision Elites from that year.  My friend had one at the time and I thought it was the coolest.  Of course, I was 15 and didn't have much experience so no idea what I'd think of it now. 

Edited by Agent 00Soul
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24 minutes ago, Agent 00Soul said:

Not sure if you've ever tried one of the Precision Elites from that year.  My friend had one at the time and I thought it was the coolest.  Of course, I was 15 at the time and didn't have much experience so no idea what I'd think of it now. 

I haven't, but I would like to - especially the double P version. I've tried a nice Special and also a Lyte, which I was partial to; I rather like Fender's attempts to mess with the recipe in the 80s - would be nice to see a bit more of that these days! 

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Yep, I got lucky.  It's always a risk with guitars that old, but thanks to a decent setup (Joe White Guitars), it plays as well as a new one, but has that nice worn in feel too.  One of the conversations we have when I take it to a rehearsal or gig is wondering about it's history.  We came to the conclusion guitars should have to have a history logbook type thing so you know where they've been...  one of things I'll start when I'm ruler of the world... 

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16 hours ago, tauzero said:

 

Hayman 4040. Rickenbacker (assorted). Hofner 500/1. One of these is a decent bass. The other two are more famous.

 

The Hofner and Ricks would be a flat "No" from me,  so I guess it'd be the Hayman, then.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I bought a 60s P-bass, as I'd had different year versions from the 80s onwards. I just found my self in a situation, about 11 years ago, where I had the time to look  (time off work recovering after an opp at home), the gig money stored up wondering what to buy ...and then there it was. A 1961 players P, all original. I checked it out, all hung together and played beautifully....since then I have bought a Spitfire Scratch plate for it, the original was doing the usual shrinking thing and had it pinned to a piece of wood, and a new period case....love it 

Edited by Petey
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On 29/04/2024 at 14:00, cybertect said:

Talking of Hofners, this is my '67 Verithin

 

We have been playing music together since we were both 21 years old

 

 

24922031280_55eff380a6_b.jpg

 Makes me think of people like Billy Childish or The Kaisers.

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I’m ‘82 so there’s some good Fender, Stingray and even Aria options about. I’ve thought about it, and it’s something I’d like to get probably - it’s just an excuse to buy another bass tho really. I think if you’re a session player it would be a good thing to have and whip out at the studio with a bit of a story lol but no one gives a monkeys when you’re gigging tbf

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Always wanted a '72 Jazz. Then I played a few. 

 

The ones I tried were all massively expensive, incredibly heavy, the condition was far beyond "relic", into the realm of "battered to sh*t", and they all had that horrible gappy neck pocket that a lot of 70s Fenders had. Maybe I just never found a good one, but I'd prefer a 70s reissue at this point! 

 

There's probably some other, more esoteric options out there rather than an old Fender, but I haven't come across anything I'd actually want. 

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I was born in 1979.

 

My first bass was £100 in 1994. It was an absolutely knackered 1978 Fender music master. It was the best part of a year's pocket money.

 

My (double) bass teacher was absolutely horrified by it. Cracked paint, nicotine stained, faded paint in places, wear, divots in the frets, short scale. The antithesis of orchestral double bass playing.

 

I've still got it. It's a year out from a birth year so close enough for me.

 

I sanded all the paint and most of the divots in the body in the late 1990's. I couldn't get through the sanding sealer (insufficient elbow grease in hind sight), so it remained partially sanded for ages. After I discovered people will pay more for a relic guitar I realised I'd sanded 1/2 the value of the instrument off.

 

I did a better job of sanding in a few years back and re sprayed it in nitro. Looks fine from a meter, but it's not factory finish.

 

It could probably do with new frets now but two wee kids and I've not played bass for ages. 

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4 hours ago, tall_martin said:

I was born in 1979.

 

My first bass was £100 in 1994. It was an absolutely knackered 1978 Fender music master. It was the best part of a year's pocket money.

 

My (double) bass teacher was absolutely horrified by it. Cracked paint, nicotine stained, faded paint in places, wear, divots in the frets, short scale. The antithesis of orchestral double bass playing.

 

I've still got it. It's a year out from a birth year so close enough for me.

 

I sanded all the paint and most of the divots in the body in the late 1990's. I couldn't get through the sanding sealer (insufficient elbow grease in hind sight), so it remained partially sanded for ages. After I discovered people will pay more for a relic guitar I realised I'd sanded 1/2 the value of the instrument off.

 

I did a better job of sanding in a few years back and re sprayed it in nitro. Looks fine from a meter, but it's not factory finish.

 

It could probably do with new frets now but two wee kids and I've not played bass for ages. 

So you've got a "year of conception bass"?

 

Hmm, wonder if that's a reason to buy another bass?

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  • 3 weeks later...
On 07/04/2024 at 11:37, Agent 00Soul said:

 

The picture is slightly distorted.  The headstock is standard CBS-era as far as I know. Jazzmasters didn't get the larger headstock that Strats did, right? 

 

The finish was never stock - it came in that sparkle green that a previous owner added.  I added the targets a few years after I got it.  From a chip on the lower bout after I dropped it on a concrete floor, I could see that it was originally sunburst.

 

Jazzmasters got the larger headstock in 67, along with a new logo and different tuners with F stamps on the back gear cover.

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Posted (edited)

Years ago I had a 64 P Bass - one year older than me, and recently the closest I could manage without mortgaging anything was a 66 Jazz that has had the paint played off of it...the neck came from a different bass as did the pickguard. But it's great. I cannot imagine ever ending up with a 1965 Fender, even scraping up the parts one by one is price-prohibitive these days. And a BYB shouldn't loom so large in my tiny brain - scientists have confirmed it will not make me play any better 😆66JazzCorn.thumb.jpg.0d9418e4cded73685fe406c1dd70ddd1.jpg

 

Edited by Longwheelbass
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