70's Precision - What were the good years?

[peteb]

[quote name='witterth' post='774187' date='Mar 14 2010, 11:29 AM']I had a fender precision fretless just like clarkys, lateish 70s ( see his thread, so close it really could be the same one! ) it was good, but in '85 when I sold it, to fund a stingray I only got £250 for it. a rubbish price for the time.looking at todays price for the same kit, makes me feel a bit neausous!! at the time no one wanted to know.
Ahh well,
for what we cannot change..... eh?[/quote]
But that was the going rate at the time! Along with most of my mates I've bought & sold 70s P basses for that sort of price....

Prices of 70s Fenders didn't really increase until the 90s and the advent of Britpop - but not before I completely stripped and customised my remaining 78 precision, making it worth a fraction of what it would be now!

[peteb]

[quote name='BigRedX' post='774169' date='Mar 14 2010, 11:03 AM']From my personal experience all the new Fenders I saw come into the local musical instrument shop where I helped out in 1978 and 79 were without fail rubbish. Many of them were so poorly assembled that they needed stripping down and completely rebuilding before they were fit for sale.[/quote]
That's how I remember it

I used to think of Fenders of that period as a blank canvas - everybody seemed to pretty much rebuild 'em when they got a new one in those days

Edited March 14, 2010 by peteb

[alanbass1]

[quote name='peteb' post='774239' date='Mar 14 2010, 12:35 PM']That's how I remember it

I used to think of Fenders of that period as a blank canvas - everybody seemed to pretty much rebuild 'em when they got a new one in those days[/quote]

And they weren't cheap either, and many were fundamentally flawed (IMO), e.g. very heavy. That's why the vintage market started to take off around then

[witterth]

[quote name='peteb' post='774234' date='Mar 14 2010, 12:27 PM']But that was the going rate at the time! Along with most of my mates I've bought & sold 70s P basses for that sort of price....

Prices of 70s Fenders didn't really increase until the 90s and the advent of Britpop - but not before I completely stripped and customised my remaining 78 precision, making it worth a fraction of what it would be now![/quote]
makes you wanna spit!! though, dunnit?

[MOSCOWBASS]

I bought my Fender P bass new in Autumn 76, but the date on the headstock is 77, so as has been said the dates can be way out. I was lucky, this P is really good, but I bought it because the "almost" new 75 jazz I had bought a month or so before was really crap...fret buzz, offset bridge etc. I could only afford the P bass when the jazz went back to the shop, but I guess I was lucky and got a good light P bass. I've still got the original bell covers,, only the original knobs are gone, they corroded to bits in the 80's, but I wouldn't sell it....my kids will get the money some day when I'm gone!
So what I'm trying to say is, you will need to play a few if they are available, don't buy blind, there are very good and very bad ones about.

[lojo]

I think I would love to get a classic P bass (love the look of 62s) but I am not sure to look for vintage, get an almost new or new USA model or look CIJ

I know most advise will be try em all, but logistics just don't allow me to run all over the country checking things out, and if I wait for local stuff I'll be 62 myself before I get one

Cost can vary, I would be happy to spend out an 2nd hand CIJ, around double again for USA new or go vintage (would then have to sell my Ric, which is starting to grow on me now)

Also I would want this to be a gig bass, so it would have to be something Id not worry to much about, so a new MIA maybe a little to shiny?

Any thoughts based on the above would be very welcomed indeed

Edited March 17, 2010 by lojo

[wateroftyne]

If none of the reasons mentioned in this thread are towards the top of your list (looks, investment potential, spare cash lying around), give vintage a miss and go for something newer...

[Buzzy]

My 73 P is a wonderful thing,everyone who plays it comments on how nice the neck is and how great it sounds.
I bought a 78 J a few years back and it was a total dog,way too heavy and just didn't sound like a J should,so I sold it within 4 months of buying it.The J was nowhere as good as the MIJ 75 reissue J I bought a couple of years ago.