What's the best (safest) way to buy a vintage bass ?

[6stringbassist]

I'm very keen on buying a '76 Fender Jazz bass.

It has to be in Olympic white with a maple board with binding and block inlays.

The pproblem is that I know nothing about Fender basses, and I'm worried that it'd be very easyy to buy something that wasn't what it was supposed to be, or pay too much.

So my question is, what's the safest way to go about buying ?

[Lfalex v1.1]

Do loads of research- Price, condition, what features/hardware/specs were unique to '76.
Track down as many as you can - even if it's just to get a feel for what to expect / see what people are offering.
Try before you buy.
Collection only - avoid courier issues.
See what else everyone on here says...
Once you track one down, get a second opinion?

Any doubts? Walk away.

[Chris2112]

You're saying you know nothing about Fender basses and yet your gear list states you have four?

[WarPig]

[quote name='Chris2112' post='870137' date='Jun 17 2010, 07:12 PM']You're saying you know nothing about Fender basses and yet your gear list states you have four?[/quote]

Theyre all Re-Issues, so will probably be all original. Its a different ball game with classic fenders.

[4 Strings]

I must admit my first thought was, if you know little about Fenders, how do you know you want something as specific as you describe? But that's not my business.

Lfalex's response is wise and, if you're anything like me, you won't be able to help yourself finding out tons of info about what you're after.

Safest way is from established dealers (they may be able to find one for you too!) as they will not want to lose their reputation. For this peace of mind you'll not be paying bargain prices. Also safest is from someone who can be recommended (on here etc). Last place (for safety) is untried from ebay. If it helps, fakes are normally easily spotted by the collected detailed knowledge represented by those here and from stuff you can get on the net.

Keep us in touch, ask on here for opinions on what you find and I'm sure you'll end up with a great bass.

[waynepunkdude]

Time machine.

[Lylodile]

[quote name='waynepunkdude' post='870370' date='Jun 17 2010, 11:18 PM']Time machine.[/quote]

[6stringbassist]

[quote name='Chris2112' post='870137' date='Jun 17 2010, 07:12 PM']You're saying you know nothing about Fender basses and yet your gear list states you have four?[/quote]

Yeah but mine are all new, or newish. And are all Japanese reissues except for the 5 string. I want the real thing that they're copies of.

I really know nothing about the vintage instruments.

I played a real vintage one a few years ago. I think it was a '60's jazz, it was owned by Birdie who's a member on here. It just had something that mine don't have, the sound and 'feel' of it.

Edited June 17, 2010 by 6stringbassist

[JTUK]

I'd find one that is marketed as such and play it and then decide if it was worth a premium...

The worst Bass I ever had was a '76 Jazz..well, not quite, but really really nothing to write home about.
Maybe some 70's Fender basses are worth that money but I will bet there are a fair few that aren't...and that would include 100% original ones, IMO.

[thisnameistaken]

I'm often attracted by the look and feel of old Fenders. It's nice isn't it? A bit of history and maturity, it's romantic.

But it's important to remember that the words "old" and "classic" have very different meanings. And I don't think the age of an instrument should dictate its price unless it's a genuine museum piece and not a battered old pub band relic like 99.9% of them are.

What I like about the reissues is that there's a few of them about so you have a better chance of finding a nice one, and they're available for sensible money rather than sentimental money.

[BoomBass]

I have bought quite a few 70's Fender basses (both P and J), and IME, the build quality of that period was very inconsistent. Some of the best basses I have ever tried are from the 70's (in partiular the 72 J and the 78 P in the pic to the left) - as is some if the worst! So, if possible, try out the basses before byuing. However, if that should not be possible (e.g. buying on ebay), don't pay more for it than you expect to be able to get for it on a resale...

Edited June 18, 2010 by BoomBass

[Davo-London]

I own a 76 P and recently sold a 78 P. Frankly, if you want a vintage instrument I would by a late 60's P. If you buy a refinished 60's P it'll cost £2000-3000. '76 Ps are priced at £1500-1600. But IMHO they are not worth it. Plus I tried to sell my 78 P for ages (it was fretless) eventually selling it for £1000. So if you really want a 70's P look around and do not pay more than £1300. I really don't think they should be any more than that.

Alternatively buy a '82-'85 P MIJ Fender. These are becoming collectable and are much much more consistent than any MIAs from the 70's. My E-series MIJ Jazz has an thick slab of rosewood on the board a la '60-61 era Fender basses and the quality and sound are amazing.

Just my thoughts

Davo

[gary mac]

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