American P - Hot Rodded - $600 Austin

[98dvl]

I wish I wouldn't have just picked up a telecaster last week and saved my money for this hot deal:

http://austin.craigslist.org/msg/2062719409.html

Sigh....

[Bongolation]

Originally Posted by 98dvl

this hot deal:

http://austin.craigslist.org/msg/2062719409.html

That's no hot deal.

I've never seen one go for that much where I live, and I follow the deals. They don't have a good rep for good reasons and go for substantially less than a straight P. I have an absolutely identical one I paid $499 for new, which almost certainly is what this guy really paid, as they were blown out coast to coast for that in 2003. It's inconceivable he paid the price he claims, as it's nearly MSRP.

My local GC sold an absolutely mint one in the more desirable sunburst for $499 with case a few months ago.

[dave88]

Interesting, someone has offered one as a trade to me. Why do they suck?

[Ampig]

They don't have a good rep for good reasons and go for substantially less than a straight P. I have an absolutely identical one I paid $499 for new, which almost certainly is what this guy really paid, as they were blown out coast to coast for that in 2003. It's inconceivable he paid the price he claims, as it's nearly MSRP.

Never heard that before. I used to own one and it was a great bass. Pretty sure I've seen them go for around $800. Check this link http://cgi.ebay.com/FENDER-USA-HOT-R...item43a307ab07

[98dvl]

Haven't heard they sucked either... I've heard some aren't happy with the J-pickup, but that it can be replaced with a stacked humbucker to reduce noise...

Still $600 seems like a pretty good price for an American Fender bass. Although, it would have been nice to get in on the closeout prices... wow!

Also, I'd rather have a trans. orange finish over a sunburst any day...

[Bongolation]

Originally Posted by dave88

Why do they suck?

There were two versions, the "Hot Rod," prior to 8/00 and the "Hot Rodded" after that, with features of the then-new "American" series.

Their pickups are a special set used on no other Fender. The P is especially low-output and the J is especially high-output, this for the purpose of balancing output between the two. As a result, people don't like the way they sound as either a straight P or J, so rather than have a P and a J you sort of have neither.

The sound with P&J full-on is nice, though.

The worst thing is that they have the most severe case of V/V/T Syndrome in human history. The volume controls are essentially on/off switches and it's impossible to mix the pickups.

I've heard numerous explanations of why it's so, and I don't know which one to believe. Some people claim that not all of them are like that, and I don't know if that's true or not, but I've never heard of one of the run of orange ones that wasn't that way.

When these were blown out on a GC holiday sale, a whole bunch of people on forums got them and the next Monday everyone was like, "Hey, the controls don't work on mine!"

Though they had a higher MSRP than a straight MIA Precision, they always seem to go for a lot less used. Part of this is that most of them are in that sunset orange, which gets pretty obnoxious after a while, but even that sunburst one I saw in GC, which was immaculate, wouldn't move at $600, so they dropped it a hundred bucks and it finally sold.

[Bongolation]

Originally Posted by Ampig

Pretty sure I've seen them go for around $800. Check this link http://cgi.ebay.com/FENDER-USA-HOT-R...item43a307ab07

"Hey I got burned on eBay! This guy sold me a bass and the controls don't work!"

I'm sure people who don't know any better buy them sight-unseen for more, but when people sit down and play them in a store, they seem to balk because of the problems and the non-standard pickups (check Fender parts lists if you think I'm mistaken about the pickups being unique to the HRPB...I did, at great length).

I personally suspect that at least some of these may have been the victims of some kind of undocumented spec change in the pickups or electronic values at FMIC, but I could never find out for sure.

Now that new MIA Fenders are so exorbitant, the used ones are going for more, but this is still less desirable than a straight Precision.

To really do it right, you'd have to get a better P pickup set and just disconnect the J pickup and rewire it as a straight Precision, I guess.

[eyeballkid]

I had 2 of em and they were GREAT!! sold both of em for over $900 each and would buy either of them back for that!.

[impactwrench]

I have ebay telling me when they pop up and it's not very often. I have a white one but would love one in sunburst. Id probably buy that one on CL if I was nearby. I don't agree that they sell for less than a standard MIA P. They seem to have made a lot of lefties, as those show up on ebay pretty often.

[pasta4lnch]

Originally Posted by Bongolation

The worst thing is that they have the most severe case of V/V/T Syndrome in human history. The volume controls are essentially on/off switches and it's impossible to mix the pickups.
.

yeah - I can see this. I never liked to blend mine anyway though . . . I wished they had put, and one day will probably install, a 3 way switch

I've loved mine since I got it new in '02-ish for $700 and change from MF (a close out as Bongo had mentioned)

The pup volume is a real pain, but I do like the straight P tone. One day I'll get around to swapping the pups - I put Fralins in my reg P and love it, will try them in the hotrod . . .

to the OP - fwiw, had I not just got another P (SSO too) I would have totally paid that price ...