1965 1966 jazz basses

[matti777]

I wonder where the Vintage Guitar Magazine prices these? I'm guessing the '66 would be north of $6-8.5k in original condition because that is what a '69 comes in at.

[matti777]

Originally Posted by Arnie

...the sales guys said (of course his opinion) " the reason these are so pristine is because they weren't that playable"..

or some kid bought it and didn't learn to play so he shoved it under his bed and forgot about it. I would love to try out a pre-CBS to see what all the fuss is about.

[AltGrendel]

For that kind of money, I'd just contact someone and get it built.

Or I'd just order an Alembic.

[Low Class]

Originally Posted by Musiclogic

. CBS just introduced more assembly line ethic to Fender. The mystique of "original" Fender is what really adds value, not some huge quality difference. .

If this were true then the 70's basses would be just as good as the early '60's basses, yet they are are very much different.Ive owned and played enough preCBS and CBS basses to know thet there is a difference in the sound and quality beginning with some of the '65 instruments and moreso in '66 when they switched from formvar to enamel in the pickups and made the neck profile much smaller. Yeah the early CBS instruments were better than later on, but it started downhill as soon as the CBS guys took over.

[4001]

Age, condition, history etc. aside, I've played some of these older Jazz Basses and none of them seemed to be this incredible bass that had this 'mojo' to me that sad "I gotta' have this". They were all just another bass that just happened to be as old or slightly older than me with a hefty price tag. Nothing more.

[DiabolusInMusic]

Originally Posted by matti777

I wonder where the Vintage Guitar Magazine prices these? I'm guessing the '66 would be north of $6-8.5k in original condition because that is what a '69 comes in at.

Sales and price guides are there so sellers can inflate prices. The market is dictated by what they are actually selling for.

66's are not selling for $9,000. Nowhere near it.

[matti777]

Originally Posted by DiabolusInMusic

Sales and price guides are there so sellers can inflate prices. The market is dictated by what they are actually selling for.

66's are not selling for $9,000. Nowhere near it.

Its the same as with some classic cars. There are the auction and dealer prices and then there is the real world. These guys do try and make the market. Perhaps they succeed. I am seriously skeptical about these mint 60's basses. Even if kept in a climate controlled room since new I doubt they would be in mint condition. My '69 Olympic white jazz is yellow so how do you find ones that are still white as new?

[bassclef112]

Originally Posted by Musiclogic

In the 30+ years I have been building, repairing, and restoring instruments, I have never found much of a quality variance between early CBS Fender and Leo era Fender. CBS just introduced more assembly line ethic to Fender. The mystique of "original" Fender is what really adds value, not some huge quality difference. I have never understood that point of view, the workers building the instruments didn't just up and leave when Leo sold out.

+1. CBS bought Fender and everything pretty much stayed in place. All the same people were building the instruments. In the mid 70's the sheer output of instruments Fender was producing (vs mid 60's) made it impossible to maintain that same level of quality control - hence those were the "iffy" years. Good instruments were still made but there were a lot of issues thoughout the product lines.

As to prices, check here for a more representative valuation of '66 J's.
http://www.gbase.com/

As to the examples in the OP, there are a lot of factors at play. Condition of course, but the custom color with matching HS adds value, case + candy, any tags all make this a collectible. Here's the real issue - find another one like it. There is a limited amount of them. I'm sure if it was dead mint and truly collector grade, it would be north of that price. Whether you may think it's worth it is something else entirely. There's a point where it leaves the realm of being a player and becomes something where only a very small group has one.

I am lucky enough to have a one owner (besides me) 66 J. It's a player and I bought it at the top of the bubble a few years back so it has dropped in relative value because the market softened. I do not care - I consider myself very fortunate to have it. There was nobody more skeptical about this vintage thing than me - until I got this bass. When buying it I was able to compare it to 4 other basses from the 60's including a 64. I A-B'd with no interruptions for as long as I needed to get a good feel for each. In the end it was no contest.

This showed me 2 things - not every vintage bass automatically sings just because it's old. Some were better, some less so, just like anything else. The other - when you find one that has "it" you will immediately understand what the fuss is about.

This is a "desert island bass" for me and I expect to keep it for as long as I can. I'm sure that replacing it wouldn't be easy.
That's my story and I'm sticking to it. Your mileage may vary - but mine is great!

[Gougedeye]

Way too rich for my blood. Cool, but way too rich. For that kind of scratch, you are entering total custom territory. If your heart is set on a vintage Fender, keep looking, there are better deals out there. Or you could get an American Vintage Fender and have enough left oveer to keep looking for the real vintage.

[bassclef112]

Originally Posted by Gougedeye

Or you could get an American Vintage Fender and have enough left oveer to keep looking for the real vintage.

I must add +1. I had an '88 AV 62RI Precision. I've played a number of 60's P's. I have to say that for me this RI was like having a "new" vintage P. Maybe other folks have had different experiences with the newer ones, but I was totally impressed with the way this bass captured the vibe. A fine new example of Old School.

[A-Step-Towards]

You can grab refinished 64's and older P's and J's for less then 5 grand all day. I just saw a 100% original besides refinished P go for $3500.

[GreaserMatt]

Originally Posted by bassclef112

+1. CBS bought Fender and everything pretty much stayed in place. All the same people were building the instruments. In the mid 70's the sheer output of instruments Fender was producing (vs mid 60's) made it impossible to maintain that same level of quality control - hence those were the "iffy" years. Good instruments were still made but there were a lot of issues thoughout the product lines.

As to prices, check here for a more representative valuation of '66 J's.
http://www.gbase.com/

As to the examples in the OP, there are a lot of factors at play. Condition of course, but the custom color with matching HS adds value, case + candy, any tags all make this a collectible. Here's the real issue - find another one like it. There is a limited amount of them. I'm sure if it was dead mint and truly collector grade, it would be north of that price. Whether you may think it's worth it is something else entirely. There's a point where it leaves the realm of being a player and becomes something where only a very small group has one.

I am lucky enough to have a one owner (besides me) 66 J. It's a player and I bought it at the top of the bubble a few years back so it has dropped in relative value because the market softened. I do not care - I consider myself very fortunate to have it. There was nobody more skeptical about this vintage thing than me - until I got this bass. When buying it I was able to compare it to 4 other basses from the 60's including a 64. I A-B'd with no interruptions for as long as I needed to get a good feel for each. In the end it was no contest.

This showed me 2 things - not every vintage bass automatically sings just because it's old. Some were better, some less so, just like anything else. The other - when you find one that has "it" you will immediately understand what the fuss is about.

This is a "desert island bass" for me and I expect to keep it for as long as I can. I'm sure that replacing it wouldn't be easy.
That's my story and I'm sticking to it. Your mileage may vary - but mine is great!

THIS. I don't have a ton of experience w/ vintage basses, but, I will say that a friend of mine had a '65 P, & that neck felt like no other bass neck I have ever played; there was no 'flex' in it at all, if that makes any sence. Not sure if it's something that happens to the wood after so long, but I've been searching for a neck like that ever since... Matt

[Flaked Beans]

Originally Posted by A-Step-Towards

You can grab refinished 64's and older P's and J's for less then 5 grand all day. I just saw a 100% original besides refinished P go for $3500.

Really? i just played an original 1966 olympic white precision bass and the owner of the store (a very nice old jewish man) wanted 6500 bucks for it! by the way, i didn't like that one at all, it played and sounded like crap!

[Flaked Beans]

Originally Posted by tdizzle

Funny how the price of the bass to the right of the white one is the same, but with the decimal in a different location.

but look at the other custom fender jazz 5 (with the bridge/pups covers) hanging on the wall at the same shop..it is not cheap, or i need new glasses

[Flaked Beans]

Originally Posted by Flaked Beans

but look at the other custom fender jazz 5 (with the bridge/pups covers) hanging on the wall at the same shop..it is not cheap, or i need new glasses

actually that walnut (or koa) 5string jazz is the most beautiful fender i've ever seen. but these crappy cell phone pics....

[Geroi Asfalta]

Last I checked, there was a worn up 64 or 65 P at TrueTone in Santa Monica for the nice low price of 18,500+10.25% sales tax