'78 Jazz Bass what to expect

[Aziraphale]

I am looking into buying a 1978 Jazz bass. That year for sentimental reasons.
Now I would like to know what to look out for. What are the critical parts of a bass from that era that just have to be in good shape and how to check them? How do I make sure it's an original? And what is a fair price for an instrument in good condition? Are there special editions for that year?

[YogaBear]

ah Marcus miller type o' basses,
Look out for dents and crackles in the finish, look out for twisted necks, mostly clockwise twisted looking from the body to the neck. look out for the backplate, 3 bolts not 4. there's a micro-tilt adjustment system for which you need to know how high it is adjusted, so take off the strings and inspect the neck joint. that micro-tilt bullsh.t is not my kind of happiness. it curves out the neck and makes the last 8 frets unbend able, because they will die out when you bend them.

cheers mate, I always liked the rosewood/sunburst type. but I went with maple and translucent red finish.
oh and it's a polyurethane finish and the body wood is ash for which it previously was alder. and it's a darn good playable instrument I love mine <3

[Rockmusician]

I had a great 78 Jazz in the early 80's that my drummer stole from me. I bought another one on ebay a few years ago that the seller claimed was completely original. When I received it, I found that a bridge saddle had been replaced. The bass had also been refretted. The job was done so poorly that the binding was cracked at every fret on both sides of the neck.
I would check any bass for these issues as well as the straightness of the neck and whether or not it has the original pickups, hardware, etc.

[RoboChrist]

Disengage the micro adjust and retighten the neck bolts. Micro adjust is there for Fenders with lousy necks, and Fender makes a lot of them.

Check the truss rod bullet and see what it can do. Check to see if it's rounded out or stuck or whatever.

[Mr_Dave]

sometimes the fingerboard will crack between the bullet truss rod adjuster and the first fret...

[staindbass]

some 1978's are very heavy, and some are light. i have a 78 and its 8.5 lbs, nice and resonant. some are 10 lbs. check the weight before you buy it, most people prefer the lighter instruments.

[Caca de Kick]

Originally Posted by Aziraphale

I am looking into buying a 1978 Jazz bass. That year for sentimental reasons.
Now I would like to know what to look out for.

Then you better make darn sure it's actually a '78!

Way too many sellers see the serial number start with S8 and assume it means 78, but that can't be more wrong. The S8 serial were used from 78 up until 82. You have to check the neck inspection date stamp, the pots, the pickups, all for the year. If it has dot inlays with binding then it's an 81/82, and people always incorrectly mark them as 78's.

Back then special editions didn't exists, they only made a Jazz Bass, a P Bass, and a Telecaster Bass. The only odd/desirable color in 78 that bumps the value up a tad would be the Antigua finish.