What should I do? *WARNING* Depressing 1975 Jazz Bass Photos Inside

[bacid]

So, I have had this thing for about 4 years now just sitting in a coffin case in my closet. It was a gift from a friend of a friend from a long time ago. As far as I can tell it used to be a 1975 Jazz Bass. The original owner defretted it and broke the truss rod, which is poking out of the first and 17th frets, routed it out for a p neck pickup and a mudbucker between the j pickups, moved the output jack to the side, put a 1975 four bolt neck plate on and threw out the original three bolt neck plate, and then covered everything up with an ugly piece of plastic. Awesome. I have been thinking about restoring it, but do you think it's even salvageable? Do you think the pickups are original? I really don't know what to do, and every time I look at it I feel sick inside. Well anyway, here come the tears...



























What do y'all think?

[Rockmusician]

I would try to find a neck.

[Jim Nazium]

I think that (a) there is a special place in hell for the person who did these "mods", and (b) it isn't worth fixing.

[knigel]

Send it to John K.

johnk vintage basses

[RoboChrist]

The body is a write-off and I'm inclined to think the neck is too. It's no longer a vintage restoration project at this point.

[bacid]

Yeah, I spent all day today looking at every John K thread. I'm going to e-mail him about it, but every luthier I have spoken with so far told me the same thing, "get a new neck and a new body." It's just sad.

[chris1125]

Is the finish original? I would start with the body, fill the non oriognal routs and re route, then give it a nice Olympic white finish. Replacing a trussrod is challenging but it's not impossible is it? Upright players have the fingerboards replaced all the time. I would try to keep it a original as possible, replace the truss rod then put on a new maple (or maybe rosewood) fretboard with time appropriate frets. Wala! You have yourself a fully restored 75 fender jazz bass.

[RoboChrist]

The bananas look great though...

[Sonicfrog]

I know it used to be vintage, and it sucks that someone did this. But.... You did get it for free. If it sounds OK when put back together with a new neck, why not sell It? Make a few extra duckets?

Put a new neck on it and sell it as a unique starter bass for $150 w/ case. You can safely guarantee that no one else has one like it!

[king_biscuit]

Wow, someone must have gotten a router for Christmas one year! You could sell the bridge, tuners, and pickups and make three or four hundred dollars. It's hard to believe that someone would do something like that to any bass.

[funkinbottom]

Originally Posted by chris1125

Is the finish original? I would start with the body, fill the non oriognal routs and re route, then give it a nice Olympic white finish. Replacing a trussrod is challenging but it's not impossible is it? Upright players have the fingerboards replaced all the time. I would try to keep it a original as possible, replace the truss rod then put on a new maple (or maybe rosewood) fretboard with time appropriate frets. Wala! You have yourself a fully restored 75 fender jazz bass.

+100

[bacehead]

I would get a new neck and use the body to make what I wanted out of it. Forget the restoration, mod into what you would like it to be. Just my 2 cents though.

[king_biscuit]

Originally Posted by chris1125

Is the finish original? I would start with the body, fill the non oriognal routs and re route, then give it a nice Olympic white finish. Replacing a trussrod is challenging but it's not impossible is it? Upright players have the fingerboards replaced all the time. I would try to keep it a original as possible, replace the truss rod then put on a new maple (or maybe rosewood) fretboard with time appropriate frets. Wala! You have yourself a fully restored 75 fender jazz bass.

That bass does not have a seperate fingerboard, it is a one piece maple neck and the truss rod is cut in from the back. It would be easier and probably cheaper to find a used mid 70s neck on Ebay than to have that one properly repaired. As far as the body, it certainly could be filled and painted.

[SamanthaCay]

let it sit in your closet for another ten years, then it will be worth restoring

[UnfortunateTony]

Sell me the pickups and toss the rest in a dumpster.


You think I'm kidding. I'm not.

[arsie]

Originally Posted by UnfortunateTony

Sell me the pickups and toss the rest in a dumpster.


You think I'm kidding. I'm not.

Tuners might be worth a bit.

Pretty sad to see a bass in this state, regardless if its from 1975 or 2005. But modding and tinkering is a part of the hobby like playing and keeping it pristine. Everyone's gotta start learning from somewhere and make some mistakes.

[cybersnyder]

Sell the pickups and give it to TGIFridays to put up on the wall.

[Josh Pelican]

Getting a new neck and a new body won't even make it a restored '75 Jazz. It'll just make it a jazz with parts from a '75.

This thing is a train wreck... and I know a thing or two about train wrecks. Look at some of my ex-girlfriends.

[Dr. Cheese]

Given the prices that Seventies Fender Jazzes are starting to fetch, if the repair less than $2K, it might be worth doing if the bass isn't too heavy.

[Marton]

I'm pretty sure the pickups are not original. I'm not an expert, but I never saw 70s Fender pickups with blue/red wires and adjustable pole-pieces.