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Am i loon ??? (blue flower fender)

did the loon overpay ?

  • overpaid

    Votes: 6 7.6%

  • fair market value

    Votes: 40 50.6%

  • youre really bored today huh dude ?

    Votes: 33 41.8%
  • Total voters
    79
R

RandomHandle

Mar 25, 2008
122
0
Brooklyn, NY
#1
I own a 73 Jazz,
a few years back when i went to look at the geddy and 75 reissues i was astounded, because frankly i found them very comparable and figured i would end up swapping out the bridge on the 75 re-issue anyway. Snatched up that geddy !

By comparison i played about 8 different mexican j basses b4 being able to settle on 1 that i thought acceptable as a gig backup.:hmm:

so around that same time fender released the pink paisley and the blue flower. i played both and was again astounded by the quality of these japanese instruments.
But i had just picked up a Sterling and the wife was ready to kill me for even thinking about another axe.

A few years have now passed and while i used to see the blue flower and pink paisley occasionally in stores and on ebay
it seems they have disappeared.

i FIND a "new" Blue Flower from an authorized fender dealer (online)
Hang tags factory warranty.
My credit card was outa my pocked in 3 seconds flat
(right after i did a consumer affairs search and checked fender to confirm he was a dealer ;p)

$579 for the bass seems to be what i remember them being priced at. its also what i paid for my geddy lee and and what i COULD have paid for a marcus miller at the time too.
Both of those are going for quite a bit more now.

So :)
A) am i loon for buying a bass that i just kinda want ,certainly dont need (other than the ocd-ish gotta have it vibe)
B) did i drastically overpay ?
 
#4
i paid 400 for my 73 jazz :bassist:
( sunburst,4 bolt,maple, black block )
:smug:

paid 1100 for the sterling including skb case(both new)
paid 550 for the geddy new (case not incl)

really shoulda grabbed a sunburst marcus back then too
coulda got it fer like 6 bills :eyebrow: :bawl:

keep on votin y'all, im bored





bought the '73 in 1980 ;)
 
#7
crazyguy832 said:
There is no such thing as too much if it's something you really want.

That said, it seems like a fair price. You done a bit of googling/eBay checking?
Click to expand...

doing the day job thing too much. dont play much anymore
earning a real living is nice but i REALLY need a new toy.

convincing the wife included mentioning a 73 p ,a 75 j and a 78 j , (all 95% orig) that i also been pining over :)

as4search
yeah. fruitless for both pink paisley and blue flower for a couple weeks. lotsa dead links. or sold.
some strangely priced in europe :eyebrow:
or used with a rusted bridge :hmm:

found some cool pics here, though :)
 
#8
Nah, you're not a loon. This is a loon:

common-loon.jpg


If you like it, why not have it if you can afford it? I think they're really cool.
 
#9
I had a Blue Flower Tele (guitar) for a while. Nicely done or a mid priced guitar. It came with one really neat feature... it was hard to play it without cracking a smile... Not sure I'd drop near $600 on one but them I'm sure I wouldn't drop $600 on a Marcus ... taste you know... but thos 51 RI's seem to be pretty popular and they seem to hold their value so that's probably not a bad price. ... and if you enjoy it for it's somewhere between goofy and cool factor then it's a bargain.
 
#10
the unique retro combo ,
early p tele bass with 60's look,
surprising quality of japanese geddy and marcus,
(badass bridge as a stock part is so great :) )
increase in retail price of said instruments,
(these used to sell for 600, now more like 850 for geddy and 999 for marcus WOW :confused:)

and sudden inability to find one of these flower or paisleys's in particular,
has me hoping it will at least hold its value.

ive no clue how im gonna deal with that crappy bridge but :smug: no intention of hot rodding it.

glad most think i didnt get hosed on the $$
 
#13
got the ups tracking # in the magic email thingy :)

you wouldnt think 3 business days could possibly be so excruciating,
until you buy an instrument over the internet.

the upside of that is that im chewing my nails down so far ,
i'm certain i will bleed on the instrument, thus giving it a proper break in.
 
#15
the above joke aside i think it sounds great.
it arrived in perfect condition withthe inspection tags plastic film still on the pickguard
as i had hoped it somehow has "that" fender growl.
the maple neck is wonderful , albeit a tad chunky for a J-guy.

pics of 68 telecaster bass "paisley red" and "blue flower" can be found in the klaus blasquiz fender book. The 68-69 tele basses were effectively re-issues of the 51 p bass.
with the garish, yet "vintage before its time" finish.
They had SLAB body.
In 54 the transition p bass had this contour body.
which is why one sees this referred to as a 54 reissue , i guess.

only negative i can find is body is light so its neckdiving a bit.

so here it is . :)

if it was pre drilled for coverplates id go get correct tele ones.
looks great and the extra weight would help the balance LOL
 
#18
RandomHandle said:
the above joke aside i think it sounds great.
it arrived in perfect condition withthe inspection tags plastic film still on the pickguard
as i had hoped it somehow has "that" fender growl.
the maple neck is wonderful , albeit a tad chunky for a J-guy.

pics of 68 telecaster bass "paisley red" and "blue flower" can be found in the klaus blasquiz fender book. The 68-69 tele basses were effectively re-issues of the 51 p bass.
with the garish, yet "vintage before its time" finish.
They had SLAB body.
In 54 the transition p bass had this contour body.
which is why one sees this referred to as a 54 reissue , i guess.

only negative i can find is body is light so its neckdiving a bit.

so here it is . :)

if it was pre drilled for coverplates id go get correct tele ones.
looks great and the extra weight would help the balance LOL
Click to expand...

The reputed lighter weight of the Blue Flower/Pink Paisley was one thing that attracted me to them and is a big plus for me. In fact, I specifically requested a light Blue Flower from the dealer.

I put Hipshot Ultralight 3/8" post clovers on mine and it helped the balance considerably, especially with a woven strap. Bonus is the Hipshots also decreased the weight a bit too.
 
#19
Yeah, you're a loon. Then again, we all are! If it is worth it to you then you did not overpay. I have NO idea of the current market on these but wish Fender would do a bass version of the finish they had 15 years ago on the James Burton Tele - black with gold paisley!

Dan K.
 
#20
Philbiker said:
Nice bass. Personally I wouldn't have installed those covers.
Click to expand...

OH NO i didnt install them
i just placed them on the bass out of curiosity :)
then put them back in same desk drawer they been in for over 25 years :)

those trays are pre 1980(ish), came with my 73 jazz ,
"oh the cover plates are in the case btw"
" um .. ok ! sure thanks " (clueless kid)

the tail one is clearly a precision however. not a jazz.
and still has the dampener strip.

Pretty sure the pickup one is actually a jazz but it wouldnt be flush any way. the treble side lands on the guard while the bass side lands on the body. would need tele covers both for fit and "correctness".

but i aint doin ANY drilling :)

anyways this little weirdo bass, and everyones input,
has given me quite a spark.

thanks !
 

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