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14,000.00 for a BASS. Is it worth it?

#21
At that price I'd really want to play it or have a no strings attached return policy.
A lot of the old Fender's have dead spots in several places.There's also what a local repair guy used to call "Fenderosis of the neck" where one half slopes down or up & the other halfs straight.This stuff can be impossible to correct.I've been seeing a lot of big buck old Fenders with these problems.Doesn't stop someone from springing for them.I DON'T think it's worth the asking price

But if you can afford it & it speaks to you,go for it!
Just don't sell the family jewels!
 
#24
Another fisherman expecting to get rich quick.

That's a pretty hammered example for twice the going price. I wouldn't be surprised if the seller weren't a pawnshop owner who has heard that '60s Fenders are worth "big bucks."

I'd be surprised a little if it proved to be a legitimate dealer in vintage gear, since the price is so out of line.
 
#25
Tough to say. Burgundy Mist is a pretty rare colour, so it's worth a premium even if it's whipped.
Good Guys Guitars has a nice looking '62 CAR P for just under $11,000 - not as rare a colour but a custom colour nonetheless. They also have a beautiful LPB '65P for $11,000. Both are in much better condition than the Burgundy Mist you're looking at.

You might consider throwing this one up for discussion over at the FDP.
 
#27
I'll never understand the super expensive vintage Fender market. If you want the sound, a $200 Squier will get you most, if not all, of it. If you want an excellent feel, spend more for one of the US or Custom Shop ones, which can be had for much cheaper than $14,000. If you want mojo, buy whichever one you like and play the absolute snot out of it.

Well okay, I'd pay up to $2,500 for an Antigua Jazz I guess, but that's my limit. :smug:
 
#28
"Is it worth it?"

Judge for yourself. In upright land people pay 100k and up for basses. I wouldn't get it without playing it first, that would be a huge mistake in my mind. Just play what you're interested in and when you find the one you fall in love with, buy it. This means you might have to drive to more distant music shops. That's what I'd recommend.
 
#29
perhaps worth it if you look at it as an investment... who knows?

as a musical instrument... I doubt it makes a sound that's distinguishable from a Fender P that rolled off the production line in Mexico yesterday... so, no.. not worth it
 
#30
Personally, if I had $14k laying around, it would be reserved for something I'd use. I buy basses to play 'em, even though I'm somewhat of a collector. Otherwise the basses simply collect dust.

Anyway, personal opinions aside, there isn't anyone I trust on ebay enough to pay even half of that kind of dough. IMHO, the vintage instrument market is a tad past its' pride in the sense that too many people are aware and too much counterfeit stuff exists.
 
#36
A lot of people posting on here are speaking from their own point of view. Truth is the Burgundy Mist is a very rare color, and even though many bass players would not pay for that old piece of wood, it's probably worth around the asking price. I just bought a 1964 CAR Jazz for $12000. The new price guide lists excellent condition for $25-30K. That's not my opinion, that's a fact. And I also have an all original 1964 sunburst P bass that is worth about $8-9K. But the custom color almost doubles the value. So if you can afford it, I would suggest picking it up and holding on to it, whether you play it or not. I know that is sac-religious to many players, but it's realistic and true. Hope I could help!
 
#37
senorblues said:
Perfect for someone that has a lot more money than brains.
Click to expand...

:confused: How many brains do you have then, senorblues?

I, like most people here, have only have one, but it tells me that the price of rare, vintage Fenders has only been going in one direction since the 1980s and (clue) it's not this direction ;) ...

Down.jpg


As a lot of people here know from experience, it's very possible to make a large profit by buying and selling the right gear at the right time.

Believe me, that takes money and brains :smug:!
 
#38
D Bopp said:
A lot of people posting on here are speaking from their own point of view. Truth is the Burgundy Mist is a very rare color, and even though many bass players would not pay for that old piece of wood, it's probably worth around the asking price. I just bought a 1964 CAR Jazz for $12000. The new price guide lists excellent condition for $25-30K. That's not my opinion, that's a fact. And I also have an all original 1964 sunburst P bass that is worth about $8-9K. But the custom color almost doubles the value. So if you can afford it, I would suggest picking it up and holding on to it, whether you play it or not. I know that is sac-religious to many players, but it's realistic and true. Hope I could help!
Click to expand...

A Price Guide value listing might be a fact but it doesn't mean you'll find a buyer at that price, and your ability to find one at half the price shows how skewed book values can be at a given moment. The market seems a bit soft right now, but if someone really wants something you never know.

Personally if I was paying that much for vintage Fender I'd get one with a lot of players wear, but not one that looks so chewed up like that one. I just think it hasn't aged gracefully and is plain ugly.

Also, and this sounds arrogant, but if you have to ask about a bass at this price, you don't have enough knowledge of the market to make an informed opinion about it as an investment, and you don't have enough desire to own it to make an emotionally based choice where the price becomes irrelevant. Whether its wothwhile as an investment to you also depends on what else you would do possibly do with the cash, and how long you would hold on to the bass. If I had the dosh to play with I'd have to really want that instrument to play while knowing it was probably increasing in value, or have taken a cold hard business decision thinking it was undervalued, but it's seems at about the top of the current market price right now.
 
#39
One Drop said:
Also, and this sounds arrogant, but if you have to ask about a bass at this price, you don't have enough knowledge of the market to make an informed opinion about it as an investment, and you don't have enough desire to own it to make an emotionally based choice where the price becomes irrelevant.
Click to expand...

Too expensive for an impulse buy, too hammered to survive a considered decision. That pretty much sums it up for me. If I had that kind of money laying around, I'd expect something that looked like it had been played, not violently abused.

And that color may be rare because it falls off the wood....
 

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