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

#43
martyman5000 said:
I like when the experts on here tell me if a bass is real or not, like that 58 Fender. I cannot help but think someone has spent countless hours trying to Relic a bass guitar to scam someone.
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+1; it's just not worth it anymore. I'd loveto find an old Fender P bass at a garage sale & pick it up cheap, but I just can't seem to stomach paying several thousand dollars for a bass... I mean, he wants 14 large for it people! Ugh...
 
#47
bassrique said:
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

Opinions on the health of this neck? Does it matter?
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Whoah! What would you do with that neck? I really don't understand the vintage guitar market at all. I have a Ken Smith bass on loan to me right now and I can see why it costs what it costs, because the workmanship, the selection of wood, and the personal care that went into each part is evident. I find it hard to believe as much went into the making of any fender, save for his first models as he came up with his ideas. I agree with the earlier post which stated that a new p bass will sound pretty close (and maybe better, depends on your sound preferences). My mother owns a cello that is 350 years old and is obviously an acoustic instrument (she bought it for $25 when she was in high school from a symphony musician who had bought it for his son, who then never played and he wanted to see it used by someone). There I can see the wood age making a difference, but on a solid body instrument, I can't see it making a HUGE difference. If you are buying an old guitar as an investment, I guess it is up to the "owner of the money," but I would never spend that much on an electric bass. just my opinion, I don't mean to sound rude or piss anyone off, it is just not something I really understand. Now, to buy a bass with a neck in that bad shape, I wouldn't do it no matter what anything else was- at that point it ceases to be an instrument because it is not possible for it to function in any manner at all, other than as a display piece (it looks like MC Escher made it!).
 
#48
Gosh, it kind of looks like a piece of crap even if it's a '64. I'd say that if it was really collectible, it wouldn't be for sale on Ebay. If you really want a '64 Precision, buy a Lakland Bob Glaub USA model or a Fender Custom Shop Precision. The Fender Pino Palladino would probably be a great bass if you want a Precision.

I'm very happy with my Lakland Bob Glaub.
 
#49
Ted Williams said:
I just found this bass I am thinking of adding it to my bass collection. I wanted to get an opinion from some other collectors about this one. I have heard that this paticular bass is worth a lot more than their asking, but someone else told me it was worth maybe 2 to 3000.00 I am seriously thinking about the buy it now option what's your expert advice?...
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I am not a collector, just a player, owner, and appreciator of old Fenders and double basses. I have an opinion about this bass, but not about it's price.

To be more precise, I don't have an opinion, I have questions.

1. Since this bass has a neck that is stamped from early (January) '64, why does it not have a slab rosewood fingerboard?

2. Why are the photos so very bad and so few? Missing are a close clear view of the bridge, fingerboard, frets, dots, pocket, pickups (front and back), heel plate, knobs, back of the neck, neck heel, etc.

3. Why does the back of the neck appear to show no wear?

4. Old nitro chips and flakes, but why don't we see any close-ups of the major dings?

5. Knobs and covers look minimally oxidized, which is maybe OK, but I want to see the underside of the covers, especially mutes in the bridge cover.

6. Is that nut new?

I would need a lot more visual information before I accepted this instrument for what the heel butt stamp says.

To me, the price is irrelevant, since I am not in the market for a vintage P-bass.

Now, Shirley, I must be Frank....ha ha ha....

My advice to anyone who wants to "collect" vintage Fender basses is that you become as expert as you possibly can. If you are relying on other's knowledge for appraisal/verification of a rare instrument that you might pay 14k for, then you are considering buying something you really don't understand. That is a formula for a collecting or "investing" disaster. I can guarantee that.

All IMHO, MYYV etc. :cool:

PS. In the photos, the nut width looks like a B neck, not a C. Compare the '64 nut width to the GC
'63 photo in their Ad. http://used.guitarcenter.com/usedgear/details.cfm?listID=104015417#anchorDescription

BTW, that photo and description are paltry, too, IMHO. I know everyone is busy and all, but sheesh, if you want some soul to drop 10Gs on a vintage bass, you'd think at least they could spend more than, oh say, 10 minutes taking pictures and writing Ad copy. Used car dealers do a better job than that! :eek: :eek: :eek:
 
#56
According to Invalid Link Removed

"...Of the rosewood fingerboard models, the "slab" fingerboard (1958/mid-1959 to August 1962) variants are more desirable than the "veener" fingerboard (August 1962 and later) pre-CBS models. The "transistion" era (late summer 1964 to December 1965) are the least collectible of the pre-CBS models. This era is known as a "transition" because later summer 1964 to December 1965 was the time when there was a transition from the Leo Fender management to CBS management, and mass-production manufacturing techniques were starting to take a firm hold."

Anyone have any further comment on these claims? :ninja:
 
#57
re:the nut, yeah, it does look like it could be new (and badly cut/spaced), making it look narrower. It does look like a C-width neck to me though. The strings are spaced poorly on the threaded saddles too, make it look even weirder.

All hard to tell from the not great pictures.

I don't know what's going on with that neck shot, I hope it's some sort of optical illusion...
 
#58
me said:
Opinions on the health of this neck? Does it matter?
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Since I'm no collector, does the playability or neck health matter as much as it would on a "working bass".

A perfect or working neck obviously would be preferable, but to the neck in question, how much of a difference does it really make to a collector of 50-year old mass-produced instruments? How much of a hit on the value does a neck like that make?

These things are for show, not for performance, no?
 

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