1965 Fender Precision Bass Value?

[Smooth_bass88]

about tree fiddy

eh, couple two tree hunerdt

 

[PeeeBass]

I bought a 65 P, L series about 10 years ago.
Refinished(badly), all hardware replaced with gold hardware, pickup was changed.
$3600

 

[Belka]

That tort pickguard does not look original either. It's quite dark and has the small speckles - those were seen on the very last tort guards Fender did from around '72-74 before they changed to black. It could also just be a modern reproduction.

Maybe it's just the camera angle but from the picture of the headstock it looks like a slab fretboard - a '65 would be a laminate which would indicate this has a replacement neck. Do you have a picture of the tuners - the real pre-CBS ones are fairly easy to identify?

 

[murphy]

That tort pickguard does not look original either.

Looks to me like the Tort on the 90s , 2000s AVRI series

 

[dougjwray]

I bought a '65 P-Bass in 1979 for $235.

(Sorry.)

 

[Karl_in_Chicago]

I bought a '65 P-Bass in 1979 for $235.

(Sorry.)

That's almost $2,400 in 2024 dollars . . .
Edit: leaving my original (erroneous) post intact, I was focused on the 1965 issue date and not the 1979 purchase, so that's just over $1K, adjusted. Apologies for any confusion.

 

[Gervais Cote]

I bought a '65 P-Bass in 1979 for $235.

(Sorry.)

Would you accept $275.00 ?……………..………….ah, never mind !

 

[dougjwray]

That's almost $2,400 in 2024 dollars . . .
Edit: leaving my original (erroneous) post intact, I was focused on the 1965 issue date and not the 1979 purchase, so that's just over $1K, adjusted. Apologies for any confusion.

The finish had been stripped. Anyway, in 1979 CBS Fenders were considered practical, commonplace, working man's tools. (Even though a '65 most likely had some parts left over from Leo's sacred supply.)

 

[dougjwray]

Would you accept $275.00 ?……………..………….ah, never mind !

In 1980, I traded it for a brand new white Stingray.
Then I added a P-Bass pickup to the Stingray because I hated the stock sound.
In 1981, I traded the Stingray for a '68 sunburst Jazz Bass with a Precision neck, a Badass bridge and noisy pickups.
In 1986, I sold the Jazz (now with Bartolini pickups) to a Berklee student because I was broke.
Ahhh... youth!

 

[Gervais Cote]

In 1980, I traded it for a brand new white Stingray.
Then I added a P-Bass pickup to the Stingray because I hated the stock sound.
In 1981, I traded the Stingray for a '68 sunburst Jazz Bass with a Precision neck, a Badass bridge and noisy pickups.
In 1986, I sold the Jazz (now with Bartolini pickups) to a Berklee student because I was broke.
Ahhh... youth!

An old friend of mine traded his pre CBS 1964 Fender p bass sunburst to get a Vespa scooter in the 70's ! He still feels angry about himself today when he thinks about it.

 

[was3funk]

Thanks for all the input, still thinking about it. Here's some more pics...

Owned since 1978. Looks like a decent neck refinish, neck looks straight and plays well, body is ugly, does it look like the cavity was carved or is that typical. Pickups seem original, one pot does also, neck dates check out, body looks like it was a 3-tone sunburst. Thinking more like $3-3500 range.

 

[was3funk]

Would you accept $275.00 ?……………..………….ah, never mind !

I can get for $4k. Decisions....

 

[Lownote38]

I just can't give you good advice just from pictures on this one. $4k is a good deal if it plays really well. I can tell you what I think I can see.
1. Extra holes in the stripped/refinished body from a thumb rest placed on the bass side of the strings.
2. Aftermarket replacement pickguard. The color and bevel are wrong.
3. The upper frets look like they've been dressed really low to maybe make up for a slight ski jump situation. The lower frets look like they have more height.
Without inspecting it in person, it's hard to say what else is going on with it. If it plays well and you like the sound, go for it.

 

[SirMjac28]

Could it be a '65 with '64 parts?