1975 Fender Precision - considering refinishing

[brett adams]

as others have said, a refin in almost all cases will make the instrument significantly worth less to someone else than it is in it's current state. having said that, if it were mine and were planning on keeping it, i'd dress it up and refinish it in a color i liked. market be damned.

 

[Manticore]

Leave it alone.

 

[Captain Chaos]

Get a black pickguard instead.

 

[leonard]

Sell it!

I sold my 74 jazz and haven’t regretted that for a second. I got some really nice money for it.

Then I bought an American Standard Jazz and installed Lollar pickups on it. It didn’t cost even a half of the money that I got for the 74 and it’s a much better bass.

 

[pholli00]

You're just looking for an excuse to brag. You can't seriously be thinking about changing anything about that piece of beauty you have.

 

[Love_Bass]

Nice kindling you got there.

 

[Vinnie Boombatz]

I wouldn't refinish it. I'd just put a BWB pickguard on it and keep playing it.

 

[scelerat]

Do you love the bass, want to keep playing it, but want it to look better? Refinish it! It's your bass! Do what you want.
If you don't love it, consider selling it and getting something you love. A refin will lower the value.

FWIW, I think it looks fine as-is

 

[micguy]

If you do refinish it, I can't possibly understand why you'd pay more for it to be relic'ed. Relic's = fake wear, which is OK if you're talking about a new bass, and like that look, but..... you already have real wear. Why would you pay to make it look pretty again, then beat it up, when, it's already beat up?

 

[baileyboy]

...it weighs 10+ pounds...

Sell it, unless your back/shoulder can handle this kind of weight for a whole gig.

 

[Florinda4]

What @Stumbo said - unless you can't bear to part with it, don't change anything and sell it on the "vintage" market for big bucks and fund a new, lighter one. You've earned it.

I also have '73 - perfect P sound, but 10.5lb. oof.

 

[OldFenderPlayer]

Its your bass ... do whatever you want to it.

 

[Texsunburst59]

Kinda weird that you'd spend money with a natural relic to change it's look to a fake relic. HuH?

That bass has paid it's dues and needs to be appreciated for the look it has now.

Sell it and let someone else enjoy it's looks if you can't live with it.

 

[Todd LaCasse]

I have a '75 P that I bought in the mid-80's when I was in college. It was my main gigging bass for a lot of years, and you can see that by looking at it. There are many spots on the finish where its worn through to bare wood. It's somewhat original, but no covers, and I replaced the pick guard when the original black one cracked and didn't keep the old one. The frets are in good shape and it sounds awesome, like a P-bass should. I never liked the natural finish, or the thick poly finish on the body, and it's an ash body, so it weighs 10+ pounds. There's also some nicks in the coating on the back of the neck that bug me. If I could find another vintage P that I liked better for the same price, I would sell it as-is. I am considering refinishing it, but worried that it may affect the resale, or more accurately, that I wouldn't get back the money I've put into it. It has a little sentimental value, but I could get over that pretty quickly. One advantage of a refin would be a new Spitfire tortoise shell pick guard. I would have them strip off the poly finish from the body and neck, and refinish with nitrocellulose in a solid color, and leave the back of the neck bare. I could match the existing wear with a relic finish, I would probably use MJT. Refin would probably cost something like $800-$900 all told, with the relic at the higher end and a new-looking finish at the lower end of the range.

What do you think TB?
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I wouldn't touch it. I know someone who has 11 vintage P and Jazz basses between the years 1962-1967. Some of them look worse than this and he told me never to refinish a vintage or older bass. It changes the patina and tone. I love the way it looks. A friend of mine has a 1964 P bass that looks absolutely trashed yet he still records with it in Nashville and it sounds great. It's worth about $7K as is. I just sold my 1978 Jazz bass that I bought brand new when I was in the Air Force. The paint checked after a trip to Alaska to play up there and I had worn a hole where I rested my thumb. I just sold it for $1200.

 

[4SG]

Leave as is. Put on a tort pickguard.

For 9 bills you can buy and customize a relic with all your preferences. If you go that route I can’t recommend MJT highly enough. (Search NBD Precisely to see the custom job MJT did for me.)

 

[Spidey2112]

 

[ELG60]

I'm thinking that a refin will reduce the value by at least 30%. I really wish that I hadn't had my '64 Jazz Bass refinished and EMG pickups installed in the early '80s. I plead ignorance, arrogance, and stupidity.

 

[EddiePlaysBass]

It's your bass. Do whatever you want.

 

[Todd LaCasse]

I'm thinking that a refin will reduce the value by at least 30%. I really wish that I hadn't had my '64 Jazz Bass refinished and EMG pickups installed in the early '80s. I plead ignorance, arrogance, and stupidity.

I know of a 64 P bass for sale, original condition except for the pickguard. Still being used in Nashville on records, if you're interested. It's owned by a prominent Nashville bassist. Send me a PM if you are.

 

[Jimruth]

Folks pay a lot of money to get their pristine basses relic'd. With that in mind, I can't help but look at your authentic relic and recall the scene in "Stripes" in which the guys are in line to receive their uniforms: "Look at this stuff. Chicks in New York paying top dollar for this garbage."