1975 Fender Precision - considering refinishing

[dbsfgyd1]

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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Why would you sell it when it’s obvious all it needs is a tort PG...

 

[JKB1957]

Lot of Mojo in that bass. Like they say, "it's only original once." You start sanding, stripping, and refinishing it's not original and you lose the Mojo. You also lose your history with this bass, because every nick, and crack, dent, burn mark tells a story of what you and this bass went through. I would leave it as is and enjoy what you have. Keep the groove.

 

[WardEarth]

Never refinish ANY bass. Ever.

Waste of $ and you'll lose all that sweet mojo.

 

[mongo2]

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And we're back.

Sell the bass to someone who loves older instruments and get yourself a bass you like.

 

[Bassa Nova]

Leave it alone. That bass has been a workhorse and the wear is honest. Add a black pickguard and enjoy.

 

[bherman]

Here's what I'd do if it were mine. If I loved playing it and it sounded great, I'd get the back of the neck cleaned up and leave the rest alone. If I didnt love playing it, I'd sell it and get something that I did.

 

[LYNCHMAN]

TORT!

 

[aprod]

I think it is a perfect candidate for a refinish.

 

[Kukulkan61]

Everyone is saying leave it alone as if your gonna sell it , if you plan on taking it to the grave with you do whatever you want to do to it if it makes you happy and content, I can't imagine keeping 1 bass and playing it till I died without being happy about how it looked, felt and sounded. You only live once...

 

[bolophonic]

No possible way would I mess with original, honest mojo. If you don’t like the bass, maybe part out the body and buy a new one? You can easily sand the back of the neck yourself.

 

[lavmonga]

If you can get over the sentimental value, just sell it as original.

 

[micguy]

I think it is a perfect candidate for a refinish.

I admire your willingness to swim against the tide.

 

[JSandbloom]

It’s a tool not a t-shirt. Who cares what color it is. If it plays well and she’s been your girl for years leave her alone. If weight is an issue, try a wider strap.

From a financial side of things. You’ll never get your money out of it if you do a refin. 70’s basses are for some reason coming up in value but not enough to cover the cost of a pro refin.

At the end of the day, do whatever the hell you want!

 

[40Hz]

If it doesn’t pack a huge smount of sentimental value I’d leave it as is. Basses from that era with nstural finishes command a pretty nice price on the vintage market. I’d guess you coupd get at least $2500 for it and probably more like $3K plus. That’d buy you a lot of new bass.

I’m not that into vintage myself. But I also can’t see the point of wrecking a vintage instrument for somebody who does and wants it. If it were me I’d either keep it and play it as is; or, sell it and use the money to get a different bass that’s exactly what I want from point of purchase. But that’s me.

 

[Drucifer]

I think it is a perfect candidate for a refinish.

I thought so too, but we're the minority opinion for sure!

 

[Drucifer]

If it doesn’t pack a huge amount of sentimental value I’d leave it as is. Basses from that era with natural finishes command a pretty nice price on the vintage market. I’d guess you could get at least $2500 for it, and probably more like $3K plus. That’d buy you an awful lot of new bass.

I’m not that into vintage myself. But I also can’t see the point of wrecking a vintage instrument for somebody who does and wants it. If it were me I’d sell it and use the money to get a different bass that’s exactly what I want from point of purchase. But that’s me.

If I could get $2500 for it I would sell it in a heartbeat, but I've seen 70's P basses in much better shape sell for closer to $1200.

 

[Drucifer]

Reverb price guide shows it's worth closer to $1500

Fender Precision Bass 1976 Natural Price Guide

 

[40Hz]

If I could get $2500 for it I would sell it in a heartbeat, but I've seen 70's P basses in much better shape sell for closer to $1200.

Go take a look over at reverb.com.

Do a search for “vintage precision bass” to get a feel for what similar basses are going for. Depending on the ginish de jour the prices can fluctuate surprisingly. Reberb’ll give you an idea of what range you might be asking for. Distressed (i.e. “roadworn” or “mojo”) seems to be a plus with many people. I prefer better taken care of looks myself. But that’s me. And even so, I can live with some dings and wear if the rest of the bass checks out ok and I wanted it bad enough. The last three “vintage” basses I bought all had small dings in the neck finish. Although I’m not exactly happy about it, it still didn’t stop me from buying. I just ignore it when I’m playing.

Boost your membership level at TB to supporting member and you can list your bass in the classifieds here with no commission fees. If you’re asking a sane price I’m guessing it’ll sell pretty quickly.

If you do sell however, factor in about $100 additional over your target price for shipping and packing just to be safe if you’re including CONUS shipping in your price. Otherwise you can just let the buyer pay for the actual shipping.

Last time I shipped a bass I had the correct box and knew how to do my own packing. Fedex hit me for $83 to get it to its destination. So keep shipping in mind. It’s killing all of us unless you’re the size of Sweetwater or Zzounds.

 

[Marikk]

I refinished the handle on my hammer this year. Now all my friends laugh at me and the guys on work sites wont respect my shiny hammer because i covered up all the hammer history

If you dont feel its a forever bass, Sell it to someone happy to pay the "Vintage" tax and go find yourself a lovely comfortable hammer of choice

 

[LowActionHero]

I likes it like it is, but it's your call, of course.
With people paying good money for artificial relics, I'd rock it like it's uh... Hot..
Love that color too!