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1978 Fender P Bass...MOJO

RVRSCO

RVRSCO

FORMERLY ZOMBIIBASS
Supporting Member
Jun 5, 2011
3,269
5,433
New England
#1
Hey all,

So, I am currently riding in the car to Virginia Beach, when I see a Guitar Center on the side of the road...it was time for a break anyways...lol

So I walk in and there is a beautiful, but clearly pre-loved 1978 Fender P Bass on the wall. Maple neck and mocha finish...my favorite combo!

Anyways, the bass is all original...except for one tuner that is a hipshot bass extender (looks to be from the 80's).

The mojo on this bass is amazing...it was clearly loved a d played regularly dormant years, but still plays like a dream. The action is low, frets show some wear, but still have life in them too.

Anyways...

I'm not really an expert when it comes to the vintage gear...seems to me that the pricing of vintage Fender gear varies quite a bit. I see some pieces...the same year, condition, etc priced hundreds of dollars apart.

Just wondering what a fair value of this bass is?

Here is a pic.

Also, no original case...but you don't play the case! Lol.

The bridge cover is original, but their is no pickup cover.

Thanks all! uploadfromtaptalk1376155545732.jpg
 
#4
My first decent guitar was a 78 telecaster, weighed a ton. Not a golden age in Fender's history, but gems can be found from every era. What it's worth to someone else isn't that important. If someone told you it was "worth" 200 dollars less than GC is willing to sell it to you for, would you walk away from your dream bass in your dream color? Something that you are going to spend hundreds of hours with?
 
#5
aetheldrea said:
My first decent guitar was a 78 telecaster, weighed a ton. Not a golden age in Fender's history, but gems can be found from every era. What it's worth to someone else isn't that important. If someone told you it was "worth" 200 dollars less than GC is willing to sell it to you for, would you walk away from your dream bass in your dream color? Something that you are going to spend hundreds of hours with?
Click to expand...

True story! Great words of wisdom there!

Thanks for the kind words all!
 
#6
You may have already bought it, since the one mocha 78 that GC had is no longer available. If you did, hope you got it for much less than the $1700 they were asking. That is waaay overpriced IMO.
 
#8
Well...son of a....lol

Just arrived in Virginia Beach and was playing around with the new toy...

Guitar Center lets me down again...

I should have been more vigilant when I was at the store, but was pressed for time...

Anyways...the bridge is original, but 3 intonation screws are completely wrong...including one that is 3 inches long! It was covered up by the bridge cover...

Also, under the bridge...extra holes for where it looks like another bridge had been placed...wow.

I asked all the right questions and was straight up lied too...

I got the price down on this one to a decent price, but with the new found errors and lies told to me this one is heading back to GC.

Bummed out!

Live and learn though!
 
#9
Take the neck off and check the rest of it out. Neck Date, Body date. Pots, Pickups etc... If the rest is all original who cares about the minor bridge issues. Maybe the manager will issue a partial refund to satisfy you.
 
#10
Yeah, I was thinking about that too...

I actually bought it in NJ on route to Virginia Beach...so now I have to go to the local GC here in Virginia Beach...

Maybe they can help me out a bit...but I know the return policy is 3 days on their vintage gear.
 
#11
Project7Bass said:
Yeah, I was thinking about that too...

I actually bought it in NJ on route to Virginia Beach...so now I have to go to the local GC here in Virginia Beach...

Maybe they can help me out a bit...but I know the return policy is 3 days on their vintage gear.
Click to expand...
3 days hah?? That may be a tough one. The question to me is will you bond with it? In the end a couple hundred $$ doesn't mean much if it becomes your favorite bass. Good luck deciding what to do.
 
#12
NYCbassist said:
3 days hah?? That may be a tough one. The question to me is will you bond with it? In the end a couple hundred $$ doesn't mean much if it becomes your favorite bass. Good luck deciding what to do.
Click to expand...

Yeah, gonna play it a little, but I think I need to make a quick decision on this one...so might just bring it to the local GC here tomorrow and cut my losses.

I'm sure I can throw my money at a TB'er or a local vintage shop here in Virginia Beach! ;)
 
#15
If you really love it, those issues seem pretty minor to me. Are you buying it as a player, or are you buying it for its pedigree? I wouldn't sweat the small stuff here - the bass is mostly original (or, at least, period correct) and you dig it, right? The tuner already blew any claim to "100% orignal" anyway. The GC salesperson might not have lied to you, either - they may not have known any better. A couple of screw holes and some intonation screws is nothing compared to some of the butchery many '70s instruments endured.
 
#16
I hear you for sure, but I paid a decent amount and I know I would want to fix the bridge...at least the screws I guess...it's definitely a player for me, but one of the intonation screws is so long you can actually scratch your hand on it.
 
#17
I had the same bass, but from 1976. Personally, I think that if you are a player, then the bass will either speak to you or not. A couple of extra holes wouldn't bother me very much on a bass like that. If I had any reservations about the bridge, I would simply select a cool bridge and swap it out. How does it play? Were you planning to keep it indoors forever?
 
#18
bolophonic said:
I had the same bass, but from 1976. Personally, I think that if you are a player, then the bass will either speak to you or not. A couple of extra holes wouldn't bother me very much on a bass like that. If I had any reservations about the bridge, I would simply select a cool bridge and swap it out. How does it play? Were you planning to keep it indoors forever?
Click to expand...

It's not that the holes ans screws bother me...the bass sounds and plays fine...

It's that I know I paid way more than I should have now.

Money is tight and I expect to get what I paid for.
 

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