Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
1978 Jazz bass
- Thread starter DimebagDuff
- Start date
Not much to worry about with that model and year - Marcus Miller's bass is a '78 Jazz. And what amounts to $1700 is a fair price for a bass in that condition. Just check for the usual stuff - hidden body cracks (in the wood; cracks in the finish are expected after 40 years) and anything else that doesn't "work" on the bass.
As a one-time owner of a '78 jazz, I invite you to consider the following possibilities.
Mine had a 2-3 mm gap on both sides of the neck pocket. Being a three-bolt neck attachment, the neck would constantly shift out of alignment with the slightest bump, no matter how hard I tightened the screws
Secondly, the neck on a '78 will have the micro-tilt adjust. I'm convinced that if the heel is not seated flush against the body of the bass, this mechanism decreases the vibration/resonance of the instrument and affects the tone in a negative way. Why - because if the neck is tilted, only a very small surface area of the neck heel is actually in contact with the body of the bass.
Lastly, mine had a 'swimming pool' route around the neck pickup. It was un-noticeable with the pickguard attached but looked very average sans pickguard.
As a counter to the above, my 79 jazz has a fairly sizeable neck pocket gap, but has never gone out of alignment. It gets a super low action and seems louder and brighter than even some active basses. I guess the point is try it first! Either way it's probably going to be pretty heavy.
£1300 in the UK market seems really quite low though. I see most 70s basses here for at least £1600. I would be checking that the parts are all original, and if possible the date codes of the pots and pickups. Lots of Fenders with an S8 serial code are listed as a 78, but that prefix ran from 78 into the early 80s as they used up old stock.
£1300 in the UK market seems really quite low though. I see most 70s basses here for at least £1600. I would be checking that the parts are all original, and if possible the date codes of the pots and pickups. Lots of Fenders with an S8 serial code are listed as a 78, but that prefix ran from 78 into the early 80s as they used up old stock.
- Apr 20, 2009
- 2,620
- 4,666
- Disclosures
- Endorsements: your name could be here, Mr. Sadowsky!
£1300 is $1698.45. And that is a very good deal. Get it! Here's my '78 natural ash/maple Fender Jazz Bass:
Last edited:
These alone pretty much assure that I'll never own one of these three-bolt Fenders from this era, personally.
Mine ticked every box on the list of shortcomings those late 70's jazz basses seem to have developed a reputation for. I think it must have been one of those "made very late on a friday afternoon just before a long weekend" examples.
'77 would be a birth year bass for me and I've looked at some gorgeous appearing ones and almost pulled the trigger, but I just can't. If I ever really get the hankering, I'll look for a B.Y. Ric instead. I'm quite content with my modern Fender.
There are definitely some better ones out there, but as a rule anything from that era needs to be given a very thorough once-over before purchase. I'd never buy a painted one that's for sure. Paint hides a multitude of sins. A crooked neck generally means a loose neck joint, and the neck on mine was always going out of alignment. It was also very heavy. No, if I was gassing for a vintage 70's jazz, I'd be looking '72, '74, '74. To wit -I have a friend with a '73 jazz. Four-bolt neck, no micro-tilt. Tight neck joint. It's a great bass with none of the shortcomings mine had. It also sounds good.
Your money would be much better spent on a new Fender. Almost nobody I know that was playing bass in 1978 and had one new wants them or considers them special...
It's weird how amber the neck and headstock are - that usually means it was exposed to heat or decades of pub smoke. Play it, if it's good, it's good.
Nice looking, and very much what I was looking for recently before I decided to just buy a used MiM repro with the same color scheme. If you're a collector and it's important to have a "vintage" instrument, looks like a decent deal (assuming the neck is straight, frets are in decent shape, and it doesn't weigh a ton). If you just want a player in that style, the MiM repros are actually really nice, and very accurate in almost every detail, at a fraction of the price.
For me - owning a 1978 Jazz Bass built on January, 12, 1978 and owning a '75 Precision, the thing I would consider is weight. And weight. And weight.
The '75 P is an incredible good instrument and although ash, about 4 kg. It doesn't have the original pickups, but very good häusle ones and not the original pickguard, but who cares, it is simply an incredible good instrument with a history. The '78 all original Jazz, which is kind of charming, is rarely played after the honeymoon a few years ago. It is simply too heavy (about 5 kg or more). I wouldn't buy a boatanchor, no matter how cheap, no matter how original, no matter how charming, not as a muscian, maybe as a collector, who wants to resell.
The '75 P is an incredible good instrument and although ash, about 4 kg. It doesn't have the original pickups, but very good häusle ones and not the original pickguard, but who cares, it is simply an incredible good instrument with a history. The '78 all original Jazz, which is kind of charming, is rarely played after the honeymoon a few years ago. It is simply too heavy (about 5 kg or more). I wouldn't buy a boatanchor, no matter how cheap, no matter how original, no matter how charming, not as a muscian, maybe as a collector, who wants to resell.
It's a 40 year old bass. ANYTHING can be wrong with it. Chances are it has changed hands many times during that period which leaves lots of opportunities for mishaps, repairs, modifications, UN-modifications, swapped parts, and more. I personally would NOT own a 70's Jazz Bass or P-Bass. I'm sure good ones are out there but I haven't seen one yet. Many have been messed with over the years because that's what people did 40 years ago. Check it with a great deal of scrutiny. Your money can buy a pretty nice bass that isn't 40 years old.
Have to kind of disagree with BobKos:
If the weight is ok, the neck is straight and the trussrod works, everything else isn't much of an issue. Basses are very simple things, not rocket science. If I would buy another 70s Fender, I would have a look at the weight and maybe check, if the neck gap isn't too large (often overrated).
I love the look of '70s Fenders, I love the TV logo and simply the feel and worn-in look of old instruments. I don't believe in the sound of old dried wood or many other myths about vintage instruments. If a 40 years old instrument is still in buisness and playable, it is highly likely that it will stay this way for a long time.
If it has defects the seller conceals: this could happen to you with every 2 months old bass.
If the weight is ok, the neck is straight and the trussrod works, everything else isn't much of an issue. Basses are very simple things, not rocket science. If I would buy another 70s Fender, I would have a look at the weight and maybe check, if the neck gap isn't too large (often overrated).
I love the look of '70s Fenders, I love the TV logo and simply the feel and worn-in look of old instruments. I don't believe in the sound of old dried wood or many other myths about vintage instruments. If a 40 years old instrument is still in buisness and playable, it is highly likely that it will stay this way for a long time.
If it has defects the seller conceals: this could happen to you with every 2 months old bass.
