1981 P Bass, opinions needed.

[jimella]

Hi, i am thinking of buying this black & maple 1981 fender precision for £950, unfortunately i can't try before buying so i'm asking for your opinions/advice please.
The bass is set up with low action & fairly straight neck, i have listened to the bass on the phone & it sounds good to me.
Is there anything i should look out for from this era of fender ?
Do you think this is a fair price for a 1981 in this condition ?
Any information or comments would be much appreciated,
Cheers, Pete.

Heres the link,http://www.classicandcoolguitars.co.uk/basses.htm

 

[GeneralElectric]

I'd make sure the fret work was on par and make sure the truss rod isn't maxed out.

Not sure on the prices in the UK but in the US that'd be what the bass would go for in dollars up to $1100USD on a very good day.

If you want a straight P I'd get that MIJ Precision they have, but then again, they also have an Elite II which is a tone monster.

 

[jimella]

The frets are very good i'm told & the truss rod is ok, although i never thought that it could be maxed out ! thanks, i will check on that one.
I currently have a 2001 American series P bass but i really like the sound/punch you seem to get from some of the 70's basses, this one sounds the same to me.

 

[sound of bass]

Good looking bass. Id buy it.....if I could afford it that is.

 

[jimella]

Yeah, i like the all black/maple look.
Anyone from the UK, is this a fair price ?

 

[jimella]

Has anyone had problems with the truss rods on this era of fender basses ? any other issues ?
I really like the sound of these basses compared to the newer models, even the 08's i've tried.
Pete.

 

[MtManiac]

I'd make sure the fret work was on par and make sure the truss rod isn't maxed out.

+1 - I've also been told before that the frets were in really good shape. In my case, they were not. I also had a major problem getting mine properly intonated without adjusting the b ridge saddles way back almost to the back of the bridge. That was *after* a professional setup. Mine was bought on eBay, so if this dealer is reputable and not just "some guy on the internet," it maky be ok. Nice looking bass, my new 08 MIA P has the same colour combo, since I switched the guard.

 

[Ezbass]

£950 sounds about average or little over for a UK sale. Hearing something over the phone is suspect, who knows what they were playing and the sound quality is going to be way off what it actually sounds like in the room. That ding on the bottom edge looks like a soldering iron burn, so possibly there's been some messing with the electrics at some point (not necessarily a bad thing). Contact details are vague and there is no published returns policy that I can see. The guy's trying to sell you something so any positives must be taken with a pinch of sales salt (action, etc). On the positive side the saddles look about midway on their travel so intonation probably wouldn't be an issue unless they've been strategically placed for the photo. Would you buy a car without a test drive or failing that a warranty period? It's a lot of money, buyer beware.

Looks nice though.

 

[Just Thumpin']

I had an 1981 pbass that I sold three years ago (it was first bass and I owned it since 1982). It was garbage but had sentimental value which is the only reason I held onto it for so long. 81 was right in the middle of a really bad time for Fender. Heavy bodies, cheap electronics, sloppy fretwork and a cheap, flimsy bridge. IMHO in that era your odds are 1 in 3 of getting a good bass and I would bet that almost any 2008 MIA would blow away all but the very best 81's. i

 

[jimella]

Thanks for the replies.
I've just recieved some photos of the frets & they look good to me, what do you think ?
1st & 7th frets shown, 12th fret looks good too.
I'm told the truss rod adjusts freely both ways & works fine.
I know what you are saying about trying before buying but nothing ever comes up for sale locally.

 

[ozrider]

I have an '83 p with a maple neck and you should be sure you like a fat, wide and flat neck. Its heavy and kills me when gigging. I wouldn't recommend it for gigging just because of the size. What I noticed about my bass is how the neck does not fit snug in the pocket of the body- a bit gappy. Overall compared to my '86 stingray the quality is pedestrian. On the plus side, sounds great and action is low and I like the wide neck. The maple one piece neck makes it real thumpy. I wouldn't part with mine. Paid $1200 AUD a couple of years ago.

 

[jimella]

I had an 1981 pbass that I sold three years ago (it was first bass and I owned it since 1982). It was garbage but had sentimental value which is the only reason I held onto it for so long. 81 was right in the middle of a really bad time for Fender. Heavy bodies, cheap electronics, sloppy fretwork and a cheap, flimsy bridge. IMHO in that era your odds are 1 in 3 of getting a good bass and I would bet that almost any 2008 MIA would blow away all but the very best 81's. i

Wow, was 1981 really that bad for fender ?
This info really puts me off buying unseen.

 

[jimella]

I have an '83 p with a maple neck and you should be sure you like a fat, wide and flat neck. Its heavy and kills me when gigging. I wouldn't recommend it for gigging just because of the size. What I noticed about my bass is how the neck does not fit snug in the pocket of the body- a bit gappy. Overall compared to my '86 stingray the quality is pedestrian. On the plus side, sounds great and action is low and I like the wide neck. The maple one piece neck makes it real thumpy. I wouldn't part with mine. Paid $1200 AUD a couple of years ago.

How wide is the neck at the nut on the early 80's P's?
I think my 2001 am series P is 42mm, i'm fairly comfortable with that.
I'll try & find out the weight, it will be used for gigging but we don't gig too often.

 

[ozrider]

How wide is the neck at the nut on the early 80's P's?
I think my 2001 am series P is 42mm, i'm fairly comfortable with that.
I'll try & find out the weight, it will be used for gigging but we don't gig too often.

44mm. Also make sure the screws for the neck/neck plate arent stripped. One of the four screws in mine doesn't tension effectively its how I got it. I have bought a number of basses over that last few years and I have personally come to conclusion that I don't buy a bass without playing it. Good luck!

 

[MtManiac]

1981 was just before CBS ran the ship into the ground and sold the company to Don Randall (former employee of Leo). Randall took the company and between 1983 and 1985 put put all the great "Fullerton" reissues, but in 1981-82, there were several "boner" models released. This doesn't count as one of the boner models, but it does explain the recycled S8 and S9 serial numbers found on Fenders at the time. This bass could be great, or it could be utter crap.

Is there a return policy?

 

[JimB52]

The price seems a bit on the high side for an '81 Precision, but I am a cranky old man.

 

[markorbit]

If it wasn't for the ding and it has no other issues it's probably just slightly over the going rate but don't forget that there is also the original case with this. So I would say that the price is OK.

In fact if I was looking for a 70s style Black/Maple P there looks to be FAR worse out there. Sometimes you just got to snap them up when they become available.

 

[Jim Carr]

I am pretty skeptical of that vintage. As Bill and others have mentioned, it was pretty much the nadir of CBS Fender quality. Wood, parts, workmanship, quality control, and fit were all sacrificed to shave tiny slivers of cost off the build.

You might find a nice one, but I haven't. IMHO, you would be better off giving the 2008 P-basses a good long second look/play/hear. I feel they all TOTALLY wipe the floor with 90% of the entire CBS era Ps. YMMV.

 

[Fender32]

Yeah, i like the all black/maple look.
Anyone from the UK, is this a fair price ?

It's not outrageous, IMO .

As has been stated already, that wasn't exactly "The Golden Age of Fender", but those heavier ash/maple Precisions do have a brighter and clankier tone than the vintage jobs, IME.

For comparison, I sold my '75 P Bass for 1,500GBP earlier this year and it didn't even have the original pickup in, although it was in pretty fine shape ....

Although the '81 P may not have the fit and finish of the 2008 models, it's pretty likely that it's value will increase over time, whereas the 2008 would probably be worth abot 60% of whatever you paid for it, the second that you get it home .

Lots to think about !

 

[StarscreamG1]

1981 was just before CBS ran the ship into the ground and sold the company to Don Randall (former employee of Leo). Randall took the company and between 1983 and 1985 put put all the great "Fullerton" reissues, but in 1981-82, there were several "boner" models released. This doesn't count as one of the boner models, but it does explain the recycled S8 and S9 serial numbers found on Fenders at the time. This bass could be great, or it could be utter crap......

Wow thats some good info to know! I gather my 'Haggard P' was right at the tail end of 'quality' before this meltdown?