So I want a US P bass. I have a very nice MIJ p bass but I want an american one again(don't ask). I can really afford anything beyond the late 70's in terms of vintage. I have the oppertunity to buy a 1983 P bass standard. Thoughts on this bass? Its not a peroid of Fender history I know well. Also how would this bass compare in terms of long terms value and dependability with a new American standard? A lot here but let's have some thoughts...
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1983 P bass or 2012 p bass?
- Thread starter wveeder
- Start date
DEFINITELY a new one, or a used one from 2008 -up.
The difference in quality is outstanding. The '83 MIGHT be a good one, but the new ones are nearly all terrific.
I have an '08 USA standard and even my friends that don't play bass are impressed with the quality feel.
The difference in quality is outstanding. The '83 MIGHT be a good one, but the new ones are nearly all terrific.
I have an '08 USA standard and even my friends that don't play bass are impressed with the quality feel.
do you want a collectors item or a player? neither are collectible, IMO, and if buying used, the '12 would be a much better value(construction and playability wise) to me.
Try to get one from 2008-2010. Great basses. I didn't have a good experience with a 2013 P bass, so I found a new old stock 2010 in blizzard pearl. Fantastic.
BurningSkies
CRAZY BALDHEAD
- Feb 20, 2005
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- Endorsing artist: Dingwall Guitars
The new one. The 82-84 Fenders are dogs for the most part... And I've owned a few. The new ones are built better, feel better, play better and sound better.
Obviously this P bass is made in America. I myself have a standard J bass (newer model). A buddy of mine has a later model Fender P ('79 or '80), and I really like the way it plays and sounds. Most good P basses have this heft to them that allows for never-ending sustain. Also, Fenders are famous for their fret boards. I like a good maple board, but they also make a really good rosewood one also. You really cant go wrong with a Fender, especially if it's a later model. They're like bottles of wine. They get better with age. If you have the means to pick this bass up do it man. You'll be glad that you did. I would.
The only Fender bass I'd get from pre-1990s is a vintage American 72', like the old good ol' Geddy got at some pawn shop
+1000
The '83 basses are not by any stretch dogs. Some of Fender's best stuff, actually. Their last high quality gasp in Fullerton, though too late. I have a couple '83s that are as good as any bass I've ever owned. One is actually better than most basses I've ever played.
Your mileage may vary.
The '83 is a CBS-era bass, which is not necessarily a total deal breaker, but it is certainly a red flag, IMO/IME. Especially so late in the game for CBS.. I would skate right on past to the new section, if it were me in your situation.
But, this is what should be done.
But, this is what should be done.
Have you played the '83? I had one with a flat, wide neck with somewhat sharp edges and I really disliked it. It was generally well made, though.
BurningSkies
CRAZY BALDHEAD
- Feb 20, 2005
- 27,956
- 20,350
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- Endorsing artist: Dingwall Guitars
Yep. I had a P, I've played Jazz and I have both Telecaster and Strats with that oddly 'sharp' neck shape. Also the saddles on the 83 models are cheap pot metal. The Strat/Tele ones were hard to replace once they rotted out because it was an odd L/J shaped scheme. The pickups are pretty raunchy too.
IMO, the Strat suffered the most for the follies of CBS. The Jazz Bass comes in a close second.
BurningSkies
CRAZY BALDHEAD
- Feb 20, 2005
- 27,956
- 20,350
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- Endorsing artist: Dingwall Guitars
I've held and owned a bunch of Fender from the 50's through the late 90's. The 83 era stuff just isn't good. The necks are uncomfortable and edgy. The finishes are thick and artless. They cheaped on components from pickups to those bridge saddles down to things like going to single ply pickguards. The strats are invariably the worst, with that beneath the pickguard trem system and the removal of one pot/knob for an output jack and the removal of the separate output on the body. The Jazz fared just as poorly with the removal of the trademark control plate and the once piece single ply pick guard. Ugh.
The neck on that 83 looks quite good but don't be surprised if the MIJ kicks its butt. Seriously. I'd go an 80s MIJ over an early 80's MIA.
I had a mid 70s Precision that was the best sounding bass I ever owned and stupidly sold thinking I was done with 4 string basses. I've owned a lot of basses, but I also owned am 80s SVT head and 2 "baby SVT" cabs with 2 JBL 15s in each, but it sounded better than my Alembic Epic 5, Spector Euro 5, and Ken Smith Burner 5 through the same rig. By a large margin. I also have a mid 70s Stratocaster (hardtail) that is the best playing Stratocaster I've ever played, easily on par with the CS stuff coming out today. The only problem with it is I hate the way Strats sound, I'm a Les Paul guy, but the Strat belonged to a friend who is no longer with us so I keep it around.
Auto dismissing the '83 because it's a CBS bass could be a big mistake. Unplayed I'd probably take the newer one, but if I had a chance to play them both there's no way I'd pre choose one over the other. All things being equal, if they weighed about the same, played about the same, and looked about the same, I'd take the older one. Unless the newer one had a graphite rod reinforced neck, then it would have an edge. Why would I take the older one all things being equal? When the newer one is 20 years old, the older one will be 50. That's cool to me.
Auto dismissing the '83 because it's a CBS bass could be a big mistake. Unplayed I'd probably take the newer one, but if I had a chance to play them both there's no way I'd pre choose one over the other. All things being equal, if they weighed about the same, played about the same, and looked about the same, I'd take the older one. Unless the newer one had a graphite rod reinforced neck, then it would have an edge. Why would I take the older one all things being equal? When the newer one is 20 years old, the older one will be 50. That's cool to me.
- Oct 18, 2012
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Sorry but not true at all. I own sever 1970s and 1980s era Fenders. The 1980s are made much better.
In the late 1970s, CBS executives realized that their market share had been declining. In 1981, Fender-CBS hired William Schultz, John McLaren, and Dan Smith away from the U.S. division of Yamaha. Schultz became the president of Fender-CBS, McLaren the managing director while Smith was appointed the director of marketing for Fender electric guitars. In a drive to rejuvenate the quality control and Fender's market position, Dan Smith oversaw an upgrading of the basic production operations. They moved production back to the original Fullerton, California plant, rehired many of the workers who had worked there in the Pre-CBS era and used the same manufacturing equipment. The quality improved dramatically. Unfortunately, this did not last and the quality began declining again in the mid 1980s.
Today's Fenders (2008 and newer) are much better than they had been in the previous 20 or 25 years.
