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63 Fender Jazz. Need Advice

calmb4tehpwn

calmb4tehpwn

Jan 2, 2011
607
0
Burnsville, MN
#1
Okay, I inquired on Craigslist about busted up basses, as I'm looking for a new project. Guy gets back to me saying he's got a 63 fender jazz he got for his son 20 years ago planning to fix up but both lost interest. Ended up in the attic where he forgot about it until seeing my ad. Now I've tried not to sound too excited, to avoid him getting suspicious and asking ridiculous amounts, but he lives about 2 hours away, and he has not been very forthcoming with pictures, in fact I haven't gotten any pictures of all. He says it's not the original finish, and that the back of the neck is sanded down. But it includes original pickups, and is in good condition. Assuming all the information is accurate. What would you pay for a 63 jazz project bass? Would you do to it to maximize turn around profit? What's the Max I could expect to turn it around for? Any information specifically on these basses would be invaluable as well.

You'll get pictures as I do. Wish me luck.

Michael
 
#4
Well if all the hardware is original like tuners, bridge and the neck and body are clearly original i'd have no problem dropping a grand. If the neck ended up toast you could still milk your money back outta it fairly easy.

Of course try to get it cheap , but i wouldnt insult him with like 50$.
 
#7
calmb4tehpwn said:
No one else can help out? What should I look for? How do I know if a pot's not original? How do I know if tuning keys aren't original? Still no word from him, but I'd like to go into the conversation sounding like I know what I'm talking about.
Click to expand...

Maybe he's lurking this thread waiting for answers, too. That would be funny, wouldn't it?
 
#9
Try this, Link Removed

After you get an idea of what you're willing to pay for it, ask the seller what his asking price is. A restored/refinned 63' Jazz with all original parts would be in the $2500-$3500 ballpark.

I would only have a pro do a restoration, unless I had a lot of experience doing this type of thing.

BTW, an original condition 61' Jazz sold on ebay for just under 10K last week. So, while the market is still down, that's not too shabby.
 
#10
calmb4tehpwn said:
Wow, I hadn't even considered it. It would be.
Click to expand...

My best advice would be to not play this game unless you really know what you are doing, i.e. have a much better grasp of what to look for in ascertaining originality, etc. Checking out a few websites will be a start but doesn't replace experience with these instruments.

Without that experience I agree you risk destroying even more value by doing an improper restoration. If this is strictly a profit making wheeze and not for your own interest I'd say best drop the idea entirely, and please don't consider parting that bass out!

To answer your original questions, the state of the instrument will dictate what is the best way to proceed with a restoration. Without knowing what is original, what is damaged, etc, there is no way to say what will increase the value, and how much would need to be invested to make it more valuable than the cost of its parts.
 
#11
How do I learn unless I try? I may never have an opportunity to have a 63 Jazz Bass in my hands again, and just passing on it wouldn't be in my blood. If I can pick it up for a decent price, I will. If I can make minor repairs to make it passable without putting it in danger, I will. Chances are, I'll just hold onto it for awhile until I'm comfortable either working on it, or selling it.
 
#12
Um...yeah...buy it...NOW

Chances are, if the seller hasn't got back to you that thing is LONG GONE already.

I got lucky last year and snagged a 62 P off a guy on CL for $950. That's a steal IMO. He had people calling and offering him whatever he wanted for it...he was a nice guy and hung onto it for me since I was the first person that contacted him though...and we agreed to his original asking price - even though he had been offered much more.

I'd say you'd better be ready with at least $2k in your pocket to scoop that up, or someone else will...
 
#13
Okay, so more information on this deal over CL, he contacted me wanting to sell, sounds like he wants to work with me, doesn't seem to have any intention to sell to anyone else, and in the initial craigslist post, I said that I don't have much money to throw around, but I'm willing to offer up something to make it worth their time. So he can't be expecting me to offer up a lot of money on this, or else he would have implied such by now. It's possible he just doesn't know what he has. Now, the late replies are due to his having a terrible back, he spends most of his time laid up. I just realized in the last email he gave me a phone number, and I plan on calling it tomorrow, try to hash out some details on this. If nothing else, if it's a good deal, I'm getting it, but I would still like some advice on spotting vintage vs. BS hardware.
 
#18
He sounds like he wants to give a good deal on it, he said he still wants to meet with me, and he knew up front I don't have thousands to throw down on it, so he might just be willing to give it up for a couple hundred. In my last email to him, I told him how much I could give him for it, which is about 500-600. Looking back, I think if I had offered that to him 2 weeks ago, and drove up there that day, I might have a 63 jazz bass in my hands, but we'll see if it'll still fly. I would like pictures, and I would like to know a price before I drive up there, but I can live without pictures. Sounds like I might still head up there.
 
#19
calmb4tehpwn said:
He sounds like he wants to give a good deal on it, he said he still wants to meet with me, and he knew up front I don't have thousands to throw down on it, so he might just be willing to give it up for a couple hundred. In my last email to him, I told him how much I could give him for it, which is about 500-600. Looking back, I think if I had offered that to him 2 weeks ago, and drove up there that day, I might have a 63 jazz bass in my hands, but we'll see if it'll still fly. I would like pictures, and I would like to know a price before I drive up there, but I can live without pictures. Sounds like I might still head up there.
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I would have been there that day.
 

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