It is - I know, we're never gonna agree - we've been round & round on this before - but I know of what I speak. CBS = bad juju.
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70s Fender P-basses
- Thread starter Pink_Floydfan91
- Start date
It is - I know, we're never gonna agree - we've been round & round on this before - but I know of what I speak. CBS = bad juju.
The OP asked which years 70s Ps are the most desirable -- that's all. What you are doing is the same as the relic thread earlier where a guy asked who could relic his bass, and posters started piling on with the "relicing is a bad idea" posts. In the end Bryan Tyler deleted those posts because they were off topic and inflammatory.
And then followed up with your standard fare about how crappy you think 70s Fenders are. Clearly you have no interest in 70s Fenders, why do you even open the threads?
As far as CBS = bad juju, play my '66 Jazz bass, my '68 Tele bass, my '65 and '66 P-basses and try telling me that. That said, while Fender's 70s production consistency got sketchy after '75 (Thick Skin finishes, ugh), there are gems to be found. Likewise, I've played some stinking to high heaven turds from before '63, usually in mint condition... go figure. Try before you buy and good luck!
open? I did not open this thread - I responded to a fellow. With factual information, based on long experience.
You have posted about your experience before. You had a 70s Jazz that people told you was junk because it was a 70s Fender. You got rid of it. Later you became upset when 70s Fenders became collectible. I remember a post where you were telling people that Fullerton era reissues sucked because they were CBS basses -- you got corrected by several posters, and I see now you have qualified your CBS rant to "up to 82." You jump in every 70s Fender thread with the same tripe.
My long experience tells me that each bass is an individual and when dealing with old instruments, you have to be careful -- the biggest dogs I've played were a 58 Precision with an S curve neck, and a 64 Strat with severe unplayable backbow. My 76 Jazz, on the other hand, weighs 9 pounds and is the best sounding Jazz I've ever owned or played -- and I've had a bunch of them including a really cherry 67 a few years ago. My CBS era Fullerton reissue P weighs 8.2 pounds and is as well made as any Precision you will ever play.
OP, you have to hand pick any old instrument if you want a good one -- it doesn't matter the year, and there are great basses from the 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s... There are plenty of dogs from those years too.
Steve Harris of Iron Maiden has been jammin his 79' Fender P-Bass for 30 some years now, that's got to tell you something, AWESOME THAT'S WHAT!! If i had this Bass i would have a rosewood fretboard with matching blue sparkle headstock.That chrome scratchplate is wicked looking too.
Here's that mirrored scratchplate with a BadAss ll bridge.
I have a 1978 P Bass, and, while it's heavy as hell (it's a boat anchor) .....it sounds and plays AWESOME!!!!
- Oct 7, 2000
- 18,619
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- Disclosures
- Endorsing artist: Musicman basses
One thing I never liked on the P's after 75 is the way they changed the tuners to the cheaper made, chrome plated rather than nickel tuners. As for the one thing that seemed to be consistent throughout the entire decade is the pickups, which always had a great sound.
If the house catches fire, this is the one I save:
My '77 has been my workhorse and gigging/recording companion since 1980. Never had a problem with it other than breaking the odd string, and very light. I think it's around 8lbs. By contrast, I have a '78 Jazz that's close to 13lbs.
My '77 has been my workhorse and gigging/recording companion since 1980. Never had a problem with it other than breaking the odd string, and very light. I think it's around 8lbs. By contrast, I have a '78 Jazz that's close to 13lbs.
My 73 is my main bass for everything-it's heavy but it sounds great and they don't really make thicker necks like on a lot of 70s basses on too many newer ones-mine's a B neck with a pretty full profile, which is what attracted me to the older ones in the first place. I've played lots of 70s made ones that I like a lot, some that I don't, so like others have said, trying stuff out if possible first is the best way to go.
Just make sure you play before you buy. i played maybe 15 in NYC before buying a '73. A few dogs, a few stunners, a few just OK.
