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70s Fender, what should I look for?

#62
1) No matter WHAT bass it is, if it's a real '70s bass, someone will buy it from you for more.

2) Look for the neck plate - If it has 3 bolts, it might not be a good player... but you can still resell it.

If you can get a whole rig in the 3 digit range, that's a deal.

Be sure to post pix.
 
#64
Finally I got to see it today!!! It is a 70s Fender and it has its original hardshell case which I didn't know it had. it was a comedy of errors trying to hook up and see it. Before it was over my friend had to go to his uncles place and bring it back to me while I was at a friends across the street. I freaked when I saw it was in its original case. O_O And then he hands it to me and with much trepidation I unlocked each clasp and slowly opened it...and this is what I saw:

FP7.jpg


FP6.jpg


FP4.jpg


FP3.jpg


FP2-1.jpg


FP5.jpg


Unfortunately at some point in the past couple of decades my friends uncle put a clear coat on it...it didn't come out right and there is some orange peel and a run near the PG....over all its not in bad shape. He /might/ have the pup cover for it but isn't sure. The neck on this thing is absolutely to die for!!!!!!!!!! A bit thicker front to back then what I prefer but its thickness IS more what I am used to if that makes any sense. Also it didn't feel that wide width wise but I didn't measure the nut to find out how wide it is.

Here is serial # S873127

Can anyone tell me what year it is or where can I go and look it up?

This puppy is SO mine. Because it was brought to me I didn't see the amp but was told its a huge Crate. I was also a bit away from my place so I couldn't hook it up to my rig. I met it unplugged and I don't really care. Its SO mine!!!!!:hyper::bassist::D
 
#68
According to Fender.com, it's a 1977-1978, based on the serial number:

The charts below detail the most common Fender serial number schemes from 1976 to the present. Once again, there is quite a bit of overlap in numbers and years. The only way to try to narrow the date range of your specific instrument is to remove the neck and check the butt end of the neck heel for a production date, which may be stamped or written there (if you're uncomfortable doing this yourself, please refer to an experienced professional guitar tech in your area). Serial numbers with an "S" prefix denote the 1970s (signifying a CBS attempt to use serial numbers to identify production years); an "E" prefix was introduced in 1979 to denote the 1980s. As seen in the overlap of numbers and years, even these references to actual production dates are rather loose.
SERIAL NUMBERS PRODUCTION DATES
76 + 5 digits
S6 + 5 digits 1976
S7 + 5 digits
S8 + 5 digits 1977
S7 + 5 digits
S8 + 5 digits
S9 + 5 digits 1978
S9 + 5 digits
E0 + 5 digits 1979
S9 + 5 digits
E0 + 5 digits
E1 + 5 digits 1980
S9 + 5 digits
E0 + 5 digits
E1 + 5 digits 1981

I'm assuming that the serial number is on the headstock, not the chrome neckplate on the back. According to one site I've seen, Fender started putting the serial number on the headstock in mid-1976. Before that, it was on the neckplate on the back of the instrument.
 
#70
the art guy said:
Nice - that's the kind of bass I'm shopping around for right now. Wish I could have stumbled on a deal like you did. Congrats!
Click to expand...

Believe me this deal came to me. I'm still freaken out over it. I would read here the killer deals people would stumble across on vintage Fenders and I remember thinking 'gee be nice if I found one of those deals' and then as I said before, when it was the farthest thing on my mind, bam, there it was. :hyper:

And thats just a trip that its a '78. My first bass was a '78 Memphis lawsuit P copy and I just got through holding my present Memphis and its neck feels like a rough draft of that fine neck on the Fender. :p Also my replacement Memphis is natural wood with a white PG (that was swapped out for a black 3D skull PG). This Fender is natural wood with a black PG. I got a near matching pair of the real and the lawsuit...couldn't have done that any better if I tried. :hiding:

Sadly I won't be bringing my baby home till mid December :crying:. Its going to take me that long to get the money up. And the amp, guys I have no use for it, but its a package deal so I have to take both. Not sure what I will do with the amp but I /might/ pop it downstairs if no one shows interest in it locally.
 
#72
EagleMoon said:
My '75 P had a serial number on the headstock as well as the neckplate. I had a bastard child I guess. LOL!
Click to expand...

Sounds like a transition from where the # was and where they decided to move it. :p

And it looks like a '77 which is still just as fine with me. :hyper: I just don't know what to do about the clear coat that was put on it way long ago.....:help:

Oh and the case? It was bought to my attention that that case is not a proper Fender case for the year of that bass. So its a Fender case but wrong era. Thats just fine too^_^ Im just happy there is a case for it! I also forgot to take a pic of the outside of that case, it has the Fender logo fairly large molded into the plastic btw.
 
#73
That is an interesting case, my old '77 had a black wooden hardshell case with a silver plastic Fender logo.

I think the bass looks great like that but if it really bothers you could refin it, i think olympic white would look pretty sick and it would age pretty well.
 
#74
Oh it does look really cool glossed like that. I don't /think/ it hurts its value too much and chances are I will leave it alone. Im a disaster on 2 feet when I have a bass strapped on so its going to get some 'relicing' soon enough LOL but it probably needs that clear coat for its own protection right now. :p But if I could find someone I trust to take it off and put it back like it should be I might go for it. And white does look cool on a bass. I prefer the blacked out ones but I can do white as well and that would look tight once my clutzself broke it in LOL

Man the neck felt so nice on it. It didn't feel that wide either. The weight on it was sweet and even unplugged there was a deep tone to it when I was playing it. Its out of tune but those strings dont feel or look that old on it.
 
#78
Honk'n_down-low said:
Looks so sweet - you're gonna love it - it's got Mojo I can feel it from here.
Click to expand...

There is a 'feel' to it I must say. My friends uncle loves it still and pampered it all these years and when I picked it up it seemed as if this bass /knew/ it was all that and a bag of chips....ok weird comment hehe but what can I say. Objects do present a certain feel to them and that one just felt bad to the bone and it knew it.

It had such a deep resonance to it when I was playing it. I can't wait to hear it plugged into my rig. And I know I kept wanting to hold it and play it. LOL After I checked it out and then put it back and took the pics, my friend bent down to close it up and I was like, 'Wait I gotta hold it again LOL' and I took it out and was plucking stupid stuff on it but I didn't care. LOL I didn't want to put it back and just watched him walk away with it. :crying:

I have been trying to get new pics of my Foundation5 downstairs to renew its for sale thread. I am also letting go of my Squier (that will be sad, my VMJ is Da Bomb but I promised my BF I would let it go to get this vintage Fender and well duh... I think its a no brainer here which one to get :p) plus my bat and some Peavey parts and some bass straps.... I gotta get busy LOL You all don't be shy here with what Im putting up for sale. LOL

And I want to thank everyone for the 'congrats' that have been posted my way. I still can't believe I actually got a deal like this!!!!
 

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