70s jazz bass - what do you think?

[thanos k]

a fellow musician is selling his 1973? (probably) jazz bass. his is not the first owner. i'm considering a buy, but would like your opinion as well since i'm not an expert in vintage instruments (even though i know that this era of basses is not the super valuable vintage case scenario)

i got it home last night and played it for a while... my thoughts

1) plays great
2) frets in very good condition (no buzz) from top to bottom
3) a lot of wear and tear (A LOT)
4) binding in bad condition
5) nice fat neck but the finish is long gone and has a lot of grey spots from dirt
6) super heavy - a boat anchor
7) i think that somebody tried to paint the headstock to match the body colour with bad results
8) missing the original pickups (it has emgs)
9)missing the original bridge (it has a badass)
10) missing the original hard case
11) it needs a set up and new strings to really shine
12) i think that the pickguard is not original as well (badly cut and missing a few holes for thumprest etc) he sells it at 2.290 usd (2000 euros)

the sound is typical 70's jazz - slap sound was as i expected much better than my am. std 2008 jazz bass, but the overall playability of my 2008 is better ( of course it's a lot lighter and user friendly and it has a more than decent sound that i can live with)

if you were in my shoes would you consider a purchase ??? would you consider a mild restoration or would keep it as it is (i'm thinking about re-binding and a pickup swap with fender pickups, and try to remove that mess on the headstock)???

thanks in advance

 

[Axstar]

Headstock front will have been nitro lacquer, and it has discoloured badly! 2,000 Euros seems steep for such a cosmetically rough example, with aftermarket pickups. It is only a '70s Jasz bass so not exactly too rare or collectible.

I would wait for a better example to come along or find a Geddy Lee signature bass and save some money.

 

[Jim Carr]

Grab it!!!

The cosmetic issues make it even cooler. Do not change the finish on the head stock. Rare color. Great price.

 

[Axstar]

Grab it!!!.

Just wash your hands afterwards.

 

[thanos k]

Just wash your hands afterwards.

i laughed hard with this one!!!! have a good day mate!!! (by the way it smells furniture wax)

 

[hypercarrots]

Ha I was about to ask what it smells like

 

[zenpeace69]

Those frets look like super jumbos to me.

 

[thanos k]

Those frets look like super jumbos to me.

i don't know if a refret was done in the past... if that's the case it was a good one, but binding has cracks ...

 

[zenpeace69]

i don't know if a refret was done in the past... if that's the case it was a good one, but binding has cracks ...

It was definitely refret, but that's inevitable on an old instrument.

 

[Scottgun]

That seems like a lot of money for a post-CBS bass in that condition. This is one I'd pass on to let vintage collectors with good knowledge mess with it. If you are a player rather than a collector, I'd put my 2 grand somewhere else.

 

[thanos k]

That seems like a lot of money for a post-CBS bass in that condition. This is one I'd pass on to let vintage collectors with good knowledge mess with it. If you are a player rather than a collector, I'd put my 2 grand somewhere else.

thank you @Scottgun for your honest opinion!!! i have more basses than i need but i do use them to gig... so it's not supposed to be a collectors item only but a working bass too!!! as i stated at the beggining i already have an american fender jazz bass, practically new (2008)

 

[baileyboy]

If it plays great and you can gig with it, buy it if you so desire. However, DO NOT pay anywhere near what an all-original 1973 J would go for. Personally, I would not buy it because of the weight alone.

 

[Picton]

Non-original electronics and bridge? $2k is $2high.

I don't mind the looks, though the headstock is a turnoff. Weight? That's par for the course with CBS instruments, for the most part. I'm not surprised it sounds good.

 

[Chrisk-K]

Buy a Professional or a RI instead. They will feel better and sound better.

 

[jd56hawk]

a fellow musician is selling his 1973? (probably) jazz bass. his is not the first owner. i'm considering a buy, but would like your opinion as well since i'm not an expert in vintage instruments (even though i know that this era of basses is not the super valuable vintage case scenario)

i got it home last night and played it for a while... my thoughts

1) plays great
2) frets in very good condition (no buzz) from top to bottom
3) a lot of wear and tear (A LOT)
4) binding in bad condition
5) nice fat neck but the finish is long gone and has a lot of grey spots from dirt
6) super heavy - a boat anchor
7) i think that somebody tried to paint the headstock to match the body colour with bad results
8) missing the original pickups (it has emgs)
9)missing the original bridge (it has a badass)
10) missing the original hard case
11) it needs a set up and new strings to really shine
12) i think that the pickguard is not original as well (badly cut and missing a few holes for thumprest etc) he sells it at 2.290 usd (2000 euros)

the sound is typical 70's jazz - slap sound was as i expected much better than my am. std 2008 jazz bass, but the overall playability of my 2008 is better ( of course it's a lot lighter and user friendly and it has a more than decent sound that i can live with)

if you were in my shoes would you consider a purchase ??? would you consider a mild restoration or would keep it as it is (i'm thinking about re-binding and a pickup swap with fender pickups, and try to remove that mess on the headstock)???

thanks in advance View attachment 3276816View attachment 3276815View attachment 3276814

I think you can probably do better for that kind of money...much better.
Do you want a bass that feels good and sounds great or a vintage bass that's never going to be worth a lot of money?
Believe me, Fender just came out with some very nice new Jazz and Precison basses that will do everything you expect them to do.

 

[johnson79]

I think it's priced too high for the condition and lack of many original parts, but I'm also not on an island in the Mediterranean. I'd say make some offers if you really want it, or keep an eye out for a better example.

Ballpark I'd say it's maybe worth $1500, but just my opinion.

 

[thanos k]

Thank you all for your input & suggestions!!! I'll do a comparison video with my 2008 jazz bass and this one as soon as the 73 jazz is set up by my tech who will check all the parts and put New strings on it !

Then maybe I'll decide what to do with that chunk of wood!

 

[Clark Dark]

For what's supposed to be a 70's vintage Jazz the pickup spacing looks like a 60's vintage to me. Hmmmm????

 

[Dr. Cheese]

Mint Seventies Fenders were probably owned by collectors or they really sounded like crap. Worn basses are most likely good players, and that is why they are worn. I know that has been my experience.

 

[thanos k]

for now i managed to clean the headstock ... now it looks much much better... also oiled the fretboard to prepare it for new strings and head to head comparison with my 2008 am std jazz

it had a lot of dirt and needed a dehumanizer!!!