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Any hope for authentic Fender Precision?

#21
Sigh.

I believe that this stems from the strange belief many folks have that they should expect - no, are ENTITLED to - an unrealistic price for a piece of legit gear.

If someone tried to sell me a "real" Fender USA P-bass for $200, I'd suspect it was a copy, a fake or a scam.

If you want a read Fender bass - buy a real Fender bass (whatever that means, which Fenders made everywhere anymore).
 
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#22
SanDiegoHarry said:
Sigh.

I believe that this stems from the strange belief many folks have that they should expect - no, are ENTITLED to - an unrealistic price for a piece of legit gear.

If someone tried to sell me a "real" Fender USA P-bass for $200, I'd suspect it was a copy, a fake or a scam.

If you want a read Fender bass - buy a real Fender bass (whatever that means, which Fenders made everywhere anymore).
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The problem is that you don't know. Even legit stores have been caught (I'll give them a break and assume they were being careless rather than crooked) with counterfeit axes - we all know about customs intercepting several million dollars of knockoffs last year. People here are more knowledgeable than 99% of the buyers out there, and even some of us get snookered. That's why I get upset when I hear the "what is the harm?" excuse.
 
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#23
buldog5151bass said:
The problem is that you don't know. Even legit stores have been caught (I'll give them a break and assume they were being careless rather than crooked) with counterfeit axes - we all know about customs intercepting several million dollars of knockoffs last year. People here are more knowledgeable than 99% of the buyers out there, and even some of us get snookered. That's why I get upset when I hear the "what is the harm?" excuse.
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Fair point.
 
#24
christpncher said:
this one even still has the "backed by Fender" on the back of the headstock. you got yourself a Squier Affinity (at least the neck). I find it more strange that 2 separate people have shown similar basses with the same story and similar logos this week or so
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I think it is actually a Squier Vintage Modified Precision Bass PJ. The neck in not right for it to be an Affinity (the Affinity does not have the insert at the truss rod) And the serial number has been removed from the back of the head stock. Pickups upgraded, bridge and knobs changed. Bad mojo putting the Fender logo on (especially with the Made in USA) what is basically a modded Squier VM

one of these
upload_2015-6-30_18-35-22.png


I would totally play it but I would have to do something about the fender logo.
 
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#27
It is always better to ask here first before you buy. I have been burned before. Only once. And before I knew about this site. Take pictures and post them here and somebody will tell. You. Actually many people will tell you. And yes, it must be frustrating for some of you to see the "is this real" threads but to me they are very useful. I now know what to look out for.
 
#30
Before I joined TB a few years ago, I got slammed for $2400 on the evil place for what someone said was a genuine '71 P, but was actually a parts/refin Fender P. Now that I have been following the posts and classifieds here on TB for a while, I would have instantly known it to be a fake due to the thumb rest being on the upper part of the body, which 71's did not have. Really, there is so much information available here and other places, that a lot of newbie mistakes can be avoided if you take some time to learn all you can before buying. But don't feel bad, you're not the only one that's happened to.
 
#32
NeckPickup said:
Before I joined TB a few years ago, I got slammed for $2400 on the evil place for what someone said was a genuine '71 P, but was actually a parts/refin Fender P. Now that I have been following the posts and classifieds here on TB for a while, I would have instantly known it to be a fake due to the thumb rest being on the upper part of the body, which 71's did not have. Really, there is so much information available here and other places, that a lot of newbie mistakes can be avoided if you take some time to learn all you can before buying. But don't feel bad, you're not the only one that's happened to.
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From what you say, there must have been more than a few reasons to disqualify your bass. However, a thumb rest above the E string does not necessarily disqualify a bass from being a 71. Many people have moved the thumb rests on these old basses to make them more comfortable to play.
 
#34
BassFishingInAmerica said:
From what you say, there must have been more than a few reasons to disqualify your bass. However, a thumb rest above the E string does not necessarily disqualify a bass from being a 71. Many people have moved the thumb rests on these old basses to make them more comfortable to play.
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The bass was supposedly all-original parts, but there were no holes in the pickguard for the rest to have ever been in the lower part of the body. But you're right, there were other things. Looking in the neck pocket, the finish was originally that root beer kind of brown and not 3TSB as refinished, and from this the vintage expert disqualified it. But oddly it had a '71 SN on the neck plate.
 
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#35
NeckPickup said:
The bass was supposedly all-original parts, but there were no holes in the pickguard for the rest to have ever been in the lower part of the body. But you're right, there were other things. Looking in the neck pocket, the finish was originally that root beer kind of brown and not 3TSB as refinished, and from this the vintage expert disqualified it. But oddly it had a '71 SN on the neck plate.
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Yeah, those neckplates can be changed out easily. So many things have to match up - pot codes, neckplate, pickup dates, neck date. The crazy thing is, they could have drilled a couple of thumb rest holes to make it look like a legit 71 (not that big of a difference in value between a 71 and 74 anyway). The biggest issue was the refin.
 
#37
BangGang said:
Good to know bassie12, i should be more careful since i'm a newbie. RIP wallet! Anyway it sounds and feels nice, that's something i guess.
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And as long as you didn't pay too much for it then you've got at a good bass.

PortlandBass77 said:
That is probably the coolest looking fake fender I have ever seen.....
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Exactly what I was thinking. It looks really good. Love the black bridge and i'd be getting some black machine heads for it too.
 
#39
+1 on buying a Squire VM or CV and modding the hell out of it, or buying a brand new legit Fender. The used market is a minefield unless you know what your doing, I sure as hell don't with Fenders. One advantage of fake Rics is they are so unique you can tell the difference at a glance.
 
#40
I have owned/collected old Fender basses since the late 70's. As you know, the "parts" are very interchangeable. This has always been an issue with Fenders. You really have to do your homework - Even seasoned "experts" can be stumped. I have seen a lot of vintage fakes. It doesn't help that even back at the time of manufacture Fender used "boxes" of parts so a bass could be made of components that varied greatly. On a positive note - I you bought a bass you enjoy and that fits your playing style etc...you win. Even if you paid $$$ over the value of the bass - amortize it over your playing years of the bass and it won't feel that bad. Good luck!
 

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