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Craigslist fender. Opinions.

#62
jimmyjames77 said:
"Is a mess" in what way? Yeah she's not original and has been modded but what makes her so bad to you? I ask this in an educational way.
Jim.
Click to expand...

100% of the appeal of a bass like this is vintage collectability. Think about why you want it. Not because it's the holy grail of sound, but because you want something that old and cool. Mind you, there's nothing wrong with that.

But once a vintage bass has been touched by a router, it CRUSHES the value. It further lowers the value when he who did the routing did a bad job, as is the case here.

There's a lot wrong with this instrument - It's been routed, the electronics have been modified, and the added pickup seems to be incorrectly installed. The price the seller is asking on craigslist is high under the circumstances. That's why it's still for sale.

If you were to buy this, you'd tire of it after a while. Knowing it's been heavily modified, it won't satisfy your jones for a vintage Fender. And when you try to sell it, you'll end up breaking even or losing money. If you really want a vintage Fender, save your money and buy one without these problems. I guarantee you you'll be happier in the end.
 
#63
Kickup wasn't explained very well, and is a real concern with vintage fenders. Because the neck is bolted to the body, the string tension pulling on the neck can cause it to bend upwards after the body joint. Truss rod adjustment can usually correct for some of this, but over time some Fender necks form a definite bend at about the 15th fret that cannot be adjusted out. The fretboard may need to be planned to correct and this is very difficult on a laminated board.

If the kickup is either not present or not problematic than this bass could be an excellent player. The jazz pickup does look slightly out of line, but will probably not make much difference. The addition of the jazz bass pickup and the side jack lower the collectibility, but do not destroy it. Because these were such common mods in the seventies many consider them part of the mojo. Serious collectors will turn their noses at modded Fenders, but all the better for those who want to play them.
 
#65
jmorbita said:
This has been very educational. I've learned a lot with this thread!
I've done a search looking to learn more about PJ configuration and when it was first implemented on precision basses by fender, and had no luck... maybe someone knows the answer to this?
Click to expand...

The first Fender bass I know of with a factory P/J pickup configuration was the Precision Bass Plus that came out in the very late 80's.
 
#68
How wonderful to have access to so many opinions on an instrument, let me add mine to the mix.
This bass looks to be (a) a total and utter dog. or (b) something that has been turned into one.
Get a CIJ Fender, put on a badass bridge and spend the difference on beer!
 
#70
You explained that well. Thanks.
Jim.

smcd said:
100% of the appeal of a bass like this is vintage collectability. Think about why you want it. Not because it's the holy grail of sound, but because you want something that old and cool. Mind you, there's nothing wrong with that.

But once a vintage bass has been touched by a router, it CRUSHES the value. It further lowers the value when he who did the routing did a bad job, as is the case here.

There's a lot wrong with this instrument - It's been routed, the electronics have been modified, and the added pickup seems to be incorrectly installed. The price the seller is asking on craigslist is high under the circumstances. That's why it's still for sale.

If you were to buy this, you'd tire of it after a while. Knowing it's been heavily modified, it won't satisfy your jones for a vintage Fender. And when you try to sell it, you'll end up breaking even or losing money. If you really want a vintage Fender, save your money and buy one without these problems. I guarantee you you'll be happier in the end.
Click to expand...
 

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