The resale value of a new bass will almost certainly depreciate while the old bass should hold or improve its resale value. As far as sound goes...well that's subjective.
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Do older basses sound significantly better?
- Thread starter Peter - Oregon
- Start date
In order, here are the things that affect a solid body instrument's tone:
1. The player
2. The pickups
3. The preamp (if active)
4. The strings (might be one or two slots higher)
5. The fingerboard
6. The amplifier
7. The cabinet
8. What the other members of the band are doing sonically, and if you are left with appropriate frequencies
9. The sonic character of the room you are playing in
10. The wood of the body of your bass
1. The player
2. The pickups
3. The preamp (if active)
4. The strings (might be one or two slots higher)
5. The fingerboard
6. The amplifier
7. The cabinet
8. What the other members of the band are doing sonically, and if you are left with appropriate frequencies
9. The sonic character of the room you are playing in
10. The wood of the body of your bass
There's a thought around that with old woodworking hand tools. Examples that look like they were used once and put back in the box are often duds with crappy metals, machining mistakes, warps...
I would imagine many closet queen instruments could be poor players, or have sat unmaintained for a long time and suffer from things like stuck truss rods or twisted necks.
Some might sound better when you listen with your eyes only. If it looks good, it will sound good to you. Some newer basses will sound better than the older ones, and vice versa if you listen with your ears.
I dunno - I bought a new 2008 Fender in 2008 for CAD$1049, and a used 2014 in 2018 for $1049, which sold new for $1499, and I bought a used 2016 in 2017 for $899 that I sold in 2019 for $1300. American Fenders seem to hold their value over time. I could sell that 2014 now for somewhere around CAD $1500, which is about a 50% return over 5 years, not taking into account inflation - however you look at it, it’s not depreciation.
in my direct experience, no. I owned a 59 precision for many many years, and at the same time towards the end of my 50 yrs of ownership of it, I also had a fender MIM Vintage model (don’t remember exactly which model) that I set up the same (62 pickup, same strings) that I used for bar gigs. The new one felt just slightly different due to the non-vintage frets but they sounded alike.
People will use all kinds of confirmation bias to justify overpaying for vintage instruments.
Smooth_bass88
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- Oct 31, 2006
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my 62-year-old Fender sounds absolutely incredible. Is it because it is old? Maybe. In all honesty my 17-year-old US Lakland probably sounds better.
Not only do they not sound "significantly" better. They don't sound better at all. There's no sonic magic to an older bass, in spite of whatever esthetic and nostalgic/emotional mojo it might hold for some. If that inspires an individual to play better, that's great, but the same can be said of any other visual aspect of an instrument.
My guitar technician is able to build a '62 precision bass that sounds exactly the same as an old original Fender with brand new parts so according to me, no.
FYI, he built two of them and he owns an original '62 Fender p bass so we have been able to compare side by side.
That said though, I personally LOVE the look of vintage instruments !
FYI, he built two of them and he owns an original '62 Fender p bass so we have been able to compare side by side.
That said though, I personally LOVE the look of vintage instruments !
What you state is true and the market lately has been strange if not weird. Basses and guitar prices have increased significantly over the past few years. Likely due to inflation and increased demand during COVID. However, these price increases on new basses trickles down to the used bass market resulting in an increase on those prices as well. But vintage or classic basses and guitars tend to hold their value over the long haul.
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I've played a couple high-dollar vintage Fenders and didn't notice any particular difference. I'd say the odds of getting a good playing and sounding bass is better now then at any time in the past, they are much more consistent bass to bass. I get a kick out of seing 70's Fenders that were considered sub-par at the time now fetching high prices as "vintage". Time + Hype = $$$$ There's lots of aesthetic and sentimental reasons to want an older bass, but some kind of magical Tone Sauce isn't one of them.
I recall in an interview Ken Smith's saying that he couldn't build a new bass that would sound as good as one of his from 20 years ago. He was referring to exactly this question. Word is he knows a thing or two about basses.
A bass has either got it or it doesn’t. It’s not that deep.
A bass that starts off marginal doesn’t improve over time.
A bass that starts off marginal doesn’t improve over time.
If you listen with your eyes and heart, and you have a soft spot for antiques, yeah.
If you listen only with your ears, no.
If you listen only with your ears, no.
