Fender P, new or vintage?

[pedroims]

Fender Classic, Road Worn, American Standard, AVRI , all they are good. I am sure Pino's and custom shop are great instruments too, all depends on how much you want to spend.

I am a salaried employee so I cant justify to spend thousands dollars in an old bass just because the collectors say how much an old instrument worth so for me is all about buying new instruments.

 

[Bob Rogers]

You actually have two separate questions that you are asking: vintage vs. used vs. new and lefty purchase strategy.

My definition of vintage is something that is relatively rare and highly sought after. For P-basses, that means pre-CBS. If you know of a pre-CBS lefty P on the market, I'd love to hear about it. Be prepared to empty your kids' college funds.

Anything after CBS is just a used bass and ought to be priced like it. The market for lefties is thin, so people can get very unrealistic ideas about what their basses are worth. Pay attention to the market for righties. If you can find a good player at a good price, go for it. One problem with Fender is that for the last 30 years or so, lefties are pretty much limited to black or sunburst basses with a rosewood neck. There may have been a few "specials" out there, but not many.

For an assembly line bass like a Fender, the modern era has been good in terms of constructing the wooden parts. CNC machines have vastly improved the tolerances. Wood may be another issue (lot of debate on that.) But maple, alder, and ash aren't exotic, and I think the quality of wood in the modern top of the line basses is as good as any other era. All of the metal parts on modern basses seem up to standard. The pots and jacks are high quality. If you want another cap, you can swap it out for a couple of bucks. Pickups are a matter of taste. Fender makes a couple I like, but there are dozens of competitors to choose from. Finally, the Fender American Design Experience offers far more choices than lefties have ever had from Fender. One final word. Quality of final assembly is a crapshoot, but it always has been. Any idiot with a screwdriver and a soldering gun can put together a P-bass, and Fender has hired a lot of idiots over the years. Some of them learn to take pride in their work, but...

So this brings me to the lefty purchase strategy. Don't know if this will work for you, but it did for me. (1) Learn to do your own set ups and learn to completely disassemble and reassemble a P-bass. Like you, I can't try before I buy, so I don't expect that anything UPS delivers is going to meet my standards for fit and finish. I assume I'm going to have to adjust things. I've bought multiple used basses, swapped necks, repainted bodies, changed electronics. Even with a new bass, I count on doing a setup as soon as it's settled in. (2) Learn to buy and sell. I use eBay. I've never taken a real bath on a bass or guitar. I've usually lost a little, but less than I would have paid to rent the instrument for a year to really get to know it. Sometimes I've made a profit. You have to be patient, You have to write good, informative, honest ads. You have to treat the customer right. Yeah, it's not as easy as walking into a great store and seeing hundreds of basses for you to choose from, but it works.

 

[birminghambass]

After trying, buying, and owning many vintage instruments my opinion is that old is just old. Buy new or recent used.

 

[gjohnson441496]

I would suggest playing the basses to find out what you like. It'll really be helpful if the store/s you are testing them in have a rig like the one you play through, too.
As far as new vs used... same thing. The only difference being whether you can live with a previously owned bass or would you feel better being the sole owner.

 

[twinjet]

I played a great 1974 P bass in natural/maple.

From what I gather, vintage basses may have issues that new ones may not have. Bobby Vega, in a video about his 70s P bass, stated that the pickup poles below the A string had to be raised because the string didn't sound as loud compared to the others. I've never encountered anything like this in newer Fenders. This is not to say they don't sound spectacular! In fact, that 1974 P bass was the first Fender I ever played and it gave me the bug...

Here's the video, by the way. Way cool stories about how the man scored his basses.

 

[BadBobbyH]

Oh man I want to do the American design experience so hard!!!! I'm thinking about parting with my 82 p special...

 

[TripleDouble]

My vote is for used MIJ Fender or MIJ Squier. You can get a very sweet P for $600 or less, that in my opinion feels as good as anything. I find the feel and build details are similar to the 70's fenders I've owned, but without the weight and problems these sometimes have nowadays.

I bought a 77P bass in 1994 for $500, because I couldn't afford a current MIA. It was only ok, it looked cool and beat up, but didn't sounds great or be able to be setup particularly well, sold it a while back and bought a MIJ Squier that is really, truly a better bass in every way. Had a 76 Jazz that rocked, sold it for first, last and security on a new apartment in lean times...the current MIA stuff is really nice too, solid all around.

 

[sxaxsx]

wondering am I really going to notice a huge difference with a vintage Fender P Base or will a new one give me the same quality.

Alright, i'll post it again.
Most people can't tell a huge difference between these different basses, most people agree that the differences in sound they have could be eliminated with a small amount of EQ. So I say get whatever one feels the nicest in your hands.

 

[Mike Wilson]

When I was looking for my P bass, my instructor gave me some advice about vintage vs. "new". He said that anything after 1980-ish (sic?) is all pretty much in the same class. Vintage would be prior to that, then. He has a 1964 and 1969 P bass, MIA, and he says that they're really not worth it now. He keeps them mostly for sentimental reasons, I think. Maybe even as an investment, I don't know. He says is favorites are a 2000 and a 2003 that are pretty similar (different colors, though) and much better than the two from the 60s. He definitely feels vintage simply means worn, maybe even worn out. I ended up getting a 95 and he feels that was a good choice. As far as the lefty thing, I don't know. I'm a lefty in most things but not playing bass so I can't comment on that. Sorry.

 

[Nedmundo]

You CAN return them if not satisfied.

That's cool, and good to know. I'm surprised they do that, but I suppose they could just re-use the parts if they can't re-sell the complete instrument.

 

[buldog5151bass]

"Vintage" is an overused word. Back in the late 70s and 80s, anything post CBS was considered junk. Today that era is "vintage", and people are paying a premium. If you are looking for a gigging bass, anything from that era is a crapshoot at best. What's your budget?

With newer Fenders, the higher up in class you go, the less chance that you will get a dog.

 

[franvarin]

Assuming you're buying the instrument for the purpose of making music, not an investment, it's my opinion that the one and only benefit of a vintage Fender is nostalgia. Other than that, a new Fender is superior in every way.

I know, there will be others who disagree with what I'm about to say but, here goes anyway. If you're talking about a bass that you intend to be a workhorse then I would not overlook a MIM as well. For the money the differences are really minutia especially if you decide to swap out the pickups and such. Granted the American Made units have a higher attention to the finer detail and I get that. But, like I said it's hard to argue over the quality of the MIMs nowdays. The one in my avatar is an '05 MIM and I absolutely love it.

 

[REV]

Fenders are so hit or miss, as others have said, you need to play as many as you can and find the one that speaks to you. You probably have a certain tone in your head and you are the only one who will know when that tone has been achieved. Some P basses are bright and grindy other are dull and clunky. You are the only one who knows what is right for you. Good Luck in your search.

 

[mpdd]

really wanted a 63 avri or a 60th anniversary edition after trying a lot of fenders at 3 different places, however a 90s g&l lb100 fell into my lap and i saved a ton of cash that way

 

[mattj1stc]

If you are interested in a gently used one, an AVRI 57, you can consider buying mine

For Sale - Fender AVRI 57 Precision – 2 Tone Burst

 

[Planespotter]

The current American Standards are some of the best instruments Fender has made, not to mention excellent bang for the buck.

 

[Krebsy]

If you can order a new one from a seller with a good return policy, why not? Try it, and find out whether it works, and if it doesn't, send it back. The current American Standards are generally excellent, and I wouldn't be afraid to order one without playing it first. (In fact, I have, with a 2008 Jazz V. It was great.)

The ADE is a good idea, but you probably can't return it. Ditto for a custom ordered G&L LB-100, which would by my choice, and has loads of options for finish, neck, fretwire, etc. I'm fairly sure it's available lefty, as most G&L's are. IMO they are a step up from American Standard Fenders, and you could probably order one with a few upgrades for less than the price of an ADE Fender. (I recently bought a G&L Comanche guitar with upgraded body wood and painted headstock for LESS than the typical street price of a new American Standard Strat, and the quality is off the charts. Incredible deal.)

I second that notion. Look into a G&L LB-100 you won't be disappointed

 

[Crackle]

I have really been digging my 1974 Fender Precision bass lately. Its original pickup is weak but the instrument is very playable, well balanced and weighs less than 9 pounds. One real bonus of vintage instruments is that they may not react to changes in the weather. Of my 17 basses, only the 1974 P and 1980 P never need a neck adjustment -- through summer and winter, low humidity and high humidity. My Lulls, Spector, Musicmans, and everything else need frequent adjustments.

 

[nerkoids]

Unfortunately that is easier said than done. I am a left-handed player and there are few and far between available to play in stores. I would end up having to order a new one in to try and as far as a vintage I found plenty of places to find used ones but again I would still have to order it.

Since you're left handed, then a MiA Fender is your best bet. (They don't make any MiMs or Squiers currently) For used, then a MiJ (Japanese) will be fine as well.

I built my own from a kit with some upgraded components.

 

[4andnomore]

New.