As an eBay Associate, TalkBass may earn a commission from qualifying purchases.
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
I would go new, someday it will be vintage. The new MIA's are outstanding. I had a post 07 and I think they really made some good changes. Not that pre 07 fenders are not good as any production bass can be a crap shoot. The MIA fenders seem to hold their value pretty well, as well as any bass can in today's market.
Sounds awesome bro!....BUT none of those models are available for lefties so totally useless post, you could have posted the weather report for Uzbekistan it would have been more useful.
Last edited:
Good thinking, go for it. It is the safest route.
In response to some of the previous posts: Yes G&L is really good to us lefties, they make great basses including a great PBass copy the LB100, the only issue is their resell value is horrendous so get a used one. FYI There is a cool lefty LB100 on sale on Sacramento Craigslist
Last edited:
Thanks!
I always hear how crappy 70's Fenders are but I got a 75 Fender P in a trade and it's average weight, plays like a dream and sound great. One of my friends has a '73 Fender P and it's the same way. I have a '68 Tele Bass that's really great too. NOT to say that they are all great, but the same people who will tell you that you need to try as many basses as possible before you buy will turn around and unilaterally say the vintage basses are worse than modern basses and not worth the prices they get. I'm sorry, but that's just a stupid statement. Some vintage basses are worse, some are better. Only the buyer can decide if the prices are worth it.
Cool. As I said above, you have limited options, but now it looks like you can get them in a nice shade of red. Get one. Set it up for your playing style. (Pay to have it done if you don't want to do it, but the tools are not expensive, and it's a good skill to learn.) Play it for a year. Take good care of it. You'll be able to sell it online for a good price if you want to move on.
It's only a good answer if you have not read the original post or have really bad reading comprehension skills. The OP is a LEFTY. In most of the US the TOTAL number of lefty basses on sale in stores within 100 miles at any given minute is in the single digits - and most of those are MIM Fender Jazz basses in black with a rosewood fingerboard. Try before you buy is NOT a viable strategy for a lefty without a private jet.
With that said, you should try as many as you can. When you meet a fellow lefty, ask to try his/her bass. Most likely you'll get a chance. We've all been there.
Oh, and if you DO have a private jet (or airline miles or like long drives) a trip to Southpaw Guitars in Houston is worth it. Plan to spend the day. Try lots of basses and guitars you never had a chance to play.
Last edited:
Since we started on non-Fender brands, I think that G&L is the only other company offering a lefty P in the $1500 range. On paper, they offer a wider range than Fender, but actually finding them may be hard. I agree that their final assembly QC is better than Fender's. After that, it's the small details of neck profile, type of finish on the body and neck, and how much the Fender logo on the headstock means to you.
Lakland doesn't make their Skyline series in lefty (AFAIK,) so you are talking about a $2-3K MIA bass. Once you are up there, there are lots of boutique makers who make lovely basses. I really can't comment on those since I'm only played upside-down rightys, and I never really feel like I know a bass playing it that way. (And if the neck profile isn't symmetric, you get a completely wrong idea of what they are like.)
Lakland doesn't make their Skyline series in lefty (AFAIK,) so you are talking about a $2-3K MIA bass. Once you are up there, there are lots of boutique makers who make lovely basses. I really can't comment on those since I'm only played upside-down rightys, and I never really feel like I know a bass playing it that way. (And if the neck profile isn't symmetric, you get a completely wrong idea of what they are like.)
Last edited:
Pre-CBS (until mid 1965) = Holy Grail, big bucks.
Late 60's: other than the CBS-era weirdness (binding, block inlays), still pretty good quality and feel. 1970-71 rosewood models belong in this category.
70's: my least favorite era of Fender. Chunky necks, heavy ash bodies (not light-weight swamp ash. Polyurethane on everything. Very inconsistent quality control.
Early 80's: still inconsistent quality, weird electronics.
Mid-1980's Made in Japan: better made than the USA models at the time. These are one of the best values around in vintage. These you can get for under $600, amazingly, while MIA weirdness from the same era goes for a lot more. Great players, but change the electronics and keep the original electronics safe.
If you spend $$ on vintage Fender, consider it an investment as long as you don't damage it. Even the sh!t ones from the 70's and 80's are increasing in value. In 10 years, we'll all be here saying, "whoa look at how much these 90's Fenders are going for, derp derp."
If you want to buy quality then get whatever good Fender clone like lakland, sadowsky, whatever, but it won't hold its value like a fender. It would be an expense rather than an investment. If you want value, find a good late-model Mexican and put your own pickups in it.
Late 60's: other than the CBS-era weirdness (binding, block inlays), still pretty good quality and feel. 1970-71 rosewood models belong in this category.
70's: my least favorite era of Fender. Chunky necks, heavy ash bodies (not light-weight swamp ash. Polyurethane on everything. Very inconsistent quality control.
Early 80's: still inconsistent quality, weird electronics.
Mid-1980's Made in Japan: better made than the USA models at the time. These are one of the best values around in vintage. These you can get for under $600, amazingly, while MIA weirdness from the same era goes for a lot more. Great players, but change the electronics and keep the original electronics safe.
If you spend $$ on vintage Fender, consider it an investment as long as you don't damage it. Even the sh!t ones from the 70's and 80's are increasing in value. In 10 years, we'll all be here saying, "whoa look at how much these 90's Fenders are going for, derp derp."
If you want to buy quality then get whatever good Fender clone like lakland, sadowsky, whatever, but it won't hold its value like a fender. It would be an expense rather than an investment. If you want value, find a good late-model Mexican and put your own pickups in it.
Weeeel, in fact, I'm taking a break from grading finals, and it's my job to point out bad reading comprehension skills. So, yes, I do it all the time. Still, you didn't pay for my opinion, so I shouldn't have offered it. Sorry. Still, IMO, your advice may be good for some people, but not for most lefties.
Well good. Don't be a dick, it's bad form. And note the original post said nothing about his being a lefty.
Ok - you don't know it yet but "it has begun" - you have a fine high quality instrument - but wonder .."what else is out there?" so you buy another bass & like it maybe love...then a year later you buy another one. (you don't sell the 1st two )it's called Bass Acquisition Syndrome & there is no cure - congratulations your a bass-player & the only thing that will help that is another bass. ....... by the way a precision bass is awesome.
Try to find a Fender/Squier JV era pbass. 85% chance youll end up with a truly great sounding affordable bass.
I would echo the posts suggesting G&L LB100. Not only can you get a Lefty, you can choose the specs. You can choose a vintage or modern radius neck, and select your nut width and neck finish.
As to 70's Fenders versus modern Fenders, they are entirely different instruments. They share a shape, pickup type and location, and a name. All other specs are different. This is why I suggest a G&L. You can have it meet your specs.
I would buy new. Old stuff sometimes needs work, and that is no fun.
As to 70's Fenders versus modern Fenders, they are entirely different instruments. They share a shape, pickup type and location, and a name. All other specs are different. This is why I suggest a G&L. You can have it meet your specs.
I would buy new. Old stuff sometimes needs work, and that is no fun.
Everybody is a tough guy when they are hiding behind their keyboard.
I love the look of a beaten up Precision always have,and would love to own a Precision made while Leo owned the company. But the American Standard Precision's that are made presently are phenomenal (my feelings not everyone's), everything from the tuners, reinforced neck & rolled edges, dual hi-mass bridge,and the Custom Shop pickups make this bass worth buying/owning. I haven't had to the chance to play a AVRI Precision but if it's as good as the American Standard, then that would be another vote for buying new 
.
.
Some background so you'll maybe take my 2 cents with a bag of salt - I'm a multi-instrumental "master of none" type musician. I'm a drummer and singer originally but I've always played bass. I have 7 basses in the studio but really wanted ONE primary to play and practice on the majority of the time (to get my bass chops up) I settled on a Fender P.
So it then became a question of whether to pull the trigger on a pre CBS Fender or go for something new.
After much consideration, and weighing my own experience with new and vintage instruments, I went for the custom shop '59 relic. From the moment I plugged it into my B15 I haven't stopped smiling. And I haven't wanted to put it down for two weeks.
I've played some 60s J basses but I can't give you much insight on vintage vs this relic. All I can tell you is that it sounds killer, plays like a dream, is LIGHT and looks pretty badass to me. What's more I don't bat an eyelash when I wack it into something. What's another scratch?
So it then became a question of whether to pull the trigger on a pre CBS Fender or go for something new.
After much consideration, and weighing my own experience with new and vintage instruments, I went for the custom shop '59 relic. From the moment I plugged it into my B15 I haven't stopped smiling. And I haven't wanted to put it down for two weeks.
I've played some 60s J basses but I can't give you much insight on vintage vs this relic. All I can tell you is that it sounds killer, plays like a dream, is LIGHT and looks pretty badass to me. What's more I don't bat an eyelash when I wack it into something. What's another scratch?
