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Fender Vintage really worth it?

#21
Fender32 said:
It's not just a question of age though, is it :hmm:? "Vintage" is not a word intended to reflect only the age of something, but rather to indicate that something came from a special period of high quality/desirability :).

Modern 'standard' series Fenders use different materials and construction techniques, as well as different hardware, to the older basses. As a result, they sound and feel different. Some players feel that difference and decide that they prefer the older models - some don't. This partly explains why re-issue models are so popular - people don't want them because they are old (they're not), they want them because of the different tone and feel (and possibly, the look). The point is, there are a large number of Fender fans out there who regard "the vintage years" to be around the late '50s to mid '60s.

Will a 2005 (for the sake of argument) American Series P Bass be exciting the masses in the year 2055? I somehow doubt it, but I could be wrong :hmm:. Apart from anything else, there are far more of them made now than in the early days of Fender and they will last a lot better than the nitro-covered '60s basses, too, making them far less rare.

Besides, there are many more playable, excellent and exciting basses from today for a 'vintage' collector of the future to choose from :). When Fender were making their (classic) pre-CBS basses, there wasn't much else around to get excited about (Rics, maybe :confused:).

My point is; vintage Fenders ('50s/'60s) today are seen as 'something special' - when today's Fenders become old, they will probably just be seen as ... old :(.

Just my $0.02
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I disagree. I remember in the 90's you used to be able to get 70's basses, all over the place, and for cheap. I also remember them being considered mostly crap.

now everyone wants them. and you are even seeing it creep into early 80's basses now.

IMO, vintage used to mean something, but is more and more becoming about the age and not the quality.
 
#25
In a word: Yes! I played boutique for many years without ever considering vitage stuff. Then, two years ago decided to buy an early 70's Fender Jazz to try it out. I figured that if I didn't like it, I could always keep it for a year or two and sell it again without loosing any money - and then I would have gotten the whole vintage thing out of my system.

Well, I got it on ebay, and when it arrived, I plugged it in and was completely blown away! Best bass I have ever tried! I'll never sell it.

Then, I tried the same with a late 70's Precision. Same thing! Wow.

OTOH, I started buying more 70's basses, and I may just have been very lucky with the two first ones as many of them were far from blowing me away... But I have been able to sell most of them off without losses. In fact, I have been through 7 different Precisions before I found 'the one' - a 79 sunburt/rosewood with an A-neck and considersbly lighter than most any other late 70 P I have tried (not that I care that much about weight, though).

I never thought I would be a vintage kinda bass player, and for one reason, I still use quite a few modern basses - I often prefer 5 strings, and that, unfortunately, is the one thing a true vintage bass can't accomodate... But that doesn't change the fact that I have become a huge vintage fan and that I consider my vintage basses the best ones I have (despite the modern ones being Alleva Coppolo, Sadowsky, Celinder, etc.).

I know that the 70's in particular wasn't Fender's finest hour, and that many basses and guitars were returned due to poor quality, but they did indeed make some great ones in the CBS era, too. Unfortunately, I have never owned any pre-CBS basses, and though I would love to get some, they are just way too expensive...
 
#28
Maybe the vintage arena isn't so much the playability of the older gear, just the uniqueness of something that old that's still in existence.

If it's an attorney or dentist who collects these older basses and keeps them in a personal museum or as a hedge against inflation and for their retirement, then that will certainly skew the availability of them for the player who really only just wants to play these venerated guitars.

So - I suggest that these older basses - if they were not so good in the olden days, are still not so good, especially when compared to the evolution of the bass as we know it today.

Reality check::: When you were younger there were killer snow storms and hotter/colder seasons and summer vacation lasted for years, not just a few weeks - when in reality the seasons are still pretty much the same and the snow's are still as deep - but you are taller now and less wowed by it all as a (shorter) child.

Memory is fickle and we all forget to recalibrate our recollections and remember that those so-revered basses are still not up to what we would buy then - so why now?

Candy was 2-cents, Cokes were a nickle and you got the 2-cent deposit back when you returned the bottle, gasoline was 11.9 cents/gallon and bread was 2 loaves/10-cents.

Fender basses were pretty much the only game in town then and even then they weren't perfect and certainly not steeped in this tunnel vision tradition as they are now.

Innovative for their time? Yes - but the best thing since sliced bread? Maybe not.

FWIW: I love my Fenders - wouldn't be without them - but these now are modern, evolved basses built in the old tradition.

My brother-in-law has a beautiful painting of a huge sailing ship, moored to a pier and the sunrise is coming through all the rigging.

It's beautiful and surely a testimony to the innovation and design of the humans who built and sailed it.

But - underneath the picture is a statement that says: "This is not the purpose for which a ship lives".

Form is one thing ::: purpose is something else.
 
#29
kimb76 said:
In a word: Yes! I played boutique for many years without ever considering vitage stuff. Then, two years ago decided to buy an early 70's Fender Jazz to try it out. I figured that if I didn't like it, I could always keep it for a year or two and sell it again without loosing any money - and then I would have gotten the whole vintage thing out of my system.

Well, I got it on ebay, and when it arrived, I plugged it in and was completely blown away! Best bass I have ever tried! I'll never sell it.

Then, I tried the same with a late 70's Precision. Same thing! Wow.

OTOH, I started buying more 70's basses, and I may just have been very lucky with the two first ones as many of them were far from blowing me away... But I have been able to sell most of them off without losses. In fact, I have been through 7 different Precisions before I found 'the one' - a 79 sunburt/rosewood with an A-neck and considersbly lighter than most any other late 70 P I have tried (not that I care that much about weight, though).

I never thought I would be a vintage kinda bass player, and for one reason, I still use quite a few modern basses - I often prefer 5 strings, and that, unfortunately, is the one thing a true vintage bass can't accomodate... But that doesn't change the fact that I have become a huge vintage fan and that I consider my vintage basses the best ones I have (despite the modern ones being Alleva Coppolo, Sadowsky, Celinder, etc.).

I know that the 70's in particular wasn't Fender's finest hour, and that many basses and guitars were returned due to poor quality, but they did indeed make some great ones in the CBS era, too. Unfortunately, I have never owned any pre-CBS basses, and though I would love to get some, they are just way too expensive...
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It's interesting to hear one's view on the lowly 70's fender's basses that has several modern boutique basses. I to like to chase and find good 70's Fender basses (P basses for me) and feel there are great ones out there. I notice allot of professional players list 70's Fenders as main players. As in any bass its a personal call and if it works and sings for you...its good...fender...whatever. What gets me is the people who lump all Fenders or 70's fenders as junk. Being misinformed and assuming is foolish. You need to play each one and then decide for yourself.
 
#30
IMO it is stupid to play out with a pre-CBS Fender. They're collectors items and should be considered an investment used for home jamming and recording.

Anyway to the OP - Get one from the American Vintage series. They're incredible instruments and offer you all of the benefits of a pre-CBS without the worry. They're even finished in nitro so it will wear very nicely unlike poly basses which are essentially wrapped in a protective shell and will never wear the way most people would like.
 
#31
im not really a fender guy, but the prices on vintage fenders are downright stupid IMO. but someone is clearly willing to buy them so it is what it is. 3k-5K for basses from the early 70s that are never in great shape. even elaborate tube heads dont cost nearly that much. and its not supply/demand either, theres billions of them.

when 70s SVTs can be had for 1/3 of the price, something aint right.
 
#35
bassbully said:
It's interesting to hear one's view on the lowly 70's fender's basses that has several modern boutique basses. I to like to chase and find good 70's Fender basses (P basses for me) and feel there are great ones out there. I notice allot of professional players list 70's Fenders as main players. As in any bass its a personal call and if it works and sings for you...its good...fender...whatever. What gets me is the people who lump all Fenders or 70's fenders as junk. Being misinformed and assuming is foolish. You need to play each one and then decide for yourself.
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Yep! There are indeed some true gems out there that were made in the 70's. As I said, my J72 (faded oly white, alder/maple, black blocks and binding, 70's spacing, 4-bolt 3xxxxx serial) beats up any Sadowsky, Alleva Coppolo or Celinder any day (at least that has been my experience so far).

Unfortunately, I need some of those modern, boutique beasts to get a decent B-string. However, I have owned quite a few Fender Jazz basses and that particular J is the only one I can say that about. Any other Fender J I have owned have lost the head to head battle with the boutique models. Maybe I was just incredibly lucky with that J of mine, which seems to fit my needs perfectly (minus the B)!

To find the perfect P, I had to go through 7 or 8 70's basses... So, if you want that super vintage bass (without breaking the bank to get a pre-CBS), don't give up! Get out there and try some out. You may get lucky - eventually! Cheers!
 
#36
Each one is different. I cannot generalize.

In 1975-76 I played almost 100 P basses before I chose the 1972 fretless P I have.

In 2003-04 I may have tried more. I settled on a 1998 or 1999 American Series. It is a bit different. Just as good. Both are very appealing.
Try basses and decide for yourself.
 
#40
Most 70s Fender basses can be had for $1200-$2000
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If that's the case, then they have most likely depreciated or barely broke even in today's dollar value.

1970 $350 = 2010 $2,000.

New !970 Jazz Basses were about $375 (1970 dollars).

Not that good of an investment over 40 years.
 

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