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Fender Vintage really worth it?

#42
OP: If you're a player and just want a great playing vintage Fender, look for refins, added PU's (like a P/J), or ones missing/replaced original parts (tuners, bridge, etc)

My checklist for buying a vintage Fender goes:

PU's
Neck
Body

If those are original, it's a good player, and I have the dough, I'll scoop that bass up.
I've snagged a 62 P and 75 P for unreal prices, and they're both killer players. Sellers didn't do their research and I got a steal.
Just make sure you do your research and know whats original and what's not before you start your search...

A lot of guys around here will tell you to get a new MIA Fender, or maybe a Reissue - totally great basses, will do everything a vintage one will...But IMO/IME, you will ALWAYS have that want for a real vintage tugging at your heart until you actually get one. The others are just temporary GAS fillers...the vintage bug seems to always catch up and bite at you until you get your own.

:)
 
#43
Jonyak said:
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.
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I'm sure that's true for many players, yes - I even hankered after (and bought) a (unfortunately, crap :p) '70s P Bass myself once, just because I grew up wanting one ;).

I would like to point out though, that used prices are pretty non-linear across the Fender decades and that a bass made in 1965 and sold in 1995 would still have fetched far more money than a bass made 10 years later and sold 10 years later (i.e. a 1975 bass sold in 2005).

My original point, which I stand by, is that I don't honestly see todays Fenders ever being worth (proportionately) the same kind of values that the '60s Fenders have reached (and will reach in the future), or ever being held in such high esteem, for all of the reasons stated in my last post :hmm:.

Let's come back here in 25 years and compare notes :D.
 
#44
kimb76 said:
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!
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Just curious but are there a fair number of old Fenders floating around Denmark or did you have to go further afield, for example Ebay?
 
#46
Like them or not, 60s and 70s Fenders sound different than new ones (I really like them, btw). Regarding prices for old gear, they are only partially related to sound/playability; just as much (perhaps more) they are related to collectiblility! For the same reason people will pay big bucks for certain old comic books, baseball cards, and civil war relics, they too will pay big bucks for vintage instruments. So when I hear someone say that a 70s Fender, for example, is not worth it because the new ones are made the same/better, whatever; I know that guy either doesn't get it, or just wants to take the opportunity to criticize what others are playing. I would say that anyone interested in a 70s Fender should grab one while they are still affordable, and you can nearly have your pick for little more than the price of a new one!
 
#48
Fender32 said:
I'm sure that's true for many players, yes - I even hankered after (and bought) a (unfortunately, crap :p) '70s P Bass myself once, just because I grew up wanting one ;).

I would like to point out though, that used prices are pretty non-linear across the Fender decades and that a bass made in 1965 and sold in 1995 would still have fetched far more money than a bass made 10 years later and sold 10 years later (i.e. a 1975 bass sold in 2005).

My original point, which I stand by, is that I don't honestly see todays Fenders ever being worth (proportionately) the same kind of values that the '60s Fenders have reached (and will reach in the future), or ever being held in such high esteem, for all of the reasons stated in my last post :hmm:.

Let's come back here in 25 years and compare notes :D.
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Unless someone discovers a boxcar full of new old Fenders on a railroad siding somewhere, the chances of many more old ones showing up is getting slimmer every day.

That in itself drives the costs up - not necessarily the value - just the collectability values.

Some die in fires, train wrecks and bar fights and others disappear into glass cases in private collections by someone who never will nor ever did touch a bass before and certainly won't now either. This I find as very sad - really.

On the other paw, if you buy a current Fender, it may not increase in value unless it's one of thirteen made during an earthquake and by a one-armed luthier with blue eyes -- or something like that.

As they too get older and more scarce, then I guess it's inevitable that they will go up in value - but remember that the value of anything is just the price someone will pay for it - no more.

Again - it's all ego and perceptions of value for museum pieces that runs the prices up until a player can't find a decent playable survivor any more.

Me - I don't want to buy another used bass or amp or anything used for that matter. I can be and am happy with the newest older-styled reissues, MiMs or VMs or CVs that I currently play.

I won't be standing in line in front of anyone who wants to buy an older Fender - although I thoroughly enjoy seeing and watching others pay- and line up- for them.

Not my style.
 
#49
Logically, there are at least two reasons why today's basses will never increase their value in the same degree as the pre-CBS basses have done today. First, the pre-CBS basses were THE first ones ever, and secondly, there are a lot fewer of them around. So, based on simple supply/demand theory, a MIA 2008 J or P will not have the same value in 50 years from now compared to the (insane) value a pre-CBS has today (I am not taking the general price development into consideration here), simply because so many were made and much more will survive for the next 50 years.

Also, back in the 50's and 60's people had no chance of knowing that Fender instruments would gain so much value - particulary if they remained unmodified. Today, many players know that if the swap the pickups or get a refinish, it may well decrease the resale value. At least, most people know that they should hang on to any original parts being replaced with new ones...
 
#50
Vintage Fenders might be worth it. Or they might not be. Depends on you. I say if they were cheaper yes but they aren't so... no. There are too many great basses for a reasonable price these days. If I were a collector I might disagree with myself but I just want a good instrument to make music with. Mojo is snake oil.
 
#52
Bass Viking said:
Do they really sound that different from say a 60s or 70s reissue? What is it about them that is so special that a new one can't mimic with a change of amp settings or strings? I believe that no two basses sound exactly alike anyway.
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Sound is so subjective it's hard to really describe. I don't believe the new ones sound like the old ones -- whether they are better or not is a matter of opinion.
 
#53
king_biscuit said:
Sound is so subjective it's hard to really describe. I don't believe the new ones sound like the old ones -- whether they are better or not is a matter of opinion.
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Is this difference something you could pick out on a recording? Or are there psychological factors at play here? In other words, does knowing it's a vintage Fender alter your perception of the sound?
 
#54
Bass Viking said:
Do they really sound that different from say a 60s or 70s reissue? What is it about them that is so special that a new one can't mimic with a change of amp settings or strings? I believe that no two basses sound exactly alike anyway.
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The one thing that makes a true 60's or 70's special is just that...its the real deal. A re-issue might sound as good but its not the real deal..its just that a reissue of a bass for that period. To some this is important to others not.
 
#55
Also the term "vintage bass" means different things to different people. To me, it's the pre CBS fenders that are vintage and they sure sound and feel very different from a late 60s or a 70s Fender to me. But I guess it's all a matter of taste and a never ending discussion that seems to be very popular.
 
#56
bassbully said:
The one thing that makes a true 60's or 70's special is just that...its the real deal. A re-issue might sound as good but its not the real deal..its just that a reissue of a bass for that period. To some this is important to others not.
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I understand that, I just think that if you're chasing a certain sound you don't necessarily have to buy an older model to get it.
 
#58
An "all original" pre CBS jazz bass doesn't worth $35.000 for a player, I'm sure! I have a 74' jazz, it sounds and feel much better than any reissue I tired. It sounds as good as a Sadowsky or Suhr bass, but since my bass is refinished, original pickups and pots are missed. I got it for half the price than a Sadowsky. It really worth it.
 
#59
Having owned over 100 Fender bass guitars in the last 50 years I can say without reservation that being Vintage usually affects the value/price not the tone or playability. I love old stuff, I admire it for what it is. I love it's history and the stories that may come with it. But the Fenders being produced today are as good or better than anything made in the 50's, 60's or 70's. That's my story and I'm stickin' to it.
Rocky
 

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