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Help an old bassist?

J

Joe Seb Fraser

Apr 19, 2006
5
0
#1
It's thirty seven years since I last played a bass. After my recent heart attack, (aged 60), I decided, What the hell and went out to buy a new instrument It feels good to be playing again after thirty plus years BUT.......In my day there were Fender Guitars made in the USA....today? Mexico Japan etc not to mention a huge variety of copies. All very confusing to an old man like me.

On way to a very expensive music shop I stopped at a second hand shop and found in a corner there a Fender fretless Jazz bass. When I was 16 I would have sold my soul for one of these and so I happily paid £150 for the beast. I love it!

The thing is, it's Mexican. Now I dont mind that, it plays beautifully but I am curious. So please, can someone more current in these matters, (ie just about every one else out there), tell me. Did I pay a fair price? Did I get a bargain? Was I ripped off? I just want to know.

Also in my day the Jazz bass was not often seen and I don't remember ever seeing a fretless one. Is my bass unusual today or as common as pebbles on a beach? And while you are thinking about it the serial number is MZL 112581. Can anyone give me an idea on how old it is?

Finaly......I now live in Moscow. Any Russian or expats out there want to get in touch and meet up?
 
#2
I don't know about the price, I have no idea what those go for in the UK, but it's not to far off the price here so I don't think you were ripped off. It's not unusual at all, fretless jazz basses are everywhere these days, they are pretty sweet basses. Those mexican fender's are fine instruments for the price.
 
#5
I'll be 60 in 3 weeks and am having a great time playing.....I just don't feel as old as I am and I hope you don't either. I have a particular affinity for USA-made basses, so that's all I buy, and can't offer any insight in to the foreign instruments, but I definately want to encourage you to pursue your renewed interest in playing - you go guy!!
 
#9
Joe Seb Fraser said:
It's thirty seven years since I last played a bass. After my recent heart attack, (aged 60), I decided, What the hell and went out to buy a new instrument It feels good to be playing again after thirty plus years BUT.......In my day there were Fender Guitars made in the USA....today? Mexico Japan etc not to mention a huge variety of copies. All very confusing to an old man like me.

On way to a very expensive music shop I stopped at a second hand shop and found in a corner there a Fender fretless Jazz bass. When I was 16 I would have sold my soul for one of these and so I happily paid £150 for the beast. I love it!

The thing is, it's Mexican. Now I dont mind that, it plays beautifully but I am curious. So please, can someone more current in these matters, (ie just about every one else out there), tell me. Did I pay a fair price? Did I get a bargain? Was I ripped off? I just want to know.

Also in my day the Jazz bass was not often seen and I don't remember ever seeing a fretless one. Is my bass unusual today or as common as pebbles on a beach? And while you are thinking about it the serial number is MZL 112581. Can anyone give me an idea on how old it is?

Finaly......I now live in Moscow. Any Russian or expats out there want to get in touch and meet up?
Click to expand...
glad you made it through the heart attack. you're not old man, it's a state of mind. peace, jeff
 
#13
i'm not sure how much relevance this has to your question, but i know that MIM (mexican) Fenders are the lowest quality of all Fenders, then the CIJ (japanese) are the 2nd highest, and the MIA (american) Fenders ar the top. now don't get me wrong, MIMs are great. i happen to own a MIM j bass with SD pups and it's awesome. the stock pups IMO have a nice sound to them (very trebly), but if you uprade the pups, you can even get it to sound like an MIA with the right setup.

oh yeah, welcome back:p
 
#14
Thanks to you all. It's good to be back. Now if I can only find a "mature" (or young guitarist ready to be poluted by my "old ideas") here in Moscow life would be complete.

By the way. Do you guys out there know that for any sort of live music Moscow is the place? I've been here for over a year now can recomend it.
 
#16
60 ain't nothing man! As long as your gray matter works and you can still move your fingers it doesn't matter. Besides, playing is good for the heart and the soul!

I don't think MIM Fenders are considered the lowest version. I've seen Korean ones that aren't as nice a build as the MIM's and the first guitar I ever bought my son was an Indian Strat. It was a complete load of crap that weighed a ton.

There are no flies on MIM Fenders. I've owned 2 of them and they were great plaing/sounding basses after a little tweaking. I think the build quality is very good.

The problem with Fenders is you have to try several of them that meet your approval. That doesn't just include MIM's - I've played some Custom Shop instruments that don't play as well as some MIM's I've tried.
 
#17
Unfortunately, this seems to be true for ALL basses.

On the subject of age: we're playing this morning at the local treatment center, and the guitarist/singer (he's a kid, still in his 50's) said "I guess we ought not to do Neil Young's Old Man...."
 
#18
Welcome back to bass world, bro! I learned something about musicians and age seeing John Zorn (well, not a bass player but a great musician and, to me, a sharp composer) playing. You have this almost 53 years old guy with a wild light in his eyes and a big smile in his face playing a music that always makes some hardcore teenager in the audience turning pale ...

P.S. MIMs are good for the $$!
 
#19
Joe Seb Fraser said:
Thanks to you all. It's good to be back. Now if I can only find a "mature" (or young guitarist ready to be poluted by my "old ideas") here in Moscow life would be complete...
Click to expand...

Hey Joe Seb - welcome back to the low end! I took 25 years off playing before getting back into it almost 5 years ago. I'm now over 50, and still having a ball.

And by the way, even most of the guitarists in my age bracket aren't mature - they always want to play too loud!! :D
 

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