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Help value a custom bass!

M

Malefucius

Aug 8, 2010
19
0
#1
Here's the deal, there's a guy selling this custom bass in my area and i'm clueless regarding the value of 2nd hand custom basses, hence the thread.

The "Fender Licensed" Jazz bass is made up of:
Fender Licensed USA Allparts solid alder body
Mighty-Mite maple on maple neck
New Gotoh Fender drop-in replacement bridge
Bartolini jazz set pickups
Orange drop cap added with 250k CTS pots (V/V/T)
Fender 3-ply B/W/B pickguard

It was assembled around 2005-ish and condition is acceptable.
You can see pictures here
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and here
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How much do you think such a bass would be worth?
Thanks alot!:)
 
#3
Welcome to talkbass........................ That's not a custom bass.... it's just a parts bass.
If you are looking for a Jazz bass, or something similar to a jazz, then look into a squier by fender. Maybe something like this. http://www.amazon.com/Squier-Fender-Standard-Antique-Sunburst/dp/B000GAQPP8
For under 300 bucks it's a whole lot better than any bass with a mighty-mite neck.

good luck
 
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#5
well i'm a total newb to the value of the parts of the bass so.. i have more questions,
mighty mite necks are lousy?
the parts really aren't worth that much?
and I thought bartolini pick ups were good?
and how much is the fender jazz body alone?

thanks alot!
 
#6
Malefucius said:
...and how much is the fender jazz body alone?
Click to expand...
It's NOT a Fender body.
Google AllParts website and see their pricing for the same thing.
"Fender Licensed" means that AllParts is paying a few dollars per unit to Fender for using their design, and for tacking on the name. But it isn't made by Fender, or even Squier.

In fact, Google all of the parts, and keep in mind that used = 50% of retail MSRP in good+ condition.
If it wasn't assembled by someone who knows what they are doing, it isn't a good instrument.
Which may be why it's for sale.

There is a used Ibanez SRX500 with a maple top and a nice sunburst finish in my local Guitar Center for a mere $200 that would kick any parts bass's butt for value, tone, and playability.

Shop around, and wait for a better deal.
 
#9
Malefucius said:
mighty mite necks are lousy?
Click to expand...

A while back, I picked up a Mighty Mite fretless neck, just to try one out. I had read a lot of varying opinions on them, so I thought I'd see for myself. I ended up liking that neck so much that for the next project, I bought another Mighty Mite -- a maple board P-bass neck. Again, it's really quite good. I like the profiles on them, they're straight, and nicely machined. And they're certainly affordable. Very good bang for the buck, IMO.

With my (admittedly) limited experience with Mighty Mite, I'm guessing that a) they get an undeserved bad rap for being cheap junk, or b) maybe they've gotten a big quality upgrade in recent years. Would they be everyone's cup of tea? Probably not, but I sure like them.
 
#10
And, yeah, I agree with the above posters about that particular bass. Calling a parts bass a "custom" bass is kinda cheesy. I don't know what the seller wants for that one, but somewhere in the $200-$300 range would be about right.
 
#11
A parts bass is usually built around the budget and preferences of the original owner. Those preferences may or may not mesh with your preferences. For example - the Bartolinis are good pickups. But do those particular model Bartolinis sound good to you? Will they work for the kind of music YOU want to play? Maybe or maybe not. Ditto for other items like the neck, etc. I agree with the other posters that this is a $300 bass IF it is assembled correctly and functions as it should. There is a difference between bolting parts together and assembling an instrument. Anybody can do the former; only a few can accomplish the latter.

I recently picked up a Jazz Bass clone consisting of a Warmoth chambered body, Allparts bound / blocked neck, Hipshot ultralights, Nordstrand single coils, Audere JZ3, Gotoh bridge. $650. It was bought already assembled by a real luthier and only needed a nut change to make it play to my liking. The original builder probably paid $1100 or more in parts plus the assembly costs. This is the reality of parts basses. Build or buy to your liking, but do not build or buy for resale potential. Truthfully, I play the clone bass as much as my Fenders at this point.
 
#12
A "parts bass" CAN be a wonderful awesome instrument.

With the right marketing I suppose, a parts bass could morph into custom bass (see the thread about Dan Atkinson's http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=671659 ).

In the used market, the perception is that part of the value of DIY is the joy of putting together the parts. So the parts by themselves tend to hold more resale value than the assembled instrument.

When you get down to quality of components, the Allparts body is surely as good or better than what's made for some Fenders, Mighty Mite neck is fine, too. The bridge, the pups are upgrades. I can't tell the tuners. All of what can be seen is good quality parts.

If it's well-built and has a nice finish job on it, it could be an awesome player. :bassist:

Market price, however, is pretty low. My estimation is used parts go for 1/2 to 2/3 new price. Used assembled parts bass about 1/3 to 1/2 of new price. I'm guesstimating the parts are about $600 if you shopped around. Again, can't tell if those are $35 Wilkinson-ish or $110 Hipshot tuners...
 

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