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late 70's fender's

#21
Meddle said:
They are not necessarily built well or sound great, so you need to sit down and play this bass and value it as an individual item before paying up. The weight might be forgiveable if the bass is a complete gem.
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yeah.

with 70's fenders i've found them to actually be built to a lesser standard than 60's fenders, or even 90s and after that. theyre inconsistent, but the good ones are pretty awesome, they have a uniqueness to them that cant be found anywhere else. they can be heavy, and worth it. but i've played a lot of high priced 70's fender J basses that sounded no better than a typical recent-production MIM, so the value sometimes is all in the non-reliced aging and cool looking block inlays.

i'd just be sure to play it. if your young and crazy, you may not worry about the weight- i used to do 4 sets every weekend with a bass that was 10LBs. i dont anymore, thank god :hiding:
 
#22
I have a '77 P and can honestly say that it's the best bass I've ever owned. I found mine in a local guitar shop 20 years ago and knew within a few minutes of playing that it was "the one". That said, I would not buy a P from this era without playing it first. Quality seems to vary a lot from instrument to instrument in this era.

If I had to buy without trying for $1100, I'd get a new American Fender.
 
#23
I just got a 73 Fender P. It's my first vintage bass and I can attest that the 70s had some production woes.

For example, the neck heel on mine is a little wavy and hangs a little wider than the neck does. Also the D and G strings aren't perfectly aligned over the pickups.

That said it plays and sounds better than any other P-bass I've owned so it's a keeper.

$1100. isnt a bad price and you wouldn't really lose any money if you decide to sell it if its not your thing.

The new American Standard Fenders are great, but to me, they sound a little more modern than old fenders, but then again, they are more modern!
 
#26
At the risk of opening up the Fender H-D comparison, they are a lot like AMF era Harleys. I loved both of mine, but much prefer the reliabilty of my 2000 bike.

The 1970's was known for a lot of things, quality manufactured goods wasn't usually one of them. Anybody that has driven a mid or later 70's vehicle knows what I'm talking about....... :help:
 
#27
Hm... this has been debated quite a lot, and there will always be some who bash the 70's Fenders. So far, it seems like most agree (in this thread) that SOME 70's basses are amazing while others are downright lousy. I agree.

I had a 79 Jazz that weighted a ton and played below average - sounded pretty good, though. I also had a handful of late 70's P's that varied a lot in both weight, playability and sound.

That being said, many also praise the post 2008 MIA basses. I had a 2008 Jazz, too, but I didn't find it that special. It was nice, and definitely an upgrade compared to 90's/early 00's basses, but it didn't compare to any of the 70's basses I have owned.

In the end, I found 'the one' - a 79 P with an A neck at around 9 lbs. Perfect! And the sound is spot on full P-sound! (click the link in my sig to hear/see it :-).

So, if you can get to try it first, that would be the best. I don't know if $1,100 is a good price in the US. It definitely would be in Europe (if I was offered a 70's P at $1100, I'd buy it unseen as I could probably sell it without taking a loss, but that may not be the case in the US).

Good luck - I hope you find your perfect Precision, once you have it, it's bliss!
 
#28
I bought the trans red P pictured new in 1979. Why? Because I was 17 and it looked really cool. It played like crap, sounded like crap, was built like crap, and was as heavy as 10 pounds of crap. I was happy when it got stolen. That said, there are probably great late-70s examples, but I wouldn't buy one unless I could play it for a good long while first.

redbass.jpg
 
#29
only one thing will cure your GAS for the 70's P...a real 70's P. No matter how you cut it, no matter what reissues or modern basses you buy to tide you over...there's only one REAL DEAL.

I say go for it. That's a good price. If you don't like it, flip it. You probably won't lose any money on the deal.

FWIW, I got a 75 P recently, and it's my main player.
 
#30
baileyboy said:
I have a 10.5 lb. '79 P that I just can't part with. I can not gig with it for more than a set, even with a high-end strap. I just really love the feel and sound of it, though. That price is about right for a heavier late 70s P.
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I just played 3 sets @ 50 minutes a set this weekend with my 10 lb 78' P and have done it allot. I use a 4" wide leather strap and there are no problem's even on my shoulder that needs surgery.
 
#31
In my experience I have found amazing inconsistency in 70 fenders but thats almost true throught the modern fender history I own a 74 pbass that was amazingly good so i kept it I also have a 2001 mim that is so different in tone that i use it when i need more brightness . It's a hard choice Chief if you can't play it first before buying but i would never buy a bass i didn't actually play first ( in the late 70's and early 80's I worked for E.U.Wurlitzers and had ample opurtunity to play many new basses never found another pbass like mine... tho thats subjective)
 
#32
treekiller said:
At the risk of opening up the Fender H-D comparison, they are a lot like AMF era Harleys. I loved both of mine, but much prefer the reliabilty of my 2000 bike.

The 1970's was known for a lot of things, quality manufactured goods wasn't usually one of them. Anybody that has driven a mid or later 70's vehicle knows what I'm talking about....... :help:
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The Fender / HD thing has been done before - I, for one, prefer the Fender / AMC comparison - but they're the same thing: US manufacturing *not* at its best.

Unlike AMC's, however, Some '70s Fenders are pretty good basses. They weren't ALL heavy and poorly made... (They did all have cheap electronics - there's really no getting around that) but some were well made, but most were not. That there are some on this list who *love* theirs is great - perhaps they found their diamond in the rough or perhaps they have chosen to embrace the misery - I don't know. I do know that the two '70s Fender's I owned were either horrible ('77 J bass) or mediocre ('78 P-bass).

But Spinal Tap is right: If you buy it and don't love it, you can likely flip it pretty fast.
 
#33
BigOldHarry said:
The Fender / HD thing has been done before - I, for one, prefer the Fender / AMC comparison - but they're the same thing: US manufacturing *not* at its best.

Unlike AMC's, however, Some '70s Fenders are pretty good basses. They weren't ALL heavy and poorly made... (They did all have cheap electronics - there's really no getting around that)
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? CTS Pots,ceramic cornell-dubilier caps,polysol wire, grey fiber bobbins w/alnico magnets. Top of the line stuff really and most still being used today.
 
#34
I played a '79 P-bass at a local vintage guitar store last week and I think it was the absolute worst bass I have ever played. I would guess that it weighed 12 lbs too. It was in nice condition but, after i played it, I knew why. Noone wanted to play it! He wanted $2000.00 for it too. I would not have given half of that for it. Having said that, a friend of mine has a '78 Jazz that he bought new that is simply incredible. Unless I could put one in my hands and plug it in, I would never buy a 70's Fender. The quality varies way too much. Wasnt just Fender either. '70's Martins and Gibsons were really hit or miss too.
 
#35
Bone said:
? CTS Pots,ceramic cornell-dubilier caps,polysol wire, grey fiber bobbins w/alnico magnets. Top of the line stuff really and most still being used today.
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+1 Cheap electronics Harry? BS -- typical uninformed anti-70s Fender drivel.

OP, if you like the bass, and it has a straight neck, that is a very good price. I'd take a nice 70s P in a second over a new one -- much more personality and a better return if/when you decide to sell.

A few general comments about 70s Fender basses. First the heavy weight cliche is exaggerated. There was a sample/graph posted on the Fender forum a few years ago and most of the 70s Fender basses were not over 10 pounds. My on 74 P and 76 J are 9 pounders. The electronics are virtually the same as 60s basses, as were the tuners, bridges, strap buttons, cases, strings, nuts, etc... Often neck pockets are not as tight as modern basses, but so what! This has zero affect on stability and tone, it's merely cosmetic; you can prove the stability part to yourself by loosening the bolts on any modern bolt on Fender (with a tight neck pocket) and observing that you can easily move the neck from side to side). Really it's pretty simple, if the bass is light (or a weight you like) and the neck is straight (and for me all original), its probably a pretty good bass. It's not rocket science or even motorcycle building!

One other thing, I suspect there are more than a few TBers who are pissed that they sold their 70s basses for $300.00 back in the 90s and make themselves feel better by constantly criticizing an entire population of basses based on a few cliches from the same drugged brainwashed counterculture that thought it was a good idea to strip the finish off of preCBS Fenders!

btw, $1100 is chump change for a vintage bass, and a downright good deal compared to the entry fee for an early 60s Fender! And in ten years when 70s Fenders really are out of reach price wise you may be glad you bought one while they were still the same or a little more than a new one.
 
#36
Fender4Me said:
I played a '79 P-bass at a local vintage guitar store last week and I think it was the absolute worst bass I have ever played. I would guess that it weighed 12 lbs too.
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Any older instrument can have big problems and should either be played before purchase, or purchased from someone you trust. Some of the biggest problem children I've seen were late 50s early 60s Fenders with twisted necks. That said, for the price of a 70s Fenders I'd be willing to take a risk here or there -- not so much for the price of a 50s/early 60s P or J.
 

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