I bet half of the vintage haters in this thread would love a pre-CBS Precision or Jazz bass if they got their hands on one for $1,000 or so.
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Let's be completely honest here about vintage basses...
- Thread starter nerkoids
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- vintage bass
I don't buy vintage for vintage sake, and I very rarely buy new. I buy used basses . . . and then I hang onto them for so long they become vintage. But I always purchase from a player's perspective, never a collector's or investor's.
Absolutely. Likewise, relic-haters are always much more strident in their opinion than fans of distressing.
For me, the argument would be absolutely tedious at this point if not for the fact that there are so many other values brought into play in the discussion.
Which is to say, we are arguing about much more than patina when we debate relic jobs: art, historicity, theatricality, reality vs. perception.... All kinds of money in the topic yet.
There is truth to this but it's worth remembering that Leo & Co were not old-world artisans. They were trying to turn out a product and make a buck as cheaply as possible. Fender instruments were once considered crude planks, and boat paddles. We all know that CBS was definitely less interested -or at least often misguided- as far as "improving" product goes.
That being said, yep....whatever the motivations were, after 60+ years of doing something, you're bound to be better at doing it. AFAIC and IMHO the only thing old instruments have over new is the wood. Otherwise don't try to tell me the hardware was superior. Don't try to sell me that those pickups were consistent in quality. There were outstanding instruments then, and there are outstanding instruments now. There were dogs then, and there are dogs now. However, consistency is indeed drastically improved today.
I wish these idiots who pontificate about that great vintage Jamerson P-bass tone- who ignore that the bass new when he was recording with it- would drive down a steep hill at 120mph...in a vintage car.....with vintage brakes.
None still haunt me, and yes I have had some extended time on a couple pre-CBS P's, and yes they were outstanding. Not outstanding enough for me to pay what they want for one, especially since I like a flatter radius than 7 1/2", but to deny their excellence is to deny the truth, and quite frankly, it comes off to me as sour grapes when someone dogs people for liking them. You can dislike the prices they fetch, but people who say they're not any good are high.
What is interesting is the need of some posters to sh*t all over other people's opinions and choices.
My friend Graham took that shot of Neil. He is a killer photographer.
Um, nobody dies if they play a vintage bass. Car analogy rejected.
Yes indeed. I think the money is a big issue, as well as people's perceptions of truth. People become very upset about both, and it is interesting to witness.
Well, duh! That's less than a new MIA costs. You'd be stupid not to jump on a Vintage bass for that price!! Most of the "haters" as you call them don't hate the bass. They just don't agree with the "prestige" that is attributed to the basses.
That was sarcasm, not a comparison. I don't have a dog in this race so I'll get over your rejection.
Graeme Mitchell, eh? That is indeed a great shot.
As I google his work I'm seeing lots of fabulous black and white.
Here's one Mitchell took driving into Neil's Broken Arrow Ranch in 2012.
You raise a good point, if you prefer the flatter fretboards.
I, on the other hand, prefer vintage radius and the soft V neck profile.
As far as I know, I only get that in a single coil Fender P with that neck by going Fender Custom Shop.
I also like 70s B width necks.
Here's the bottom line...
Bass players, by and large, are easily the most passive aggressive bunch of haters out of any musicians out there. If they can't afford vintage Fenders or expensive new basses like Foderas and Ritters, they attack those who can. I once saw a guy on here tell someone who bought an expensive bass that he should sell it, buy a $1000 bass, and give the money left over to charity! And he was dead serious! People have major balls sometimes, I'll tell you.
And if they like 5 or 6 string basses, they hate when someone else doesn't like them, and if they play 4-strings, they think 5 and 6 stringers are wankers. Those who like actives think passives are limiting, and those who like passives think those who like actives are wankers. And God forbid you ever mention that you use effects to someone who doesn't...then you get the old tired lines like "I don't need effects to disguise my bad playing," and "Why don't you just play guitar if you don't want your bass to sound like a bass?"
SHUT THE **** UP, YOU BIG NINNIES!!!
Bass players, by and large, are easily the most passive aggressive bunch of haters out of any musicians out there. If they can't afford vintage Fenders or expensive new basses like Foderas and Ritters, they attack those who can. I once saw a guy on here tell someone who bought an expensive bass that he should sell it, buy a $1000 bass, and give the money left over to charity! And he was dead serious! People have major balls sometimes, I'll tell you.
And if they like 5 or 6 string basses, they hate when someone else doesn't like them, and if they play 4-strings, they think 5 and 6 stringers are wankers. Those who like actives think passives are limiting, and those who like passives think those who like actives are wankers. And God forbid you ever mention that you use effects to someone who doesn't...then you get the old tired lines like "I don't need effects to disguise my bad playing," and "Why don't you just play guitar if you don't want your bass to sound like a bass?"
SHUT THE **** UP, YOU BIG NINNIES!!!
IMHO, I prefer older basses of the basses I play. I have only ever owned 3 brand new basses. I still have 2 of them. However, in general, I play Modulus. I prefer the 1980's versions of the bass rather than the more modern 2000's+ variants of them. I prefer the worn used feel and the life lived basses. I like the dents dings and bruises.
To those who are anti-vintage...
But half the reason people want vintage basses is because they want the intruments they grew up hearing and playing - which means new THEN, old NOW. That's the nature of vintage. You can go either way about whether they are great or not, but vintage had to be new sometime or it would not have existed to become vintage - that's reality.
As my post above makes clear, I am not dazzled by the myth of vintage - I bought my now 40 year old bass when it was just a cheap old bass and I couldn't afford the new model I wanted - and most of my basses are under 15 years old. But there is something (which you may like or not like) about vintage instruments that new just doesn't do. Similarly, as I described above, there are a lot of advantages of new instruments that you'll never get from a vintage one.
There are bad new instruments and there are bad old instruments. And there are differences in construction and design between them. Pick a good one with the features you want and be done with it.
As for the people who claim everyone down on vintage can't afford one - get over yourselves. Don't assume everyone who disagrees with you is either ignorant or bitter due to some deficiency. (Admittedly, you probably have a point about some of the most strident haters, but you can't generalize and it makes your point seem far less credible).
But half the reason people want vintage basses is because they want the intruments they grew up hearing and playing - which means new THEN, old NOW. That's the nature of vintage. You can go either way about whether they are great or not, but vintage had to be new sometime or it would not have existed to become vintage - that's reality.
As my post above makes clear, I am not dazzled by the myth of vintage - I bought my now 40 year old bass when it was just a cheap old bass and I couldn't afford the new model I wanted - and most of my basses are under 15 years old. But there is something (which you may like or not like) about vintage instruments that new just doesn't do. Similarly, as I described above, there are a lot of advantages of new instruments that you'll never get from a vintage one.
There are bad new instruments and there are bad old instruments. And there are differences in construction and design between them. Pick a good one with the features you want and be done with it.
As for the people who claim everyone down on vintage can't afford one - get over yourselves. Don't assume everyone who disagrees with you is either ignorant or bitter due to some deficiency. (Admittedly, you probably have a point about some of the most strident haters, but you can't generalize and it makes your point seem far less credible).
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Hey! I play old and new basses and use effects sometimes and own and play 4s and 5s and I'll have you know I hate EVERYONE equally.
Now... what was the point I was making again?
Oh, yeah...
Have to agree with you once again. It is odd how angry people on here get about other people's choices.
The only choices you have right to be angry about are those which affect you personally.
Yeah, um...that's not what we're talking about at all!
Those were some of the worst years for Fender. We were talking about early-'50s to mid-'60s (which is considered the "golden era").
