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Let's be completely honest here about vintage basses...

#405
Low End Bottom said:
Pro violinists fail to spot Stradivarius in blind test | New Scientist

Take what you will, I believe this applies to bass too
Click to expand...
I quoted this exact article in a similar thread a few months back.

The great classical Bass virtuoso, Gary Karr played an Italian Amati bass that he was given by Koussvitsky's widow (If you have played classical bass, those names will be very significant). He had a copy of it made and toured with it frequently without telling anyone which bass he was playing. Many reviewers raved about the sound of his "old Amati" bass not knowing they were hearing the modern reproduction.

A bass is a bass, take them as the individual instruments that they are. Old or new is not really that relevant to playability and sound. The mojo of an old axe certainly has value to some, and for specific reasons, but if you are looking for a good player with a good sound, then age isn't the factor some people think it is >> IMHO, and apparently not under blind test conditions either.
 
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#406
Reading this thread and participating I get the impression that overall we have become more realistic about vintage instruments. Before I had the impression that guitar-players have become more realistic (I read the offset-guitar forum from time to time, 'cause I'm into the Bass VI), but we not so.
As I said before, I have nothing against anyone who is in love with his vintage bass or wants to buy one, it's the myths and rationalisations that cannot stand up to critical scrutiny that sometimes annoy me.
If I had one key-experience the last years, it is (nearly studio-grade) preamps and compressors. When I was younger I never had much money and my first priority was a bass, the second one a decent amp and speakers. My effects and interfaces and mixers were always budget ones.
About 3 years ago, I bought better interfaces and after buying a GAP preamp, I bought a Warm Audio Clone of the 1176 compressor and their Api-clone (Tonebeast).
Esp. the 1176 gave me - for the first time in my bass playing life - the impression to sound like the bass sound I've heard on 100s of records. The Warm Audio gear is still kind of budget compared to the Neve and Univeral Audio gear but worlds apart from your average DI-outs, preamp-pedals etc.
Just that special something.
Today I would prefer to record with a halfway decent Squier with halway decent strings through a good preamp and compressor if the alternative would be a CS-Fender or all original vintage Fender through the HZ-input of a cheap interface.
 
#407
My main basses are WAL -95 5str, 7ender P -65, RIC 4001 -79, 7ender J -73, -05 MM and early 80's Squier P bass .
WAL is the best allround instrument. 65 P has unique MOJO, really really cool. Same with RIC. The J has certain good things, but never liked as much as those others. Squier P with Lollars is quite nice. MM is cool, but not much personality.
If I have to choose only one bass It would be very difficult. It would be WAL or -65 P Bass.

Like to add; I see no point for Custom Shop Fenders. New regular or vintage bass in my opinion.
 
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#410
Oh, those vintage fenders rule the entire galaxy, no doubt. By the way, A. Einstein owned a few of them as well and they helped him to conceive his theory of relativity quite a lot.

Popcorn time!

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