Lets talk about 'Mint'

[Larry V]

My only point was that a '74 pot didn't necessarily mean it's a '74. I'm sure the buyer checked the number prior to buying.

 

[king_biscuit]

My only point was that a '74 pot didn't necessarily mean it's a '74. I'm sure the buyer checked the number prior to buying.

I agree, we have to look at the totality of the circumstances. The pot code I believe dates to the first part of 74.

 

[A-Step-Towards]

Why is the wall of the pickup cavity bare wood? never seen that before

 

[mr.mow]

The serial number on the neck plate states 75, I'm not sure if anyone would replace a 74 as a 75!!! So I'm happy enough with that, I didn't remove the neck no, no need to so I won't be doing that, the other parts all suggest it is period correct..
As for the pick guard, I did a bunch of looking around and yes its correct, I've seen exactly the same 'butterfly' pattern on a bunch of mid 70s fenders, didn't realise they were printing tort as far back as that!

 

[Yango]

Actually the blow by blow goes something like this...
-Seller lists a vintage bass with very misleading headline claiming its in "mint" condition but then clearly states in the body of the ad that's its "near mint" and proceeds to show photos and provide descriptions of the various dings and damage.
-Buyer sees headline and all the pretty pictures and is seduced into believing its mint so he buys it at what he feels is fair for a mint condition bass.
-Buyer receives the bass and is surprised at the amount of wear and damage on the bass.
-Buyer turns to TB to get a better understanding of what "mint" is and how much the bass really is worth vs what he paid and provides close up pictures of all the damage along with his interpretation of what condition the ad said the bass was in.
-With only the buyers half of the story and no link to the sellers ad a "well informed" TB lynch mob quickly forms and proceeds to verbally rip the seller a new one.
-A level headed TBer finds a copy of the ad and posts it which clearly shows how the seller carefully crafted the ad to mislead but covered his butt with some pics and disclaimers on the actual condition.
-meanwhile the lynch mob has gained momentum and the piling on effect continues
-The buyer contacts the seller and explains his dissatisfaction and they agree on a reduced price for the bass vs the seller having to return it.
-The seller is now happy with the reduced price and the 1975 P Bass which most would agree is in very good condition considering its age.
-And they all lived happily ever after.

Hey, this is great! I'm glad that it all ended... well, continues, happily ever after! My faith in humanity is temporarily restored.

 

[wmhill]

Firstly.. if you know the dealer, please don't post it in here, I'm not out to defame the guys..

So I purchased a bass, I'm not naming the dealer.. but they sell vintage gear..
It was described as "1975 Fender Precision Bass Mint Collector Grade New Old Stock Sunburst w/ Case Candy & OHSC!"

Maybe mint was referring to the price, not condition!

 

[GranSportMan]

My profile pic is my "mint" '75 Fender Jazz. LOL!

 

[Bone]

Help me out here. I thought Fender went to black pick guards on their sunburst basses in 74. In the close up the op has of the pickups his tort almost looks like a printed tort guard. Or is it just me. Foil on the back of the guard looks a little funky too.

 

[GBassNorth]

Help me out here. I thought Fender went to black pick guards on their sunburst basses in 74. In the close up the op has of the pickups his tort almost looks like a printed tort guard. Or is it just me. Foil on the back of the guard looks a little funky too.

That's what I thought. The unfinished and fresh cut looking wood inside the pickup cavity and the drastic difference in tarnish between the tuners and neck plate has me puzzled as well.

 

[mr.mow]

That's what I thought. The unfinished and fresh cut looking wood inside the pickup cavity and the drastic difference in tarnish between the tuners and neck plate has me puzzled as well.

I wiped the bass down with fender/meguires guitar cleaner, there was a little tarnish on the neck plate, it pretty much came off when it was wiped, I'm not going to wipe the tuners down as they need to be dismantled for that.. Can't be bothered.

Also, the ferrules are heavily tarnished as they are nickel plated, neck plate is chrome.. Nickel tarnishes pretty quickly and heavly.. The bridge, covers and knobs are also untarnished, the pickup cover is a slightly different shape to current ones so I'm assuming true.

As I mentioned with the pickguard, I've seen the identical printed pattern on various mid 70s fenders.

 

[GBassNorth]

I wiped the bass down with fender/meguires guitar cleaner, there was a little tarnish on the neck plate, it pretty much came off when it was wiped, I'm not going to wipe the tuners down as they need to be dismantled for that.. Can't be bothered.

Also, the ferrules are heavily tarnished as they are nickel plated, neck plate is chrome.. Nickel tarnishes pretty quickly and heavly.. The bridge, covers and knobs are also untarnished, the pickup cover is a slightly different shape to current ones so I'm assuming true.

As I mentioned with the pickguard, I've seen the identical printed pattern on various mid 70s fenders.

I guess all is good then.
The only other thing you might want to take a look at is the neck plate. It might just be the way the photo was taken but it looks like the neck screws may have been torqued down pretty hard. The plate looks like its deforming heavily at each screw. It you get those screws too tight you can run the risk of crushing the body under the plate a bit and cracking the finish or even possibly shearing off one of the bolts. If you decide to make any adjustments to the screws just be sure to slacken the strings first.
Enjoy your new bass!

 

[Root 5]

I'd wonder why an instrument 40 years old is mint.

It doesn't necessarily suggest anything's wrong with the instrument. There are people who buy really nice gear and then stuff it in a closet or under a bed; never playing it. I know people like that.

 

[10cc]

It doesn't necessarily suggest anything's wrong with the instrument. There are people who buy really nice gear and then stuff it in a closet or under a bed; never playing it. I know people like that.

Yeah I know but I never find old mint hammers. I hear ya though.

 

[electracoyote]

Yeah I know but I never find old mint hammers. I hear ya though.

Paul Simonon hated his bass in the early days of The Clash. He considered it a necessary burden that allowed him to make an artistic statement (he was the aesthetics director in the band). So he accepted the burden by proceeding to abuse the hell out of that white Precision.

That would be similar to pounding nails, and the far end of the spectrum of care. Indeed, in the photo on the cover of London Calling, I think Paul is trying to hammer down a couple of loose floor boards on the stage.

But it's not hard to understand the collector mentality and the attention to detail in acquiring, restoring, and preserving instruments as close to original condition as possible. From what I've seen, the price of vintage Fenders sure isn't going down, so it's a reasonable investment.

And you can't retain or improve a bass's value by pounding nails with it.

So, if you're not a pop rock god, and you want your collector instrument to retain and increase in value, you need to take extreme care with it, which is the other end of the spectrum.

 

[Turock]

Yeah I know but I never find old mint hammers. I hear ya though.

 

[The Bass Clef]

Help me out here. I thought Fender went to black pick guards on their sunburst basses in 74. In the close up the op has of the pickups his tort almost looks like a printed tort guard. Or is it just me. Foil on the back of the guard looks a little funky too.

That's what I thought. The unfinished and fresh cut looking wood inside the pickup cavity and the drastic difference in tarnish between the tuners and neck plate has me puzzled as well.

Fender went to black guards exclusively by '76. Black guards started appearing in late '73, but they still did white, tort and black up until '76. The printed tort was the norm circa '74 (those guards are also fairly uncommon).

As far as the bare wood in the P/U cavity, I've seen it many times. Sometimes the finish would pool up and get too thick in the cavities, so they would do a little clean up routing before assembly. It's common in the pickup and control cavities and the neck pockets also.