Oh Mommy...

[ETThompson]

I was in Sam Ash and they had a '66 P which I got to play. Oh boy! It was just tremendous. Curse you JMJ et al for getting me hooked on these. I was just going to get a simple bass and move on to the guitar...

No way I could afford this one - it was Ice Blue Metallic, faded to a cool green, and they wanted $5k for it, though they said it "wasn't firm". I'm sure it wasn't flexible enough for me...

But, I also found a '71 P in Guitar Center for $2300 - above my price range too, but not unthinkable. Might have to sell some pretty precious items (I have a vintage Fender Rhodes, all working all the parts) to afford it, but it is tempting. Only thing is that one's a maple neck, would much prefer rosewood. It still blew away the American Standard I played by alot. Haven't tried the American Vintage yet...

There is a question here: on Ebay I see many more later '70's P's than early - how do those compare? Is there a steady dropoff? I've heard Fender's quality didn't go down as much on basses, but how are they? Is it just that the older one is, the more desirable it is for collectibility reasons?

I'm selling everything I own to try to get one of these!

--Eric

 

[jmjbassplayer]

I dont know, I've just heard older 70's ones are heavy. $2300 not bad for a '71, methinks. Maybe you could get 'em down?

Best,
Justin

 

[ETThompson]

Yeah, maybe. I don't actually have that on hand yet, gotta sell some more stuff...

What do you think of maple necks? It was nice, but I really like RW.

--Eric

 

[ETThompson]

Btw, it was fairly beat up...which is OK, maybe even preferable, to me.

 

[jmjbassplayer]

I like maple on those 70's p's quite a lot, actually. I have a '75 which I adore.

 

[GregC]

That '66--is that an original finish? If so, that would be extremely rare. I'm not sure ice blue was a stock color then.

Maybe it's Lake Placid Blue faded to green, in which case $5K probably isn't too bad. Sellers charge a hefty premium for anything other than sunburst on '60s P basses if it's an original finish. Much better prices can be had on refins.

 

[ETThompson]

The guy at the shop said it was, and it definitely looked pretty old (and beat up).

Doesn't look like Sam Ash posts it's vintage equipment online, unlike Guitar Ctr, so can't send a pic. It was truly magical though - great feel and sound.

They definitely said Ice Blue too, not Lake Placid. I'll check again next time I'm there (and play it too!). Maybe I'll even take pictures!

So, my new thought is to save up $2300 or so and get the best vintage P I can, aesthetically beat up is OK. What are the best places to keep tabs on for such things (other than GC, which I know about, and Elderly). Back pages of Vintage Guitar?

 

[Robal]

What are the best places to keep tabs on for such things (other than GC, which I know about, and Elderly). Back pages of Vintage Guitar?

You can get a sense of what's available in vintage P basses by checking from time to time on gbase.com. Many dealers place ads there and the photos can be informative.

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