Over valued 70's P-bass?

[Discount Bassy]

I once paid $100 for a P-Bass clone by Jay Turser. It did the whole thing with the limited tone options, having a neck and strings and such and being shaped like a Fender. It was reliable and entirely predictable. I wouldn't buy another one. Whelp, that's my Fender story.

 

[Grinderman]

I wish they were cheap so I could get my favorite P necks ever made at little to nothing and have multiple ones on different bodies. Unfortunately that is not the case though.

Is $450 too much?

 

[kmon]

I think vintage instruments are cool, and I find an instrument that has remained a great player through many decades to be pretty attractive.

I'm not gonna pay a huge premium though, so i don't buy vintage. To me 3500-7000 is nuts for a 70s P, with that budget your options on spectacular instruments are endless.

 

[Wolfhound32]

Lately I've been seeing a lot of ads up for Fender p-basses circa 1970-79 at values between $3500-$7000. I suppose you could get a good one but are people over valuing these things? They obviously have the right to ask what they want to but I have trouble believing the basses are worth the price I ask out of curiosity as I've never played anything older than an '86 and to me it wasn't any different than my 2015. Does anyone have experience with 70's vintage P's? Am I missing something?

Just my $0.02 here, since you asked:

Something is only worth what someone else will pay for it.

Personally, I was there when the basses in question were new-- I wouldn't trade you lunch for one of those things LOL!

But hey-- if it's worth the price to you, rock on! Who am I to tell someone else what to do

 

[Wilmingtonian]

I chuckle every time someone tries to equate value with quality when it comes to supply and demand. They aren't making any more actual 70s basses, and they can be pretty cool.

 

[rojo412]

Aren’t all fender p basses overpriced?



lol, j/k





…maybe

 

[bherman]

Speaking as someone who was an active bass player in the 70s, back then they were seen as nothing special. I really have no idea why someone would pay that kind of money. Fender was in one of its long downhill slides back then, they put out a few interesting basses but the mass market stuff was mediocre at best. There are so many great basses made now that are modeled after the legendary basses from back then (Modern Vintage, Nash, Wilkins just to name a few) that are in the 2-3K range and are far superior to the Fender basses from that era.

 

[roller]

I laugh very hard at all the 70s Fender bashing that takes place on this site.

If they're not your thing, fine... so be it... but to throw a blanket over all of them is a lame stereotyping maneuver those instruments simply don't deserve. Would you go on an Internet forum type out a bunch of negative spew about a specific city's citizens just because someone from that town did you wrong? Or are you the type to regurgitate someone else's pukey review without actually leaving your basement and finding out for yourself? If either of these describes you, you're disappointing. The world needs less of that.

I own a 70s Fender P that's all original, plays like a dream and happens to be a featherweight... so that eliminates most of the 70s Fender schlock I see online. And it's not the only 70s Fender bass I've encountered which I can write that about.

Marcus Miller, Steve Harris, Geddy Lee and scads more have successfully used 70s Fenders for large chunks of their career. Yeah, I guess those hacks have horrible taste, playing those inferior basses all those years.

 

[Gorilla Monsoon]

I laugh very hard at all the 70s Fender bashing that takes place on this site.

If they're not your thing, fine... so be it... but to throw a blanket over all of them is a lame stereotyping maneuver those instruments simply don't deserve. Would you go on an Internet forum type out a bunch of negative spew about a specific city's citizens just because someone from that town did you wrong? Or are you the type to regurgitate someone else's pukey review without actually leaving your basement and finding out for yourself? If either of these describes you, you're disappointing. The world needs less of that.

I own a 70s Fender P that's all original, plays like a dream and happens to be a featherweight... so that eliminates most of the 70s Fender schlock I see online. And it's not the only 70s Fender bass I've encountered which I can write that about.

Marcus Miller, Steve Harris, Geddy Lee and scads more have successfully used 70s Fenders for large chunks of their career. Yeah, I guess those hacks have horrible taste, playing those inferior basses all those years.

I don’t think the issue is necessarily one of quality, I think the thought of paying tenfold+ for an instrument that is 50 years old is what folks are taking exception to. Throw in all the positive technological changes that the new basses have benefited from and it’s a no brainer. Would you pay $3500-$7000 for another P Bass if, for some reason you no longer had yours?

 

[Laughing Hyena]

I agree that they are totally overpriced. I've been happy with my CIJ PB-70. Way more affordable, not a boat anchor, and sounds/feels like a P-bass should.

 

[Blueinred]

A very fine local jazz bassist used to say that the absolute best use of a Fender Precision was as an emergency boat oar/paddle in case your boat motor died on the water. YMMV.

 

[Wolfhound32]

I chuckle every time someone tries to equate value with quality when it comes to supply and demand. They aren't making any more actual 70s basses, and they can be pretty cool.

Hmmm...





Not to be contrary; it's just what came to mind after pondering your post.

There are times when we should rejoice that a thing of poor quality is no longer being produced. Of course it's all in the eye of the beholder~

I'm sure there exists an enthusiastic online owners community of the Ford Pinto...

 

[Whale]

I first picked up the bass in 1976. It was an Electra Jazz Bass copy that was okay for a starter bass, but wasn’t anything to write home about. By late 1977 I was ready to something decent. While checking out the basses at the Guitar Center in San Diego I noticed most of the Jazz and P Basses had a gap between the neck and upper part of the neck pocket. I remember the salesman telling me that Fenders were purposely designed with a gap so that bassists would have a place to hold their pick!

As it happened, an older customer overheard the remark, came up, and told the salesman to his face that he was full of sh*t. He pulled one of the Fenders off the rack and gently wiggled the neck up and down. I distinctly remember hearing the neck creak and pop. I didn’t know much about basses way back then, but the poor quality on nearly every Fender bass was enough to convince me to look at other brands. I walked out, drove to the old American Music store, and bought an autumnglo Ric 4001.

Just as an aside, I now own and play Fenders so I don’t have an axe to grind. Still, it’s hard not to smirk whenever anyone claims the late 70s were good years for Fender.

 

[J Wilson]

I started in the 70's as well, and of course all the older guys told me, 'ya got have a Fender'. I tried and tried and tried to find one I liked, but every one I found felt like it had been made in Louisville, KY instead of SoCal. Never did see the 'Louisville Slugger' burnt into the back side of the neck.

It was very common for experienced guys to try as many as they could get their hands on until they 'found a good one' to buy.

 

[Killing Floor]

Almost seems like the 60s are less available and out of reach so people just gravitate to the 70s.
Yes, generally way overvalued.

 

[FenderP]

You'll have to pry my fretted '78 P from my cold, dead hands. It's been in my employ for 35ish years. Everyone loves that one and the way it sounds. It is on the heavier side but I don't care. Like many have said here, the 70s Fenders could be hit or miss. Lord knows I played my fair share looking for backups and I went through quite a few Fretless Ps to find the one that stuck.

That said, Fender basses from most eras have klunkers. It's pre-CBS, it's 80s+. I'd say build quality is more consistent in later years, but the specs are not my thing (radius, neck shape, etc.). I'm a 70s Fender guy and like the 70s pickups for the way they sound.

I've owned other Fender-like derivatives: G&Ls, EBMMs, Rob Allen Solid 4, etc. I keep coming back to 70s Ps. The others may be better built but there's something about the feel of a good 70s P in my hands. The S4 was custom made for me and felt great but ulitimately not what I waned sonically.

It does boggle my mind 70s Ps are going for so much but time marches on. 60s Ps were going for more reasonable money a few years back now they are really nuts. 70s are where 60s were not that long ago. Again, I agree play first and don't buy just on things being vintage alone.

 

[bherman]

You'll have to pry my fretted '78 P from my cold, dead hands. It's been in my employ for 35ish years. Everyone loves that one and the way it sounds. It is on the heavier side but I don't care. Like many have said here, the 70s Fenders could be hit or miss. Lord knows I played my fair share looking for backups and I went through quite a few Fretless Ps to find the one that stuck.

That said, Fender basses from most eras have klunkers. It's pre-CBS, it's 80s+. I'd say build quality is more consistent in later years, but the specs are not my thing (radius, neck shape, etc.). I'm a 70s Fender guy and like the 70s pickups for the way they sound.

I've owned other Fender-like derivatives: G&Ls, EBMMs, Rob Allen Solid 4, etc. I keep coming back to 70s Ps. The others may be better built but there's something about the feel of a good 70s P in my hands. The S4 was custom made for me and felt great but ulitimately not what I waned sonically.

It does boggle my mind 70s Ps are going for so much but time marches on. 60s Ps were going for more reasonable money a few years back now they are really nuts. 70s are where 60s were not that long ago. Again, I agree play first and don't buy just on things being vintage alone.

Oh I know there are some good ones out there and I'm not a universal basher, I just don't see how they draw big bucks just because they're 50 yrs old. Glad that you found your keeper! I will say though that by and large, Fender products from the 60s (guitars and basses) were far better quality than the 70s and 80s.

 

[Pings Bass]

My late model MiM "70s" Jazz is objectively better quality than my actual 76 Precision, for what it's worth.

As the 70s recede into history, unmolested fenders of that era are becoming rarer. They're just going to keep getting more expensive, like anything with a diminishing supply and steady demand.

The good news is, the replicas are cheaper and often better instruments.

 

[FenderP]

Oh I know there are some good ones out there and I'm not a universal basher, I just don't see how they draw big bucks just because they're 50 yrs old. Glad that you found your keeper! I will say though that by and large, Fender products from the 60s (guitars and basses) were far better quality than the 70s and 80s.

I wouldn't pay $$$ for a '70s P either. My parents got my '78 fretted in the 80s for me for $400 and any of the fretless ones I got and sold over the years were well under $2k. I get what current market is, I just don't agree with it.

I don't see how a Lull or other FSOs get $$$ with specs I think are awful (12" radius? blech) but here we are. Many people, including Fender, make bank on FSOs (see: Custom Shop). To each his or her own. I laughed when even for about $10k I couldn't get what I wanted from the Custom Shop. I wouldn't have spent that but it was just funny to spec out.

To be honest, I've played just as many bad 60s ones, too. Spec wise they don't work for me either (don't like the 1.75" nut nor the neck shape). Hell, I've played lots of bad basses from many manufacturers over the years. I'd say the most consistent ones I've tried over the years are Music Man (pre- and post-Ball family).

 

[Moe Hickey]

There used to be an ebay seller named GuitarGai that sold CIJ fender basses and I got a great large font TV logo Precision. Surf green. Amber neck. Traded it. Huge regret.