Over valued 70's P-bass?

[Jinobass1]

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?

They're like anything,some are Amzing some aren't 。。。。。
but the prices are going way too high mainly because The So called non-player, Guitar Bass Collectors Fault

 

[Stefan Cartmale]

I’ll be in the market for a P Bass this summer, and the only one I’m ruling out is ANY Fender. I may consider a G&L, but a Mike Lull or a Lakland or even a Yamaha might fit the bill. Why anyone would pay $4000 for 50 year old electronics is beyond me.

Hi Gorilla,
Can I name drop here? I imagine that he wouldn't be opposed; Gord Sinclair of The Tragically Hip plays(ed?) a G&L SB-1. I absolutely love his sound/tone and am a big admirer of his work. You couldn't go wrong looking in that direction. I am blown away with the quality of my M2k by G&L. Sometimes you see good prices on used. I've owned a tribute L2k and it was decent axe. Fun times exploring all the options!

 

[Micha84]

These kind of prices are collector's prices, not player prices. No way is a mass production P bass with standard wood and passive electronics worth anywhere near $3,000, let alone seven, if you are looking at sound and playability only and compare it with today's market. But, if you want a 70s P because it is a 70s P, then it might be worth it to you.

 

[mikewalker]

The market price of 70s P basses probably correlates somewhat with the population of people like me who played them as a teenager when they were new. (*and now at last can afford to pay stupid money for one!)
I have a definite sentimental fetish for a sunburst P from early 70s, 100% because I got to borrow a shiny new one for a year in jr. high school (school band teacher was a bassist, so it was set up perfectly!). Played it incessantly on the evenings and weekends, carried it back and forth to school EVERY DAY: which was a couple miles walk down the train tracks beside the highway, rain or shine - and that friggin giant orange-lined plywood hardshell case was taller than me!

I have zero interest in any P-bass before or after the TV-logo era - they just don't look right...

 

[Stefan Cartmale]

Thanks folks. The opinions expressed have been great! I especially enjoyed posts from people with experience. I guess I am a neophyte as I wasn't really thinking the 70's was "vintage". I was thinking of them more as player basses and was surprised to see collector values as high as they were in them. There are a few for sale around but the closest one is 100 miles from me so it is hard to get hands on them without investing a lot of time and possibly jerking a lot of people's chains looking. Since I am curious about the era I legit want info from people who have experience with them. I want a vintage instrument eventually and it will have to be a p-bass. $20-30k for a working pre CBS instrument isn't money I can practically spend though so I'm curious about the 70's and also whether it is a collector's market. Just because something is old doesn't mean it has value-I learned that from Pawn Stars Thanks Rick! So if $7k is the new norm for that era p-bass, the question is are any of them any good and would people actually spend that kind of money on one? Just doing some preliminary testing. Getting lots of opinions and since I have only ever seeing one 70's p-bass and it wasn't available to play, the idea of putting hands on a bunch to try doesn't seem likely in my neck of the woods.

 

[REMBO]

I Love 70’s P-Basses! I must be very lucky because all of mine are absolutely killer! The funniest thing is, my 1978 is a boat anchor and it has a goopy, crappy sunburst finish!! And, it sounds incredible! It also has a huge baseball bat neck! But, man! What a sound! I wish I could buy them all! ️

 

[Dabndug]

I picked up my '71 P in '83 for a song. Lightweight alder body, great neck with rosewood board.

The bass had some QC issues, mainly involving routing if the neck pocket and control cavity. The pickups were underwhelming, and the tuners weren't up to scratch. A set of EMGs and Schallers sorted those issues and I could live with the routing issues for the price.

It's still a great bass, but not worth a cent more than a mid-level Sire from a utilitarian point of view.

 

[ToddB1963]

Thanks folks. The opinions expressed have been great! I especially enjoyed posts from people with experience. I guess I am a neophyte as I wasn't really thinking the 70's was "vintage". I was thinking of them more as player basses and was surprised to see collector values as high as they were in them. There are a few for sale around but the closest one is 100 miles from me so it is hard to get hands on them without investing a lot of time and possibly jerking a lot of people's chains looking. Since I am curious about the era I legit want info from people who have experience with them. I want a vintage instrument eventually and it will have to be a p-bass. $20-30k for a working pre CBS instrument isn't money I can practically spend though so I'm curious about the 70's and also whether it is a collector's market. Just because something is old doesn't mean it has value-I learned that from Pawn Stars Thanks Rick! So if $7k is the new norm for that era p-bass, the question is are any of them any good and would people actually spend that kind of money on one? Just doing some preliminary testing. Getting lots of opinions and since I have only ever seeing one 70's p-bass and it wasn't available to play, the idea of putting hands on a bunch to try doesn't seem likely in my neck of the woods.

I've had a bit of recent experience with older Fenders.

1) A friend of mine had a '70 Precision in sunburst, and before he sold it, I had the opportunity to play it. IMO it was just an average bass with a bridge that was slightly askew, i.e. mounted slightly off-centre, enough for the E string to be almost off the edge of the fingerboard, and the G to be >1/4 inch inward (strangely, my friend never noticed LOL). I compared it with my CS '59 Precision that I payed $3000 AUD for on the used market, and didn't think it was anywhere near as good. He sold the '70 for $6000 to a guy here who cleans them up, adds another 25% and then flogs them on the vintage market. Me? I wouldn't have payed any more than $1500 for it.

2) Another friend has a '72 he imported from USA. After shipping, import duties etc I think he payed $2200 AUD for it about 10 years ago. I've played it and while nothing spectacular, it's still a very good-sounding, well-built, solid bass. Objectively, I think it's probably worth $2500-3000, though again, it would easily fetch $6000 on the vintage market here. Put it this way, if it was for sale and I was in the market for a Precision, I'd offer $2500 and not a cent more.

3) Two years ago I drove into the city to buy a Yamaha BB3000 off a gentleman who was selling it for $1200 because he wanted to reduce his inventory to a single bass. After we'd transacted the deal, my curiosity got the better of me and I asked him what bass he was keeping, so he whipped out a case, opened it and presented a pristine sunburst '75 Precision which remains to this day, the most outstanding Fender bass I've ever held in my hands. Fit and finish were impeccable, markedly superior to my CS '59 and what's more, it sounded fantastic. Frankly, I was stunned, because I had no idea Fender CBS was capable of making such outstanding instruments and I was immediately forced to completed re-evaluate my opinions/expectations. Up until that point, the best Fender I'd ever laid my hands on was another mate's '73 Jazz and while that was an exceptional bass, it just didn't hold a candle to this '75 P. Anyway, the gentleman ended up selling it on consignment for $4000 AUD and IMO it was probably worth every cent given the quality and condition.

So, the upshot of all that? The good ones are definitely out there, but they might take some tracking down. Whether you're prepared to pay the asking price is another question entirely. Personally I wouldn't pay any more than $3000 - $3500 for an old Fender Precision, no matter how good.

 

[Michael Stanley 2112]

I have a '79 P-Bass and I admit: I got lucky.

If I were going to sell it (and I might), I would be looking for $1,700 (or so). Anything over that for a standard, run-of-the-mill instrument is crazy.

I'm sure there are people who think their bass is worth that, but every time I see a price that far out of whack, I wonder if the guy's wife insisted he post the instrument for sale.

 

[Chickenwheels]

Pfft. Haven’t you heard these things? They’re bonkers.

 

[Chickenwheels]

…and wit da flats.

 

[Wilmingtonian]

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

Thanks for pondering. You can be contrary, but should have point relevant to the discussion! You saying the Precision is the worst bass of all time? Please don't make me rewatch the video to try to figure out what you mean.

 

[lowendblues]

I've had several really good early '70's Pbasses. Later in the decade not so good.

 

[Deleted member 271037]

As collectors items they are worth whatever people are willing to pay for them.

As a musical instrument I personally think 70s Fender are extremely over-valued these days. I've been saying this for a long time now and the prices keep rising. I honestly don't understand why people are willing to pay these insane prices for instruments from an era that's considered the worst (by far!) in Fender's history. They're not even rare collectors items but mass manufactured instruments that were made in huge numbers. Many of them are also in very poor condition these days.

Sure, you can find a good 70s Fender in good condition but most of them just aren't. Even the good ones aren't worth these insane prices IMO. At least not as a musical instrument. You can buy a new Squier CV or even a Harley Benton and get an instrument that's likely to be a lot better that many (if not most) 70s Fenders, even when they were new.

For what it's worth the one thing I do like about 70s Fenders is the one thing that everyone else seems to hate: The heavy ash bodies. I tend to like the tone I get with heavy ash body basses. Deep thunderous lows, completely different from lighter "swamp" ash. But there are far cheaper ways to get a P/J-bass with a heavy ash body.

 

[Phaidrus]

Your missing the fetishism, which is a good thing for you

What would life be without fetishism...

 

[jamro217]

I've got three Fender P basses. One is an '83 MIJ C.A.R./maple neck/white guard with a Duncan in it. Sounds and plays great. The neck is 1.75" at the nut (C). The second is a '68 burst/rosewood/tort B neck (1.625" at the nut). Sounds and plays great. TI flats on it. The last (or first, since I got it in '78) is what was my main for many a decade and still is on occasion. A '76 ash/maple/ black guard (changed to tort) B neck. Didn't like the gritty sound of the late '70's pickup, so I put in a mongrel. I wish I could remember where it came from, 'cause it sounds fantastic. All are decent weight and feel about the same, although they've never been weighed. All are a pleasure to play and have seen lots of duty. I can't speak for all '70's Fender Ps, but the one that lives here is more than welcome.

 

[DeepHz]

I agree with them being overpriced. I purchased a 71' P Bass for 2,200 around 10 years ago and thought that was reasonable given that it was light, thinner style neck, and plays amazing. I think the 70's era on Fender Basses have some QC issues. I guess I got lucky? I don't believe I would pay $3500-$7000 for a 70's P Bass today!

 

[buldog5151bass]

Understand - there is one reason CBS Fenders became collectible. In the late 80s, lots of pre-CBS Fender were sold overseas collectors. Because of the now rarity, most became too expensive for players. Sellers simply elevated the CBS instruments to "collectible" to fill the void. The pre-CBS instruments were wanted because they were known to be good instruments.

 

[Dave Hill]

“I was there in the 70’s and the new Fenders were nothing special”. Lol. Y’all think that people thought the 60’s Fenders were special when they were new? Nope. They could have been had on the cheap up until the early 80’s.

I’ve played scads of 70’s Fenders, and the vast majority have been solid instruments. In fact, I own one, and I’d put it up against ANY P bass. As far as cost….like everything else that’s vintage…it’s worth what folks will pay. Personally I’d rather pay more for a solid vintage bass than a new boutique Olinto, Alleva, or Moolon. A good 70’s P will be cheaper and way cooler , IMO.

8lbs. Plays and sounds GREAT!

 

[Julian G]

One year ago I bought a 76 P bass in superb condition. It had originally been bought by a guitar collector, had hardly been played and basically had just been stored. Cost a little over $3000. Checked all the serial numbers to make sure everything was correct and it even have the original QC ticket from the factory. I tried it out several times in the store over a 6 week period before I decided to go ahead. I wouldn't spend that kind of money on a bass I hadn't tried out but it played so well, sounds great and superb set up and tuners as this thing stays in tune way more than my other basses.