Over valued 70's P-bass?

[definenredefine]

Honestly, I don't really get buying a "vintage" instrument that's still in production. A new p bass should hopefully play and sound like how one would them to play/sound. If it doesn't, at least you haven't sunk a few thousand into it. (Barring a bespoke bass, and then I would certainly HOPE it plays exactly how one would want!)

To me, buying an older instrument ("vintage" or not) makes sense when the model in question isn't available anymore. As an example, if I was shopping for a vintage Fender, I would probably be looking at an Elite Precision or a Jazz Bass Special or another model that's been out of production and hasn't been/probably won't be reissued.

To answer OP's question, yes, I think vintage Fenders are overvalued. However, as has been pointed out a number of times on TB (including, I would imagine, in this thread), an instrument's value is what someone is willing to pay for it. So overvaluing is as much a function of what people are willing to pay as what someone feels justified in asking.

 

[friskinator]

Wait till 80s-era P basses start going for that. Early 80s models in good condition are already selling around the $2000 mark.

 

[Bass4ThePublic]

70s fenders are priced wayyy high for what you get, not to say they’re bad instruments. I really only pay attention to 69-73 Ps, but I have a hard time paying more than $3500 for one in great condition.

 

[deff]

Imagine thinking that all basses from a decades worth of production from the largest electric bass supplier were all bad or good?. I'll add another positive review. I have a modded 72 alder body P. Plays fantastic. Amazing chonk of a neck and just under 9 pounds. Old Dimarzio pickup that sounds and plays better than anything new I could find in a pbass. I lucked out I know as I paid very little for it and it's way cooler than any new model. I love haggard worn instruments.

 

[Tim Skaggs]

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?

For a collectible item that’s 43-53 years old, they are worth what the market will bear. For an electric bass to play in a working ensemble, recording studio, church, den, or bedroom, your 2015 is as good & probably better than most P-basses from that era. What can be purchased for the price range listed can be significantly better than P-basses from that era.

 

[HardNHeavy]

how much is 8-9 lbs. of wood and metal worth to you.

 

[HubbardsFate]

Would I pay several thousand dollars for a 1970s Precision bass? I doubt it very much.

But, I get the nostalgia thing. I bought a Jackson Kellybird V David Ellefson signature from a fellow TBer a few years ago. There were a few reasons I bought it, and one of 'em was the simple fact that it had/has an "80s metal vibe" to it (although that particular bass wasn't being produced back then).

That said, even factoring in shipping (from Florida to British Columbia), that bass cost me well under $1000. If we're talking several thousand dollars, even CANADIAN dollars, to me, that's getting into boutique territory, and that's what I'd be shopping around for at those prices.

 

[CochinoBass]

I've got a '78 that weighs 13lbs and plays OK, but I paid $150 for it in 1990. NO WAY would I pay what people are asking for mid-late 70s Fenders now. Most, if not nearly all, Squier CVs are better quality than my '78 even if the prices were the same, no way I'd pay 5-10 times more for a real '70s.

 

[Crash 56]

Whenever this comes up (all the time!) I remember the 73 jazz I had , bought new. It sounded ok, and played ok, but when it was stolen in 1990, I moved on pretty easily. With all the new stuff out there, with updated electronics, and plekked boards, what is the attraction? My custom Kiesel p/j can make a really great P sound, and its far easier to play than one of those old boat anchors......

 

[Slevage]

Aren’t all fender p basses overpriced?



lol, j/k





…maybe

Paid $250 for a used Squiere P5------great value, especially compared to the Hyflyer I started on in 1971. Motsumoku factory is a term that leads to overpricing.

 

[Bass Viking]

Isn’t the uneven quality of 70s Fenders what started the vintage craze in the first place?

 

[Gianni "Orlandez" Orlati]

Later ’70s is a period that has a reputation for being very heavy and having sketchy quality control when it comes to Fender (and most big guitar companies, actually). Even so, there are some real winners mixed in. My ’78 P bass is medium weight and well made but I’ve played quite a few that were boat anchors, had warped necks, sloppy neck and pickup routes, etc…. It’s just the luck of the draw.

What an instrument is worth is what someone is willing to give it up for and someone else is willing to pay for it. I think there are some buyers out there with more money than sense but if they’re really nostalgic for the seventies, who am I to tell them they’re wrong?

But, let's be honest, they will never be better that the most recent American Standard, American Professional and/or American Professional II; now there's better QC, better tuning machines, bridges, sculpted neck heels, better truss rod access for an easier neck relief adjustment and I believe that even the woods used today are of better quality; I can even think that the pickups are better than those used in '79 and, in any case, they can be easily and relatively cheaply replaced.
So I AM PERSONALLY TRULY HORRIFIED looking at somebody selling an old bass with no particular better features than the equivalent ones fabricated today at twice the price of the new ones, it's PURE MADNESS in my opinion.
Now start shooting if you want

 

[tvbop]

I had a beautiful looking 71 sunburst r/w P bass which was a dud, heavy, dead and frustrating. I had a 74 natural ash P bass that I shall always regret selling...light, resonant and oh so 70's sounding. You gotta play them first.

The best bit about them and unique to 70's P's is that massiveho thick neck....I love em.

 

[bassliner50]

I own a '78 Precision which you can see in my avatar to the left. I bought it used in 1990 for $450 with original tweed case. Of course it is heavy. Chunky neck. Ash body I think? I own 6 P's and the '78 is the only one that I never changed pickups to something more to my liking. Side by side the 78 sounded and responded better than the other P's which have Fender '62 Original PUPS and Seymour Duncan SPB-1. All admirable PUPS but the 78 with its stock PUP is the winner. There are no fit or construction flaws that I can find. I set the action up perfectly (maple neck) and it very rarely ever needs any tweeking. It is the Rock of Gibraltar. (both in stability and weight). Well worth what I paid for it back then. Now I might spring for $2000ish if I really had the hots for one.

 

[Ron Berenato]

My first Fender was a '76 Precision. Although it played good it was very heavy and the pickups weren't anything to write home about. I replaced them with Dimarzio's. I played that bass for years until the G&L line came out. I've played new Fenders that are better basses. I believe the "vintage" hype is driving prices up on these less than extraordinary instruments. But then of course sometimes you find a gem.

 

[bherman]

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.

@Gorilla Monsoon three makers that I would take a close look at are: 1) G&L - the LB and SB are both great instruments, have to watch the weight though; 2) Vintage Modern - outstanding quality basses! And 3) Wilkins - his Road-Tested line are fantastic basses, finest materials and no one does finish work better than Pat Wilkins. If I had 3K to spend on a P bass, I’d be looking most closely at Wilkins or VM.

 

[brianrost]

For a 70s P to be worth $7000 it would have to be unique. Rare finish (Antigua?) or features (wood?) or low production numbers (factory custom build?). After all, 60s Ps are widely available in that price range.

 

[GIBrat51]

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?

View attachment 1061235 View attachment 1061237 View attachment 1061238 View attachment 1061239 View attachment 1061240 OK, guess I'll play, too. Here are a few of mine; '94 Gretsch Broadkaster (and, yes, it came from the factory this way); '78 Fender P-Bass w/the"A" neck; '96 Alembic Epic; the Rickenbacker Tone Twins - '01 COY 4003, and a '73 4001; and a '78 Kramer 450B. Can I have a number, please?

I have a little, but it's mostly limited to this one here; my '78. "Vintage" lefty P-Basses are not something you can pick up and play every day... I bought mine from a fellow GI when we were stationed in the UK way back in 1988. With what I paid him for it, and with the cost of having it re-fretted and refinished (long story, and not relevant here...), I'm in it for... roughly $1100 - in 1990's dollars. I could have gotten a newer one, but... I wanted the bass; he needed the money; and the "A-spec" neck was no longer available by 1988. I suppose I could get one from the Custom Shop, but that would be as expensive as a "vintage" one, and... they and I don't get along well at all, anyhow (another long, irrelevant story). Anyway... mine is pretty heavy (11.1 lbs.), which is pretty common; but, it has no discernable dead spots - which is not. It's a breeze to play, and with the mute in the bridge cover and the clones of the factory flatwounds it came with (GHS Precision Flats), it sounds just like I want it to. So, yeah; mine is definitely worth what I've spent on it - to me. However...
What's it "worth" today? I don't know; as a guess? Probably at least what I have in it - and maybe a little more. It's certainly not worth the figures you mentioned - even if it was "original". Although, it wasn't refinished because I wanted to do it. The finish was in the process of coming off in big patches when I bought it. But, even if it was in really nice, original condition? Much as I like the A neck... I doubt I'd pay what it's probable asking price would be today. I'd probably just put a used/replacement lefty Jazz Bass neck (which is essentially what an A neck is) on a used lefty Squier P-Bass - and call it a day. There are myriad reasons why people pay... well, I won't say "ridiculous"; leave it at "a lot of money" for "vintage" stuff. You can choose to be one of them - or not. I have several "vintage" basses myself. Some, like my P-Bass, were not "vintage" when I bought them; they just sort of aged into it. Some of them - like my '73 Rick 4001, and my '78 Kramer 450B - were "vintage" when I bought them - and yes, I paid a lot of $$$'s for them. But, if you want a 4001 - or a Kramer "Lumie"? You don't have much choice - it's vintage, or nothing - unless you have a time machine. And, if you do? Could I borrow it, please...?
So... bottom line? If you want to spend the money for a "vintage" version of what is essentially the bass equivalent of a Model A Ford, then be my guest. I'd be just as happy with a new one, myself...

 

[oren]

I own a P bass that I bought brand new in 1978. It weighs a ton, has a meaty neck, and plays and sounds great. It’s been on thousands of gigs and sessions, and I don’t think I’ll ever part with it. Having said that, I don’t think it’s any better than (or even as good as) lots of basses being being built now, and I certainly wouldn’t pay a premium for a 70s Fender if I was looking to buy a P bass. My 68 Jazz, however, is one of the best instruments I’ve ever played, so there were definitely some gems during the CBS era.

 

[Dave Hill]

But, let's be honest, they will never be better that the most recent American Standard, American Professional and/or American Professional II; now there's better QC, better tuning machines, bridges, sculpted neck heels, better truss rod access for an easier neck relief adjustment and I believe that even the woods used today are of better quality; I can even think that the pickups are better than those used in '79 and, in any case, they can be easily and relatively cheaply replaced.
So I AM PERSONALLY TRULY HORRIFIED looking at somebody selling an old bass with no particular better features than the equivalent ones fabricated today at twice the price of the new ones, it's PURE MADNESS in my opinion.
Now start shooting if you want

Lol. Stay away from the antique market. It may push you over the edge.
“Truly horrified”. Lol
Why is it so hard to understand that some folks value and will pay for vintage?