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Played a '75 Precision
- Thread starter MichiBass
- Start date
It's hit or miss. I have a '75 P that I love. But I'm not naive enough to think that all of them are good; or that all CBS era basses are garbage. If you find one that sounds great, and you have the funds to get it, then go ahead. But don't buy one just because it's a '75 (or '62, '73, etc.). Make sure it's one of the "good ones" before buying it.
As said above.
Ever Fender plays and sounds different.
I started playing in the mid-70's.
These basses were not looked at as great fenders.
Instead, there were considered, very poor.
If you find a good 1975-1979 fender. ENJOY.
I have owned a few that were very good.
Others, very bad.
Don't buy just because of year.
Buy, because it's a nice bass.
And if you find one?
It's worth the dough.
I have a '75 P I love to death. Bought it used in '80 for $200. Needed a fretted at the time
When I got it I modded it out so much it's not really a P anymore, but I kept the stock parts.
Added two passive SeymoreDuncan 1/4 lb jazz pups, split pup and stack vol/tone knobs for each pup + kill switch.
Not my main anymore, but LOVE it to death and we've had many adventures together. We're both kinda beat up
When I got it I modded it out so much it's not really a P anymore, but I kept the stock parts.
Added two passive SeymoreDuncan 1/4 lb jazz pups, split pup and stack vol/tone knobs for each pup + kill switch.
Not my main anymore, but LOVE it to death and we've had many adventures together. We're both kinda beat up
This might have been mine. I sold my '75 in '80 in Portland. I remember the buyer grousing that it needed a re-fret. I'd already replaced the pup with a thicker magnet Seymor Duncan as I thought the sound "thin". If you think this was my bass, PM me a pic. I'd love to see how this old girl turned out.
yea I have a '73/'74 that I love.. bought it in '05 for $400 (guy I worked with had no idea what he had)
yes i love the vintage stuff too. it sounds better to my ears.
watch out for the vintage hater mob, they'll be here shortly to tell you how newer stuff is better and all that bullsh*t
watch out for the vintage hater mob, they'll be here shortly to tell you how newer stuff is better and all that bullsh*t
My bass would blow away a vintage bass. And if you wanted a vintage sound, pulling out my modern pickups would work..
My guess is that you have not yet upgraded the pickups in your HW1? Try a set of Fender Custom Shop Classic Jazz, Seymour Duncan Antiquity II's, or Nordstrand NJ4's before you sell that bass. Really its the pickups where your loosing your tone.
My guess is that you have not yet upgraded the pickups in your HW1? Try a set of Fender Custom Shop Classic Jazz, Seymour Duncan Antiquity II's, or Nordstrand NJ4's before you sell that bass. Really its the pickups where your loosing your tone.
I have to agree about the pickups. I've found that the most common comment from those for whom I've installed SD Antiquity pickups is they think they sound "older" than recent Fender pickups.
Not saying they do, just that's what they think they do. However I do find that the SD Antiquity do sound different with less harsh highs.
Not saying they do, just that's what they think they do. However I do find that the SD Antiquity do sound different with less harsh highs.
I have Antiquity II's in one Jazz bass, but I also have a stock '68 Jazz, and a stock '74. They all sound good, but all different. The '68 has a dry growl, the '74 sounds rich and very dynamic, and the Antiquity's sound very warm.
The Antiquity's are a good simulation of what vintage pups sound like (in my experience), so it's worth $100 or so bucks instead of buying a whole Vintage instrument.
I like the Antiquity II's so much that I also installed some in my P. They are very thick sounding.
However, the pups in my '74... you're not gonna get anywhere but in those pups... they are just delicious sounding.
The Antiquity's are a good simulation of what vintage pups sound like (in my experience), so it's worth $100 or so bucks instead of buying a whole Vintage instrument.
I like the Antiquity II's so much that I also installed some in my P. They are very thick sounding.
However, the pups in my '74... you're not gonna get anywhere but in those pups... they are just delicious sounding.
Speaking of pickups:
I have an early 90s Japan P-bass 60s Reissue. Does anyone know what pickups came in these? Were they American Vintage or standard or what?
Also - a couple more Qs:
How do you tell the year it's made on a Japan Fender?
This bass looks just like the 1962 RI AMerican Vintage. I think they were just considered "60s" reissues. Or were they considered "1962" Reissues?
I have an early 90s Japan P-bass 60s Reissue. Does anyone know what pickups came in these? Were they American Vintage or standard or what?
Also - a couple more Qs:
How do you tell the year it's made on a Japan Fender?
This bass looks just like the 1962 RI AMerican Vintage. I think they were just considered "60s" reissues. Or were they considered "1962" Reissues?
I think that in a lot of cases a few decades of use might transform a mediocre instrument into a really nice one. Take for instance my 68/69 P. It`s just a crappy old CBS era slab, and if you play it I guarantee you`ll want the ugly old thing.
Have a look at the serial number. MIJ's are dead easy to date to within a year. Head over to Invalid Link Removed to date the instrument.
There's 2 distinct classes of MIJ's. Export models for the US market and those for the domestic market. Some of the models had US made "vintage" pickups that are very close sounding to the originals, others didn't. The necks are usually a bit thinner (2mm) at the nut and the Kluson tuners tend not to be accurate, having the later F type tuners and are swaged rather than riveted and not reverse acting. However on the Domestic Japanese 62 RI I have the bridge is a proper 62 type bridge, the saddles are correct (threaded rod) as are the string height adjusters. Early 90s MIJ's were made by FujiGen instruments who also built for Ibanez and several other manufacturers.
Hope this helps.
Maybe! Mine is a sunburst.
It did need a re-fret, but the pup in mine was stock. Also replaced the bridge with a BadAss II. I was gonna make it active and throw some EMGs in it, but the luthier talked me out of it recommending the QuarterPounders instead.
I bought it out of the back of a van in the SouthCenter Mall just outside south Seattle around Dec '79/Jan '80. A guitar player buddy traded with this guy for a bunch of stereo gear and mentioned he had a Fender bass to sell. I needed a fretted bass for a T40 cover band I had just joined. Up until that time I was pretty much a fretless Gibson guy.
I don't have any pix (no camera yet) but you can go here and check out some vids from my 80s band and see if it's her.
Close but no stogie. Mine was a natural. And I'm pretty sure I sold it in my apartment in SW Portland in mid '80. But memories can be fuzzy, especially in those days. Ironic the coinkidins though. I was the original owner and I remember the seller making a big deal about it needing a re-fret. I had played it hard for the first couple of years but it ended up in the closet for the last 2 or 3 I owned it. I thought he was just trying to drive the price down. If you paid the same price, I guess it was the going rate. Makes me sick when I see what they go for now. And for you younguns, I'll echo that at the time these were considered crapola basses and that only pre-CBS were "serious" instruments. Time changes all.
Of the 25 or so 70s Fenders I've owend I've kept 2. A 73 P and a 74 Jazz. Both have Ash bodies and are pretty light(under 9 lbs) The Jazz is pretty beat and the P has a B neck but it's like a baseball bat(for some reason I just love it). A fellow TBer played it and went,"What's with this neck"! It's the Tone! ahh the tone of these basses that make me never want to sell them. Old does not always = good but some times old does. But then again a new bass can have Tone. It's in the ear of the beholder, sometime you can tell within minutes. Sometimes it takes a little time and a handfull of gigs, and sometimes it never happens. Sound like you found one you liked, hey ther may be another down the road, the bad news is it may cost $1000 more when you can afford it.
