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Possible 1975 Jazz Bass

Journey55

Journey55

Jun 10, 2011
934
196
Orlando, Florida
#1
Hey, I'm looking at a bass that the other person claims is a 1975 Fender Jazz Bass and I just want to get some more looks at it before I leap on it, they offered to take my 2004 Fender American Precision Bass plus $200 for it. The tuners look a bit clean to me but that's just me.
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He said the pickups were replaced by EMG pickups and it was refin'd.
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#5
Guard isnt original as well, tuners look correct, I would guess a '74 or earlier. Is that a brass nut? There is a lot of swapped parts, maybe or likely the pots as well and the body does have the hack in it. I have no idea how new your USA P is but even a newer standard in good shape is really not bringing much more then $800 used, so add $200 and its $1000 for a players grade vintage J, sounds decent if the neck checks out as healthy.
 
#7
neck looks legit but the body looks wrong. I'm pretty sure in 75 they had the 3 bolt micro tilt neck plate instead. the bodies on a typical 75 were a clear gloss with a black pickguard. I seriously reckon you shouldn't do the deal.
 
#8
there were still 4 bolts in 75. it already states in the op that its a refin. id do this deal all day. ive seen recent american p's go for stupid cheap on ebay. if you end up not liking this, youll definitely make more money by selling this than the p. if the neck is unmolested(other than the nut), that and the tuners alone are worth more than the p.

i cant tell from the pics but is the back of the neck sanded? i also cant tell from the small pics but it looks like it may have been refretted with the tangs not being undercut and going through the binding. however, sometimes fret sprout makes the binding crack and it looks similar. those would be my only two concerns.
 
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#11
I agree with Narud- I reckon it is a 75, most likely- definitely still some 4 bolt 75s.
Tuners and neck looks correct, bit hard to tell whether refretted.
First pic suggests correct bridge pickup postion, but again hard to be sure in that pic.
Refin colour is cool.
Pots will be changed. Effectively for a grand I would do it, if the neck is good and she plays well, as player.
If you want to restore to original (despite the rear rout) be advised that the correct pickups, pickguard and harness are not cheap.
 
#13
If the neck is good, you could have an excellent player for not too much cash. Modding it is n great sin, because it's already been modded, so make it what you want it to be. The neck alone s worth close to $750 and the body stripped is probably still worth $2-300 so getting your money out of it won't be to hard.
 
#15
I'd do that deal for sure. Just make sure there are no set-up issues. I had a '73 J that had a permanent 'dip' in the neck passed the 12th fret. It was unrepairable, and you couldn't get the action very low at all. I ended up dumping it at a loss.
 
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#17
I'm not saying there were no 4-bolts in '75, but the 3-bolt was introduced in '74. Fender says so, and I own a '74 3-bolt.
I'd also suggest making the deal if the neck feels good and you like the bass otherwise. However, keep in mind that basses of this era can be beastly heavy, which may or may not be an issue for you.
 
#18
I'd do it too. One good thing about the battery route is that you now have the ability to run a preamp if you change the pickups to standard Jazz types. A 70's Jazz with a pre is one of the greatest basses you could ever want IMO
 
#19
I think your vintage value is out the window on this with a refin, electronics and battery route. If your bass is going for $800 than you're getting a fair deal but nothing great. If you like it then go for it. It looks like it's hanging in a guitar shop. You might do better by selling your P privately and buying it outright. Most guitar shops are actually going to make more money on a trade than an outright sale.
 

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