what has shocked me was the price of specifically 1969 fenders. Before covid you could get a minty one for 3k and change now theyre 7 grand. Beats me.
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Prices of 70s basses
- Thread starter Darko74
- Start date
In 1973 I bought a brand new Fender Precision, for £235, from Norbury Music Centre in London. If I’m being honest I never liked it and sold it about six months afterwards. I’ve only owned one other Fender (a ‘63 Precision) and that ended up going the same way, although for a lot more than I bought it for.
I don’t know what a tidy ‘73 Precision would fetch now though?
I don’t know what a tidy ‘73 Precision would fetch now though?
No. I was 26.
Did I miss something in my post?
Edit: Nevermind. I got it. I was born the year after 1980.
Aside from the usual "cause of inflation" answer, the panic and chaos in 2020 seemed to escalate just about everything having a price even faster all over the world. The end.
P E R C E P T I O N .
A lot of cats assign some magical, mystical 'better' in old instruments, that just somehow it's GOT to have been sprinkled in Mojo Dust by the fairies. OK . . . . that's gonna cost you . . . .
F A S H I O N .
You too can be too cool for school with an old bass. If you can't find one, for real money, we'll take a gorgeous brand new axe and make it LOOK like it's been behind the bar at The Twist and Shout for all these years. That's gonna cost you . . .
B S .
Overall basses have never been better built and better performing than right now. There's never been the range of choice as there is right now. However, this will not give you the warm and fuzzies of owning a sled sprinkled by the fairies.
You should play whatever you want, and it's certainly an emotional and personal choice. It just slays me that it's rarely rooted in real value or better performance.
I need Tylenol . . .
A lot of cats assign some magical, mystical 'better' in old instruments, that just somehow it's GOT to have been sprinkled in Mojo Dust by the fairies. OK . . . . that's gonna cost you . . . .
F A S H I O N .
You too can be too cool for school with an old bass. If you can't find one, for real money, we'll take a gorgeous brand new axe and make it LOOK like it's been behind the bar at The Twist and Shout for all these years. That's gonna cost you . . .
B S .
Overall basses have never been better built and better performing than right now. There's never been the range of choice as there is right now. However, this will not give you the warm and fuzzies of owning a sled sprinkled by the fairies.
You should play whatever you want, and it's certainly an emotional and personal choice. It just slays me that it's rarely rooted in real value or better performance.
I need Tylenol . . .
The rarity of the 60's basses available on the market gave a real boost to the price of the 70's basses lately, at least in my area.
Is it worth it : NO ! ……….unless you find one that sounds amazing but it’s not the majority.
I can put together a precision bass for less than $ 1 500.00 USD with various parts and the right pickups that will put many 70's basses to shame.
Is it worth it : NO ! ……….unless you find one that sounds amazing but it’s not the majority.
I can put together a precision bass for less than $ 1 500.00 USD with various parts and the right pickups that will put many 70's basses to shame.
everything has gotten more expensive. I remember years ago buying a dozen eggs for a bit more than 1$. It's now over $3, and a few months back I remember seeing them at $4-5...
Prices of everything have gone up 'noticeably' in the last ten years... have you priced out a pickup truck lately?
$7300 seems quite over-priced for a 70's fender. We have a local shop here in town that specializes in vintage instruments. They have a 70's telecaster bass for $3500 USD that hasn't sold (1974 Fender Telecaster Bass). I saw an early 70s p bass sitting there for a looong time priced at ~2500 USD. And this is a shop that sells internationally too and I'm pretty sure they're popular among people that know vintage instrument shops so it's not as if they're not selling just cuz they're a mom & pop shop in Canada.
just because somebody is asking $7,300 for a '72 Jazz Bass, that does not mean that they will get it...
This has certainly affected things and always has. I was seeing Rippers for around $2,500 to $3k when I was looking. Admittedly mine turned out to have problems, but was still significantly cheaper than the ones that are STILL for sale on reverb. Same thing with Ovation Magnums which I really want. There's a handful on there for over 2k but a while back I had looked and if I recall correctly the last one that actually sold was for $1,300.
Heck, I bought my BurgundyGlo '77 4001 with original case, pickups, cover, bridge, and even the original hangtag and manual (sheet of paper on neck adjustments) for $2,200 8 to 10 years ago. I see a good few for $4,000 or more on Reverb. I think one was even $7,000ish. Thing is, they're all still for sale. A lot of sellers it seems want "dreamer" prices to part with a "rare commodity".
Don't get me wrong, vintage basses are cool and I own 2. I get why people think they're rad, and some have features that are harder to find. It's just that I think folks have seen enough retro 6 string guitars go for "mortgage ending prices" and are looking at these tools of the trade as a way of putting little Johnny through college.
What the sellers are asking and what they’re getting (or not) are two very different things.
Ludicrous.
About 30 years ago I paid a tiny fraction--of what you paid for your '73--for an early '65 L-serial Jazz bass.
Excluding some early 1970 Stratocaster Jimi Hendrix might have played before he died that September, there are virtually no '70s Fenders worth $7,300 in 2024.
That is unless the buyer simply has money to senselessly blow.
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I remember mail ordering my first P Bass from Manny's in 1980 for $378 plus $13 to ship it to where I lived in Tennessee at the time. I still have it and it's not going anywhere.
I used to be into the 70’s basses and still think some are cool, but I refuse to buy into this false narrative of them doubling or tripling in price in the past 5 years. In fact, I’ve pretty much soured to the whole vintage thing…mainly because of the ridiculous asking prices but also I think I’ve just moved on.
