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SHOW YOUR DISTRESSED FINISHES!

#6,883
SJLee said:
Nice, I've always loved that bass. IIRC, it's an original 66 refinished?
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The body is a refinished (by Marty Bell) '66. The neck was made by SF luthier Dan Ransom to '63 J* specs finished by Pat Wilkins, pu's are Fender PV74's, harness is a (passive) Stellertone Elek-Triks w/push-pull series/parallel, bridge a Fender threaded saddle bent-plate, pops were '70s Fender Geddy Lee big-plate tuners custom (shaped paddles) before Gotoh intro'd their more authentic version (more authentic than Hip-Shots), and pg is a Spitfire. I've always loved the early '66 dot/bound J but actual ones have always been out of my price range. (especially today!) By the end of the day, it cost about $2k. (body was $800) It's funny because I played a '66 J at the CME and was not impressed. I love this bass - it always delivers live & recorded.

*I played a '63 J at Chicago Music Exchange that I loved the neck - so I had Dan mimic it.

 
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#6,884
"I love this bass - it always delivers live & recorded."

And that's really what is important. Vintage is uber cool but I also believe we are in a golden age of musical instruments. The quality of Japan, Mexican, and Korean, among other countries, has really improved over the years. At the end of the day, I want a bass that feels, plays and sounds good. Regardless of age.
 
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#6,885
IMG_0901.jpeg

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#6,892
SJLee said:
"I love this bass - it always delivers live & recorded."

And that's really what is important. Vintage is uber cool but I also believe we are in a golden age of musical instruments. The quality of Japan, Mexican, and Korean, among other countries, has really improved over the years. At the end of the day, I want a bass that feels, plays and sounds good. Regardless of age.
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My '60s vintage basses all sound good and each expresses a unique tone/character. But you are correct - the level of new quality basses is pretty high across the board.
 
#6,894
I love would to have a vintage Fender but at this point they are far beyond what I would want to have tied up in a bass. I should have picked one up in the early 2000's before Guitar Center started buying them all up. Back when I lived in the D.C. area, I used to visit Southworth Guitars. They used to have Fiesta Red Precision and Jazz basses listed at $3500. Then, post 2006 GC started snatching up vintage instruments. I used to see them all the time. You could pick up a Lake Placid Blue 66 Jazz for $4500. I was still gun shy but could see the trend then.
 
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#6,895
SJLee said:
I love would to have a vintage Fender but at this point they are far beyond what I would want to have tied up in a bass. I should have picked one up in the early 2000's before Guitar Center started buying them all up. Back when I lived in the D.C. area, I used to visit Southworth Guitars. They used to have Fiesta Red Precision and Jazz basses listed at $3500. Then, post 2006 GC started snatching up vintage instruments. I used to see them all the time. You could pick up a Lake Placid Blue 66 Jazz for $4500. I was still gun shy but could see the trend then.
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I saw a '60s P bass with an asking price of $42K !!! Stupid, over-the-top, good luck with that pricing. I don't include the asking price here anymore because what they are asking is out of control. I'm happy with my '66 P which I bought 10 yrs ago for under $4k, and my other '60s basses were all far less because they aren't Fenders or Gibsons. Prices have surged in the past and then came down after a financial bust, and frankly it feels like that is happening again.
 
#6,900

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