Something seems off with this bass

[danosix]

$199 is a great price if it's in VG condition and plays well.
Offer $150 and see what the hens say

I'd say $199 is a great price for a MIJ Fender in PLAYABLE condition...

 

[danosix]

My wife found this bass at a local resale shop near where she works. She was going to bring it home for me, but before that happens I want to know what the hell this thing is. The serial number on the headstock says it's a 84-87 MIJ. But things just don't look right. The lack of a pickguard. The input jack not being on the front of the bass is a concern. The color. And I am not sure about the body shape itself. So, can some of the experts weigh in on this and tell me what the hell I am looking at?

Frankenbass?

• Echo2112
• Feb 22, 2015

Frankenbass?

• Echo2112
• Feb 22, 2015
• 1

Those are black fret lines, not open fret slots right?
Having said that - I'll second (tenth) the other who say that's the real thing - totally common in the 80s when that was the style.

 

[Eric66]

Keep her!
And keep the bass as well.

 

[bholder]

I'd say $199 is a great price for a MIJ Fender in PLAYABLE condition...

It is in playable condition, or very nearly so (perhaps a setup, like any other used bass). The ripped out frets are simply a cosmetic issue that (generally) doesn't affect playability at all. That's my thinking on why this sounds like a deal, at least, though others disagree.

 

[danosix]

It is in playable condition, or very nearly so (perhaps a setup, like any other used bass). The ripped out frets are simply a cosmetic issue that (generally) doesn't affect playability at all. That's my thinking on why this sounds like a deal, at least, though others disagree.

Like I say - from the pics it looks like someone went to the effort of widening the slots and putting in nice wide markers, which would tend to indicate they took some care. As far as thhe cosmetic issue - well I like the idea of dark markers so you have some visual cue but still get that nice slick fretless look.

 

[bholder]

I couldn't tell from the pics whether they'd been filled or not, looked not to me, but my eyes are old.

 

[danosix]

I couldn't tell from the pics whether they'd been filled or not, looked not to me, but my eyes are old.

Well, again I'm judging by a pic on the internet, but those dark areas look way wider than the original fret slots would have been -also you say the don't affect playability which says they're filled to me.

 

[Flaked Beans]

i had one of those 80s MIJs (but all in black, black body/headstock black hardware tuners neckplate bridge plastic knobs and nut) 10 years ago which was also defretted by the seller!
here are some pics of the bass with brand new frets on the fingerboard:

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

Very nice p bass indeed!

 

[Smooth_bass88]

Geez, for $199 with I'd grab that right up. You could do A LOT worse for that kind of bread.

 

[JIO]

If you buy this bass, you will need to fill the fret-slots with maple or at least plastic binding material - not putty. Putty is not stable enough considering the amount of stress on the fb from string tension. And depending on how long the fb has been w/o frets - there may already be warpage. If that's the case, it's not worth much of anything.

 

[brokencode]

It looks like a Boxer bass to me.... MIJ E series with large pole pups... They are super light! (7.9lbs) Mine is an '86

 

[bholder]

Well, again I'm judging by a pic on the internet, but those dark areas look way wider than the original fret slots would have been -also you say the don't affect playability which says they're filled to me.

Well, I wouldn't know from looking, but I've played an unfilled defretted bass and found it functional - the slots are very narrow compared to the strings, or even just the windings, after all.

 

[bholder]

If you buy this bass, you will need to fill the fret-slots with maple or at least plastic binding material - not putty. Putty is not stable enough considering the amount of stress on the fb from string tension. And depending on how long the fb has been w/o frets - there may already be warpage. If that's the case, it's not worth much of anything.

Well, sure, that's true, I'm assuming any buyer would always checked for warpage whether or not anything had been modified - standard procedure, no?

 

[wvbass]

Not commenting on whether it is worth $200 or not...that is a personal decision. But keep in mind, this is basically the equivalent of today's modern player series. These basses were bottom-of-the-ladder Fenders and considered to be a slight step up from the Squier series at the time. Having said that, these could also be considered the successor or sibling to the Japanese Squier line, which is generally highly regarded by players. I have a fretless Jazz Special from the late 80's that is a quality instrument.

 

[bholder]

Well, sure, that's true, I'm assuming any buyer would always checked for warpage whether or not anything had been modified - standard procedure, no?

Though obviously, you're right - should have realized that leaving the fret slots open increases risk of the neck warping or bowing (depending on what's underneath it and how thick the neck is, how deeply the truss rod is set, blah blah blah). So I still maintain, likely functional as is, but then have to admit, it would be wise to fill in slots if they're empty, to reduce risk of damage.

 

[A-Step-Towards]

Not commenting on whether it is worth $200 or not...that is a personal decision. But keep in mind, this is basically the equivalent of today's modern player series. These basses were bottom-of-the-ladder Fenders and considered to be a slight step up from the Squier series at the time. Having said that, these could also be considered the successor or sibling to the Japanese Squier line, which is generally highly regarded by players. I have a fretless Jazz Special from the late 80's that is a quality instrument.

These 80's japan Fender have been highly regarded by MANY players for decades as being fantastic. Modern players are Chinese made and I doubt there going to hold up as well as these have for 30 years.