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Vintage fender or fender masterbuilt

#61
This right here. Save a few bucks.

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For Sale - Fender American deluxe Zone with upgrades
 
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#62
Have you considered a Stingray? If we're talking about rounding out your stable then it's the obvious missing link, as opposed to putting a Fender Jazz (of any description) head-to-head with your Sadowsky. Also leaves you the option of scratching the vintage itch if you can find a good 70s example.
 
#65
I haven't played a masterbuilt I didn't think was a great instrument. There were some with specs I didn't care for and of course bad owner setup. Chances much better of getting a great MB built to specs than pulling the trigger on a random reverb instrument. Something from Jason Smith would be just fantastic. The closest I ever got to a JS bass was my Geddy Lee CS. Although not technically involved in the run those basses are something special. Jason would be my choice. Think it was Bonamassa that said it vintage instruments find their owners. I tend to agree. I've been to shows ready to buy a vintage bass and always leave empty handed. Next year most of the same vintage basses are still there.

Wildwood just received a JS P Bass. Kind of interesting take. Too bad about the color...
 
#66
I didn't get the hate on for vintage because every masterbuild isn't perfect. ... I don't read you own any maple necks but, maybe one of the Sadowsky's is. ... If not that's what I'd have my eye open for. ... An early 70's sunburst maple combo would be a great addition and not set you back too much. ... If I was a much younger man I'd eye a Fodera.
 
#73
muggsy said:
I had the same thought when I turned 40, except I was neither a pro nor likely to be mistaken for one. I had been through several J basses and ended up selling them all, so I decided to order a Sadowsky NYC Ultra Vintage Jazz to end the search. It was a beautiful bass, but I never really bonded with it and ended up realizing I just prefer P basses. So I traded it for cash and a Lakland P/J that I love and still have.

I recognize that none of this answers your question. You already have a Pino so you know how good the Custom Shop instruments can be. But you also have a Will Lee so you've got the Jazz thing covered. I'd go for a custom shop P bass with rounds, myself. I recently acquired a Sean Hurley signature P and it's amazing. Same quality as the Pino plus it has the foam mute you can flip on or off. Vintage is great but hit or miss, and at some point I'd be worried about gigging with a vintage bass you couldn't replace.
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I used to own a sean hurley pbass, those basses are amazing pbasses (I miss that bass)
a pbass with rounds sounds like a great idea, I was bringing my Pino to some gigs (big venue) and I always play the pbass first, but the sound guy and the artist told me that it lacked definition on the low notes, as my pino has flats on it, that might be the problem (it's amazing in studio), I switched to the my Will Lee and then no problem anymore.
 
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#74
Judge Nickels said:
When I faced a similar decision, I went with a vintage bass and I don't regret it for a second.

If you decide to go with a vintage precision, you can likely get into a pre CBS model for MasterBuilt money if you are patient and careful.

If you are looking to extensively gig and/or travel with this 40th birthday special you will want to interrogate your feelings about doing that with a 50 year old bass.
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The fact is that I'm a touring musician, and nowadays, I must say that I'm scared about cites , so as long as I'm touring in France that's alright,

I've found a 59 pbass (refin) that sounds amazing and has that good ole fender neck
 
#76
Easy - go vintage. Same cost as the Masterbuilt and with tons of Mojo. Do you want the real thing or a copy? As a tip, go for a '65 as it's much more likely to have a Brazilian rosewood neck!

Davo
 
#78
David Heath said:
Easy - go vintage. Same cost as the Masterbuilt and with tons of Mojo. Do you want the real thing or a copy?
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It's interesting - to me, if you want the "real thing", you want a guitar built by a skilled craftsman with a lot of experience building guitars; who has access to the knowledge gained from decades of people who went before him - you want the Masterbuilt. To me, a 60's Fender is a factory instrument built by relatively unskilled (and inexperienced) workers at a time when they were just figuring stuff out.

My Dad told me once (having worked in industry a long time, I know now that this is good advice) you don't want to buy a car the first year of a particular design - you want one from a few years later, when they've figured out how to make them.
 
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