Vintage fender or fender masterbuilt

[mikeswals]

Surely people don't tour with pre cbs Fenders? The occasional gig, fine, but touring, bad idea, imo. I would say they're mainly studio now.

Immediately off the top of my head...
ever heard of Bobby Vega?
How about Scott Shriner of Weezer?
dude from Snarky Puppy has that '59 he takes all over.

 

[BAG]

So OP..... what are ya gettin'??

 

[David Heath]

I play my pre-CBS most Sundays at church!
Davo

 

[Alexander]

I’m fortunate to have a Masterbuilt and three vintage Fenders. While the MB basses are incredible, I definitely prefer vintage, for three reasons:

1. Tone - nothing sounds like a vintage Fender. Not sure if it is just due to how they built them differently back in the day, the effect of aging or both. But man, nothing is as warm, fat and perfect in a mix. To Fender CS’ credit, my MB gets 85-90% of the way there. But, it ain’t 100%

2. Feel - aged nitro and well worn necks. Nothing like it. MB relics are amazing, but the smooth-as-buttah feel of a well worn in neck can’t be beat. Not every vintage Fender has that though and again the MB gets darn close.

3. Authenticity - real deal basses that we’re around when Jimi and Duane were on stage. Fender has spent the last 50 years trying to replicate pre-CBS basses. MBs, as great as they are, are copies - at least in my mind. The flip side of the argument is that the process of getting a Fender custom made to your specs just for you is pretty cool too.

 

[black.rose1402]

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.

Did you put roundwounds on your sean hurley bass?
I used to own one in sunburst, that was a great p!

 

[muggsy]

Did you put roundwounds on your sean hurley bass?
I used to own one in sunburst, that was a great p!

My favorite strings in the world are TI flats, and that's what it came with. Never changing those. Flats with the mute engaged are what that bass is all about. For me, anyway.

I only suggested rounds because you said you were thinking about a P bass with rounds. And you've already got the Pino with TI flats.

 

[ad9000]

• Every Masterbuilt instrument I've played has been great, but the upside of owning a vintage instrument is so much greater, so that's the way I would go if I were in your position. Just make sure you play and inspect before you buy, as there are some dogs out there. Since you seem to be coming from the standpoint of a player as opposed to a collector, I'd consider a refinished one, which would obviously be much more affordable than a 100% original one. I have a refinished '64 Jazz which slays any CS bass that I've ever played. Since I acquired it to actually play it and not as a museum piece, I don't care that it's refinished.

 

[BearCave]

Here's a good video where Scott Devine from scottsbasslessons.com breaks down the advantages, etc. of Vintage Vs. Custom Shop....

 

[Mastermold]

• Every Masterbuilt instrument I've played has been great, but the upside of owning a vintage instrument is so much greater, so that's the way I would go if I were in your position. Just make sure you play and inspect before you buy, as there are some dogs out there. Since you seem to be coming from the standpoint of a player as opposed to a collector, I'd consider a refinished one, which would obviously be much more affordable than a 100% original one. I have a refinished '64 Jazz which slays any CS bass that I've ever played. Since I acquired it to actually play it and not as a museum piece, I don't care that it's refinished.

I have two '64 P-basses, one refinished in CAR and one original finish in sunburst (my avatar pic). Both are great, both get played a lot, but I do play the refin out more because it's less valuable as a collector piece. I have a great '74 P and CS '59 P too. These get playing time too but not as much as the 64s.

 

[ad9000]

Being wary of taking valuable axes out on gigs is a valid concern. These are my two Pre-CBS axes, a '62 P and the aforementioned '64 J. I won't take either of them to gigs or sessions if I have to leave them in the car or otherwise out of sight.

 

[godofthunder59]

Vintage! The minute you take delivery of a custom shop bass it looses at least 1/3 of it's value. A good vintage bass will continue to appreciate in value. The custom shop may sound close to the vintage but there is enough difference to make me pick the vintage bass.

 

[chris_b]

I bought a Wal when I reached a certain age.

 

[Bass4ThePublic]

I’d say vintage. Only way I’d take a masterbuilt is if I were going on a world tour and was concerned about the safety of a vintage instrument.