I love my '61 even though it's an old refin with an EMG Geezer pickup. The slab necks are unbeatable. (And it's a birth year bass)
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Vintage Fenders. Why??
- Thread starter tb-player
- Start date
Just keep your "basses" in different towns, you'll be fine.There are good instruments and there are bad ones, some are objectively so, others subjectively, some call this age vintage, some that, some like relicing, others not, some consider cracked lacquer ruined, others adorable,... this list is endless. In the end it is you and your bass.
It is like finding you perfect wife. You think she is pretty, you think she is nice, if someone else thinks so is completely unimportant. Then when you have a couple and think about which you... wait! something in this comparison is wrong
I tell my wife she is aging like a fine vintage bass all the time… she doesn't seem to find it a compliment though…It is like finding you perfect wife. You think she is pretty, you think she is nice, if someone else thinks so is completely unimportant. Then when you have a couple and think about which you... wait! something in this comparison is wrong
I can only recount my own experience. Flashback about 20 years - job is hot, band is cranking. I'm going through basses with regularity. Nobody was a bigger vintage skeptic than me. It was the height of the "vintage bubble" and prices were maxed (for the time, since exceeded). I went to a reliable source and after spending an afternoon with a half dozen basses I walked out with a one-owner '66 Jazz. I have 5 other top shelf J's, all tone killers, but none sound quite like this. Maybe it's me, but whenever I think, Why don't I sell this bass? I take it out and play it. That's why, and I smile. 20 years in and I'm still smiling.
Same here, I'm not interested in owning one but I find the whole phenomena interesting. The vintage guitars and basses I've played weren't anything special IMO. Some people think that prices will come down when the boomers die off. I do hope prices fall so that these instruments are more accessible to players who really want them.
For me my '78 Jazz has the feel and tone that I can't get from other basses. Its not to say it has the best tone but rather a distinct one.
Vintage Fenders. Why??
Well, I am lucky and own 2 vintage Fender Basses. A 1953 P Bass and a 1966 P Bass.
Why did I buy them? There is nothing "magical" about them. But, I got them both for VERY LOW prices! Plus, it's really cool owning 2 collectable basses. And, they are "antiques".
Vintage Fenders. Why??
Because it's very special to own something old and unique!
I happily sold my 66 Pbass for too much money - it was a dog to play but was one-owner original, sunburst, tort, smoothly worn etc
I later learnt it was used to mime a video shoot.
I prefer my parts basses
I later learnt it was used to mime a video shoot.
I prefer my parts basses
If a 50 old bass isn't "vintage ", then I don't know what is. The first Fender basses from the early 50's are a bit over 70 years old, so 70's Fenders are most certainly vintage basses.
In the furniture world they often state vintage as being between 20 and 99 years old. I disagree with 20 years old being vintage but those numbers show up a lot so i guess it's a standard. I think a 50 year old bass would be vintage as you said.
Imo, the Fenders that had the large elephant ear tuners and weren't CNC made would be perceived as vintage.
You pay extra for the extra labor involved.
I know, shocking. Capitalism be crazy y'all
How about a 40 year old MIJ Squier? I recently picked one up for peanuts locally. I don't need it, but I couldn't resist at the asking price. If it had a Fender logo, I could make 8 or 9 times what I paid for it if I sold.
I have always been told that 25 years and older is what qualifies as Vintage for anything
Man, where to start. Had a good few old P basses, including a 70, 71, and 75. The 75 hands down smoked the earlier ones. But the Mex RW P bass I had a while back smoked them all. Those early RW basses are very good indeed,
I thought about purchasing 60' era Fender basses as an investment. They seem to gain in value a bit faster than inflation, which is more that can be said for most other form of investment out there. And, as a bass player, I could enjoy... playing with my investment. 
But then I changed my mind. What are the chances of finding a 60 year old bass with a straight and true neck, with a still functioning truss rod, decent fretwork and original electronics still in working order? I figured very slim, and if you end up having to replace any of these things, your investment is... in the crapper.
And if people ever wake up and realize what they are ie mass produced old junk, then your investment is... in the crapper again.
I did not close the door entirely, meaning maybe there's an argument for it I haven't considered, but I've stopped looking.
I almost bought into the mechanical watch pandemic craze, now that the price of those things tanked at the speed of light, I'm very happy I did not.
But then I changed my mind. What are the chances of finding a 60 year old bass with a straight and true neck, with a still functioning truss rod, decent fretwork and original electronics still in working order? I figured very slim, and if you end up having to replace any of these things, your investment is... in the crapper.
And if people ever wake up and realize what they are ie mass produced old junk, then your investment is... in the crapper again.
I did not close the door entirely, meaning maybe there's an argument for it I haven't considered, but I've stopped looking.
I almost bought into the mechanical watch pandemic craze, now that the price of those things tanked at the speed of light, I'm very happy I did not.
