It's been said here before: the older they get, the likelihood increases with time that the crappy ones ended up in the trash along the way, so what's left tend to skew toward the better ones. I've still got a 1964 that I paid $1500 for probably 30 years ago, and it's one of the best Ps I've ever owned or played. Nothing about the age guarantees a good one though. It's a stack-up of variables: just like factory-mass-produced instruments of any era.
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Vintage Fenders. Why??
- Thread starter tb-player
- Start date
You ever wear an old pair of 501's?
There ya go...
There ya go...
To be completely honest Im a total nerd and like nerdy things such as old 60's and 70s fenders. Yes Im aware modern manufacturing is better and makes better basses, no I do not care. I personally enjoy the tone and playability of a nice vintage fender.
The car analogy is an interesting one. If I could own a mint, early-70s Stingray, I’d be all over it, because I remember drooling over those as a young boy. But you wouldn’t catch me dead in a 2023 Corvette. Yuck!
Then again, they aren’t selling 70s Vettes for 10 times more than new ones.
They're iconic pieces of music history, authentic folk art, all that stuff is important to me too.
A 1969 Boss Mustang is from a technology standpoint a far inferior piece of machinery to almost anything you'd buy on a car lot today. Which would I rather own? Hmmm...
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The only reason to own a vintage Fender these days would be if you can't find the specs you want on a modern made Fender. Most of their current offerings have slimmer necks and a 9.5" radius, and if they do lean to vintage specs, they're MIM and therefore don't have a rosewood board. IMHO, etc.
I have no experience with them, but I imagine it could be a combination of many factors.
Could be nostalgia, could be that scarcity increases desirability, could be that people want them because other people want them, could be (like many things) older items were manufactured with more craftsmanship, and could even be that they sound and play better!
Could be nostalgia, could be that scarcity increases desirability, could be that people want them because other people want them, could be (like many things) older items were manufactured with more craftsmanship, and could even be that they sound and play better!
Adding a 10 cent washer behind the truss rod nut will solve that ....
It’s the whole package….great old wood, gunk in the electronics, pickups, mojo and history. Not for everyone, but “that sound” is tough to replicate.
That's a rather broad statement. Do you have any particular brands and/or series in mind?
The primary “appeal” of vintage instruments, which affects the pricing, is collecting. While some vintage instruments have developed somewhat unique playing characteristics over time, the bulk of the demand comes from people simply wanting to own an older instrument.
Which is perfectly cool, and last I checked perfectly legal. But, if you are a player, it is important to be aware that paying for collector pieces won’t necessarily result in playing value.
I do have a ‘62 Jazz Bass. I bought it for $275 in completely trashed condition and paid another $450 for a refin in 1987. The result was worth the money I spent at the time. The bass does go out on jobs, and is a player under my stewardship. Someone else may choose to make it a collectible someday.
I almost always gig it into a Sadowsky Outboard Preamp. It’s a nice bass, and a great player; but, not particularly any better than one of the more recent American Professional II versions, which are also very nice.
Use common sense.
Being sentient, we need something to talk about.
Nostalgia. They’re cool. But new ones are cool too. Fender just totes extra cool factor because it’s the sound and look of rock’n’roll. I’m not debating whether you or I could find a nicer bass. But no other bass is the point of origin like those early P or J basses.
Why is a seriously noisy and ultimately junky Klon overdrive $7,000? Or half that if it’s the version without the printed character? Nostalgia.
Nostalgia is a big motivator. Nothing wrong with that. Nostalgia is why there is still rock’n’roll. That’s a good thing.
Why is a seriously noisy and ultimately junky Klon overdrive $7,000? Or half that if it’s the version without the printed character? Nostalgia.
Nostalgia is a big motivator. Nothing wrong with that. Nostalgia is why there is still rock’n’roll. That’s a good thing.
I have a ‘66 Jazz Bass, a ‘70, Jazz, and a ‘97 Custom Shop Jazz Deluxe. Over the past two years or so I’ve done several blind tests at home and at gigs with my bassist friends. Every single time the ‘97 wins followed by the ‘66 and then the ‘70.
My ‘97 has the factory preamp and pickups. Some vintage purists poo-pah the Suhr era hardware (which is fine since everyone is entitled to their own personal preference), but it always ends up winning the blind tests. The reason I like it is because it has a MUCH wider array of tones than my other Jazz Basses.
My ‘97 has the factory preamp and pickups. Some vintage purists poo-pah the Suhr era hardware (which is fine since everyone is entitled to their own personal preference), but it always ends up winning the blind tests. The reason I like it is because it has a MUCH wider array of tones than my other Jazz Basses.
I have never owned an old Fender like these. However, I will put my two cents in about instruments improving with age. My ~2001 Fender Precision is now 22 years old. I have never played another instrument that draws me in the way that one does. I've owned custom fancy basses, but the way the body and neck of my Fender vibrate, that wood has just been in bass form for so long it doesn't know how to do anything else.
My 2013 (I think) Carvin is beginning to take on some of that extra vibration that I get from the Precision. Unamplified, it just sounds loud. I may just be looking to find ways to justify my affinity for these instruments, but they really do give me more playing and tone feedback than I've encountered in any other bass. I have noticed them improve over the decades.
My 2013 (I think) Carvin is beginning to take on some of that extra vibration that I get from the Precision. Unamplified, it just sounds loud. I may just be looking to find ways to justify my affinity for these instruments, but they really do give me more playing and tone feedback than I've encountered in any other bass. I have noticed them improve over the decades.
I appreciate that my 71 pbass appreciates.
As a working class human, I'm not qualified to participate in this conversation.
I don't own any old basses. I would tend to think that the older they are, the less likely something is wrong with them, and the less likely something new will go wrong with them.
I've always disliked road worn basses (naturally worn or fabricated to look worn).....and yet... I own a flea road worn bass (fabricated to look worn). I know I will never afford a really 1960s bass, and yet this one fits and feels aged complete with nitro finish.
So yeah. I've done a complete 180 turn.
My dream is to roll up and find a relic at a garage sale for cheap.
I've always disliked road worn basses (naturally worn or fabricated to look worn).....and yet... I own a flea road worn bass (fabricated to look worn). I know I will never afford a really 1960s bass, and yet this one fits and feels aged complete with nitro finish.
So yeah. I've done a complete 180 turn.
My dream is to roll up and find a relic at a garage sale for cheap.
