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Vintage Instrument Owners.

#21
Well, as stated by many already... my '69 P-bass isn't "better" than a new one. The only difference is it's worn in, it's got my battle scars (as well as a few from the previous owners), and it has no dead spots. The pots are clean the pickups are quiet and the neck feels good. It does neck-dive a bit but all Fenders have that problem (I know, there are many that disagree with that statement... that's a topic for another thread).

I'm sure in 20 or 30 years the new P's will sound just as good. I firmly believe wood improves with age.
 
#22
MonkeyBass said:
Well, as stated by many already... my '69 P-bass isn't "better" than a new one. The only difference is it's worn in, it's got my battle scars (as well as a few from the previous owners), and it has no dead spots. The pots are clean the pickups are quiet and the neck feels good. It does neck-dive a bit but all Fenders have that problem (I know, there are many that disagree with that statement... that's a topic for another thread).

I'm sure in 20 or 30 years the new P's will sound just as good. I firmly believe wood improves with age.
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And for me that is a distinct negative, I personally can't stand the look or feel of a relic'ed bass.

A friend of mine has a 59 P which is quite relic'ed and while most people seem to love playing it I feel like I should be disinfected if I am even in the same room with it. I will also add that my 76 plays as well if not better than his 59. If there wasn't some sentimental value to my 76 it would be long gone.
 
#23
I'm not talking just about Fenders, but in general:

1. Better wood. This is not always the case but many older instruments are made with woods that are hard to get and very expensive today, like mahogany or wenge for example. The quality of the maple also seems better in the older ones.

2. Feel. An old instrument that has been played has a broken-in feel that can't be duplicated by a new instrument. The back of a broken-in neck feels better than anything new.

3. Refinement. If the instrument has been cared for by the previous owner(s), the flaws in it have been worked out. It's had a fret dressing and leveling, a better nut installed, shielding added, etc. All of which makes if play better than new.

4. Sound. Nobody seems to know why but an older instrument just sounds better, all other things being equal. I remember an interview with Steve Harris and he talked about how Fender took his favorite P ("The Blue Bass") into their shop and examined every last detail of it. They built an exact copy, it was even the same weight, and gave it to Steve. He said the new bass looked the same and felt the same but it didn't sound as good.

5. Experience. What M.R. Ogle said! An old instrument brings out feelings in the player that a new one can't.

Now is all that worth the big dollars that vintage Fenders command? I don't think so, not when there are other choices. But that's just me. Obviously there are many players who think they are worth it.
 
#25
1. My '80 L-1000 has got soul-has it in spades and the straightest neck and lowest action. Nothing new compares.
2. My '81 L-2000 E roars like a lion. I don't even know what kind of wood it is but nothing new sounds like this.
3. These 2 plus my other Mahogany L-1000 are great values compared to newer Fenders or MM. Maybe they will appreciate, maybe not.
4. I've got a MIJ Fender from the 80's which was very inexpensive and remains a beauty. Check my avatar, though the picture doesn't do it justice.
5. Old Peaveys still kick ass. Made in US for under $250. And they will outlive all of us.
 
#27
I have a 1960 P-bass.

The cool things about this bass are the sound and the way the neck feels. I have had many P basses and this one is the darkest most fat P I have played. My dad bought it new and played thousands of gigs with it (some with well known people... Jimmy Reed, Doug Sahm, and Bobby Darrin to name a few).

I have a drummer friend I gig with on occasion who's a real bad azz and he is always unhappy with me unless I bring this bass.

I have played higher quality P basses but none will ever mean as much to me as this one.

Sorry, only pics I have of it are promo shots with me in 'em looking like a total homo :D.
 

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#28
My 1971 P was something I purchased from a friends step grandfather about a year and a half ago. I paid $1,000 for it and it's at the shop getting plek'd right now. All in all I'll have about $1200 in the bass. I can rave enough about it. I love it's look and feel. Tonally, it destroys every other P I have owned. I bought and sold a '74 within a month or so of owning it and I've had the pleasure of owning a 2003 and two 2007 P's. I have since sold my whole bass collection and currently only have the '71 and a great playing/sounding/looking 2005 American Fender Jazz that a friend bought for me a few years back.

I'd like to purchase another around the same year...nothing newer than '71. I would like to have one strung with flats and one with rounds...
justin4.jpg

justin2.jpg
 
#29
RobertPaulson said:
Value (which generally appreciates), and Mojo. I personally think it's pretty tough to argue they are any better than more modern instruments - this coming from a guy who has several vintage guitars/basses.
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+1

Are they really different? If so, "different" isn't necessarily "better".

What's "better"? Tone, playability, looks, build quality?

And what's "vintage"? Pre-CBS? Anything more than 25 years old? There are significant differences between the pre- and early-CBS era basses versus those made in the 70's.

I try to be unbiased and IMO *some* (not all) pre-CBS Fenders seem to have a certain magic to their tone, but I wouldn't bet my life on it.
 
#31
I really wish my '65 Jazz (all the components were made in '64; bass was built January of '65) wasn't as good as it is. It has the best neck of any bass I've owned, and the tone is wonderful. It's hard to convey why it's tone is better, but words like smooth, articulate, balanced, and pleasant are in line with what it produces. It's also light.

I am not a vintage snob by any means, and would rather have a bass that's not so valuable for playing out with. Yet when I want the absolute best Jazz bass sound, I have to bring the '65 out. My other basses, which are no slouches, simply don't have the smooth tone that 45 years of mellowing does to an instrument.
 
#33
I wanted a bass made in 1973 because that was the year I was born. I found one and bought it right away because it has that sound only a 37 year old P bass can sound like. It has some scars just like me and it has life in it that a new bass just can't have. When I recorded with the bass it sounded so good in the mix that it will be my main recording bass from now on. Vintage basses do sound great.
 
#34
My modern Spector is a better instrument in every way than my old Telecaster. In design, build quality, fit and finish. Except their tones. In that department they are worlds apart not better just different. Passive vs active of course.

I won't ever want to sell the Tele but it is a beat old horse and I'd like to restore it despite likely losing value and costing more to do it. I've had this one since '72 and I'd just love to see it new again. As an aside it's probably increased in value eight to tenfold since new.
 
#35
I have a few vintage basses and guitars, dating as early as 1922. Most of my basses are 70s basses. My response revolves around my 73 pbass.

1. PO mojo stress relief: The scratches and dents that POs add eliminate “new” guitar stress, so I can relax, enjoy the bass and laugh off the occasional oops.

2. Unique mod history: A PO added fret marker lines added to fretless neck via luthier micro-groove and epoxy. Unique look and a functional mod. PO mods add to the lineage and make it easier for me to cross the line and add my own improvements.

3. Randy Molson-spec body finish: I restored a botched body finish to a natural caramel color that I selected and just love. If I got a new pbass, I would never have refinished, so I would never had ended up with my own unique color scheme.

4. Aged natural finish: I love the yellowed and distressed original finish on vintage guitars and basses. I know it’s a small detail on my 73, but I still love the look of that old headstock finish. It is something that can’t be replicated on the relics (as far as I know).

5. Value: Except for harmonicas, I have never bought a new instrument. As soon as a new instrument goes out the door, it becomes a used instrument and the value plummets. Meanwhile, a used instrument has a fixed value that increases over time.

73pbass.front.jpg

73pbass.head.jpg
 
#36
TheDialog said:
My 1971 P was something I purchased from a friends step grandfather about a year and a half ago. I paid $1,000 for it and it's at the shop getting plek'd right now. All in all I'll have about $1200 in the bass. I can rave enough about it. I love it's look and feel. Tonally, it destroys every other P I have owned. I bought and sold a '74 within a month or so of owning it and I've had the pleasure of owning a 2003 and two 2007 P's. I have since sold my whole bass collection and currently only have the '71 and a great playing/sounding/looking 2005 American Fender Jazz that a friend bought for me a few years back.

I'd like to purchase another around the same year...nothing newer than '71. I would like to have one strung with flats and one with rounds...
justin4.jpg

justin2.jpg
Click to expand...

Man, that must sound killer through that Ampeg!!!!
 
#37
CDweller said:
I really wish my '65 Jazz (all the components were made in '64; bass was built January of '65) wasn't as good as it is. It has the best neck of any bass I've owned, and the tone is wonderful. It's hard to convey why it's tone is better, but words like smooth, articulate, balanced, and pleasant are in line with what it produces. It's also light.

I am not a vintage snob by any means, and would rather have a bass that's not so valuable for playing out with. Yet when I want the absolute best Jazz bass sound, I have to bring the '65 out. My other basses, which are no slouches, simply don't have the smooth tone that 45 years of mellowing does to an instrument.
Click to expand...

Exactly (kind of eerie as a mater of fact) how I feel about my Sept '65J.
 
#38
GaryLC said:
Man, that must sound killer through that Ampeg!!!!
Click to expand...

I love it. I don't think I'll ever use anything, but SVTs. I currently own two rigs...2006 Black CL/810 and the 2001 AV rig in the picture. They always sound better IMO to every other rig I've played.

I have to retract what I said in my post though. I bought a '76 in mint mint condition the other night and think it's a keeper (really just needed a back up/touring mate), but this one is great. Taking it to the shop to tweak it out today. I'll report back and post pics later.
 
#39
Is "mojo" what I call the "Harley-Davidson" factor?

Old, rattling piece of crap that needs to be fixed & tweaked constantly and outsells the light, tight, efficient and affordable Asian stuff 10:1 because people who ride them are sure it will make them ascend directly to heaven when they die?

Dennis Hopper Movies....

~Jimm
 

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