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Vintage Old Fender - I don't get it.
- Thread starter darwin-bass
- Start date
LOL probably so
I think everyone can be accused of romanticizing the past or having a biased opinion to what they find nostalgic. I'm of the ilk that something good will stand the test of time and be regarded as good when a relatively unbiased opinion is weighing in on it. IOW, a good Squier VM/CV bass will be just as praised today as it will be years from now. I can pick up an 80's Peavey bass and see why people like them so much, they really are well made instruments.
It really baffles me that retailers & private sales still try to use the region excuse. In the age of global shipping & the internet, pricing should be reasonably standardized.
The control plate doesn't line up with that hideous red tort guard.
I just don't get the popularity of Vintage Reissue Fender basses. If the original wasn't great, why have a reissue?
I have owned and sold: a 1960 Precision, a 1962 Jazz, two 1965 Precisions, a 1968 Precision, and a 1978 Precision. Why sell them? Two reasons: (1)Because I didn't like them as much as the buyers thought they were worth.
And... (2)Because I didn't like them as well as the 1964 and 1965 Precisions that I did keep... These two, like some of them, just have the sound, the funk, the mojo, the spirits, sweat, and smoke of their history.
I also kept one other 1978 P because I bought it new when I was nineteen, and played it for a decade as the only good bass I owned.
I never thought I'd be anything but a "Fender guy", and the '64 and '65 that I kept are uniquely sweet. Too sweet and valuable to gig with, in fact. If I was making a living as a call-guy for recording gigs, yes, the aura of the instruments may help sell the services I suppose. ...But these days my main bass is a 2007 MM Stingray, and it's probably a better bass, certainly for my current purposes it is.
And... (2)Because I didn't like them as well as the 1964 and 1965 Precisions that I did keep... These two, like some of them, just have the sound, the funk, the mojo, the spirits, sweat, and smoke of their history.
I also kept one other 1978 P because I bought it new when I was nineteen, and played it for a decade as the only good bass I owned.
I never thought I'd be anything but a "Fender guy", and the '64 and '65 that I kept are uniquely sweet. Too sweet and valuable to gig with, in fact. If I was making a living as a call-guy for recording gigs, yes, the aura of the instruments may help sell the services I suppose. ...But these days my main bass is a 2007 MM Stingray, and it's probably a better bass, certainly for my current purposes it is.
OP here. Fender bashing was NOT my intention. I have the same questions (confusion, not issues) with all vintage "stuff".
I think today's Fender basses are far better built than those from the 60's. Neck construction has improved (more stable, less dead spots). Lightweight tuners have reduced neck heaviness. Bridges have been updated to be more massive, and easier to adjust. I suspect real soon now they'll come with stainless steel frets that basically won't wear out.
So why would people pay more MORE for one that is old, not built as well with damaged finish and frets.
That is what is puzzling to me.
What I'm hearing for answers is:
- Often they do indeed sound better.
- Nostalgia and historic value is worth it even if the sound / playability is no better.
So, I'm not Fender hating or bashing or judging those who choose vintage. I'm just trying to hear their story.
- Keith -
I guess they assume if you're in an area where people are more likely to have disposable income you ask more--and just might get it.
But you're right about the internet--I went looking in LA but when I bought my '64 P-bass I found it on the internet from a respected music shop (Elderly Instruments) for a much better price.
First, I don't consider Fenders "vintage" unless they were built in 1964 or earlier. Fenders built in the '70s were not that good to start with. Current Fenders are much, much better in every way.
Second, I don't get it either.
I like the vintage relic look. To me, it makes me unafraid to let others borrow or use without me having to worry about it getting a scratch.
I can't afford an old fender yet, so I have a new one, that I made look old : )
I can't afford an old fender yet, so I have a new one, that I made look old : )
Isn't the Pre CBS cutoff point 1966? Why 1964 and earlier for you Munji?
Agree with you on 70's Fenders. I think it is a total joke when 70's Fenders and now 80's Fenders are considered "Vintage."
What the...
Heavy truss rods and reinforcing rods ruin everything.
The thing has to be floppy to sound any good. And didn't you just complain about neck dive?
Fair enough, but then you should not have singled out Fender in both the thread's title and the body of your post, which concentrated on those things you didn't like about Fender (none of which I agree with BTW).
1965 was the transitional year. L-plates are considered "Pre-CBS". F-Plates are considered "Post-CBS", more or less.
They are very similar, if not more-or-less identical, as this was mass production with parts not well co-ordinated by date at all.
Two of my '65s were F-plate, one was L-plate. The one I kept was an F-plate, and it was the better of the three, by a slight margin, IMO.
I think it depends on the instrument. Just because it's an old instrument doesn't make it worth having. I also think that the price of some of the vintage instruments cannot be justified.
That said, I recently picked up a '64 Jazz bass that had been refinished at some point, so it was reasonably priced. The minute I picked it up, it just felt amazing to play. Then I plugged it in. It sounds like a Hammond B3. Absolutely amazing.
So, I think it depends on the instrument.
That said, I recently picked up a '64 Jazz bass that had been refinished at some point, so it was reasonably priced. The minute I picked it up, it just felt amazing to play. Then I plugged it in. It sounds like a Hammond B3. Absolutely amazing.
So, I think it depends on the instrument.
Yep. That's what I tell my band mates about my '64 P. Yes it plays and sounds amazing but whether that's because it's old or not I have no idea. It just does. (They're convinced it's the oldness, vintage is always better, etc. but I don't agree.)
