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Vintage Old Fender - I don't get it.

#141
Taurus,

You are an astute individual. I was indeed a "catador" of 70's fender basses, I have sampled most (but not all) mid to late 70's fenders. I have owned 3 late 70's fenders which ranged from unremarkable to crap, and I have played maybe another 20., I am aware that Fender put out more than 23 basses in the mid to late 70's period. By comparison I have played a lot of newer fenders (circa 2000 and up) and did not come away with the impression that most were unremarkable. Most sounded and felt decent and some sounded great! My favorite is the 60th anniversary fender P in butterscotch with the amoeba pickguard. I didn't mean to offend you if you have mid to late 70's basses, you must have the good ones.
 
#144
Calexia13 said:
I bet you marcus miller separated the wheat from the all that chaff to find his late 70's bass.
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it's all good :D
MM did a clinic at a store here and was handed a new MM setup to his specs., he sounded (and played) great because he is great, player not the instrument and all that.
It just gets old hearing the repeated 70's are junk theme around here, my no.1 bass is a 78 P so I'm guilty of being butthurt. I own three of them and have played maybe close to 20 in total, none have had any of the negative properties that they seem to be famous for.
I play new Fenders practically every weekend, I've yet to play one that I prefer over mine.
one that did stick out was a 62AVRI (that played like a slide guitar until they set it up properly), I really like the wider neck feel.
I like all P basses, old, new, as long is it plays properly I can make music with it.
 
#145
FenderCaseCandy_zps81ebaa6e.jpg
 
#147
Many Fender from the seventies suffered from less-than-great manufacturing. Jigs were worn, neck pockets were loose, Klusen tuners were hard to turn and heavy. In spite of that, there were some good ones, some very good basses.

However, today CNC machines are way more accurate, quality control is way better, hardware is way better, cases are way better. Value is way better.

If you love vintage instruments, money is not a pressing issue, get what ever you like. If you are looking for a great playing, great sounding instrument and you want to spend a fraction of what you would spend for a vintage instruments, play a bunch of new Fenders, you will find a good one.

The genius of the Fender bass is the design, they sound great and they haven't changed a whole lot since the first ones rolled out. Put that split humbucker in "that" spot, use alder or ash, maple or rosewood, it will sound like a Pbass. Same for a jazz bass. What has improved is the technology used in the manufacturing.
 
#149
Well, it may be difficult to describe. My '65 P simply feels different than modern basses. My Alembic 5-string has been collecting some dust since the P entered the picture some years ago.

Perhaps as I get a little older, and hopefully more mature, I subscribe more faithfully to the "less is more" philosophy in both my playing style and choice of instrument.

And, of course, it sounds incredibly fat, greasy, and round while holding enough mid-range presence to sit nicely in the mix.
 
#150
flatback09 said:
Well, it may be difficult to describe. My '65 P simply feels different than modern basses. My Alembic 5-string has been collecting some dust since the P entered the picture some years ago.

Perhaps as I get a little older, and hopefully more mature, I subscribe more faithfully to the "less is more" philosophy in both my playing style and choice of instrument.

And, of course, it sounds incredibly fat, greasy, and round while holding enough mid-range presence to sit nicely in the mix.
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sounds like old age, sentimentality, nostalgia, snake oil consumption, possible senility.
or maybe it's like you say, maturity (as a player), wisdom etc.
I'm going with the latter :D
 
#151
Up the dose said:
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."
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1965 was a transition year. Instruments from the 1970s aren't vintage to me because I would have to consider myself vintage if that were the case. I coveted a 1969 Gibson EB-1 when it was new and hanging on the wall.
 
#153
Its the peoples false sentiment, not the basses. Any modern MIJ Fender wtfpwnz any old or new MIA Fender. Still ppl want old crap. It makes no sense and is all based on hearsay hype carefully being held up by snobs.

Buy a Sadowsky, Lakland or Degier if you want quality.
 
#154
I always dug the vintage P Bass sound and for some reason never in my 35 years had just a "plain old" P Bass....not American Standard or other crazy name, just a Precision Bass..that was what I was looking for.

I've had bad luck with vintage instruments in the past in terms of taking care of them etc so, I tried by getting a 64 P bass reissue. Not a custom shop but, still costs 2K. Thing came flawless, looked beautiful but the sound? NOT vintage. Very tinny.

Then I read an article by Bill Nash who suggested that while he makes his version of the P Bass, if you really want the sound of a vintage P Bass, you should buy one. So I bought one. a 75 with a changed pickup, bad refin etc BUT, I love this bass. It plays and sounds exactly to my spec. paid a grand for it. It gets gigged a lot.

Recently I purchased a Skyline Lakland P, had it set up the way I like, and I love it too. It seems to have more of a modern sound to it but, certainly of excellence. Gonna break it into gigs starting next week.

So the answer? It's all cool. Old, new,borrowed or blue you decide which bass you want to be married to.

For value? I don't see Vintage P and J basses that out of line. "New and Improved" from Fender and other makers go for $3-5K so why wouldn't a vintage one with the vibe and excellent playability, tone etc not be worth the same or more?

My hope is that all of you find a bass that you love as much as I dig my 75. Then the value and/or price you paid won't matter

IMG_1697_zps5936f85f.jpg


Cropsetup1_zpse8691fe3.jpg
 
#156
n1as said:
I confess, I just don't get it...

Why are the old Fenders worth so much? Their necks are not as well built as many of today's basses (single action truss rod, no other reinforcement), they exhibited neck dive (heavy tuners), cheap bridges, non-angled headstock required a string hold-down button, 3-bolt necks.

Why would someone pay big money for an inferior instrument with damaged finished and half warn-out frets?

Is there really nothing else that sounds as good? Nothing else have that old-school mojo?

Yea, I just don't get it. Please enlighten me.

Not trying to start "something", just trying to get some answers to Q's that have been nagging me.

- Keith -
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What does (as stated by the OP): a "single action truss rod, no other reinforcement, neck dive (heavy tuners), cheap bridges, non-angled headstock required a string hold-down button", have to do with anything?

I have, technically, (*I don't consider my (2) mid-80's J-Bass Specials "vintage"), 5 vintage Fenders Basses (see profile). And, every single one goes thru maybe 2 very minor truss rod adjustments per year. And, I gig all of 'em on a regular basis (except for one "retired" J-Bass Special). And, yes, I even gig my '61 Jazz, very regularly. Every single one has held up to those "shortcomings" you listed.

Hmm...... Go figure. My advice? Get access to a good, vintage player, and, spend some quality time playing it Without fretting (pun!) over their "design flaws/shortcomings". And, then? You won't have to ask these questions about 'em. IMHO, from a player's standpoint, not a collector's, those "little quirks" are part of the charm of a vintage Fender.

It's kinda like the old saying about ridin' a Harley: "If you have to ask, you just wouldn't get it."
 
#157
I picked up anold Mazda Miata last month. From following the Miata forums, I learned an interesting perception among many owners, that may or may not apply here.

There are three era's of Miata. Aficionadas say that the latest version is a better car but not a better Miata.
 
#158
Just play what you like. Don't overthink stuff cuz you're gonna sound like you regardless of what gear you use.

Personally, I like a 7.25" neck radius, rounded fingerboard edges, rosewood board, alder body, passive pickups, nitro finish, worn in or just oil neck finish, and something that's not too heavy.

Now, can I find this in some old Fenders and do they make me happy? Sure. Can I find all this in a new production instrument? Maybe not so easy, but I can certainly put together a parts bass that feels like I want it to. So yeah...play what you like; find something and just keep working with it. There are some great Squiers, etc. out there and there are some nice old Fenders also. There are plenty of more modern designs also, so whatever floats your boat!
 
#159
bmc said:
I picked up anold Mazda Miata last month. From following the Miata forums, I learned an interesting perception among many owners, that may or may not apply here.

There are three era's of Miata. Aficionadas say that the latest version is a better car but not a better Miata.
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Off-topic

True. I had a 1st gen Miata. It's a more pure, driver-involved, sports car. Much like the old ragtop British cars, of back in the day. And, a few pounds lighter, which is ALWAYS better.
 
#160
Sort of like vintage cars or baseball cards. They have 'value' to some people. I'd rather have a beat up 60s Fender that I could just play. It's nice to have a piece of history (whatever that history may be) in your hands. But, I prefer a modern sound. I don't want to recycle what's already been done. I love Jamerson, but I don't want to sound like him on something new that I write. What's the point?

Other than a sense of mystique, I'd rather have a new bass that can be played, where I don't have to fight it or compensate for it's deficiencies. To me, there are better built, better sounding basses - my 'less is more' philosophy has to do with how I play, not whether I have enough lo-fi mids or not. YMMV.
 

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