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Warning: Vintage Bass Candy found in attic

#48
Had the same '72 which I bought new, except mine had a maple neck. I'd agree that the pickguard isn't original - probably was white. Mine was a heavy bass, as well.

I know that there's a lot of love/lust for these, but honestly, mine wasn't that great. The neck pocket was sloppy. Had a bunch of dead spots, and the E string just sounded weird. It was in the era that Fender just wasn't consistent. Sold it for $520 in the late 80s.

He might have a great one, he might have a dud.

js
 
#50
Bone said:
Average price of the last 3 that sold on ebay? about $1750.00
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Johnny Alien said:
Yeah after looking I would say for a heavy natural 72 with some replacement parts you are looking at a MAX of $2000. Most likely a bit less.

Looking around the internet will most likely give him the impression that it is worth $3000 or more and it will sit on ebay forever. :)
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I agree. I think 2K with non-original pickguard (and without an idea if any other parts have been switched) is pretty optimistic. I was thinking that a realistic would be $1500-1800. I have a 73 that's still original and I don't think it would be more than 1800-2300.
 
#51
I can't imagine paying 4k for any pbass or jazz bass for that matter. I mean it might be a great bass, but just because it's old.... I've had a few vintage pieces and I might get slack for what I'm saying, but for 4k I could buy a lot of different basses that would play circles around that Pbass.

2k maybe, but it would have to have something special about it. NO offense, but I think you may have gotten this guy's hopes too high. If he is serious about selling it, he should find a reputable vintage instrument dealer and get it appraised. Some solid information would help him in with the sale in the long run.

Best of luck to your buddy and it was great of you to help him search for its true worth rather than just scamming him and giving him a couple hundred. That would have made for some bad karma.
 
#52
Why would your 73 be worth more than his 72 consider it gets set and cleaned?

I doubt I will be able to buy it from him.

Maybe if I show him the serious comments from here and the avg EBay auction I might be able to get it, or if he has a kind soul, but it's not even close to what I would say is my dream machine.

I need a maple neck and white, black, mocha or blue would get me drooling. But this sucker needs a real clean up and I did not check the truss rod, pups or if the body is routed up. I suspect it is not and the pups could be even older because they looked it.

I will see him again and I will keep everyone posted. Maybe if I got him in touch with someone who knows a little more than me, he could set the guy straight and be like "Look, it is going to cost you some cash to get it cleaned up right, and more to also get it set up which it needs, without the orig pickguard and in a rather common color, and assuming all else is original, you will have a rough time getting $2000 for this bass" and say it with honesty, I'd have a chance to get it.

I am not the type of person to try and rip someone off. I may have boosted his excitement when I saw it and thought, ****, this could be worth $4000, but I wasn't thinking this guy would be likely dead when it is.

My gut tells me most of it is orig and the trus is fine. The bridge needs adjusting as the string spacing from the fretboard increased as we went down. That might be a slight neck bow but I couldn't really tell and I suck at seeing neck bows.

I might be able to get it. But he said he'd keep it if he couldn't get 2500 for it.

BurningSkies said:
I agree. I think 2K with non-original pickguard (and without an idea if any other parts have been switched) is pretty optimistic. I was thinking that a realistic would be $1500-1800. I have a 73 that's still original and I don't think it would be more than 1800-2300.
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#53
I very much did get his hopes up but I think I made it clear that HIS bass won't go for that but some could. If I wrote it incorrectly in the original post my bad.

He knows he doesn't have a $4000 bass. But he does think he has a $2500 bass and I said he did if he cleaned her up and had it set up and all was good.

I will let him know what I found here, and check her over more this weekend and give him some bad news. But I think he might believe I am trying to screw him so I won't even offer to buy it.

I will tell him he either gets it appraised or tries to sell it for $2000 and if he does not get it, call me.

That is my best route I think. I would give him $1000 to 1100 for it as is, clean her myself and get her set up by my tech.


Mulebagger said:
I can't imagine paying 4k for any pbass or jazz bass for that matter. I mean it might be a great bass, but just because it's old.... I've had a few vintage pieces and I might get slack for what I'm saying, but for 4k I could buy a lot of different basses that would play circles around that Pbass.

2k maybe, but it would have to have something special about it. NO offense, but I think you may have gotten this guy's hopes too high. If he is serious about selling it, he should find a reputable vintage instrument dealer and get it appraised. Some solid information would help him in with the sale in the long run.

Best of luck to your buddy and it was great of you to help him search for its true worth rather than just scamming him and giving him a couple hundred. That would have made for some bad karma.
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#54
Okay, I have a quick question about "long lost attic find" guitars and basses:

The attic is one of the places in the house that is subject to climatic extremes. They get hotter and colder than the rest of the house and from winter to summer undergo a fairly wide variation in temperature and humidity levels. Over a period of years or decades, that amounts to a higher-than-usual amount of expanding and contracting on the wood, joints, metal, etc.

Do these attic finds have a higher risk of structural breakdown, twisting, bowing, etc.?
 
#55
When I bought my first P bass back in 78 I paid like $300 and most of the old guys used to say that 70s Fenders were really bad 'cause Leo Fender has never put his hands on them!

Asking $4K on a 72 P Bass is a little too much in my opinion.

Nice bass BTW.
 
#56
I'm still trying to figure out the pickguard.
What's it made of?

I remember brass pickguards being popular for awhile in the late '70s, which is probably when it was changed. Hardly anybody I knew back then modded new instruments the way we do today.
There just wasn't anyone making aftermarket parts until the late '70s and Mighty Mite.
If it's brass, that accounts for at least some of it's excessive weight.
 
#59
I think a lot of you guys are saying more about the level of your integrity than you would like, or maybe you just don't care. Until you can genuinely treat other human beings as you would wish to be treated, then you miss the whole point. I commend PinkFloydDan on his level of personal integrity, and would hope the anyone I call friend would have that kind of moral values.

When my exwife's uncle passed away, we found an old 1947 Gretsch guitar and a 1930's Dobro in the basement. They had disintegrated, but were repairable. The extremes of climate in the attic would possibly have an affect, but being a solid body with a one piece neck, I doubt it was hurt too badly.

Value is in the eye of the buyer. I wouldn't give more than $500 for any Fender, but, being a Gibson man, wouldn't sell my 1978 RD Artist for less than $2500, if I went deaf and broke and had to sell it. Its true value might be $1500. If someone somewhere wants to buy this for more, let them.
 

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