I always keep some ignorance handy in my case. If a gig isn't going well I break it out and everything seems fine.
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I always keep some ignorance handy in my case. If a gig isn't going well I break it out and everything seems fine.
The challenge with ANY instrument is recognizing a great one when you have it in your hands—regardless of who made it and/or when it was made. That's what knowledge and experience buy you. Otherwise, you're just another consumer in the marketplace looking for a patch of blue sky.
Here's a great interview with Dan Smith who was hired away from Yamaha by Fender to turn the company around in the 80s. Fascinating reading where Smith describes all the reasons that 70s Fenders deservedly got their reputation for being lousy, why they went to Japan, how Fender was almost liquidated by CBS and more cool stuff.
No tort or flatwounds mentioned.
Thanx for sharing man! It was nice to read!
I once owned a 1973 Fender precision that was a heavy boat anchor.
I bought a new Fender jazz in 1976 which was a good bass. I should have kept it.
I now own an all original except for the bridge - 1976 Fender Precision with a killer straight neck. 9.2 lbs. Has the u shaped neck and big frets. Its grey bottom pups sound excellent.
I bought a new Fender jazz in 1976 which was a good bass. I should have kept it.
I now own an all original except for the bridge - 1976 Fender Precision with a killer straight neck. 9.2 lbs. Has the u shaped neck and big frets. Its grey bottom pups sound excellent.
The linked interview with Ted McCarty of Gibson is worth a read, too.
things were a bit 'off' in the 70's ... duh ... i think we were high ..!!??!!
All 70's Fenders do not suck.
Some of them rule. I have 3 of them.
Don't cry.
Some of them rule. I have 3 of them.
Don't cry.
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Interesting read--thanks for that. Despite all the issues, if I could keep only 1 bass from my collection (of about 12) it would be my '77 Precision.
My namesake 73Jazz has a huge neck gap,but also has the most stable neck of any bass I have ever owned. The last time I adjusted the neck was around 2000. Good luck getting that one from me.
Years ago I had a 77 J that was an awesome Bass, but it weighed something like 450 lbs.
I wound up swapping it straight up for a 78 P Bass and a Bassman 400 combo, both of which I still have.
....at one point, I had the funds to keep my vintage Fender GAS satisfied....tried numerous 60's, and into the mid 70's....and the two best were a '70 and a '72. Go figure! The '70 will NEVER (never is a strong word, I know)...NEVER be sold until I can't play anymore. It's got tone...it's got mojo...it's got one kick ass neck... every bass is different...just like every vehicle that comes off an assembly line. To say a definite DECADE is garbage, is unrealistic and ignorant - sorry. No butt hurt meant by that.
My 78 left Fullerton a few weeks after I myself hatched into existence. She’s a keeper.
Oddly enough, I was at a shop in the city getting my sons horn fixed, it was one of those older places...been there for 100 years, small, cluttered and looks half pawn shopThey had 3 70's fenders there on consignment, one hanging on the wall, two in bags buried in a corner. All had hugely bowed necks and didn't play or sound any better than a newer lower end model Fender. As much as I wanted that rare pawn shop find...I had to pass.
Some of the new “lower end” Fenders kick ass over anything produced by Fender in the 80s, including Fullertons. Plenty of 70s Fenders are awesome. Any Fender abused and neglected will be a piece of ****, regardless of when or where it was made. There’s nothing magic about pre-CBS, there’s nothing anti-magic about 70s Fenders, and there’s nothing magical about FMIC. I’d play a 2018 American Pro any day over a pre-CBS. The pre-CBS would be “worth” more of course - to sell - but not to own and play. The modern stuff is the best Fender has ever been, across Squier, MIM, and MIA. I can’t speak for MIJ/CIJ, except for the Japanese models that are sold here. I’d seriously put any of them on par with the current MIM builds.
I've owned some good 70s Fenders. But the absolute worst bass I've ever owned was a circa 1973 P bass. It was light weight and had an A-width neck. But that neck wouldn't straighten, the frets were awful, one of the pots kept failing, and the bridge pieces would collapse if you looked at them sideways. The SX P bass that I've owned for 20 years is a far better instrument.
Ha ha!! That is so true though. Mine was around the 450 pound mark too.
