The Last Bass Outpost
Gear Discussion Forums => Fender Basses => Topic started by: ilan on June 23, 2021, 04:37:43 AM
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https://www.ebay.com/itm/234061305346
$5K seems right.
(https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/WO4AAOSwOt9g0jkf/s-l1600.jpg)
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That's very nice!
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Very clean indeed. I don't feel that the old guitar market makes any sense, but that's a nice one. I hope whoever buys it at 5x what he could pay for a newer comparable one enjoys it.
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Yes, very good condition. However I would'nt pay 5k for that string allignment (look at the e- and g-string over the fretboard). It does'nt seem to be wiggle room in the neck pocket to straighten the neck?
(https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/OKEAAOSwwiFg0jji/s-l1600.jpg)
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However I would'nt pay 5k for that string allignment (look at the e- and g-string over the fretboard). It does'nt seem to be wiggle room in the neck pocket to straighten the neck?
I've seen this kind of misalignment in Fenders about a hundred times and I've always been able to correct it in one quick move. That's a 2-second fix, no tools needed.
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I've seen this kind of misalignment in Fenders about a hundred times and I've always been able to correct it in one quick move. That's a 2-second fix, no tools needed.
"Crack!" Perfect! I do it on my Fenderbird fairly often. Like a chiropractic adjustment. ;D
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I've seen this kind of misalignment in Fenders about a hundred times and I've always been able to correct it in one quick move. That's a 2-second fix, no tools needed.
Enlighten us. What's the problem and what's the fix?
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Ron Thorn demonstrates at 2:10:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=npz0v3te9to&t=120s
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There's no misalignment, that's just the slight camera angle. The second photo in the listing is taken pretty much straight overhead and the alignment is fine.
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Ron Thorn demonstrates at 2:10:
Just like that. BTW I have a guitarist friend who deliberately pulls the neck slightly upwards so that the high E is further away from the edge.
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There's no misalignment, that's just the slight camera angle. The second photo in the listing is taken pretty much straight overhead and the alignment is fine.
I disagree, Dave. here you can clearly see there's a misalignment, it's not just camera angle. 3-bolt 70s J's and Strats are of course more prone to this, and owners should know how to correct it. OTOH 6-bolt StingRay necks never move.
(https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/WO4AAOSwOt9g0jkf/s-l1600.jpg)
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Ron Thorn demonstrates at 2:10:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=npz0v3te9to&t=120s
Yikes. My arching back :)
Thanks.
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A bass that clean means that nobody ever enjoyed playing it enough to put any visible wear on it. This suggests its just another shitbox '70s Fender; heavy, tonally dead, made by dudes that didn't care.
I do think the string alignment is off, but being a '70s Fender there is probably a nice gap down each side of the neck heel in the pocket, so plenty of room to yank the neck over into.
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A bass that clean means that nobody ever enjoyed playing it enough to put any visible wear on it. This suggests its just another shitbox '70s Fender; heavy, tonally dead, made by dudes that didn't care.
I do think the string alignment is off, but being a '70s Fender there is probably a nice gap down each side of the neck heel in the pocket, so plenty of room to yank the neck over into.
but...but...but don't you know they're vintage now? Their faults are now magically cured. :mrgreen:
Seriously, there were always good examples in the 70s. They weren't all dogs, not by a long shot.
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Seriously, there were always good examples in the 70s. They weren't all dogs, not by a long shot.
The good ones look like this!
(https://www.notreble.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Ken-Burgner-1972-Fender-Jazz-Bass-Body-768x667.jpg)
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^^^
The beat-to-shit ones look like that! :)
Most serious players take reasonably good care of their instruments. I wouldn't touch that abused bass with a ten foot pole.
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Most serious players take reasonably good care of their instruments. I wouldn't touch that abused bass with a ten foot pole.
Two serious players and their basses:
(https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/dd4f7e139928128902f2059a3d9f25defec0eba7/0_88_3000_1800/master/3000.jpg?width=1200&height=1200&quality=85&auto=format&fit=crop&s=6e19070b33c9399af76b972a9b5d6c08)(http://www.notreble.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/bobby-vega-with-shark-bass-620x931.jpg)
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^^^
I'm sure you can find more than those two examples, especially from thin nitro pre-CBS Fenders, but I'll stand by what I said: most serious players take reasonably good care.
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There is a gash on the back of that bass in the e-bay listing. I'd rather have a bass with more even wear instead of an otherwise pristine bass with one glaring blemish. Would make feel ocd every time I saw it.
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[sorry, senior moment]
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The Vintera 70s Jazz is pretty sweet:
(https://www.fmicassets.com/Damroot/ZoomJpg/10001/0149643300_gtr_frt_001_rr.jpg)
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That pale pau ferro fretboard is a bit of a turnoff. Can't they at least "ebonize" it?
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That pale pau ferro fretboard is a bit of a turnoff. Can't they at least "ebonize" it?
Pau Ferro doesn't really take a stain very well. I've managed to make two Pau Ferro necks a bit darker with a spirit-based stain; leaving it to dry completely then removing the stuff that didn't sink in and then finishing with a wax. Even with all that work it still looks like a mid-light rosewood fretboard.
(https://i.imgur.com/Zg6mIkE.jpg)
Saying that, I like Pau Ferro on its own merits. It can be finished nicely. Mexican Fenders seem to come with slightly rough and dusty-looking Pau fretboards, but with a bit of work they can be made to have an amazing visual depth and feel very smooth.
(https://i.imgur.com/0bKQZUp.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/Gg0fU7M.jpg)
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Is the fact that pao ferro is lighter in color something most people care about? It's not something I even notice, other than if it's a bit dry.
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Is the fact that pao ferro is lighter in color something most people care about? It's not something I even notice, other than if it's a bit dry.
Pau ferro was considered a premium fretboard wood, it was more expensive than Indian rosewood. I never heard or saw a negative comment about its lighter color. Then rosewood became scarcer. As soon as Fender started using pau ferro on MIM models (reserving rosewood for MIA), suddenly people started complaining about the look. Go figure.
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I never heard or saw a negative comment about its lighter color
That's what I do best. Find the minutiae and then bicker. For example most Ric aficionados didn't even notice the double hump guard. I couldn't look at them. I'm the guy paying good money for real 60s tort, even Spitfire tort isn't good enough for me. I've replaced necks for darker rosewood. Now imagine living with me.
As soon as Fender started using pau ferro on MIM models (reserving rosewood for MIA), suddenly people started complaining about the look. Go figure.
I hated it when they used it on the Stu Hamm Urge bass almost 30 years ago.
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That's what I do best. Find the minutiae and then bicker. For example most Ric aficionados didn't even notice the double hump guard. I couldn't look at them. I'm the guy paying good money for real 60s tort, even Spitfire tort isn't good enough for me. I've replaced necks for darker rosewood. Now imagine living with me.
I hated it when they used it on the Stu Hamm Urge bass almost 30 years ago.
https://youtu.be/lOjdy0K3X7s
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^^^
I'm sure you can find more than those two examples, especially from thin nitro pre-CBS Fenders, but I'll stand by what I said: most serious players take reasonably good care.
I'm with you. Letting a bass get seriously beat up is a conscious decision by the owner. You don't find violin or brass players letting their instruments get scratched and dented, or letting the finish be ruined. I'm not an every-night player, but I take care of my instruments and I am only interested in them if they're well taken care of.
IMO a bass or guitar ought to be treated with the same care as a good violin or trumpet.
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You do see sax players remove the lacquer from their horns to get that old look .
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FWIW, I like the look of pau ferro.
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You do see sax players remove the lacquer from their horns to get that old look .
No intentional dents or scrapes, though.
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You don't find violin or brass players letting their instruments get scratched and dented, or letting the finish be ruined
Not only do they let that happen, but when they have a new violin made for them it's artificially aged - what we call relic. Good violin makers do it in a way that is almost indistinguishable from a 200-300 years old violin. I have never seen in an orchestra a shiny violin. Structural issues like cracks are of course fixed, but no one will remove scratches and dents.
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Is the fact that pao ferro is lighter in color something most people care about? It's not something I even notice, other than if it's a bit dry.
I think people increasingly think that all '60s Fenders came with glossily burnished dark-to-black rosewood fretboards.
(https://guitarpoint.de/app/uploads/products/1966-fender-precision-bass-lake-placid-blue/Fender66PreciLPB12174_2.jpg)
(https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0916/0836/products/45600_1966_Precision_Bass_Refin_128635_7_4000x.progressive.jpg?v=1571460867)
Hmmmm....
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Not only do they let that happen, but when they have a new violin made for them it's artificially aged - what we call relic. Good violin makers do it in a way that is almost indistinguishable from a 200-300 years old violin. I have never seen in an orchestra a shiny violin. Structural issues like cracks are of course fixed, but no one will remove scratches and dents.
Do they have large chunks of finish missing, dirty fingerprints on the wood, and scratches from fingernails?
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Do they have large chunks of finish missing, dirty fingerprints on the wood, and scratches from fingernails?
Bingo!
Removing lacquer from a horn or making a violin finish look aged is a far, far cry from making your bass or guitar look like it's been dragged 5 miles down a gravel road and through a pile of cow dung.
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Do they have large chunks of finish missing, dirty fingerprints on the wood, and scratches from fingernails?
Fingerprints are wiped off, but missing finish and scratches from fingernails? any 50+ years old upright will have them. Especially those used for jazz, there's an area in the front near the fingerboard overhang where they all show deep signs of RH thumb fingernail anchored nearby.
I'm attaching 2 pics I just took of my upright. This is considered normal wear. It's a 61 years old European fully-carved bass and I take very good care of it. Clean and very well set up, it never leaves the house without its thick padded gig-bag, always wiped thoroughly right after a gig or rehearsal. But uprights don't have opaque paint on them, so from the audience you wouldn't notice the scratches and dings.
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Nice bass, Ilan! It looks well loved and well used.
I think my point is that there is normal wear and tear when an instrument of any kind is used on a regular basis, but it doesn't extend to outright damage. If damage does occur, it should be repaired. But defining "normal wear and tear" and "damage" is extremely difficult.
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Case in point, Billy Sheehan's "The Wife". Mods aside, the bass has lost most of its 3TS finish just being played aggressively. You can see pics of it from the Talas days on, gradually losing more and more paint. When did it shift from wear to damage, hard to say.