I'm not really in the camp of needing a bass to be 100% original, especially if the thing has a certain vibe.
Whereas in the US, $1.5K would be seen as being overpriced, this side of the pond things would look a little more chin-rubbing-reasonable, but then you'd need to factor in the dreaded shipping and duty. Stick a Badbird on it, find some grubbed up machine heads, a pair of those $45 pickups and bingo. If the headstock falls apart, just get it fixed properly.