71 Telecaster bass value?

drbassman · April 11, 2012, 05:43:08 PM

OK, it's here and I'm not sure about the paint on the body. It's a lot darker in the covered areas than on the exposed areas. I'm pretty sure it's original paint, but it looks like someone thought it a good idea to buff it out and I'm thinking that might account for lighter exposed areas. Also, did Fender use a white opaque undercoat on the white Tele basses in 68? I think I can see that as well under the neck plate area and from what I've read, they did.

All of the hardware, electronics and neck are authentic. I'm just confused by the fade pattern.

godofthunder · April 11, 2012, 08:48:10 PM

Looks like fading from light to me.

Dave W · April 11, 2012, 09:19:28 PM

I also think that's just from exposure to light.

FWIW, my 67 Coronado II had a whitish undercoat.

chromium · April 11, 2012, 10:14:41 PM

Quote from: drbassman on April 11, 2012, 05:43:08 PM
did Fender use a white opaque undercoat on the white Tele basses in 68?

I recall reading that they used a white sealer called fullerplast on some bodies in the 60s, FWIW.

Nice bass! How's the neck profile on this one?

chromium · April 11, 2012, 11:03:44 PM

Quote from: chromium on April 11, 2012, 10:14:41 PM
I recall reading that they used a white sealer called fullerplast on some bodies in the 60s, FWIW.

Scratch that- fullerplast is apparently clear not white... Thought I had read otherwise

drbassman · April 12, 2012, 04:44:44 AM

After some more reading, Fullerplast was clear and they did white opaque undercoats to hide obvious wood flaws or join lines on 2/3 piece bodies. No surprise on your Coronado Dave. I'm 90% sure the body is legit, but the one replacement part I did discover is the pick guard is not original. So, I'll have to hash that out with the seller.

nofi · April 12, 2012, 07:47:25 AM

my '68 tele looked like that as well. just natural ageing. i have an '83 strat that was bought new. it was white but has yellowed nicely. it's still white under the pickguard.

drbassman · April 12, 2012, 08:18:22 AM

Quote from: nofi on April 12, 2012, 07:47:25 AM
my '68 tele looked like that as well. just natural ageing. i have an '83 strat that was bought new. it was white but has yellowed nicely. it's still white under the pickguard.

Yeah, I thought the areas under the guard should have been lighter, but I've been able to find a couple examples online where the opposite occured. I also can see all kinds of polish in all of the screw holes and I think someone got a little buffer happy on the exposed areas and took a lot of the darker discoloration off the top of the finish. Kinda dumb really. They should have left it alone, but I can live with it.

Dave W · April 12, 2012, 09:09:38 AM

Lots of misinformation on guitar forums about Fullerplast. It was a clear epoxy resin varnish that was intended to be used as a sealer.

I'm not surprised that the p/g isn't original, many of them shrunk badly. If the seller represented it as original, he ought to make a price adjustment. Still, the replacement is probably better than the original.

drbassman · April 12, 2012, 10:40:05 AM

Quote from: Dave W on April 12, 2012, 09:09:38 AM
Lots of misinformation on guitar forums about Fullerplast. It was a clear epoxy resin varnish that was intended to be used as a sealer.

I'm not surprised that the p/g isn't original, many of them shrunk badly. If the seller represented it as original, he ought to make a price adjustment. Still, the replacement is probably better than the original.

Yeah, Fullerplast was their special filler, especially needed on ash bodies or other with surface flaws. I'm gonna make a correct white-black-white guard and ask for a small refund since he didn't advertsie the guard as replacement. I should have thought of it in the first place as I can't recall ever seeing a blonde 68 Telecaster bass with a black guard. Duh on my part!

drbassman · April 16, 2012, 05:55:19 AM

Here's the Tele. It's a nice bass. I took her to practice on Thursday last week and the guys loved the sound/tone. They compared it to the black TB I usually use and said they like it a lot better than the Gretsch ThunderJet. So, she's gonna see some gig time, I'm sure! BTW, the neck is a little beefy, but not as much as I thought it would be. I played it comfortably for 2 hours, so that's a good sign!!!

Dave W · April 16, 2012, 08:19:29 AM

Sure looks nice. I like the black p/g better than the white anyway.

drbassman · April 16, 2012, 08:46:55 AM

Quote from: Dave W on April 16, 2012, 08:19:29 AM
Sure looks nice. I like the black p/g better than the white anyway.

Yeah, it is kinda cool looking. I have some w-b-w material and might make one using this as a template. When I have the time!

Pilgrim · April 16, 2012, 08:52:12 AM

Quote from: drbassman on April 16, 2012, 05:55:19 AM
Here's the Tele. It's a nice bass. I took her to practice on Thursday last week and the guys loved the sound/tone. They compared it to the black TB I usually use and said they like it a lot better than the Gretsch ThunderJet.

Better than the Gretsch? Hmmm. Interesting - any reasons why???

drbassman · April 16, 2012, 09:20:57 AM

Quote from: Pilgrim on April 16, 2012, 08:52:12 AM
Better than the Gretsch? Hmmm. Interesting - any reasons why???

I think the problem with the Gretsch is the sound is a bit softer due to the TI flats I have on it and it doesn't, to use an overused term, "cut through the mix" as well as the Tele with rounds or even the RIC 4003 with flats. It would require a lot of knob fiddling on the amp to bump up the mids and highs. I might try that, but right now, I'm pretty happy with the sound I'm getting from my 1992 Black TB and the Tele. And.........I'm adjusting to the 34" scale and neck sizes as a trade off for really good tone and output.

We'll see how the new J bass does tonight. Overall, any TB will do the trick, I just wanted to give the Fender boys a ride and see how they compare.