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Help me spend a lot of money


Bridgehouse
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GaryDay has a very nice looking 66 jazz bass in black with matching headstock. Looks a good buy for £6k. Happily for me, I have 3 pre cbs jazzes, all pretty much original, other than the odd screw or missing cover. I always buy on approval subject to taking them to see Martin Petersen for a second opinion/check over. No genuine, confident seller would object to that. I am always open to the purchase of another pre 65 jazz and have never regretted a vintage purchase. If you are careful, nor will you.

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[quote name='GuyR' timestamp='1487802144' post='3243157']
GaryDay has a very nice looking 66 jazz bass in black with matching headstock. Looks a good buy for £6k. Happily for me, I have 3 pre cbs jazzes, all pretty much original, other than the odd screw or missing cover. I always buy on approval subject to taking them to see Martin Petersen for a second opinion/check over. No genuine, confident seller would object to that. I am always open to the purchase of another pre 65 jazz and have never regretted a vintage purchase. If you are careful, nor will you.
[/quote]

I'd love to get a pre-CBS Jazz, but I suspect I don't have the budget for a good-un, specially if I wanted a non-sunburst.

Will check out the 66 Jazz..

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[quote name='njr911' timestamp='1487770140' post='3242626']
You want a 66 CAR Jazz with matching h/s and lollypop tuners.

Well that's what I want anyway
[/quote]

I have one! It's spectacular and I've played it every day for more than a decade.

I recently bought / invested in a great condition 64' Jazz for around the same sum you're looking at. Took a few years to find, but it completes my small collection.

As others have said there's a lot of junk out there, fakes and ambitious sellers etc.

You need to educate yourself on the market and buy something that works for you, your music and your aspirations.

My next purchase? A 62' RI jazz bass I can use with my jazz trio, and that I'm not afraid to leave the house with...

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Why on earth would you want to spend that sort of money on a Fender. ?? There are so many companies that do it so much better. Don't get sucked into the Fender Vintage (its amazing because its old) thing. I'm sure it MIGHT be. but for that sort of money Alleva Coppolo, Sadowsky, Moon, Nordstrand, etc etc do it sooooo much better. Ive played a 63 Fender and it was really great. Ive played an Alleva Copplo and it was just as great. On the other side, Ive played a Harley Benton with an East preamp, was also great. Its not £3000 difference

Edited by bubinga5
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[quote name='bubinga5' timestamp='1487830608' post='3243265']
Why on earth would you want to spend that sort of money on a Fender. ?? There are so many companies that do it so much better. Don't get sucked into the Fender Vintage (its amazing because its old) thing. I'm sure it MIGHT be. but for that sort of money Alleva Coppolo, Sadowsky, Moon, Nordstrand, etc etc do it sooooo much better. Ive played a 63 Fender and it was really great. Ive played an Alleva Copplo and it was just as great. On the other side, Ive played a Harley Benton with an East preamp, was also great. Its not £3000 difference
[/quote]

If we were talking modern Fender I might agree with you (not from the last 8 years though... seem to have got their act together somewhat), but one of the top 3 basses I've ever played was a friend's refinished mid-60's Fender P (for completeness the other 2 were a Fodera 5 and the Scarbee Celinder J Update 4 that was owned by a few guys here over the years).

If it has to be a jazz I'd be looking at Celinder if it were me...

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If I had that money and you tasked me to buy basses I would track down a ceilinder jazz and see what the fuss is about. Pino sig p bass and an original 1977 stingray. Custom ACG build would be fun too. Could probably get all of them in your budget.

Then I would sit there surrounded by nice instruments and probably only ever gig one of them, one of them wouldn't fit my playing style as much and the other would be too old and or precious to leave the house. So old probably sell them again a few years later....

So in my mind you either fill your life with things that you are going to play and gig and beat up - in which case the question isn't "what don't you have" but "what sound are you after" - and the answer might be another precision.
Or alternatively you are looking for something nice as a playable investment - in which case, two approaches - vintage fender as known "safe" investments. Or you try and work out what is underpriced now that in a few years won't be and 'invest' in a load of cheaper basses - which is more risky.
Or the fodera monarch classic looks nice

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[quote name='Bridgehouse' timestamp='1487791798' post='3243017']
This was another option I did think about - but I know nothing about them really....
[/quote]

Which is exactly why you need to get out there and try a load more basses before making a decision. If I had that kind of money to spend I'd want to explore every option first, and not just rush out and buy the first shiny thing that I have coveted for a while.

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Re the custom option, I would not go down that route unless I knew exactly what I wanted out of a bass. The risk is throwing all that coin at something that may not ultimately be right as a package. You could find yourself looking to spend money again real soon.

As many have said get to some top end stores, play everything, if nothing works, then look into the custom option based on the experience of all those you have tried.

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[quote name='Bobthedog' timestamp='1487840105' post='3243347']
Re the custom option, I would not go down that route unless I knew exactly what I wanted out of a bass. The risk is throwing all that coin at something that may not ultimately be right as a package. You could find yourself looking to spend money again real soon.
[/quote]

I think where a lot of custom builds fall down is that the person commissioning the bass gets involved in all the wrong decisions, such as woods, pickups, electronics and hardware; when they should simply go to their luthier of choice and say how they want the bass to look, feel and sound and let them get on with picking the components that are going give the correct end result.

Edited by BigRedX
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[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1487841319' post='3243357']
I think where a lot of custom builds fall down is that the person commissioning the bass gets involved in all the wrong decisions, such as woods, pickups, electronics and hardware; when they should simply go to their luthier of choice and say how they want the bass to look, feel and sound and let them get on with picking the components that are going give the correct end result.
[/quote]

I agree with this. I nearly went down this route and discovered what I really wanted was a warm and friendly passive instrument (i.e. what I already had). Fair play to the builder that he was clear that I didn't actually need to spend huge amounts with him to get that.

There are a couple of other issues too. Collectability/investment value is more in a vintage Fender than it would be in a purpose built bass. It's not a problem if you're planning to keep it forever, but if (like me) you look at some of your instruments as a little savings pot then it's best to spend on something that will accrue in value.

The other thing is that people spend a fortune on custom basses in the hope they'll sound like Stanley Clarke. Sometimes a better use of a small fortune on a bass is to spend a grand on a bass and the rest on lessons and some free time and space to play it.

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[size=3][font="Calibri"][color="#000000"]I’d agree that you should definitely shop around and explore as many different types of bass before plumping if you have £6+k to spend. You might surprise yourself and/or you might just fall in love…[/color][/font][/size]
[size=3][font="Calibri"][color="#000000"] [/color][/font][/size]
[size=3][font="Calibri"][color="#000000"]Definitely get along to Bass Direct, The Gallery and Andy Baxter’s shops – all of which will expose you to a wide range of different styles and makes and present a number of vintage options to look at – there will certainly be vintage Jazzes around their inventory.[/color][/font][/size]
[size=3][font="Calibri"][color="#000000"] [/color][/font][/size]
[size=3][font="Calibri"][color="#000000"]With your budget you are comfortably in the ball park for any “dream bass” or custom instrument (ACGs, Wals, Overwaters, Dingwalls etc etc etc)so the choice is so wide that it may be more difficult to narrow down – unless you just choose to decide “Vintage 60s Jazz it is!” and stick with those blinkers (meant in a “focus” way not a perjorative way).[/color][/font][/size]
[size=3][font="Calibri"][color="#000000"] [/color][/font][/size]
[size=3][font="Calibri"][color="#000000"]Should you be interested in exploring Wals as you mentioned above, the three shops above quite often have them in stock second hand to try and for any info on the Wals have a look at the ling in my signature below to the blog I write on the brand which is pretty much as comprehensive and definitive an info source as you will find anywhere.[/color][/font][/size]
[size=3][font="Calibri"][color="#000000"] [/color][/font][/size]
[size=3][font="Calibri"][color="#000000"]Happy hunting. What a lovely problem to have![/color][/font][/size]

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[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1487841319' post='3243357']
I think where a lot of custom builds fall down is that the person commissioning the bass gets involved in all the wrong decisions, such as woods, pickups, electronics and hardware; when they should simply go to their luthier of choice and say how they want the bass to look, feel and sound and let them get on with picking the components that are going give the correct end result.
[/quote]

Agreed and was really what I was trying to say in "what I wanted..." but it is also about scale length, neck radius etc i.e design parameters. I went 35" (albeit off the shelf) but 34" suits me slightly better. Thankfully is was only a mildy expensive bass and I still play it as my no 1 bass.

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[quote name='Bridgehouse' timestamp='1487851000' post='3243491']

I need to play a lot of basses I think..
[/quote]

Right you are.

But to be fair, some players also need to actually own various basses sometimes to see how they get on with them once the initial honeymoon period has ended.

Buying second hand, especially here, is a great way to experiment at home and then lock down what you want/need without loosing any cash.

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You have the option of almost any bass you want, great position to be in. If I was looking to drop £5k on a jazz bass, I'd either be looking out for a really nice custom colour 60's original (likely to be located somewhere other than the UK, so prepare to buy without trying).....or first port of call would be a Stenback I think. Maybe a USA Lakland and some spare cash.

Si

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[quote name='Chiliwailer' timestamp='1487871041' post='3243790']


Right you are.

But to be fair, some players also need to actually own various basses sometimes to see how they get on with them once the initial honeymoon period has ended.

Buying second hand, especially here, is a great way to experiment at home and then lock down what you want/need without loosing any cash.
[/quote]

Yeah you're right. Anyone got a nice 60s Jazz they don't want any more? :)

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[quote name='Sibob' timestamp='1487873771' post='3243816']
You have the option of almost any bass you want, great position to be in. If I was looking to drop £5k on a jazz bass, I'd either be looking out for a really nice custom colour 60's original (likely to be located somewhere other than the UK, so prepare to buy without trying).....or first port of call would be a Stenback I think. Maybe a USA Lakland and some spare cash.

Si
[/quote]

You're pretty much where I am at I think.

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[quote name='Burns-bass' timestamp='1487876967' post='3243850']
It took me about 5 years to find a vintage Fender pre CBS bass I wanted. I reckon in that time I had about 10 70s Precision and Jazzes trading up over time.

As people will tell you on here that some vintage Fender basses are great, but some are absolute dogs!
[/quote]

And I am keen to avoid that... I know I've been lucky with my 74 P - I almost need a proven good 'un- which is asking a lot, I know..

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[quote name='Chiliwailer' timestamp='1487880120' post='3243892']
How about treating yourself to a holiday in the States too?

https://www.gbase.com/gear?minyear=1960&maxyear=1968&minprice=&maxprice=&near=&daysago=&q=Fender+Jazz+Bass
[/quote]

You know, if CITES didn't scare the hell outta me...

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