Eddie Twothumbs Posted June 20, 2011 Posted June 20, 2011 Hi there, Love my precision lyte, been on the fender site with serial number, found it to be a 1983, has gold hardware and is in a kind of sunburst but more orangy rather than red, got one knock in the head but pretty good otherwise, came from america (some of you suggest thats good some favour the jap ones) Love that guitar, been a good work horse, have gone mad for my fretless (with those nylon strings) feels like I can play (or blag) more or less anything with it, so will put money into getting a proper rig Any ideas? Quote
warwickhunt Posted June 20, 2011 Posted June 20, 2011 You'll always get a wide spread of prices depending on whether the person is after buying or if they have one themselves and want to see the price kept high for when they sell their's! However, a quick trawl through past sales will probably reveal that anywhere between £250-£350 is realistic. Quote
dc2009 Posted June 20, 2011 Posted June 20, 2011 I used to be after a jap one and those went for as little as 160-180 sometimes! A US one should fetch more, they're very nice basses IMO, so good luck with the sale, and be sure to give us some pics up here so I can drawl over it! Quote
warwickhunt Posted June 20, 2011 Posted June 20, 2011 [quote name='Eddie Twothumbs' post='1276272' date='Jun 20 2011, 07:55 PM']... came from america (some of you suggest thats good some favour the jap ones)[/quote] Are you sure? I thought these were all MIJ basses! Quote
Donnyboy Posted June 21, 2011 Posted June 21, 2011 Yes I'm sure thet were MIJ. I bought one ( probably paid a bit too much ) It was dated I think about 83/84 & had a few dings however played very well & had a good range of sounds & was easy on the back /shoulder - all original parts.I think £300-350 for that Vintage with original parts & nicely faded gold hardware would be realistic - more would be a bonus! Quote
BottomE Posted June 21, 2011 Posted June 21, 2011 I have got an MIJ one on loan that has been defretted - nice job too. I am really impressed with the bass and like the range of tone available from the active EQ. Don't know how much i would pay for one. My mate wants to sell this bass so i am watching this with interest. Quote
Paul S Posted June 23, 2011 Posted June 23, 2011 I bought one recently after being on the lookout for a while - they seemed to go for £300-£400 depending upon condition - I've seen more asked in shops secondhand. I paid £300 for mine (90-91) and it has had a bad paint re-finish job and a problem with one of the boost/cut pots which means maybe, if the bit isn't available, a new pre-amp. Quote
Doddy Posted June 23, 2011 Posted June 23, 2011 [quote name='Eddie Twothumbs' post='1276272' date='Jun 20 2011, 07:55 PM']Love my precision lyte, been on the fender site with serial number, found it to be a 1983, has gold hardware and is in a kind of sunburst but more orangy rather than red, got one knock in the head but pretty good otherwise, came from america (some of you suggest thats good some favour the jap ones)[/quote] As far as I'm aware,the Precision Lyte was Japanese made and started from around '89. I'm not familiar with any early '80s US models. Quote
skankdelvar Posted June 23, 2011 Posted June 23, 2011 (edited) Information about the Lyte is pretty thin on the ground. AFAICS from going round the usual forums, sources, etc., the Lyte was made in Japan from the late 80's, though some people believe they possess 85-86's. An active, mahogany, humbucker-loaded Deluxe Lyte variant in natural with gold hardware appeared around 1990. Rumour has it that (some of?) these were US made, but I can find no confirmation. Eventually the Lyte seems to have been superceded by the Zone bass around 2000. Most reports I've seen state the Jap Lyte was originally fettled with chrome hardware but the first one I saw (about 89-90) definitely had gold. I know, because that was the thing that put me off it. YMMV If the OP could bung up some images? Edited June 23, 2011 by skankdelvar Quote
wateroftyne Posted June 23, 2011 Posted June 23, 2011 I had a sparkly back one with gold hardware. It was the closest thing I could find to Geddy's Wal. Eeeeh.... happy days. Quote
BottomE Posted June 23, 2011 Posted June 23, 2011 The one i have on loan has the awful gold hardware. It must be a Deluxe! Played it again last night and it sounds great with flats. Quote
JPJ Posted June 23, 2011 Posted June 23, 2011 I had a candy apple red metallic one purchased new for £450 around 1990. This had the PJ config, active two-band eq and gold hardware. Twas a very good bass, lovely tone, I just found the neck to be a little 'flexible' and I felt like I was constantly tweaking the truss rod. Quote
casapete Posted June 23, 2011 Posted June 23, 2011 I had two! First one was in frost (maybe arctic?)white, with gold hardware . Great bass, although the finish was not particularly durable ,and chipped/cracked quite easily as I remember. Most s/h ones I've seen have appeared like this. Sounded good though (active eq etc) despite having a ravenous appetite for Duracells. It helped to unplug when not playing as I believe the jack activated the battery etc. I actually had the actives modified to extend battery life, which helped tremendously. One of those basses I wish I'd hung on to. Second one was the Deluxe, which was the mahogany finish again with the dreaded gold hardware. Instead of the usual PJ pickups, this had a Precision type pickup along with a rear humbucking type, and also had a mid control too IIRC. Didnt like this one as much as the first (sounded a bit dull, and a bit heavier weight too), so sold it fairly soon after. Gold hardware was standard on both models, although later versions (which kinda morphed into the Mexican made Zone) did feature chrome which to my eyes was a lot better. Most common finish was brown/yellow sunburst, with charcoal/black metallic, white and red being other options. I seem to also remember seeing some foto flame models, often in a rather unusual purple!! As far as I can remember all Precision Lytes were made in Japan. Quote
Telebass Posted June 23, 2011 Posted June 23, 2011 All Lytes Japanese. starting '89. The serial number anomaly is common on Japanese Fenders. My MIJ JD Telecaster, at first glance, was an 83, but was in fact, a '96 (there were no 83 JDs). Some considerable time after I bought it, I noticed the '96 Anniversary sticker on the back of the headstock. Dumb, or what? Quote
Lenny B Posted June 23, 2011 Posted June 23, 2011 I got mine in 89 - I remember reading the review in Guitarist and thinking that was exactly what I wanted Red, Gold hardware - had it defretted and still play it loads. Great little bass Quote
Donnyboy Posted June 24, 2011 Posted June 24, 2011 (edited) I'm curious now! The one I had an E & 6 digits serial number (E963292) which according to the chart in my copy of The Bass Book( I know it's not the Bible!) and also the Fender site would make it Japanese and "circa" 1984 - 87 - which would seem to be too early. I've scribbled a note that there was a stamp on the end of the neck stating: PJR-65(x) G PAN. But this means nothing too me. I don't suppose this helps clarify anything! Edited June 24, 2011 by Donnyboy Quote
Telebass Posted June 24, 2011 Posted June 24, 2011 Like I said, the serials were used more than once for some instruments, so it can be a problem. But they were not introduced until '89. Quote
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