Who Gigs An Old Bass? New Vs. Vintage?

[spongebob]

I'm window shopping at some old Ric 4001's.

I've had a fair few 4003's before, but I've always fancied a nice '01....skunk stripe, etc.

Thing is, you can buy a new '03 for a similar price as a 30+ year old '01, with all it's years of wear and tear.

For me it would be my 'other' bass - practice, rehearsal, and maybe the odd gig. I've recently sourced another 4003, and I've come to the conclusion that it's really 'my' bass. I need a backup (currently it's my only) but I don't want another newish one, just too similar.

My question is, am I mad looking at the old stuff? I'm a bit concerned about it being a bit like driving an old car....when you need it, it dies on you!

I look after my gear, so if I buy a good one.....?

Anybody here on BC got an 'old' bass as their main player? Any issues/stuff to look out for?

[uncle psychosis]

Provided you look after them properly there's no reason an old bass would be more likely to fail than a new one.

The main reason not to gig a vintage bass is the worry that it will get stolen or damaged.

[4000]

2 x '72 4001s, although I don't gig regularly anymore; my main one used to get gigged a lot though. Occasionally the jacks have needed a clean but that's about it. Others have gigged with my main one too, no problems. On the plus side the necks seem as stable as can be; I guess if they haven't moved much in 40 years then (assuming you don't do something daft) they're not going to.

[WalMan]

My Wal is 30 years old and still going strong. The older of the two L2500's is getting on a bit and that still rocks out, so.....

[BigRedX]

What do you count as "old"?

In the 80s my main bass was a Burns Sonic from the early 60s. Nowadays, I still use my Overwaters which are over 25 years old. I use the right bass for the job. It's age is irrelevant.

[Lozz196]

My gigging bass is a 77 Precision, and its younger backup is an 85 Tokai Hardpuncher.

[Conan]

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1331626275' post='1575903']
I use the right bass for the job. It's age is irrelevant.
[/quote]

Yeah. Any bass that has stood thirty years of proper use is unlikely to fail on you and was probably a "good 'un" in the first place. Buy a new one and who is to say that it won't prove to be a friday afternoon special?

Go with your feelings, not your head.

[Jayben]

I use a '91 Jazz, older than me, and I use it for nearly everything. It's never failed me once.

[LiamPodmore]

I'm currently gigging an '86 Japanese Precision, 9 years older than me, and i absolutely love it. Just sits right there in the mix, exactly where it should be. Not had any issues with it, but it was very well taken care of by my uncle before i bought it off him.

Liam

[stef030]

I have a 69 jazz,that has not done a gig since 99,
thats the reason everything else was added,the sqiers,peavy ect.
it just means so much to me,the fear of anything happening to it,also my dad
who has now passed gave me the money for it,


memories memories


cheers
stef

[franzbassist]

My main gigging bass is a 1970 fretless P. Bashed up but such a great player and tone......

[thumperbob 2002]

I used to gig with a 60s hofner violin bass and a hofner senator ( still got that one ) Feedback city.

Now I gig with a Fender Road Worn Jazz- looks old but is not- best of both worlds?

[discreet]

[quote name='uncle psychosis' timestamp='1331625046' post='1575888']
The main reason not to gig a vintage bass is the worry that it will get stolen or damaged.
[/quote]

This is why I sold my 76P. I like to have only one bass only and not worry [i]too[/i] much about it.
Hence now I gig my new custom P, which has a vintage vibe... best of both worlds!

[quote name='thumperbob 2002' timestamp='1331629310' post='1575973']
Now I gig with a Fender Road Worn Jazz- looks old but is not- best of both worlds?
[/quote]

You got in before me!

Edited March 13, 2012 by discreet

[spongebob]

I suppose the secret is getting a good one in the first place!

Besides obvious wear and tear, and suggestions on what to look out for buying 'older'?

[shizznit]

I haven't owned a vintage bass for a long time, but I did own a 76' P bass a few years back. That thing was awesome. I was a bit naughty and replaced the pup's with EMG's, but it was the feel of it that was the big attraction for me. There's something about a worn in bass that just feels right somehow.

[Bilbo]

My 26 year old Wal (its his birthday on 25/3) has had its issues (once or twice) but, apart from the odd scratch and nick, is pretty much faultless in terms of its ability to deliver. Most issues have been about dirt getting in to pots/jack inputs rather than breakdowns per se

I would go for what you want, new or old. Despite the rhetoric, these electrical basses aren't complex machines and there isn't much that can go wrong that can't be fixed fairly cheaply. UNlike a double bass where an out of tune string cost £3K to fix

[discreet]

[quote name='shizznit' timestamp='1331630054' post='1575983']
...I did own a 76P bass a few years back... ...I was a bit naughty and replaced the pup's with EMG's...
[/quote]

Agghhhh! Nooooooooooo!!!

[casapete]

[quote name='uncle psychosis' timestamp='1331625046' post='1575888']
Provided you look after them properly there's no reason an old bass would be more likely to fail than a new one.

The main reason not to gig a vintage bass is the worry that it will get stolen or damaged.
[/quote]

Thats why I retired my 63 precision. Playing at events where idiots/drunks could possibly get to my bass, I thought
it sadly was n't worth the risk. That's how I got into playing a Musicman, knowing that it was not quite so precious and
could be replaced more easily should it get damaged or stolen.
I still use the Precision on gigs where I know it will be okay though, and having used it for over 25 years it has never
let me down once. Wherever possible, I think it's great to use vintage stuff, that's what it's for!

[shizznit]

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1331630405' post='1575990']
Agghhhh! Nooooooooooo!!!

[/quote]

It sounded good...honest! I did put the original pup's back in, but sold it soon after.

[Chris Horton]

I play a 1975 Fender precision.
It is mostly played in a church band setting so not too much danger of beer being spilt on it or drunk people attacking you

I think that i would probably feel very different about the bass if i had to take it to a pub gig

[discreet]

[quote name='shizznit' timestamp='1331630667' post='1575995']
It sounded good...honest! I did put the original pup's back in, but sold it soon after.
[/quote]

Well... that's all right then, I forgive you.

[discreet]

[quote name='Chris Horton' timestamp='1331630714' post='1575997']
I think that i would probably feel very different about the bass if i had to take it to a pub gig
[/quote]

I know what you mean. My current band do mainly corporate events, so I just have the usual irrational fear of theft, and more likely, some half-stoned roadie booting the thing off stage with his size 12s.

[BigRedX]

I don't understand what is so sacrosanct about "older" basses - especially 70s Fenders since all the ones I've encountered in real life needed all the extra help that they could get. At one time these basses were just new mass-produced instruments and since there wasn't anything like the choice we have nowadays, if your bass didn't perform how you wanted it to it generally the only solution was to mod it until it did.

If a bass is the perfect one for you except for a couple of small things why not change those things rather than spend time and effort (and maybe a lot more money) looking for something that is 100% right and might not even exist in an off-the-shelf form?

My two Overwaters are are probably close to being regarded as historically important instruments - especially the fretless which is one of the first (if not actually the first) 5-string basses that Overwater made. However they get taken to all the gigs and recording sessions for which their sounds and looks are appropriate. Also if they pick up many more dings over the next 5-10 years I can see both going back to Overwater for a refinish to get them back to new condition.

[neepheid]

My basses are 1978, 1979, 1981 (2) and 1987 with a couple of young 'uns from this millennium. That makes the oldest one 33 years old. I gig them all on a whim based rotation without question or issue.

There aren't really that many moving parts on a bass, you can't really compare it to a car in respect of letting you down mechanically. Look after them and they'll probably outlast you.

[BigRedX]

To the OP.

As Bilbo has said there's not a lot to go wrong with an electric bass guitar. Remember that most people even if they have a brand new bass it's still an instrument who's design and construction has barely changed since 1960.

The main thing to watch with buying an old 4001 RIC as opposed to one of the new 4003 models is that the 4001 truss rod works in a different way to other basses and unless you adjust it correctly you can damage the neck.