Quickie! Any idea of the price? Fender CBS 1977-1978

[Faithless]

Hey chaps,

Just saw a local post from a guy who claims to have a Fender [b]Fullerton[/b] (the hell is that?) bass from 1977-1978.
I'm no expert at Fender history and vintage bass prices, so could anyone help me out with an approximate value of this bass?

PS What about the CBS and pre-CBS thing? I think I've read somewhere, that pre-CBS Fenders are valued higher than CBS ones, right?
Here's the advert with pics:
http://www.skelbiu.lt/skelbimai/77-fender-fullerton-jazz-bass-elektrine-gitara-15750680.html

Thanks a lot,
Laimis

[Cat Burrito]

I own a couple of late 70s Fenders and this one raises a couple of questions for me. Firstly though, Fullerton is just the factory Fender used which arguably gives it more credibility and as a simple rule, the older the higher the value (condition aside) so pre-CBS is very highly regarded.

The neck is a 3 bolt one which tend to be less popular with some collectors. Those knobs are clearly non original and there appears to be surface rust around the jack socket which makes me wonder what the electrics are like - and I note no pictures! I don't recall those paintjobs until the early 80s so I wonder if that body originally went with that neck but I could be wrong. That to me looks like a parts bass with a 78 neck so probably a value around £600. A decent example of a 1977 bass would go for up to £2000 (but less so in the current climate) and this would mean original case, immaculate condition and photos showing the original pots etc.

If you are looking to buy a vintage Fender there is a wealth of knowledge on this site so don't get ripped off. Sometimes stuff is priced to sell quickly but there is a lot out there that isn't what it claims to be.

[discreet]

[quote name='BurritoBass' timestamp='1362506019' post='2000387']
That to me looks like a parts bass with a 78 neck...
[/quote]

+1. You have to be sure that all components of the bass are consistent with the period.
[size=4]And anything dated between 1965 and 1985 (approximately) is CBS.[/size]

[Lozz196]

Agree with Burrito, those paint jobs were generally 80s, as were the white pickups.

[Musky]

That bass is exactly what you'd expect to find on a 81/82 Jazz. S8 serials did turn up on basses into the eighties.

Edited March 5, 2013 by Musky

[xilddx]

That is a dot and bound neck, not many of those around. Is it my eyes or the lighting or does the body look too thin to be a Fender?

[mckendrick]

In my own humble opinion, there's every possibility of this being all original, but it's certainly not '77. '78 at the[i] very[/i] earliest.

[Faithless]

So how much, would you say, I could offer for this axe?

[brensabre79]

I have no idea what these go for in Lithuania, but of the vintage Fender years, this is possibly the lowest they went in terms of cost cutting and build quality. The white pickups, body colour and neck design all scream early 80s to me (many early 80s instruments has S8 serial numbers which often get mistaken for 1978). Not long after these were made Fender shifted production to Japan - for a while USA production stopped completely. The reason for the shift was that the Japan built Squier series were actually considerably better instruments, on average than the Fender ones, so much so that these early Japan Squier basses fetch a high price now!

So back to your bass, things I would consider and definitely want to find out are, how well built is it? This one is transparent finish which is a good thing because you can see the wood. I would definitely want to play it, and check the neck etc.

If you're happy and you want it then great. It will not be worth as much as a Fender Jazz Bass from the 60s or 70s (genuine 70s with block inlays on the neck amongst other things). It might not even be worth as much as one from the late 80s/early 90s.

I reckon £400 - £500 would be a fair price to pay over here - assuming it plays OK and everything checks out.

[mckendrick]

[quote name='brensabre79' timestamp='1362591329' post='2001835']
Not long after these were made Fender shifted production to Japan - for a while USA production stopped completely. The reason for the shift was that the Japan built Squier series were actually considerably better instruments....
[/quote]
Methinks that's highly debatable, bren'. USA production was run down to a stop while they changed factories and very little if not nothing was produced in the US for a while for this reason. Stuff was imported from Japan to make up the stop gap.

[Fat Rich]

I reckon it's probably early 80s, I think they used black or white strat knobs around this time so they may be original.

At the moment I wouldn't say it's a collectable bass. However I said the same about 70 Fenders a decade or two ago and now they're fetching silly money, even the rubbish ones.

If it plays well and sounds good then go for whatever price you feel comfortable with, but I don't think it has any great value as a vintage instrument.