Precisions: 78 a decent vintage?

[uk_lefty]

Simple question, was 1978 "a good year" for Fender Precision basses? I may have the chance to get one for a not so silly price but just wondering how these are viewed as either investment pieces or playable qualities?
Of course I will go and try before I buy, but perception of others can drive cost of I was deciding to sell on after a while
Thank you

[yorick]

I've played a 78 and the only issue I had was with the weight. Weighed nearly twelve pounds. . Hopefully the one you're looking at is nowhere near that.

[ras52]

I have one (or it might be a '77... Fender dating is a bit vague). It's great but it is, like the one yorick played, heavy.

[Wooks79]

I can vouch for '79s

[Hobbayne]

I had a 77. It weighed a ton!

[Roland Rock]

Yeah, I had a great sounding and well built 79. As others had said, it was heavy (11.5lbs) but it wasn't really an issue.

[project_c]

I have a 78 fretless maple neck on one of my Precisions and it's pretty much perfect.

[Cat Burrito]

I had an all original 1978 mocha brown Fender Precision bass. It was lightweight (which always used to amuse me reading the comments about them being heavy) and was a genuinely stunning player. I sold it only when I had a change in financial circumstances.

A lot is said on forums but you won't truly know until you try it yourself.

[gary mac]

[quote name='Burrito' timestamp='1465925127' post='3072187']

A lot is said on forums but you won't truly know until you try it yourself.
[/quote]

Have to agree with the Burrito

[M@23]

I had a 78/79, very cool bass. Looked amazing, but.... weighed a ton.
Really, it wasn't as good as the 2014 I had at the same time either. Just was worth twice as much and had more mojo.

[zero9]

Used to have a 78 in the 80's, great bass and fairly lightweight too.

You can get good or bad basses from any vintage - Caveat Emptor

[EssentialTension]

You can't tell with any certainty what a bass is going to play like by year of manufacture alone.

I had a 1976 P and it seemed fine at the time.

[Highfox]

I also had a 77 P very nice bass but weighed a ton like a lot of them from that time seem to. That was the reason it had to go.

[thodrik]

There are gems and dogs for every year when it comes to Fender basses. Try before you buy.

Also be wary, lots of people will market a bass as a '1978' Fender Precision because of the serial number. The serial numbers though do not always tell the whole story. The S9+5 digits serial number was used from 1978 to 1981, for example. This is the serial number on my own Fender. It might be a 1978 bass, it might not. It is a great bass though and I would never sell it.

[Roland Rock]

You can get a better idea from the pot codes and the neck heel stamp.

Also, it's worth noting that Fender did two runs of the S8 serial number, one in 78 and one in 80. The 80 has a slightly enlarged '8'

[Lozz196]

I`ve had two - one weighed 10.5lbs, the other was about 8.0lbs, so they`re not all heavy. I really liked mine, great sounds, but ultimately I couldn`t replicate the sound with any other Precision - must have been the ash body - so I moved them on for alder-bodied Precisiosn so I couldreplicate the sound pretty easily with rented/borrowed gear if necessary.

[uk_lefty]

[quote name='Lozz196' timestamp='1465938222' post='3072348']
I`ve had two - one weighed 10.5lbs, the other was about 8.0lbs, so they`re not all heavy. I really liked mine, great sounds, but ultimately I couldn`t replicate the sound with any other Precision - must have been the ash body - so I moved them on for alder-bodied Precisiosn so I couldreplicate the sound pretty easily with rented/borrowed gear if necessary.
[/quote]

Good point... How will I know whether the body is alder or ash?

[basshead56]

I've got a 77, 3 x 78's and a 79.
All off them bar one weigh a ton!!! ALL of them sound and play great. I have played many late 70's P basses over the years.
I have come across a few over the years that didn't feel great in the hand and sounded underwhelming (to my mind anyway).
Play it as much as you can before you buy it. If you can through your own amp/pedals/setings etc - even better!

[LewisK1975]

[quote name='uk_lefty' timestamp='1465975770' post='3072499']
Good point... How will I know whether the body is alder or ash?
[/quote]

If it's natural or a see through finish you'll be able to tell - Ash has a much more open grain, just do a google images search of ash vs alder and you'll learn all you need to know.

If it's painted and the grain isn't visible, I'm not sure how you'd tell TBH. Although as others have said above, Ash is likely to be heavier.

My guess would be it'd more likely to be alder if painted, and Ash if natural/see-through finish. This isn't 100% though obviously, you never know what may have been done to it finish-wise....might have been originally painted alder and then stripped & varnished, or been ash natural and then painted!

[Happy Jack]

[quote name='EssentialTension' timestamp='1465926260' post='3072202']
You can't tell with any certainty what a bass is going to play like by year of manufacture alone.

[/quote]

This. Absolutely this.

It's not like there was an annual harvest which might be affected by an attack of woodworm or something ...

[ras52]

[quote name='Happy Jack' timestamp='1465980553' post='3072519']
This. Absolutely this.

It's not like there was an annual harvest which might be affected by an attack of woodworm or something ...
[/quote]

So basses are different from guitars, then....?

[Happy Jack]

Strange fruit indeed ...

[Kevsy71]

I love my 79 P, despite it weighing so much that my collarbone cringes whenever I look at it. I swapped the pickups for Fender vintage reissues, as the originals weren't for me, and the growl and bite now is amazing - not sure if the weight contributes to that, but worth it if it does!

[gary mac]

[url="https://flic.kr/p/Eb8XsD"][/url]

How an Alder bodied P bass looks with the finish removed.

[Happy Jack]

[quote name='gary mac' timestamp='1465985383' post='3072576']
[url="https://flic.kr/p/Eb8XsD"][/url]


[/quote]

Pah! You can't fool me with that cheap shot ... that ain't no '78 - I can tell.

Edited June 15, 2016 by Happy Jack