Precisions: 78 a decent vintage?

[gary mac]

[quote name='Happy Jack' timestamp='1465986635' post='3072584']
Pah! You can't fool me with that cheap shot ... that ain't no '78 - I can tell.


[/quote]

Good to see that you're on the ball today Jack

[molan]

Yep - the big question to ask on a late 70's bass is 'how much does it weigh'.

Not only does it effect how it feels to wear/play but it has a big effect on value.

Selling a boat anchor is way harder than a 9lb beauty

[hookys6stringbass]

[quote name='Kevsy71' timestamp='1465984210' post='3072565']
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!
[/quote]
Hello there,

Was it the 62 reissues you replaced the originals with???
Cheers
Ian.

[Kevsy71]

[quote name='hookys6stringbass' timestamp='1466005253' post='3072771']
Hello there,

Was it the 62 reissues you replaced the originals with???
Cheers
Ian.
[/quote]

Hi Ian - it was these:
[url="https://www.thomann.de/gb/fender_vintage_pbass_pickup.htm"]https://www.thomann.de/gb/fender_vintage_pbass_pickup.htm[/url]

[hookys6stringbass]

Thanks for that...another one to add to the list...
I've got Seymour Duncan quarter pounders in at the moment...great pups but missing a certain something...
I need something that will be articulate enough to play lead bass but with some growl...

Edited June 15, 2016 by hookys6stringbass

[NancyJohnson]

I had a 1978/79 for a very long time; got it in a trade. Weighed a ton and when I got it, it wasn't really considered as vintage just 'used and a few years old'. It weighed a ton, had a huge fat neck, was very boomy on the first few frets of the A & E strings, the stock pickup failed, the stock pots failed, but apart from these matters, it was pretty robust and needed little adjustment.

Looking back though, it really was a nasty piece of sh*t. Compared to modern instruments it sucked big time. Glad it's gone really.
P

[uk_lefty]

Thanks for all comments. I have played it and felt the weight, its very good but not amazing, however for its price point and with a bit of tlc it could be excellent. I am mainly interested in value because it firstly makes a good persuasive point to the wife and secondly I may profit from selling it quickly or need to turn out some other basses to recover the cost.

[Geek99]

My feelings are that modern basses are more likely to be a decent vintage in the future. In the 70s the jigs were wearing out at tender and qc was pretty low

[krispn]

I had one for a few years - got it in a trade for a Ibanez SR500 - the guy hadn't played it in ages and couldn't handle...you guessed it...the weight! I loved that bass and it had that great tone that when you'd dig in it would get gnarly. At the time it was like others have said just a beat up p from the 70's and not worth what they command these days.

I'm very fortunate that my old P now lives on the Phil Lynott statue in Dublin cased in Bronze. Unless they've used another one since it was hit by a motorist last year.