gjones Posted March 2, 2018 Share Posted March 2, 2018 (edited) 1 hour ago, gary mac said: As you say there are plenty of fakes out there but there are also many great and some not so great, all originals. I remember reading about that ex vintage dealer and came to the conclusion that the reason he was an ex vintage dealer, was that he wasn't that clued up. I don't know if this is the guy who wrote the original blog, or not, but he has some very amusing stories about vintage guitars (of course he builds copies of vintage guitars, so I suspect a lot of what he says is PR for his own business). http://edroman.com/rants/vintage.htm Edited March 2, 2018 by gjones Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rushscored4 Posted March 2, 2018 Author Share Posted March 2, 2018 1 hour ago, Steve Browning said: I have to say it's very generous to describe a 1963 AVRI as a YOB bass for a 1963 birth year. Fair comment but you knew what I meant! The one on eBay for £1,150 is a 2013 I think which would make me 5 not 55 this year... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rushscored4 Posted March 2, 2018 Author Share Posted March 2, 2018 40 minutes ago, Lw. said: You seem to have a large range in your budget; the difference between a 1k & 2k bass can be quite noticeable so not entirely fair as a comparison but for me the Fender CS P-basses are worth the spend. I don't disagree with that but the point of the thread was to ask which was the best pound for pound. In other words, is it worth spending an extra £1,000 for a Custom Shop compared to a recent American Vintage Reissue model which looks the part and has great reviews - or for that matter add another couple of grand for an original 1960s vintage model? Obviously I appreciate it's all subjective and everybody will have their own opinions based on experience, taste, budget, etc. I'm in the fortunate position of being able to afford a £5k bass but I'm just not sure I could really justify paying that considering I want a working bass not a precious ornament hanging on the wall! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lw. Posted March 2, 2018 Share Posted March 2, 2018 Depends on your definition of pound for pound & what you're going to do with it. I think it's pretty clear from my post that I think the CS basses are the best. Are they 5/6x better than a Squier - for me yes. Twice as good as a Limelight - yes. Depends on your definition of "good". And it depends on if you're going to keep it - if you get a used Fender of any level then decided to sell it you're probably going to lose little to no money (I actually made a little bit selling a non-vintage jazz a few months ago). So the ownership is basically free, in which case pound for pound means nothing. Buying new would be another thing entirely, you're looking at losing ~25% of what you pay if you sell it so the Squiers are only costing you 100 (so marginal) whereas the CS's are going to lose you ~750, which I would be less keen on. Other brands would almost certainly lose you more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wateroftyne Posted March 2, 2018 Share Posted March 2, 2018 The irony is there's probably less people involved in the assembly / build of a Limelight or Maruszczyk than there is in a standard Team-build Fender CS. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigwan Posted March 2, 2018 Share Posted March 2, 2018 (edited) Pound for pound the best P I've played was my old Squier SQ! So I'd be adding SQ and JV Squiers to the list if it were me. Hands down the best P I've played was my friend's refinished '64 Fender. Beautiful. If I'd a grand to spend I'd be looking at a MIM RW P or a Limelight. If I'd a 2 grand to spend I'd be talking to Sander DeGier. Edited March 2, 2018 by Bigwan 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
artisan Posted March 2, 2018 Share Posted March 2, 2018 Personally I'd go for a USA G&L LB100 it'll cheaper than a C/S & just as well built,if not even better plus you can specify the exact spec' you want. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scalpy Posted March 2, 2018 Share Posted March 2, 2018 27 minutes ago, artisan said: Personally I'd go for a USA G&L LB100 it'll cheaper than a C/S & just as well built,if not even better plus you can specify the exact spec' you want. A ‘I recommend my bass’ post, but I played a £3500 CS fender in Mansons, Exeter the other day and my LB100 knocked it into a cocked hat. The fender felt cumbersome and overweight whilst the G&L has that sound but is much more comfortable. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
artisan Posted March 2, 2018 Share Posted March 2, 2018 6 minutes ago, scalpy said: A ‘I recommend my bass’ post, but I played a £3500 CS fender in Mansons, Exeter the other day and my LB100 knocked it into a cocked hat. The fender felt cumbersome and overweight whilst the G&L has that sound but is much more comfortable. Lol I don't have an LB100 actually but I'd happily sell a kidney to buy one 😁 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rushscored4 Posted March 2, 2018 Author Share Posted March 2, 2018 1 hour ago, Lw. said: Depends on your definition of pound for pound & what you're going to do with it. I think it's pretty clear from my post that I think the CS basses are the best. Are they 5/6x better than a Squier - for me yes. Twice as good as a Limelight - yes. Depends on your definition of "good". And it depends on if you're going to keep it - if you get a used Fender of any level then decided to sell it you're probably going to lose little to no money (I actually made a little bit selling a non-vintage jazz a few months ago). So the ownership is basically free, in which case pound for pound means nothing. Buying new would be another thing entirely, you're looking at losing ~25% of what you pay if you sell it so the Squiers are only costing you 100 (so marginal) whereas the CS's are going to lose you ~750, which I would be less keen on. Other brands would almost certainly lose you more. All good points @Lw. None of the options I'm looking at are 'brand new' - the nearest to that description is the ex-demo 3TS AVRI for £1,567 at Fairdeal Music in Birmingham. As I prefer the roadworn / relic look anyway I can't see the point of buying a new bass then losing the VAT plus depreciation as soon as I leave the shop! Thanks to everyone's contributions in this thread I've narrowed my choices down to a black Limelight for sale on here for £800, the black Maruszczyk I posted earlier in the thread for £675 or a 3TS Custom Shop on eBay for £2,495. Or all three for around £750 less than the price of the '66 vintage, which coincidentally is the price of my new Rumble Stage 800 combo! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wateroftyne Posted March 2, 2018 Share Posted March 2, 2018 £1600 for a display model? OMG. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rushscored4 Posted March 2, 2018 Author Share Posted March 2, 2018 9 minutes ago, artisan said: Lol I don't have an LB100 actually but I'd happily sell a kidney to buy one 😁 I must admit the LB100 does seem to have everything I'm looking for but I just can't get my head around it's head, i.e. that wee bit of an edge that sticks out of the lower middle of the head! All about personal taste I suppose... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rushscored4 Posted March 2, 2018 Author Share Posted March 2, 2018 3 minutes ago, wateroftyne said: £1600 for a display model? OMG. Looks immaculate to be fair apart from one small scratch on the back which wouldn't bother me to save £300 but I've decided not to buy either of the '63 AVRIs anyway! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wateroftyne Posted March 2, 2018 Share Posted March 2, 2018 Just now, rushscored4 said: Looks immaculate to be fair apart from one small scratch on the back which wouldn't bother me to save £300 but I've decided not to buy either of the '63 AVRIs anyway! I'm just amazed they're that much in the first place.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rushscored4 Posted March 2, 2018 Author Share Posted March 2, 2018 56 minutes ago, Bigwan said: Pound for pound the best P I've played was my old Squier SQ! So I'd be adding SQ and JV Squiers to the list if it were me. Hands down the best P I've played was my friend's refinished '64 Fender. Beautiful. If I'd a grand to spend I'd be looking at a MIM RW P or a Limelight. If I'd a 2 grand to spend I'd be talking to Sander DeGier. @Bigwan I mentioned earlier I've got a lovely MIM Nate Mendel anyway and the budget isn't really the main issue. It's whether less than a grand would buy me a really good value for money 8/10 bass (like the NM signature in my opinion) or whether it's worth spending £2.5k to get a great 9/10 Custom Shop bass or nearly £5k to get a 10/10 original vintage dream bass! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rushscored4 Posted March 2, 2018 Author Share Posted March 2, 2018 13 minutes ago, wateroftyne said: I'm just amazed they're that much in the first place.... I think Fender price the American Vintage (now Original) series in between the American Professional and Elite series. You could easily argue they're all overpriced! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scalpy Posted March 2, 2018 Share Posted March 2, 2018 28 minutes ago, rushscored4 said: I must admit the LB100 does seem to have everything I'm looking for but I just can't get my head around it's head, i.e. that wee bit of an edge that sticks out of the lower middle of the head! All about personal taste I suppose... Think of it as the Picasso version of the Fender (as guitarist magazine once described it) Works for me! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rushscored4 Posted March 2, 2018 Author Share Posted March 2, 2018 5 hours ago, NJE said: Have you had a look at Moollon? I have noticed a lot of players with them on the internet and all really positive reviews. A few guys say they are as good if not better than the Pino. The headstocks can be a bit ‘marmite’ though. Search for them on Instagram if you have it. There is a trans white Lakland on here that I would seriously consider if I was looking for P bass too, the USA basses are insanely good. Missed this post yesterday. Doesn't Scott Devine have a nice Moollon? Never seen one advertised to be honest. Also, like G&L, I'm not sure if I like the look of Lakland. A bit too nice if you know what I mean?! I do love the Duck Dunn special they brought out a few years ago though... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lw. Posted March 2, 2018 Share Posted March 2, 2018 48 minutes ago, rushscored4 said: @Bigwan I mentioned earlier I've got a lovely MIM Nate Mendel anyway and the budget isn't really the main issue. It's whether less than a grand would buy me a really good value for money 8/10 bass (like the NM signature in my opinion) or whether it's worth spending £2.5k to get a great 9/10 Custom Shop bass or nearly £5k to get a 10/10 original vintage dream bass! It could be argued you've already got a good value, cheaper bass (the Nate Mandel) and so seems pointless to get another one - may as well get a "nice" bass too! Depends on how much of a hurry you're in too - you should be able to get used CS basses for 2k or slightly less. Ebay prices don't seem particularly cheap to me nowadays, I fee like you could probably haggle a shop down to lower than those prices on used goods, just if you've got time to wait it out until something appropriate crops up. Can't give much comment on the vintage stuff - they're nice to play but have always been out of my budget. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul S Posted March 2, 2018 Share Posted March 2, 2018 I have just changed my opinion. My Maruszczyk Jake 5 has just arrived! I spec'd it high and, with an SKB hard case, came in at £1600 - I don't think I could have got a better bass for the money. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigwan Posted March 2, 2018 Share Posted March 2, 2018 I'm not a big fan of the Mendel myself. Never actually played a RW, but the classic 50 is head and shoulders above the Mendel for me, even given my preference for rosewood. Folks in the know prefer the RW to the classic 50s. Why oh why don't Fender do a 60s RW P? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peety Posted March 2, 2018 Share Posted March 2, 2018 18 hours ago, rushscored4 said: There was one like that on Facebook before Xmas for £675 from someone not too far from me in Wigan. Doesn't appear to have been sold and he posted a new profile pic a few weeks ago of him playing the bass so maybe he thought better of it! Yes that is mine I did think better of it even though I have a white one as well seriously good value for the money and the spec available 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NJE Posted March 2, 2018 Share Posted March 2, 2018 2 hours ago, rushscored4 said: Missed this post yesterday. Doesn't Scott Devine have a nice Moollon? Never seen one advertised to be honest. Also, like G&L, I'm not sure if I like the look of Lakland. A bit too nice if you know what I mean?! I do love the Duck Dunn special they brought out a few years ago though... Yes Scott plays a Moollon, they are custom order basses from Korea I think and don’t show up very often. They are made to be really close to Pre CBS Fenders and there is some high praise out there for them. You would probably need to track down a Moollon owner on here to try one. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rushscored4 Posted March 2, 2018 Author Share Posted March 2, 2018 47 minutes ago, peety said: Yes that is mine I did think better of it even though I have a white one as well seriously good value for the money and the spec available Ah Steve, it was me who messaged you through FB the other night (Iain Crawford)... looking forward to seeing it in the flesh next week so to speak! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattM Posted March 3, 2018 Share Posted March 3, 2018 Don’t underestimate a good standard USA Precision. I moved to a 2008 Standard (same as the post 2012s, graphite neck, rolled edges, through body stringing but minus the Custom Shop pickup) from a Limelight. Mainly because it was slightly lighter and had low mass tuners which made is easier for my 10yo son to learn on. The tonal variation isn’t as wide as the Limelight, but the fundamental tone is superb. Was minded to try out the Custom Shop pickup but tbh it sounds great as it is. I paid a decent price for it used and won’t lose out should I move it on. Oh and my son loves it... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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