Beedster Posted February 21 Posted February 21 5 minutes ago, BassAgent said: That would mean that any bass from before 1995 is considered vintage and I don't think most Fender fans will agree with you on that But it's weird. When I started playing in 1999, pre-1980-ish was already considered vintage. 26 years later, it's still pre-1980. For me and most people I know anyway. I think that while generalisable quantitative parameters such as 30 years can be used to define 'vintage', among musicians it more often describes a golden age, perhaps more like a wine. For example, I might be wrong but I see the word used a lot to describe 1070's Fenders/MMs/Rics - at least one of which had a golden decade in the 70's (I'll leave that up to you reader) - but less to describe, for example Carlsbro' or H&H amps from the same period, neither of which IME had a golden 70's. Probably a very subjective view Quote
BassAgent Posted February 21 Posted February 21 Oh yeah definitely. There is a difference between "old" and "vintage". I have a Rokkoman 12-string acoustic from the 70's in my classroom that is very cool and sounds great, but is mainly "old". Quote
wateroftyne Posted February 21 Posted February 21 I’d say ‘vintage’ is the point at which they start becoming more desirable and go up in value. Quote
Beedster Posted February 21 Posted February 21 36 minutes ago, wateroftyne said: I’d say ‘vintage’ is the point at which they start becoming more desirable and go up in value. Ha ha, fair point, explaining why 70's Carlsbro' and H&H are rarely described as vintage, but 70's Fenders most certainly are perhaps Quote
SurroundedByManatees Posted February 21 Posted February 21 (edited) With Fender I'd say up to the early 80s with the Elite models, Precision Special and Dan Smith ending an era of bad quality and trying to get back in the game. In the later 80s the American standards were introduced, which for me marks the "new" era. As often discussed, "vintage" is a heavily abused label that you even see in ads for MiM Fenders from the early zero's Edited February 21 by SurroundedByManatees 1 Quote
briansbrew Posted February 21 Posted February 21 2 hours ago, Beedster said: I think it looks fine, for me it's the edges as much as the flat surface that bring the sense of authenticity, and those edges look good to me Brian. Some pickguards really do look rubbish and are to be avoided by all conscientious bassists, but given the majority that aren't, it's best not to overthink them or we find ourselves in a situation in which no pickguard is ever good enough Thanks Chris for your vote of confidence, yes the edges really look aged... Quote
Sparky Mark Posted February 21 Posted February 21 (edited) 10 hours ago, BassAgent said: That would mean that any bass from before 1995 is considered vintage and I don't think most Fender fans will agree with you on that But it's weird. When I started playing in 1999, pre-1980-ish was already considered vintage. 26 years later, it's still pre-1980. For me and most people I know anyway. I kinda agree regarding Fbasses, but *you did ask about any musical instrument. *correction; it was jazzyvee that asked the question. Edited February 21 by Sparky Mark Correction Quote
Burns-bass Posted February 21 Posted February 21 1 hour ago, Sparky Mark said: I kinda agree regarding Fbasses, but you did ask about any musical instrument. I agree with you Mark. You can already see late 80s Musicmans and Gibsons being marketed as vintage. (To be fair, the late 80s Stingrays are great). 1 Quote
Beedster Posted February 21 Posted February 21 1 minute ago, Burns-bass said: I agree with you Mark. You can already see late 80s Musicmans and Gibsons being marketed as vintage. (To be fair, the late 80s Stingrays are great). Late 80s ‘Rays are vintage in all meanings of the word 👍 Quote
Beedster Posted February 21 Posted February 21 Just now, Beedster said: I suspect @wateroftyne hit the nail on the head 👍 Quote
tauzero Posted February 21 Posted February 21 If you applied the same criteria as for cars, no bass would be vintage. In fact, as Ps and Js are still in production, they wouldn't even be classics. https://www.differencebetween.info/difference-between-veteran-vintage-and-classic-cars 1 Quote
andytoad Posted Thursday at 21:00 Posted Thursday at 21:00 (edited) This is local to me, looks great, I'm not a jazzer tho! https://www.wealdofguitar.co.uk/product-page/fender-jazz-bass-with-rosewood-fretboard-1971-sunburst-used They also have this... https://www.wealdofguitar.co.uk/product-page/fender-precision-bass-with-rosewood-fretboard-1974-sunburst Edited Thursday at 21:02 by andytoad 2 Quote
GuyR Posted Friday at 23:31 Posted Friday at 23:31 1966 slab precision for sale at GH auction in march. An interesting lot, number 394, with a good provenance. Cant seem to post a link. Quote
Geek99 Posted Friday at 23:35 Posted Friday at 23:35 On 27/02/2025 at 21:00, andytoad said: This is local to me, looks great, I'm not a jazzer tho! https://www.wealdofguitar.co.uk/product-page/fender-jazz-bass-with-rosewood-fretboard-1971-sunburst-used They also have this... https://www.wealdofguitar.co.uk/product-page/fender-precision-bass-with-rosewood-fretboard-1974-sunburst Now I’ve made a right mess of my phone. Will you please be more careful with the “pron” pictures ? 1 Quote
Burns-bass Posted Saturday at 00:04 Posted Saturday at 00:04 32 minutes ago, GuyR said: 1966 slab precision for sale at GH auction in march. An interesting lot, number 394, with a good provenance. Cant seem to post a link. Here we go: https://www.guitar-auctions.co.uk/sale/234/394/Ric-Grech-Blind-Faith--1966-Fender-Precision-Bass-guitar-made-in-USA Looks cool. I bought a few basses from Barry Matthews in the olden times (2003/4). Lovely fella. 1 Quote
Steve Browning Posted Saturday at 07:16 Posted Saturday at 07:16 Not my old one. I wondered if it was going to be 137800. Quote
snorkie635 Posted Saturday at 11:47 Posted Saturday at 11:47 4 hours ago, Steve Browning said: Not my old one. I wondered if it was going to be 137800. My God Steve, is that pounds or guineas? Quote
bakerster135 Posted Saturday at 11:51 Posted Saturday at 11:51 3 minutes ago, snorkie635 said: My God Steve, is that pounds or guineas? You may be joking, but I think he's talking about the serial number Quote
snorkie635 Posted Saturday at 11:53 Posted Saturday at 11:53 Just now, bakerster135 said: You may be joking, but I think he's talking about the serial number Yep - just joking.😉 2 Quote
Steve Browning Posted Saturday at 13:16 Posted Saturday at 13:16 Rather more reasonable when I bought it!! 3 1 Quote
rwillett Posted Saturday at 13:23 Posted Saturday at 13:23 13 hours ago, Burns-bass said: Here we go: https://www.guitar-auctions.co.uk/sale/234/394/Ric-Grech-Blind-Faith--1966-Fender-Precision-Bass-guitar-made-in-USA Looks cool. I bought a few basses from Barry Matthews in the olden times (2003/4). Lovely fella. What would it be worth without the finish being stripped? It's beyond my means as it is so wondering how much more I couldn't afford 😊 Quote
tauzero Posted Saturday at 14:56 Posted Saturday at 14:56 1 hour ago, rwillett said: What would it be worth without the finish being stripped? It's beyond my means as it is so wondering how much more I couldn't afford 😊 Sounds like the finish that was stripped wasn't original. Maybe it started life natural. Looks like a nice bit of wood. Quote
rwillett Posted Saturday at 15:09 Posted Saturday at 15:09 12 minutes ago, tauzero said: Sounds like the finish that was stripped wasn't original. Maybe it started life natural. Looks like a nice bit of wood. Fair point. It looks very nice. I'd love to have it but it would be wasted on me. Mind you, it's a cheap work of art Quote
Steve Browning Posted Saturday at 15:12 Posted Saturday at 15:12 16 minutes ago, tauzero said: Sounds like the finish that was stripped wasn't original. Maybe it started life natural. Looks like a nice bit of wood. They were all blonde to begin with. 2 Quote
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