Vintage Fenders

[Reggaebass]

23 minutes ago, Belka said:

Actually, the two stamps show the same distortion in the '7','5'and 'A'. (the one above is a bass sold on Talkbass, the lower picture is the one at Charlie Chandler's). Same month too. I'm pretty sure that neck is legit.

Good find there Belka 

[Beedster]

3 hours ago, Belka said:

I don't doubt that there are dodgy guitars out there but in most cases the problem is actually that they are cut and shuts, they're non original custom colours, or they're stolen (or any combination of the three). Faking an entire instrument or even neck is going to be a pretty rare occurrence.

 

The paler padauk necks really were a thing in 1965. It's a very hard wood which could account for why it looks new. There are more examples, all from 1965 in the pictures below, including one showing a prominent unfaded neck stamp. 

 

 

 

3 hours ago, Belka said:

Actually, the two stamps show the same distortion in the '7','5'and 'A'. (the one above is a bass sold on Talkbass, the lower picture is the one at Charlie Chandler's). Same month too. I'm pretty sure that neck is legit.

 

Nicely presented @Belka, every day's a school day when it comes to vintage Fenders 👍

[rwillett]

18 hours ago, Beedster said:

 

 

Nicely presented @Belka, every day's a school day when it comes to vintage Fenders 👍

 

Dunno what school you went to, my school day consisted of trying to avoid getting beaten up by 5th years, 6th formers, 4th years, actually just about everybody now I think about it, trying to be super cool and chat girls up (failing miserably), copying homework out in the line before it's due in class in around 30 secs, wearing crappy clothes, discovering deoderant, talking about TOTP the day after, blagging NME and Melody Maker from whoever could afford to buy it, failing to chat girls up, not spending your dinner money on school dinner, but heading down to the local chippy for a bag of chips and saving what was probably 8p and so on.

 

I'm struggling to remember any talk of Fender basses and identifying the particular year of manufacture to be honest. Perhaps my school was 'special'...

Edited May 14, 2024 by rwillett

[Owen]

43 minutes ago, rwillett said:

 

>discovering deoderant, 

 

That was a big day for me. I borrowed a can of spray from Bryn Terfel. He is now a major international opera star, at the time he was a bloke from a school not too far away who I was in a choir with.

 

>failing to chat girls up,

 

I feel your pain.

 

[snorkie635]

12 hours ago, rwillett said:

 

Dunno what school you went to, my school day consisted of trying to avoid getting beaten up by 5th years, sixth former,s 4th years, actually just about everybody now I think about it, trying to be super cool and chat girls up (failing miserably), copying homework out in the line before it's due in class in around 30 secs, wearing crappy clothes, discovering deoderant, talking about TOTP the day after, blagging NME and Melody Maker from whoever could afford to buy it, failing to chat girls up, not spending your dinner money on school dinner, but heading down to the local chippy for a bag of chips and saving what was probably 8p and so on.

 

I'm struggling to remember any talk of Fender basses and identifying the particular year of manufacture to be honest. Perhaps my school was 'special'...

I have to confess that most of 'maths' in my school was us lot talking about guitars, basses, drums, etc., and staring at things we could never hope to afford in the 'Bell's Catalogue', so it could be your school was 'special' after all (or wasn't full of wanabe rock stars). 🤭

[snorkie635]

My '78

 

 

[rwillett]

24 minutes ago, snorkie635 said:

I have to confess that most of 'maths' in my school was us lot talking about guitars, basses, drums, etc., and staring at things we could never hope to afford in the 'Bell's Catalogue', so it could be your school was 'special' after all (or wasn't full of wanabe rock stars). 🤭

Oddly enough the one subject I did like was maths. Did a lot of maths, a hell of a lot from memory. None of it any use whatsoever in the real world.

[Crusoe]

12 hours ago, rwillett said:

 

Dunno what school you went to, my school day consisted of trying to avoid getting beaten up by 5th years, sixth former,s 4th years, actually just about everybody now I think about it, trying to be super cool and chat girls up (failing miserably), copying homework out in the line before it's due in class in around 30 secs, wearing crappy clothes, discovering deoderant, talking about TOTP the day after, blagging NME and Melody Maker from whoever could afford to buy it, failing to chat girls up, not spending your dinner money on school dinner, but heading down to the local chippy for a bag of chips and saving what was probably 8p and so on.

 

I'm struggling to remember any talk of Fender basses and identifying the particular year of manufacture to be honest. Perhaps my school was 'special'...

What subject were you teaching? 😂

[Lozz196]

15 hours ago, rwillett said:

 

Dunno what school you went to, my school day consisted of trying to avoid getting beaten up by 5th years, sixth former,s 4th years, actually just about everybody now I think about it, trying to be super cool and chat girls up (failing miserably), copying homework out in the line before it's due in class in around 30 secs, wearing crappy clothes, discovering deoderant, talking about TOTP the day after, blagging NME and Melody Maker from whoever could afford to buy it, failing to chat girls up, not spending your dinner money on school dinner, but heading down to the local chippy for a bag of chips and saving what was probably 8p and so on.

 

I'm struggling to remember any talk of Fender basses and identifying the particular year of manufacture to be honest. Perhaps my school was 'special'...

I think we went to the same school……

[Beedster]

My three a few years back....

 

 

....an '82, '64, and '71 (albeit modified with Jazz PUP and fretless board). A great gang, but collectively worth over £10,000. I love the idea of vintage Fenders, but in terms of value it's nothing more than an antiques market, you can build instruments of equal quality for significantly less than £1000 if you're patient. The magic is in the player not the instrument, despite what the dealers tell you 👍

 

PS those two rigs were also lovely, the Ampeg way better than should have been the case at the price - and so easy to hear on stage - and the Boogie/Bag End just glorious at any price 

 

[BassAgent]

The '73 Jazz I'm restoring isn't quite finished yet. The broken bridge pickup is back, rewound and fully functioning. Both pickups measure at around 7.1KΩ so they should be fine. I am 100% sure I soldered it correctly. However, the neck pickup is significantly softer than the neck, and when both volumes are full you barely hear the neck pickup at all. It sounds a bit out of phase or something? Really strange. Any ideas?

 

Edited May 17, 2024 by BassAgent

[Reggaebass]

53 minutes ago, BassAgent said:

It sounds a bit out of phase or something? Really strange. Any ideas

Maybe ask in the Repairs and Technical section, I don’t know anything about electronics myself 

[SurroundedByManatees]

You could check if the soldering is done okay. Get a small piece of metal wire and hold it at the wire of the pickup and the other end to the lip of the pot where it is supposed to be, when plugged in. See if the signal gets better. 

[Chiliwailer]

If your soldering is fine, perhaps swap out the neck pickup pot, see how it is then. 
 

edit - or if you think it’s out of phase, I wonder if the white and black wires need swapping over, 

maybe the rewinding put them back the wrong way. Just a guess. 

Edited May 18, 2024 by Chiliwailer

[Pow_22]

https://www.bassdirect.co.uk/product/fender-jazz-bass-gloss-black-1972-pre-owned/

 

Newly advertised Jazz over a BD.  Certainly seems to have calmed down on his vintage fender pricing recently albeit still way out of my price zone

[ossyrocks]

5 minutes ago, Pow_22 said:

https://www.bassdirect.co.uk/product/fender-jazz-bass-gloss-black-1972-pre-owned/

 

Newly advertised Jazz over a BD.  Certainly seems to have calmed down on his vintage fender pricing recently albeit still way out of my price zone

It looks nice. Changed pickups, but originals supplied.

 

I'm wondering about the date of 1972, and the guard having the thumbrest in the later position? To me, it's either a changed guard, or it's not a '72. My '73 has the rest in the lower position.

 

Rob

[SurroundedByManatees]

Nah. It's a refin, replaced pickguard, no covers and thumbrest, no ohsc... 

[ossyrocks]

Just now, SurroundedByManatees said:

Nah. It's a refin, replaced pickguard, no covers and thumbrest, no ohsc... 

Ooof

[Burns-bass]

4 minutes ago, SurroundedByManatees said:

Nah. It's a refin, replaced pickguard, no covers and thumbrest, no ohsc... 

 

Agreed. The vintage gravy train continues!

[bassbiscuits]

On 14/05/2024 at 21:32, Beedster said:

I love the idea of vintage Fenders, but in terms of value it's nothing more than an antiques market, you can build instruments of equal quality for significantly less than £1000 if you're patient. The magic is in the player not the instrument, despite what the dealers tell you 👍

I agree. even as the owner of a lovely vintage P bass, I've been taking out a Yamaha costing a tenth of the price to most gigs recently, and find it plays and sounds every bit as good, and is more versatile than the old P.

 

It's cool to have, but I wouldn't splash out thousands on another (not that I have the money anyway) when I've got cheaper instruments which sound so good.

 

[Reggaebass]

Has anyone ever seen a B neck on a jazz bass, this is a new one on me for a 73 jazz 

[OliverBlackman]

40 minutes ago, Reggaebass said:

Has anyone ever seen a B neck on a jazz bass, this is a new one on me for a 73 jazz 

No, but looks legit. Not many P basses had blocks and binding. When did they transition to truss rod access at the headstock end?

[Reggaebass]

17 minutes ago, OliverBlackman said:

No, but looks legit. Not many P basses had blocks and binding. When did they transition to truss rod access at the headstock end?

The bullet truss rod was around 75 , I had a 74 and that adjusted at the heel 

[Wombat]

I have a 79p that adjusts at the heel

[ossyrocks]

5 minutes ago, Wombat said:

I have a 79p that adjusts at the heel

P's never got the bullet, my '78 doesn't have one either