Vintage Fenders

[nilorius]

3 minutes ago, Waddo Soqable said:

Interesting, Presumably your ancestors made pots at some point. Didn't think people played board games much these days, drones however are a good seller I'd think.. 

Actually i don't care about pots and board games, not going to stay in it too long. Interesting - do You have a job....what do You do ?

Edited July 8, 2023 by nilorius

[ped]

Can we have one thread stay on topic please?

[nilorius]

2 minutes ago, ped said:

Can we have one thread stay on topic please?

Yes, absolutely!

[Waddo Soqable]

2 minutes ago, nilorius said:

Actually i don't care about pots and board games, not going to stay in it too long. Interesting - do You have a job....what do You do ?

Me, what they'd call "Jack of all trades" the thing I'm technically most "qualified" for is welding, but I've done so much stuff it'd be a long list, all generally  "on the tools" type things.. 

[Waddo Soqable]

4 minutes ago, ped said:

Can we have one thread stay on topic please?

Ditto, just answered Nilo out of courtesy 😁

[Waddo Soqable]

To return to vintage fenders again, I do have a question, back in the 80s I owned, briefly, a 60s P bass that looked to be all original, it was in a reddish salmon pink, though very faded, the paint was very cracked, brittle and flaking off, you could pick bits off if you wanted to.

What kind of paint would they be using say mid 60s? 

[ezbass]

I think I’m right in saying that it was nitrocellulose and, dependent on colour, by DuPont. Happy to be corrected by those with far more knowledge on this subject.

[Waddo Soqable]

I wondered as it was so brittle and didn't think nitro would go like that, seemed quite a thick layer too. 

There wasn't another colour underneath, ie it wasn't one of the custom colour blown over sunburst type jobs.

Not sure the actual year of the bass but it had one of the skinny logo decals that was just applied over the headstock finish, and consequently was fairly scratched up. 

[Owen]

29 minutes ago, Waddo Soqable said:

To return to vintage fenders again, I do have a question, back in the 80s I owned, briefly, a 60s P bass that looked to be all original, it was in a reddish salmon pink, though very faded, the paint was very cracked, brittle and flaking off, you could pick bits off if you wanted to.

What kind of paint would they be using say mid 60s? 

I pick paint off my 66J when I am bored. 

[nilorius]

Interesting, starting from which year can someone call his Fender - vintage ?

[Waddo Soqable]

1 minute ago, nilorius said:

Interesting, starting from which year can someone call his Fender - vintage ?

Arguable, I'd think anything 80s or earlier, but?? 

[Waddo Soqable]

3 minutes ago, Owen said:

I pick paint off my 66J when I am bored. 

It's very tempting that kind of thing, like picking a scab 😁

[Owen]

16 minutes ago, nilorius said:

Interesting, starting from which year can someone call his Fender - vintage ?

The rules used to be pre 1965. But the rules also used to be that you resigned if you were in government and breached the ministerial code. So everything has changed. Things are not like they used to be.

[Owen]

14 minutes ago, Waddo Soqable said:

It's very tempting that kind of thing, like picking a scab 😁

RIGHT there!!!!

[BassAgent]

44 minutes ago, nilorius said:

Interesting, starting from which year can someone call his Fender - vintage ?

I call any pre-1982 Fender vintage, but I have done so for the last 20 years so it might be time to rethink that rule. Ont he other hand, if I play a 1998 Fender (which would be "vintage" according to myself 20 years ago, if I keep the same timeframe) it doesn't feel vintage at all.

[nilorius]

I know that this is out of the theme, but just asking for few answers - how much Fender artist series differs from other Fenders? I mean - there are such models match at wood materials, but differs in price a lot. 

[BassAgent]

Not really, in that they're made in the same factories by the same people with roughly the same materials. They only differ in specs here and there: different colours, electronics, and so forth. IIRC my JMJ Mustang for example has a thicker fretboard than a Vintera, a different pickup, a relic blue finish and Hipshot lollipop tuners, but other than that is pretty standard.

[ezbass]

1 hour ago, nilorius said:

Interesting, starting from which year can someone call his Fender - vintage ?

[cynical mode - on]Probably depends on if your selling it and how much you want for it. [cynical mode - off]
 

I’d normally say 50 years+, but it seems ‘80s basses are regularly referred to as vintage, so perhaps 40 years+, which, according to the internet, is what antique dealers refer to as vintage too. However, they have an agenda (see cynical mode).

[Woodinblack]

7 hours ago, BassAgent said:

I call any pre-1982 Fender vintage, but I have done so for the last 20 years 

 

I couldn't call anything in the 80s vintage, that was only a few weeks back.

Maybe the beginning of the 70s. I guess 50 years makes sense.

[Burns-bass]

17 hours ago, Woodinblack said:

 

I couldn't call anything in the 80s vintage, that was only a few weeks back.

Maybe the beginning of the 70s. I guess 50 years makes sense.

People are talking up the “Dan Smith era” Fenders, and some of the early 80s stuff is appearing in some vintage shops. Objectively speaking, the stuff from about 1975 onwards is pretty appalling. 
 

Tried a 1975 jazz that weighed 5.2kg. Insane. 

[BassAgent]

Well, speaking from experience that's really not true. I've never played a truly horrible post-1975 Jazz. They do have that reputation but I don't really see why. I have, however, setup a 1978 Jazz that was close to 10 kgs.

[Burns-bass]

18 minutes ago, BassAgent said:

Well, speaking from experience that's really not true. I've never played a truly horrible post-1975 Jazz. They do have that reputation but I don't really see why. I have, however, setup a 1978 Jazz that was close to 10 kgs.

Fait enough. I’ve had a fair few and in my experience they’re most poorly made, heavy, and bang average.

 

 

[SurroundedByManatees]

Build quality of the (late) 70s basses is not great imo. Large neck pockets, sloppy routing around the bridge pickup. Like you wouldn't accept from a squier affinity nowadays.

The necks seem to be consistently nice though, and they can be great playing and sounding basses like Fenders of any era.

 

If you're looking for a late '70s spec's Fender, my advice would be to watch out for one that was finished in the early '80s from the Dan Smith era.

I've owned a '81 finished Jazz that had an S9 serial number and had all the specs a late '70s would have. But with tight neck pocket, way deeper cutout and rounder curves, better routing. Similar story with a '82 finished precision.

[BassAgent]

Speaking of 70's Fenders: please wish me luck on checking out this seemingly very nice 1970 Jazz tomorrow.

[Burns-bass]

21 minutes ago, BassAgent said:

Speaking of 70's Fenders: please wish me luck on checking out this seemingly very nice 1970 Jazz tomorrow.

Good luck!