Why do people do this to basses?

[donhills]

[url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1972-Fender-Precision-p-bass-Hotrod-special-Vintage_W0QQitemZ220391190221QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV?hash=item220391190221&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=66%3A2%7C65%3A10%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1972-Fender-Precisio...A1%7C240%3A1318[/url]

Edited April 6, 2009 by donhills

[MB1]

MB1.
Bastardised!....
Definately not great if your looking for an original 72!

[Ou7shined]

I like it . (I'm gassing JPs at the mo) But isn't he asking too much for what it is?

[donhills]

[quote name='Ou7shined' post='455623' date='Apr 6 2009, 04:16 PM']I like it . (I'm gassing JPs at the mo) But isn't he asking too much for what it is?[/quote]

yes its too much

the guard is'nt original to the bass and whats that blo.dy great hole to fit the jazz pup - maybe there was a big ebo type humbucker is there - who knows?

[lemmywinks]

[quote name='Ou7shined' post='455623' date='Apr 6 2009, 04:16 PM']I like it . (I'm gassing JPs at the mo) But isn't he asking too much for what it is?[/quote]


Way too much IMO!

If the body didn't have the extra pickup (and hideous surround) then it wouldn't seem too bad.

Wonder what the odds are on there being a massive, sloppily routed hole under that surround?

[99ster]

[quote name='lemmywinks' post='455650' date='Apr 6 2009, 04:32 PM']Way too much IMO!

If the body didn't have the extra pickup (and hideous surround) then it wouldn't seem too bad.

Wonder what the odds are on there being a massive, sloppily routed hole under that surround?[/quote]

Very good chance of a huge messy load of routed holes!
"As far as i am aware everything electrical and bodywise is original apart from..." ...all the stuff that isn't.
What a mess.

[BigRedX]

The glib answer would be "because they could".

The seller doesn't say when the extra pickup was added, but what you have to remember is that back in the 70s this was not a particularly special bass. The desirable Fenders were all pre-CBS so this was just another instrument with the same perceived value that mid-range modern Ibanez or Yamaha has now. There wasn't the same massive range of basses in every conceivable configuration that are available nowadays, so if you wanted something even slightly different from the norm you had to do it yourself. Also decent power tools were strictly for professionals only so I wouldn't be at all surprised to find a fairly crude hole for the pickup made with a hammer and chisel.

It's a product of it's age. Get over it.

[budget bassist]

[quote name='BigRedX' post='455664' date='Apr 6 2009, 04:49 PM']The glib answer would be "because they could".

The seller doesn't say when the extra pickup was added, but what you have to remember is that back in the 70s this was not a particularly special bass. The desirable Fenders were all pre-CBS so this was just another instrument with the same perceived value that mid-range modern Ibanez or Yamaha has now. There wasn't the same massive range of basses in every conceivable configuration that are available nowadays, so if you wanted something even slightly different from the norm you had to do it yourself. Also decent power tools were strictly for professionals only so I wouldn't be at all surprised to find a fairly crude hole for the pickup made with a hammer and chisel.

It's a product of it's age. Get over it.[/quote]
+1, a lot of you guys don't think twice about modding your mid range basses, but in 30 years time, someone will be saying "Why would they do that to such a bass? It's old, it's rare etc etc", but you have to remember, when it was probably done, it was "just a p-bass"

[Paul Cooke]

back in '78, I took the clunker '69 P-Bass my cousin had given me and hand painted it with gloss white paint to look like Sid's bass... couldn't afford a brand new white bass.

[MB1]

[quote name='budget bassist' post='455735' date='Apr 6 2009, 06:48 PM']+1, a lot of you guys don't think twice about modding your mid range basses, but in 30 years time, someone will be saying "Why would they do that to such a bass? It's old, it's rare etc etc", but you have to remember, when it was probably done, it was "just a p-bass"[/quote]

MB1.
Those" Just P basses" do tend to go for a lot more money,when theyre not "Products of theyre Age"... modified with a hammer and chisel. Most people upgrade things they can put back to original,when they wish to sell....always a safer idea!....Each To There Own Though!

[bassaussie]

[quote name='BigRedX' post='455664' date='Apr 6 2009, 04:49 PM']The glib answer would be "because they could".

The seller doesn't say when the extra pickup was added, but what you have to remember is that back in the 70s this was not a particularly special bass. The desirable Fenders were all pre-CBS so this was just another instrument with the same perceived value that mid-range modern Ibanez or Yamaha has now. There wasn't the same massive range of basses in every conceivable configuration that are available nowadays, so if you wanted something even slightly different from the norm you had to do it yourself. Also decent power tools were strictly for professionals only so I wouldn't be at all surprised to find a fairly crude hole for the pickup made with a hammer and chisel.

It's a product of it's age. Get over it.[/quote]


Took the words right out of my mouth. Back when this was probably modified, the guy who did it wasn't thinking "gee, in 2009, dumbass people will be paying a lot for 70s Fenders because they can't afford 60s Fenders". He was more likely thinking "gee, I really like the feel of a P bass, but the Jazz has more tonal options - what can I do?".

[donhills]

[quote name='bassaussie' post='455880' date='Apr 6 2009, 09:25 PM']Took the words right out of my mouth. Back when this was probably modified, the guy who did it wasn't thinking "gee, in 2009, dumbass people will be paying a lot for 70s Fenders because they can't afford 60s Fenders". He was more likely thinking "gee, I really like the feel of a P bass, but the Jazz has more tonal options - what can I do?".[/quote]

Well he could have just added a jazz pup with a normal size hole to accomodate it without that awful hole he made that he then needed a black platsic surround to fill.

[OldGit]

My 62 pick guard is in my avatar ..
See, even wise old gits do dumb things now and then, oh and well before I was old and wise

[bassaussie]

[quote name='donhills' post='455886' date='Apr 6 2009, 09:33 PM']Well he could have just added a jazz pup with a normal size hole to accomodate it without that awful hole he made that he then needed a black platsic surround to fill.[/quote]

Why? It was his bass, he could do what he wanted with it. Have you ever heard of Billy Sheehan, or Marcus Miller, or Berry Oakley, or Steve Morse, or Eddie van Halen? These guys did whatever they wanted to their instruments to achieve the desired result. They weren't worried about collector values, or, God forbid, how someone would view their work on an internet forum in the year 2009. They were musicians working with their tools to achieve certain results. Sure, the bass has lost a lot of it's desirability as a collectable instrument, but lets assume that the guy who did this turned his good bass into a great bass, and went on to make a lot of great music with it. Isn't that the purpose of a bass, to make music, rather than to sit around looking good, waiting for the right collector to come along?

[ahpook]

[quote name='bassaussie' post='455880' date='Apr 6 2009, 09:25 PM']He was more likely thinking "gee, I really like the feel of a P bass, but the Jazz has more tonal options - what can I do?".[/quote]

exactly what i thought...prolly loved the feel of it, but wanted a jazz pickup...so out came the tools.

[Ou7shined]

Tell you what though, if he'd actually sat down and thought for a minute that maybe one day there would be this revolutionary technology and ultimately life altering new virtual medium called The Internet and there'd be all these guys getting all shirty about whether or not it was a good idea he'd certainly think twice about it.
Shame really coz I still like it - [b]especially the J surround plate[/b]. But 500+ clams is like ughhh!

[skankdelvar]

I've seen worse and the guy's being honest about the shortcomings.

And, remember, folks, from e-bayer's like the infamous 'tune-o-matic' or 'music outlet shop, you'd be looking at $5000+.

[BigRedX]

You've also got to remember that back in the 70s there simply wasn't easy access to the kinds of power tools that we take for granted now. Doing that kind of job yourself meant using hand tools and that also meant the skill and know-how to use them properly. Unless you were a professional woodworker you simply wouldn't have that.

[Paul_C]

[lemmywinks]

If i want to mod something and don't have the tools/skill to do it right then i'd take it to someone who could. For one less night on the pop i'd have a bass i'd be far happier with which would have a higher resale value

I agree that it's his bass and he has every right to do what he wants, unfortunately that includes slapping a silly price tag on it

Until we see a shot of the bass with the offending pickup surround removed we can't be too sure of his honesty RE the listing either as this could well be disguising poor work. Who knows though, it may be an accurate routing!

[Huge Hands]

Ha ha, Paul_C, I love the wide washers stopping the plate being pulled off when the jack is removed.

I might try that myself!

[Paul_C]

[quote name='Huge Hands' post='456634' date='Apr 7 2009, 05:51 PM']Ha ha, Paul_C, I love the wide washers stopping the plate being pulled off when the jack is removed.

I might try that myself![/quote]

the fact that there are two jack sockets might be a clue as to the owner .. ( you can look at the original location of the pics for confirmation)

[Macko1968]

That'll be Sir William of Sheehan's original squeeze.

[MB1]

[quote name='bassaussie' post='455933' date='Apr 6 2009, 10:41 PM']Why? It was his bass, he could do what he wanted with it. Have you ever heard of Billy Sheehan, or Marcus Miller, or Berry Oakley, or Steve Morse, or Eddie van Halen? These guys did whatever they wanted to their instruments to achieve the desired result. They weren't worried about collector values, or, God forbid, how someone would view their work on an internet forum in the year 2009. They were musicians working with their tools to achieve certain results. Sure, the bass has lost a lot of it's desirability as a collectable instrument, but lets assume that the guy who did this turned his good bass into a great bass, and went on to make a lot of great music with it. Isn't that the purpose of a bass, to make music, rather than to sit around looking good, waiting for the right collector to come along?[/quote]

MB1.
Cant be that great!....he's selling it!

[bassaussie]

[quote name='MB1' post='457331' date='Apr 8 2009, 12:04 PM']MB1.
Cant be that great!....he's selling it! [/quote]

That's a very interesting point, and I'd like to address this.

I'm not a regular contributor to this forum, however, I've noticed that you're a person who likes to contribute to a lot of the Ebay threads, as well as quite a few of the For Sale threads. With that in mind, I would assume you have a fairly wide knowledge of the basses that are available to us in the current market.

Do you think it's possible that, at some point in between the time these modifications were done and today, that various bass models have appeared in the market place that have now made this bass, with it's modifications, somewhat redundant? That maybe the seller has now found a bass that does a better job than this bass, and meets his requirements more suitably? That maybe the market has actually caught up with the needs he has from a bass?

Naturally, I'll add a , so that you know I'm not trying to ridicule your post. In fact, I'll add another so that you know we're just funnin' with one another!