New or Vintage

[Fitzy73]

I  want to treat myself after saving for years . I always wanted a American  fender P bass . I am torn between a new professional ll or early 70s . I never played a 70s but I hear mixed feedback on them . Any help would be great

[Gareth Hughes]

You could go Modern Vintage 😀

Check out the reviews from Ed Friedland and Hondo Felder. Ed’s video is about a J but it’ll give you an idea of quality. 
 

I have a Modern Vintage Fretless Jazz - all good, and feels plenty old and worn in - the neck really is a beautiful thing.
 

 

 

[Rayman]

Every bass, regardless of age, origin and price is different. This sounds like a big deal to you mate so it's really a case of trying before you buy, and stay open minded about brands.

 

I've had/played some very ordinary "vintage" Fenders. I had '78 P that was nice, but not as good as Japanese Squier I picked up for £150 quid.

 

Same with new models.... they're not guaranteed to be right for you. 

 

When I turn 60 in a few years I want a vintage Fender too.... but I'll be doing a LOT of trying them out first.

Edited January 8, 2022 by Rayman

[wateroftyne]

Every bass is the result of an infinitely variable combination of wood and wire, so the fact it's expensive and / or vintage doesn't really bring any guarantees as to the suitability for you, other than look and feel.

 

What I do know is that if you buy a new one, and choose to sell it, you're going to lose a chunk of cash. If you buy an early 70s bass for a sensible price, that's less likely to be an issue.

[LukeFRC]

If it were me I wouldn't go new. Buy wisely secondhand and like WoT says you are less likely to loose money on it. 

[Jonesy]

There is something nice about having an axe from new and you causing all the dings on it throughout it's lifetime. But at the same time I appreciate the quandary you're in, I passed on a vintage fender about 20 years ago and decided to buy a new Ric instead. I don't regret the decision at all, I just wish I had both basses 😁

 

All valid points above about making sure you try loads before you buy and making money on a vintage as opposed to losing it on a new one. Depends on how  susceptible you are to GAS too, if you reckon the Pbass will be a keeper then depreciation won't be so much of a factor.

 

Just to throw a curve ball out there, you could go for a halfway house and look at a MIJ 70s reissue from the 90s. They're fantastic instruments.

 

[Lozz196]

Having had 70s Precisions and US Professional 1 basses, although both were good I’d rate the 2013-16 US Standards as better.

[Doddy]

As nice as the new US Fenders are, for their price I would probably be looking elsewhere- there are a lot of quality basses in that price range. If it has to be a Fender, definitely look at the used market. 

[Lw.]

If you've always wanted an American Fender then other options just won't scratch that itch. 

 

So long as you try before you buy you should be able to find a good one that'll really make you happy. 

 

Buying brand new does get you that feeling of it being your baby, vintage can be great but can also be an expensive dog. 

[wateroftyne]

9 minutes ago, Lw. said:

...vintage can be great but can also be an expensive dog. 

 

...as can buying brand new.

Edited January 8, 2022 by wateroftyne

[wateroftyne]

9 minutes ago, wateroftyne said:

 

...as can buying brand new.

 

My point exactly.

[vincbt]

I found myself in a very similar position last year.

 

Eventually, given my knowledge of vintage instruments is not solid enough and I was worried about consistency I decided to spend roughly the same money I would have spent on a 70s Fender on two basses.
 

I bought a used 2013 American Standard P bass that plays great and came with custom shop pickup as stock, and a Limelight ‘63 P bass that gives me the vintage feel in the exact finish and specs I wanted.

 

I still find myself looking at 70’s Fender but I think this was a good compromise for me

[LukeFRC]

1 hour ago, wateroftyne said:

 

My point exactly.

have you just agreed with yourself?

[wateroftyne]

29 minutes ago, LukeFRC said:

have you just agreed with yourself?

I like to do that every now and then. It keeps me sane.

[Dazed]

Limelight. No worries about the odd nick or scuff. Lovely and worn in. Can’t explain what it is but to me they just feel right. 

[NickA]

In the end, fenders are just planks of wood from a factory. 1970 or 2022, much the same wood, much the same production method and they don't really change with age.

 

They used to reckon that a Stradivarius violin was better than the best modern one, on the basis of 18th century slow grown wood, supposedly higher levels of craftsmanship and some aging property in which evaporation of resins and long term subjection to vibration somehow improved the wood.   But in blind tests no one can tell the difference.  None of which applies to a 70s fender anyway - just not old enough surely.

 

Buy a high end fender copy from the likes of Sadowski or Sandberg. I'd include Iimelight but their quality control seems poor; some of their brand new instruments are badly scratched and dented. 😉

     

Dons tin hat.

Edited January 8, 2022 by NickA

[3below]

Try, try and try as many basses (makes and models) as you can withstand trying .  Somewhere along the line you will hopefully find 'the one'.  It might surprise you what you end up with.  One of the best basses I have ever encountered was a bitza P bass in a school I happened to be working in.  Value about £60 according to my colleague who assembled it.

[Dazed]

1 hour ago, NickA said:

They used to reckon that a Stradivarius violin was better than the best modern one, on the basis of 18th century slow grown wood, supposedly higher levels of craftsmanship and some aging property in which evaporation of resins and long term subjection to vibration somehow improved the wood.   But in blind tests no one can tell the difference.  None of which applies to a 70s fender anyway - just not old enough surely.

 

Yahama have a vibration process for their high end stuff to reproduce the effect caused by many years of use which may or may not enhance the properties of wood tonality. Must be something to it if they are prepared to invest large sums of money. 

[jd56hawk]

16 hours ago, Fitzy73 said:

I  want to treat myself after saving for years . I always wanted a American  fender P bass . I am torn between a new professional ll or early 70s . I never played a 70s but I hear mixed feedback on them . Any help would be great

Bit of a gamble with the '70s Fenders.

Will you get one of the good ones or one of the bad ones?

Just guessing, but I'm betting there are more bad ones for sale.

I'm no fan of Fender, but if I saw this one hanging up tomorrow at Guitar Center or Sam Ash, I just might buy it.

(By the way, if you've wanted a Fender for years, I'm not going to suggest you buy a G&L, Lakland, Sadowsky, etc, etc, etc. Buy a Frnder!)

Edited January 9, 2022 by jd56hawk

[Highfox]

I had to go through the process of owning older instruments. Now gone full circle and back to mainly modern or new.

I have bought a few oldies unseen before and maybe been lucky that they were all pretty decent versions. Weight and sound varied.

 

Enjoy.

 

[Paul S]

10 hours ago, LukeFRC said:

have you just agreed with yourself?

 

10 hours ago, wateroftyne said:

I like to do that every now and then. It keeps me us sane.

 

Fixed that for you Michaels.

 

I suppose it is better than disagreeing with yourself.

 

 

[Paul S]

Just now, Paul S said:

 

I suppose it is better than disagreeing with yourself.

 

 

 

No it isn't.

[wateroftyne]

Just now, Paul S said:

 

 

Fixed that for you Michaels.

 

I suppose it is better than disagreeing with yourself.

 

 

‘Michaelses’.

[Old Horse Murphy]

Having owned a number of 70's Fenders (literally 71-78) as well as currently owning the new Pro II variant I'd definitely recommend trying examples of them all if you can. 
 

The new Pro II's are excellent instruments but for all the innovations Fender has introduced over the last 40 years, I find a P Bass is a P Bass: the lineage and genes are very strong indeed and to me they really don't feel markedly different from each other. Personally, a good one from either era would (IMHO) be as good as each other. 
 

If you buy a new Fender and move it on, you will lose money instantly. I don't think you'd lose as much for selling on a vintage Fender, but then again you'd pay more for it in the first instance. 
 

If it was a bass you wanted as an investment or for a particular sentimental reason (YOB bass for instance) I'd go with the vintage one you could get on with best, but you really do need to try them out. If it's a bass you want to grow old(er) with and gig the heck out of it and not be too worried about what it's worth at the end of the day, I really would try one of the Pro II's out or even order one under Distance Selling Regulations so you could return it if it's not for you (and can't get to any shops easily). 
 

 

Edited January 9, 2022 by Old Horse Murphy

[wateroftyne]

It can be hard trying vintage stuff out before you buy it.

 

If you don't want to limit yourself, bear in mind if you buy wisely, and you do need to move it on, you won't take as much of a hit as if you bought new (same with any used stuff).