1961 Fender Precision Bass (Ex-Entwhistle?)

[NikNik]

Spotted this on Adverts.ie. No stamp on neck. £10K?

[Sparky Mark]

Pencil or nothing back in those days was common. I think stamps came in later.

[gjones]

You'd have to be trusting type of person to buy that for £10,000.

[Sparky Mark]

Reading all the changes that have been made it's probably worth less than half the asking price. 

[Reggaebass]

With all the changes it’s a hard one to authenticate 

[EssentialTension]

"Payment: Cash"

 

I don't think so.

[Misdee]

So the provenance is that  in 1968 someone in a shop told the current owner that John Entwistle pxd this bass. And the bass itself has been  refinished, repaired and modified, so it's compromised as a vintage instrument in its own right.

 

1968 is a long time ago and people's recollections can be unreliable, as can the information they were given at that time. I am sure that the seller is sincere in his belief that this instrument is as described, but for ten grand you need to be able to prove what you say, or else find a very trusting buyer. If I were in the market for a vintage Precision Bass I would pass on this one for all the obvious reasons, especially if I was after a celebrity-owned example.

 

I remember going to the Bass Center back in the 1980s and they had several of John Entwistle's basses for sale, complete with signed certificates of authenticity. And they were reasonably priced from what I remember. Back in those days I wanted a shiny brand new bass with active electronics, and I thought to myself that if John Entwistle didn't want these basses why would I have them palmed off on me? In retrospect, that might not have been my best ever decision.

[Guest]

The chances of a bass once owned by John Entwistle having been played in a meaningful manner by John Entwistle are generally quite low, the man had GAS.

[Misdee]

Let me put it this way. If this bass was a guest on the Jeremy Kyle Show, it would be a suitable candidate for a DNA test.

[Steve Browning]

57 minutes ago, Misdee said:

So the provenance is that  in 1968 someone in a shop told the current owner that John Entwistle pxd this bass. And the bass itself has been  refinished, repaired and modified, so it's compromised as a vintage instrument in its own right.

 

1968 is a long time ago and people's recollections can be unreliable, as can the information they were given at that time. I am sure that the seller is sincere in his belief that this instrument is as described, but for ten grand you need to be able to prove what you say, or else find a very trusting buyer. If I were in the market for a vintage Precision Bass I would pass on this one for all the obvious reasons, especially if I was after a celebrity-owned example.

 

I remember going to the Bass Center back in the 1980s and they had several of John Entwistle's basses for sale, complete with signed certificates of authenticity. And they were reasonably priced from what I remember. Back in those days I wanted a shiny brand new bass with active electronics, and I thought to myself that if John Entwistle didn't want these basses why would I have them palmed off on me? In retrospect, that might not have been my best ever decision.

 

I actually bought 3 of these basses. A sunburst '61, a white refin '62 (JE did it himself over sunburst) and a '53. The '61 was really not a good one! Still, it only cost £575.

[NikNik]

1 hour ago, Misdee said:

So the provenance is that  in 1968 someone in a shop told the current owner that John Entwistle pxd this bass. And the bass itself has been  refinished, repaired and modified, so it's compromised as a vintage instrument in its own right.

 

1968 is a long time ago and people's recollections can be unreliable, as can the information they were given at that time. I am sure that the seller is sincere in his belief that this instrument is as described, but for ten grand you need to be able to prove what you say, or else find a very trusting buyer. If I were in the market for a vintage Precision Bass I would pass on this one for all the obvious reasons, especially if I was after a celebrity-owned example.

 

I remember going to the Bass Center back in the 1980s and they had several of John Entwistle's basses for sale, complete with signed certificates of authenticity. And they were reasonably priced from what I remember. Back in those days I wanted a shiny brand new bass with active electronics, and I thought to myself that if John Entwistle didn't want these basses why would I have them palmed off on me? In retrospect, that might not have been my best ever decision.

Same here re Bass Centre. Must have been '86. They had about 7 or 8 on show. Most were Precisions.

[NikNik]

Time for a flick through this....

 

[Misdee]

16 minutes ago, Steve Browning said:

 

I actually bought 3 of these basses. A sunburst '61, a white refin '62 (JE did it himself over sunburst) and a '53. The '61 was really not a good one! Still, it only cost £575.

I remember that sunburst 61!

[Misdee]

5 minutes ago, NikNik said:

Same here re Bass Centre. Must have been '86. They had about 7 or 8 on show. Most were Precisions.

Indeed they were, along with a Gibson Thunderbird and an Alembic, from what I remember. 

[Steve Browning]

1 minute ago, Misdee said:

I remember that sunburst 61!

There was a spot where he'd dabbed on some black paint to hide a ding. The worst aspect was that the bottom E was just dead. New strings, nothing made a difference.

[Misdee]

2 hours ago, Steve Browning said:

There was a spot where he'd dabbed on some black paint to hide a ding. The worst aspect was that the bottom E was just dead. New strings, nothing made a difference.

Maybe I was wiser than I thought in my assumption that if they weren't good enough for John, they weren't good enough for me.😄

[Steve Browning]

My understanding that the reason for the sale was, shall we say, a little financial embarrassment.

[prowla]

It's for sale just up the road from the Blarney Stone!

[Guest]

Buy five vintage basses at 3k each, pick the best one, put together another nice one from the best parts, keep those two, sell the remaining three with a "owned by legendary bassist X" tag at 5k each. Two good basses for free (and perhaps one frankenlemon released into the wild)

[Johnnysonic]

I remember the 61 At Bass Centre also and the £575 price. There was a ‘63 for £550 and a ‘64 for £525. Being a bit of a cheapskate I bought the ‘64, though it’s brown case was a nice extra enducement. Only kept it a few years. Yes, it was 1986. 
 

 

[Bassfinger]

On 05/02/2022 at 23:50, gjones said:

You'd have to be trusting type of person to buy that for £10,000.

Aye, without some proof of provenance it has no provenance.

[rodney72a]

On 06/02/2022 at 11:44, Steve Browning said:

 

I actually bought 3 of these basses. A sunburst '61, a white refin '62 (JE did it himself over sunburst) and a '53. The '61 was really not a good one! Still, it only cost £575.

 

This one?

 

https://www.vintage-guitar.de/detailsvintage_4614_FENDER-Precision-Bass.html

 

 

[Kiwi]

2 hours ago, rodney72a said:

 

This one?

 

https://www.vintage-guitar.de/detailsvintage_4614_FENDER-Precision-Bass.html

 

 

It's even got the note addressed to him personally! 

[NikNik]

5 hours ago, Kiwi said:

It's even got the note addressed to him personally! 

Holy stinky poo!!😃😃

[NikNik]

€25k?

 

Really?