When provenance is not enough (in my view)

[Clarky]

The Bass Gallery have a 1961 Jazz Bass for sale from the octogenarian (ahem) jazz bass player Jim Richardson. While I am sure he has a wonderful reputation and back catalogue, is that reason enough to pay £9k for a beat-up, over-sprayed (seemingly in bitumen), modded (non-original electronics and fretboard) bass that looks like its been in a fire? Maybe I am being unkind but the pricing seems WAY off to me.

 

https://thebassgallery.com/products/fender-jazz-bass-1961-ex-jim-richardson

 

 

 

[warwickhunt]

Yee gods, I'd not give £900 never mind £9000 even if it does play fantastic.

[Guest]

They seem to think that people will pay silly money for the most prosaic of basses, let alone anything vaguely “vintage”. Looks like firewood to me.

[Machines]

"This jazz bass was owned by Jim Richardson who played it in many of his gigs during his career as a jazz musician."

 

Who ? Sorry Jim if you're reading this.

[Clarky]

Just now, Machines said:

"This jazz bass was owned by Jim Richardson who played it in many of his gigs during his career as a jazz musician."

 

Who ? Sorry Jim if you're reading this.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Richardson

[Jean-Luc Pickguard]

[Owen]

His CV tells us that he could play.

[Clarky]

1 minute ago, Owen said:

His CV tells us that he could play.

Of that, I have no doubt. Jazz funk greats Morrisey Mullen were no slouches and he has also played with UK jazz stalwarts like Alan Barnes. But that's not my point

[Owen]

I should have actually quoted Machines in my answer. The price is optimistic!

[Beedster]

Set a price x2.0 what it’s actually worth and someone will eventually offer x1.5 🤔

[TheGreek]

Not my cup of tea.  I'll keep the money. 

[Delberthot]

Ooft that's manky. If I owned it I'd be playing it in nothing less than a hazmat suit

[40hz]

Taking the owner out of the equation entirely (I don't want to be disrespectful at all), when viewed as a standalone bass, I legitimately wouldn't pay £300 for that.

[machinehead]

What a mess.  How the hell does a bass get into that condition?  I have a guitar that was bought for me (used) in 1968. It's been well gigged and is still in good condition.  Foly huck!  I'd give £100 for it no matter who owned it.

Frank.

[miles'tone]

Maybe Mr. Richardson could do with the money right now. I hope he gets what he needs for it. 

Not my bag though. 

 

@Clarky prices aside, and as a bass to play, I'd rather have that 70s RI J that you've got up on here mate 😗👌

Edited November 6, 2022 by miles'tone

[fleabag]

Someone's having a giraffe. 9k for a poorly made bass when it was new, but has since spent it's last years at the bottom of a pond ?

Looks in worse condition than a plasterer's radio

 

Bleugh

 

[Doctor J]

That 9k allows the new owner ride a wave of kudos earned by the original owner.

 

"I bet that bass could tell a story or two."

 

Yeah, but we'll all have to guess what they are because the new owner wasn't there.

[Bolo]

Looks better than all the "roadworn" fakes I've seen on here.

If the price wasn't blown out of proportion by the provenance it'd be a cool unit.

[Barking Spiders]

Looks like it's been pulled out from the bottom of a builders skip. Never heard of Jim Richardson but then again I'm neither a jazz nor prog fan.

Edited November 7, 2022 by Barking Spiders

[odysseus]

Looks like a piece of junk. It's a no from me. 

[lemmywinks]

The provenance thing only really works (with the odd exception) for electric guitars and basses played on popular songs or that featured on prominent photographs/videos. Even then unless there's some sort of artist star factor you're not looking at much more.

 

This one would be worth more stripped and stained than in its current state.

[BassBod]

Sign of the times.  Everyone is trying to get top money for anything they can rustle up a vintage story for.  I still can't believe what people appear to pay for 70's Fenders and 80's Squires etc.  Mental, but then so is the property market, the jobs market etc etc and we all seem happy to just muddle along....

[Brucegill]

16 hours ago, Doctor J said:

"I bet that bass could tell a story or two."

it’s gonna have to be able to tell 9000 stories at that rate

Edited November 7, 2022 by Brucegill

[Grimalkin]

It's nothing you couldn't sort out with a steady hand and a touch-up pen.

[KevB]

Personally I wouldn't spend a tenth of that on any bass anymore no matter what but if someone thinks that's what they can get for it then fair enough. In the current economic climate i think it might hang about for a bit. Anyway, here's Jim playing with the band If from 1971