Changing some parts on a 78 Fender P bass.

[Alanko]

When I joined the internets some 20 years ago, nobody would care if you did anything to a 1978 Fender. The consensus was that pre-CBS instruments were the gems, to be preserved in as-built condition if possible. Some early CBS-era instruments were also seen as good, but you had to hunt them out. Then the Overton window shifted. Stuff from the late '60s and early '70s suddenly had the potential to be good, on occasion. You had to find the one in ten that played as nicely as a hallowed pre-CBS gear.

 

Interesting that stuff from the peak wilderness years of Fender is now considered valuable enough to cause some pause before modding. Then again, London's Calling, Rocket to Russia, No more Heroes etc is all stock '70s P Basses...

[FugaziBomb]

5 hours ago, Alanko said:

When I joined the internets some 20 years ago, nobody would care if you did anything to a 1978 Fender. The consensus was that pre-CBS instruments were the gems, to be preserved in as-built condition if possible. Some early CBS-era instruments were also seen as good, but you had to hunt them out. Then the Overton window shifted. Stuff from the late '60s and early '70s suddenly had the potential to be good, on occasion. You had to find the one in ten that played as nicely as a hallowed pre-CBS gear.

 

Interesting that stuff from the peak wilderness years of Fender is now considered valuable enough to cause some pause before modding. Then again, London's Calling, Rocket to Russia, No more Heroes etc is all stock '70s P Basses...

The older things get, the more remarkable it becomes when they've managed to stay unspoiled.  I'd agree that 20 years ago, a 78 P Bass wouldn't be held in much regard, but that was 20 years ago.  Now it's nearly 50 years old and still has all it's original parts.  Regardless of if it's a gem or not, it still seems a little sad to start pulling parts off of it now after it's stayed intact for so long.  Changing the pickguard is especially egregious to me.  There are plenty of brand new P Basses that can be done to.

 

Ultimately, it's the OP's bass and he can do whatever he wants, but it'll just be one less instrument that stayed together and that's kinda sad to me.