SlimT Posted April 20, 2001 Share Posted April 20, 2001 I've been looking at the Fender Jazz basses on ebay lately and have been wondering what the cut-off date is for the collectible basses. Doesn't it have something to do with the CBS buyout of Fender? When did that take place? Also, where does one look to match a serial number with a date? TIA SlimT It's all about the rumble. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeremy_dup1 Posted April 20, 2001 Share Posted April 20, 2001 vintage never ends! It used to be pre-CBS which I believe was around 1964. When I bought my bass in 1971, some people said, wow a Fender, great! Then a few years later I was told that my 1971 Jazz bass was a piece of junk, too bad I didn't have a pre-CBS. Then I was recommended to change the pickups, the bridge, etc. Now my bass is considered vintage, as are any unmodified basses from the 70's. I predict that people will be looking for "vintage basses from the 90's" in a few years, and not only that but someone will be looking for a vintage reissue vintage model. ------------------ http://www.jps.net/jeremy/basspage.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dansouth Posted April 20, 2001 Share Posted April 20, 2001 CBS bought Fender in '66. Check out the Lakland Bob Glaub and Joe Osborn basses for a new instrument with a 60's Fender-style vibe - 34", alder, pick guard, passive pickups, the works! These are VERY nice basses, and they're not falling apart at the seams like many "vintage" instruments. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Bolton Posted April 20, 2001 Share Posted April 20, 2001 As far as solid body instruments go, anything older than 20 years seems to be commonly considered "vintage". In other fields of usuable items (as distinct from works of art etc), it ranges from 15 to 30 years, so its not out of line in a broader sense. > CBS bought Fender in '66 CBS bought Fender right at the start of January, 1965. Cheers, Bill This message has been edited by Bill Bolton on 04-20-2001 at 09:45 PM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brianrost Posted April 20, 2001 Share Posted April 20, 2001 Originally posted by jeremy: I predict that people will be looking for "vintage basses from the 90's" in a few years, and not only that but someone will be looking for a vintage reissue vintage model. Since the Fender vintage reissue series started in 1982, next year the earliest ones will technically be vintage if you use the 20 year cutoff rule. If you use the 15 year cutoff, there's a lot of vintage vintage reissues. Say that three times fast http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/smile.gif In another five years, we'll also be seeing "vintage" Squiers which is a pretty scary thought http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/eek.gif Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SlimT Posted April 21, 2001 Author Share Posted April 21, 2001 Thanks for all the posts! I guess I should clarify a little here, maybe. My interest is mostly for tone purposes. Not collectability. I'll state the question a little differently. First, a little background. I've been playing bass for two years. So, I've got plenty to keep me busy with learning theory and techinique before I increase my collection of basses! ;-) When I first started playing, I talked to a bass player I met at a blues fest, the Mississippi Valley Blues Fest, and he suggested that the only bass worth buying was a 1965 Jazz bass. In his inimitable words, "Everything else is S$*%!" Sure, that's the opinion of one person. However, there seems to be something to that. So, in your opinion, is it necessary to get a vintage fender to find that tone (the tone that everyone says set the standard)? Another question has to do with P basses. It seems that if one is to be gigging and recording, it is suggested that you must have a P bass. So, with that in mind, and the fact that I'm on a limited budget, what year of P basses would have a good trade off of classic P bass tone for a decent price? I guess the same goes for Jazz basses. SlimT It's all about the rumble. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Friedland Posted April 21, 2001 Share Posted April 21, 2001 Brian, Damn, you know I had one of those soon to be vintage Squier P Basses. Bought one when they first came out from Billy Murray for $175. Man, by now I could have DOUBLED my investment! http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/wink.gif (It was a great bass though) <> Well, I can appreciate the sentiment, but you obviously have to take advice like this with a pound of salt. For instance, if you were to take this guy at his word, you would thus have to surmise that a 1964 Jazz Bass is also S%@#$# Do you want to follow advice like that? Yes, the old Fenders (most of them) have a very desirable tone, partly because of the materials, partly because the wood has aged and the instrument has presumably been played for many years, and there's ALOT of voodoo. If you don't have 3-6K to drop on a 1960's Fender, then you can do well with a newer one. The 70's stuff can sound great, you have to look around, because like any production line axe, some are better than others. The 70's stuff ain't that cheap now either. My '74 Jazz is an incredble bass. Sure, I'd like a '65, but I wouldn't sell the '74 to have it, they have different characteristics. The new stuff can be quite good too. It may not sound as good as a '65, but maybe in 36 years it will! Play alot of them, they all vary from one to the next. P or J? Get both! For around $700 you can by one of each (made in Mexico). ------------------ www.edfriedland.com www.edfriedland.com The Bass Whisperer Bass Whisperer TV Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveW Posted April 22, 2001 Share Posted April 22, 2001 If you're looking for a "classic" Fender tone at a reasonable price you might check out G&L basses. Leo Fender founded the company with his old collegue George Fullerton (G&L = George & Leo). The LB-100 model is Leo's final refinement of the P-bass, and the very similar SB-1 is a slightly cheaper model. Both are no longer in production, but show up frequently on e-bay in the $400-500 range. The SB-2 has a p/j pickup arrangement, giving the best of both. I have a G&L that started life as a L-1000 (single humbucker), but a previous owner defretted it and changed the pup to an EMG p/j set. It's a joy to play and has great tone and action. For some reason, G&L's don't have very good re-sale values, which is bad for selling but great if you're buying ;-). In a few years they'll probably get expensive, but for now there are some grwat deals to be found in G&L's. Keep it Low, Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Bolton Posted April 23, 2001 Share Posted April 23, 2001 > So, in your opinion, is it necessary to get a vintage fender to find > that tone (the tone that everyone says set the standard)? Well, IMO, a lot of "tone" is in your approach to the instrument, and a good "journeyman level" bassist should be able to coax reasonable "classic" Fender sort of sound out of any Fender bass. However, it is always easier when the bass is already "in the ballpark" of what you are looking for soundwise. In a broad sense it is true that nothing sounds quite like a '60s Fender bass except a bass made in essentially the same fashion out of similar materials. The later Fender contemporary bass models all had various design changes which make it impossible for them to sound "just like" a '60s Fender bass (though that doesn't mean they don't sound good, just different). The Fender US made "Reissue" Jazz and P basses are quiet accurate reproductions of the early '60s Fender basses and capture their sound well. A brand new one has, probably, 90% of the '60s sound. When fitted with Seymour Duncan "Antiquity" pickups it has, probably, 95% of the '60s sound and you'll get another 4% from 20+ years worth of playing it! There's often Fender RI basses on eBay and you can usually pick them up for under $1000 (sometime well under). It certainly beats paying vintage prices for anything pre-1970. Cheers, Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brianrost Posted April 23, 2001 Share Posted April 23, 2001 Originally posted by Bill Bolton: The Fender US made "Reissue" Jazz and P basses are quiet accurate reproductions of the early '60s Fender basses and capture their sound well. A brand new one has, probably, 90% of the '60s sound. Two years ago I bought a used 62 Reissue Jazz from a guy who had owned it about 10 years and REALLY beat on it. Lots of finish worn off, corroded hardware, etc. If it wasn't for the V serial number most guys would think it was a real 62 and everyone I know who has played it really was taken with it. I would say that the ten years of play time have a LOT to do with the feel and tone of this bass. Anyway, I would heartily second Bill B's recommendation, used vintage reissue Fenders are great bargains. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeremy_dup1 Posted April 23, 2001 Share Posted April 23, 2001 My 1971 jazz bass sounds good, in fact it sounds better than it did when I bought it. So there is definitely something to aging the wood and aging the pickups as well. However I agree with all the people who have said that you can buy a bass today without paying vintage prices and still get an acceptable sound. I have a Fernandes P bass copy which I outfitted with a Seymour Duncan Antiquity pickup and one of my students has a 68 Precision and we really couldn't tell much difference. I prefer jazz basses for live playing but precisions seem to be the studio standard. You could buy two mexi fenders, one of each, and make up your own mind. My personal opinion is that it takes years of playing before you can appreciate the subtle differences between basses. Concentrate on playing what you have now and you will grow into knowing what you want. ------------------ http://www.jps.net/jeremy/basspage.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Friedland Posted April 25, 2001 Share Posted April 25, 2001 Lots of talk about "playing in" a bass makes me think of that process I heard about a few years back where they essentially "pre-vibrate" the wood before building an instrument. I think it was called "Timber-tech" Anyone know more about that? Anyone own a bass like that? ------------------ www.edfriedland.com www.edfriedland.com The Bass Whisperer Bass Whisperer TV Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveW Posted April 27, 2001 Share Posted April 27, 2001 To get back to an earlier thought - IT HAS HAPPENED - Today I saw a Squire P-Bass on e-bay listed as "Vintage Squire". They didn't give an actual age, just called it "vintage" and "too cool for collectors". BIN was $245 Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted April 29, 2001 Share Posted April 29, 2001 SlimT, information about dates may be found at: http://www.rexc.com/services/datingfender.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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