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Post subject: Vintage authentication
Posted: Mon May 07, 2012 5:20 am
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Hi everybody,
I’m new to this forum, this is my first post! I have a question regarding a Jazzbass body that I found on the bay. It is supposed to be from 65, but I have very limited experience with vintage Fender parts so I have a hard time telling whether this is legit or not. Anybody here that can help me out?
Cheers

http://www.ebay.de/itm/USA-1965-VINTAGE ... 0822847615


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Post subject: Re: Vintage authentication
Posted: Mon May 07, 2012 7:25 am
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fakejake wrote:
Hi everybody,
I’m new to this forum, this is my first post! I have a question regarding a Jazzbass body that I found on the bay. It is supposed to be from 65, but I have very limited experience with vintage Fender parts so I have a hard time telling whether this is legit or not. Anybody here that can help me out?
Cheers

http://www.ebay.de/itm/USA-1965-VINTAGE ... 0822847615


Welcome.

Due to the fact that the body has been radically modified, it will forevermore be impossible to tell. Consider too, all the 'vintage' appointments, specs, etc. could have been added to deceive. There is no collector's value to this body and clearly it is not worth the price.

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Post subject: Re: Vintage authentication
Posted: Mon May 07, 2012 7:38 am
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Hey Martian,
Thanks for the reply! The thing is, I’m looking for a body for a project that I’m doing. I recently bought a quite cheap 64’ neck in good condition, and I’d like to have a good sounding body for that project, if possible also from pre- CBS times.
The fact that it has issues doesn’t bother me at all, I’ll have it refinished anyway. I’m most of all looking for good quality wood.
Is there actually ANY way to tell if a stripped body is actually from a given claimed year? Without a serial number and with plenty of decent quality replacement bodies being offered today, is there any way to be really sure?

I’m asking because I’m quite knowledgeable in vintage Gibson guitars, and I could date vintage Les Pauls and ES models just from looking at pictures, even with all the fakes out there. There are just some certain details that give away the fakes. As I don’t have quite as much experience with Fenders, and given the ‘parts’ nature of those instruments, I wonder if a 100% authentication is really possible?


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Post subject: Re: Vintage authentication
Posted: Mon May 07, 2012 8:01 am
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fakejake wrote:
Hey Martian,
Thanks for the reply! The thing is, I’m looking for a body for a project that I’m doing. I recently bought a quite cheap 64’ neck in good condition, and I’d like to have a good sounding body for that project, if possible also from pre- CBS times.
The fact that it has issues doesn’t bother me at all, I’ll have it refinished anyway. I’m most of all looking for good quality wood.
Is there actually ANY way to tell if a stripped body is actually from a given claimed year? Without a serial number and with plenty of decent quality replacement bodies being offered today, is there any way to be really sure?

I’m asking because I’m quite knowledgeable in vintage Gibson guitars, and I could date vintage Les Pauls and ES models just from looking at pictures, even with all the fakes out there. There are just some certain details that give away the fakes. As I don’t have quite as much experience with Fenders, and given the ‘parts’ nature of those instruments, I wonder if a 100% authentication is really possible?


As I've already stated, there is too much erased from that body for any definitive authentication. Further, in the condition it is now in, there remains plenty of opportunity to make whatever it is or was into any model/year one wants or wanted. Realistically, no "expert" could be able to declare a sanded down, altered, refinished slab of wood as bona-fide authentic. This is, unless of course, said "expert" either followed the history of that body from the intact bass throughout it's ultimate plight today first hand or, had some certified documentation of same. Regardless, there would be marginal collector's value left to it in its current condition any way.

As you've stated, there are many high quality replacements being made today. Personally, I think you'd do best going that route.

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Post subject: Re: Vintage authentication
Posted: Mon May 07, 2012 8:33 am
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While I cannot determine the precise vintage of this body, I do believe it to be a true Fender Jazz Bass body manufactured sometime before 1974. I base that conclusion on the fact that there are correctly-located holes in the top which would accommodate an 11-screw pickguard, a tug bar (ie: thumb rest), and the ashtray bridge and pickup covers -- all of which were a hallmark of the mid '60s to mid '70s instruments. As well, there is an angled hole for the concealed ground wire running from the bridge plate to the bridge pickup rout. This method replaced the exposed brass strap that ran outside the body on the early Jazz Basses.

Is this body worth the outrageous asking price?

Not to me.

HTH

Arjay

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Post subject: Re: Vintage authentication
Posted: Mon May 07, 2012 10:25 am
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The previous posters here are 100% correct. RUN, do not walk away from this! This might make good kindling, but unless you are into throwing away money don't just pass on it, use it as example of what you are NOT looking for. It might be worth $100 tops to me if I wanted something like that, which I don't.


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Post subject: Re: Vintage authentication
Posted: Mon May 07, 2012 1:49 pm
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Thanks a lot guys for the replies!!!
I believe the nice neck that I got (which is 99% authentic 64') will already make a good start for a great sounding, great feeling + playing bass. I might use a high quality, nitro finished + aged replacement body and as time goes by add a vintage bridge, wiring harness + a set of pre cbs pickups to it.
Apart from the 'old wood' body, would you consider these three components (bridge, harness + pickups) essential to the sound and worth getting from the pre CBS era?
At least, this is the common ground for the 'Burst' Les Paul nerds. They buy a high quality Gibson Historic reissue Les Paul and add vintage PAF's, pots + caps and a 50ies bridge. Pricy, but apparently getting you to ~ 90% of the Burst Tone for a fraction of the money.


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Post subject: Re: Vintage authentication
Posted: Tue May 08, 2012 5:05 am
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fakejake wrote:
Thanks a lot guys for the replies!!!
I believe the nice neck that I got (which is 99% authentic 64') will already make a good start for a great sounding, great feeling + playing bass. I might use a high quality, nitro finished + aged replacement body and as time goes by add a vintage bridge, wiring harness + a set of pre cbs pickups to it.
Apart from the 'old wood' body, would you consider these three components (bridge, harness + pickups) essential to the sound and worth getting from the pre CBS era?
At least, this is the common ground for the 'Burst' Les Paul nerds. They buy a high quality Gibson Historic reissue Les Paul and add vintage PAF's, pots + caps and a 50ies bridge. Pricy, but apparently getting you to ~ 90% of the Burst Tone for a fraction of the money.


I consider each 'pedigreed' instrument an entity unto itself. Meaning, just because said instrument and/or its components are as old as me, it doesn't automatically follow that by necessity, it shall be a superior playing and sounding instrument. The only way one can really tell is once it's all put together and set up the best it can be.

As always, this is merely IMO where YMMV.

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Post subject: Re: Vintage authentication
Posted: Tue May 08, 2012 6:25 am
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Hmm yeah I guess a lot o fit boils down to the elusive MOJO. Might be that you bass people are less susceptible to that than the guitar guys (including me) ...

Any other opinions on vintage parts? Pickups, wiring + bridge?


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Post subject: Re: Vintage authentication
Posted: Tue May 08, 2012 7:28 am
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You might give Fralin's Jazz Bass pickups some consideration. I've heard them through a variety of vintage tube and solid-state amps and they sound mighty convincing to me......

http://www.fralinpickups.com/bass.asp#jazz

These weren't available when I built a pair of '66 Jazz Bass clones so I opted for Fender's CS '62 set (they sound great BTW). But if I ever build another bass, the Fralin's are the ones I'll use.

HTH

Arjay

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