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Post subject: Any information on my Fender Musicmaster Bass
Posted: Wed Dec 19, 2012 6:17 pm
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I have a Fender Musicmaster bass. It's red and its serial number is 641598. I believe it has a mustang body. I have idea what year it is. Can anyone give me any information on the year and value of it? I also have a fender bassman amp 410 speakers, tube type.


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Post subject: Re: Any information on my Fender Musicmaster Bass
Posted: Wed Dec 19, 2012 10:53 pm
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Joined: Thu Aug 07, 2008 3:12 pm
Posts: 6355
Location: Albemarle, NC
Guitar Dater Project output on your serial yields:

"Your guitar was made at the
Fullerton Plant (Fender - CBS Era), USA
in the Year(s): 1975"

Condition is of course critical and so is originality. I know it sounds lowball, but dealers are selling these at an asking price of $500 in good to very good condition with the original hard case. Excellent examples have been seen with a $600 to $700 asking price. Dealers frequently will negotiate to a figure about 10% to 20% from the asking price depending on how badly they'd like to sell it. If you try to sell yours to them a dealer would offer you about one-half what they plan to ask for it when they put it up for sale. So start with their offer then multiply it by 2 and that is about the retail market value. Deduct about 20% from that doubled offer and that is a ballpark estimate of what your asking price should be.

So if a vintage dealer offers you $250, that means they plan to ask $500 for it. You should deduct 20% from that to get a good private party sale asking price which is $400.

These were starter class instruments, and as such are not as in demand as a 1975 Jazz or Precision, hence the lower value.


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Post subject: Re: Any information on my Fender Musicmaster Bass
Posted: Fri Dec 21, 2012 6:34 am
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Joined: Mon Jul 30, 2007 6:07 am
Posts: 1747
Location: Central WI
Brotherdave is probably very accurate on his assessment. These basses are hard to find but yet are not valued as highly as P/Jazz basses from that era. The one short scale from that period that will fetch the most $$ is the Mustang.

And unless I'm mistaken, here's what I know about the Musicmasters. They were "economy grade" instruments to be sold for lower price. They were intended to be pretty low price to get people into the music. The pieces were left over/rejected Mustang bodies, the pickups were just Strat ones and the bridges only had two adjustment saddles.

Gotta love them for what they are though. My '78 is my favorite bass.


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Post subject: Re: Any information on my Fender Musicmaster Bass
Posted: Tue Dec 25, 2012 4:07 pm
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Joined: Thu Nov 01, 2012 1:58 pm
Posts: 1051
Location: SW Florida
I also agree with Brother Dave. While eBay has some listed in the $700 up range, asking and selling is two different things. The 2013 Vintage Guitar Price guide puts the Musicmaster - in excellent condition w/case - at $600-$725 RETAIL. The Musicmaster is kind of a cool bass because it was pieced together, even using six pole guitar pickups. I have a black on black in excellent conditiion, with the OHSC, even a couple of the original hang tags, but I would never sell it. It is just such a unique item.

Brother Dave's pricing formula is spot on.

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Collector of vintage Fender 4 string basses.


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