Howdy!

I need help! My hubby turns 40 in a few months. I want to win the "Best Wife Ever" Award in 2012! He currently plays a 6 string, P bass (Ibanez maybe) - not even sure what any of that means... it's all Greek to me! Anyway, I was thinking of buying him a Fender Jazz Bass.

I had an epiphany... what if I got a vintage one (1972 - same year he was born)! I have no idea where to begin looking, or an expected price range, or what I should be looking for as far as quality/signs of aging. Am I being too sentimental with the year? Does the year really matter? Maybe I would just be limiting myself?

Any helpful hints would be GREATLY appreciated!

Cheers!

A '72 Jazz Bass in reasonably decent shape with its original hard-shell case will command $5000 or more, dependent upon the condition of the finish and the color.

A current-production made-in-Mexico '70s re-issue Jazz Bass runs about a grand "on the street". Likewise with the Geddy Lee artist signature model Jazz Bass -- both of these 4-strings are very fine instruments.

HTH

(and for the record, forget about that "best wife ever" title -- my wife has owned the award for decades)



Best of luck, HTH

Arjay

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"Here's why reliability is job one: A great sounding amp that breaks down goes from being a favorite piece of gear to a useless piece of crap in less time than it takes to read this sentence." -- BRUCE ZINKY

I'm not a Bass Player, and don't have any words of wisdom or good advice for you. All I have is a compliment. Just by your thinking, you have won the wonderful wife contest. Your hubby is a fortunate fellow in dead. Mary Christmas
----Danny,

For a real 1972 you'd be looking at some major coinage, missus.

Try eBay I guess or just google vintage jazz bass for sale
Be prepare for an outlay of $6,000 to $7,000 or maybe more for a good one.
(if you can find one)

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Just think of how awesome a guitar player you could have been by now if you had only spent the last 10 years practicing instead of obsessing over pickups and roasted maple necks.

Oops, guess I'm late.

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Just think of how awesome a guitar player you could have been by now if you had only spent the last 10 years practicing instead of obsessing over pickups and roasted maple necks.

I laughed at SK and immediately thought of a meme. Good line right there.

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1984 Squier Contemporary Stratocaster
1986 Peavey Envoy 110
1967 Kingston Acoustic

"does he play bass or "regular"?"

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1984 Squier Contemporary Stratocaster
1986 Peavey Envoy 110
1967 Kingston Acoustic

Welcome to the Forum bestwifeever! You know now that to us you are the award winner. The Fender Jazz bass guitar is the finest bass guitar made IMHO. I do not own one, yet, but I do have 3 Fender Precision basses. Here is a pic of the new Modern Player Jazz bass;


at 699.00 it is not the most expensive but a gig worthy instrument for sure. Please have a look on this site there are many variations of this bass. I chose to show you this one because it has 2 humbucking pickups a rare feature on these bass guitars unless you have them custom made. Please let us know how your shopping is going and ask a lot of questions, we love questions

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you can save the world with your guitar one love song at a time it's just better, more fun, easier with a fender solid body electric guitar or electric bass guitar.

Not sure what you mean by "regular"?

He has an acoustic 4 string (not sure the brand) and a 6-string electric. I thought it was Ibanez, but one of the other posts thought they didn't make one? So not I'm not sure.

He plays in a Pink Floyd tribute band. They've played at a few gigs (music festivals, burrito shops, etc.), but nothing major. It's not his main source of income.

The question was based on your original post. You may have confused the board here by the way you asked the question. By regular we're assuming you mean his 6 string electric, bass is typically four stings, to put it simply.

Jazz basses are great, but to find a vintage one, made in '72 that is, you'll be paying based on a credit score and loan application. If that's really your intent the search will be exhaustive and expensive. If you want to get him a new bass, or even a newer used one there will be lots more to choose from, everywhere from Craigslist to music stores.

Let me ask you this, is there a reliable store in your area where your husband shops, a place that carries guitars and such? That would be a great resource for you. We can offer some assistance here but a personal relationship like that would be very valuable. If you don't know the store or the owner how about some musician friends of your hubby's? I know that my wife doesn't know necessarily where I shop but she is friends enough with my band mates that they could assist her. A personal relationship like that will be great because you can address questions quickly etc. Where on here you might need to send photos to clarify what you're talking about etc.

Hey, can you call my wife and give her some hints? Good luck, hope this advice helps.

That definitely helps! Thanks!

I'll try one of his buddies... hopefully guys can keep secrets (unlike most women)! I'd hate for him to find out. I really want to surprise him!

Have a great weekend!

Wow! This is a beautiful guitar. I realize that I might be in too deep looking for vintage. If I can't afford the '72 then I'll look at this. Thanks!

Thanks for all the feedback guys! It's been very helpful.

If I decide to go Vintage I know I need to look at things like finish, color, hardware, original case, etc. And wow... $5-7K!!! I may be looking to purchase something newer OR teach summer school - yuck!

Thanks again for all the advice! I'll let you know what I find! Wish me luck!

Good luck bestwifeever!!

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you can save the world with your guitar one love song at a time it's just better, more fun, easier with a fender solid body electric guitar or electric bass guitar.

What Bass player wouldn't love a brand new Bass like this?
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/bass/fen ... ctric-bass

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08 Fender Highway One Tele-Sunburst
09 Squier Custom Tele II-Blonde
04 Squier Standard Strat Antiqueburst
07 Washburn D10SCE natural with Rosewood backing
Fender Mustang II amp


Experience is the best teacher