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Post subject: 1973 Precision Bass... real or fake?
Posted: Sat May 20, 2017 7:37 pm
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Hey, guys!

I've been trying to sell a 1967 Gibson EB-0 bass, and was approached by a guy wanting to trade his 1973 Precision. He's in his sixties and he said he's owned it since 1982. The pictures are below, but I have some concerns.

1) No date stamp on the heel of the neck or the neck pocket that he could see (he did provide the picture of the neck off at my request).
2) The thumb rest appears to be in the wrong location (after posting this, I discovered that the Reverb picture for a candy apple red '73 Precision has the thumb rest in the same place).
3) All in all, the bass appears to be too clean for a 45 year old instrument... but I don't have a lot of experience with vintage gear to back that assertion up.
4) A 1973 Precision is worth several times what a 1967 EB-0 is. If the deal seems too good to be true... (That said, I traded an Allparts-built Precision style bass with Fender USA electronics and hardware for the EB-0 in the first place)

So what do you think? I was planning to go make the deal next week. He's about three hours away (my parents live down there, so I'd use it as an excuse to visit). I just want to make sure that I come out on the good end of this deal and can sell it should I decide to do so. Thanks in advance!

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Last edited by musicmand on Mon May 22, 2017 7:42 am, edited 2 times in total.

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Post subject: Re: 1973 Precision Bass... real or fake?
Posted: Mon May 22, 2017 12:30 am
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None of your photos are showing up.

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Post subject: Re: 1973 Precision Bass... real or fake?
Posted: Mon May 22, 2017 6:57 am
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LeeJKirkham wrote:
None of your photos are showing up.


Did that fix it?


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Post subject: Re: 1973 Precision Bass... real or fake?
Posted: Mon May 22, 2017 7:03 am
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Negative. Still showing boxed X's.

Arjay

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Post subject: Re: 1973 Precision Bass... real or fake?
Posted: Mon May 22, 2017 7:43 am
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Retroverbial wrote:
Negative. Still showing boxed X's.

Arjay


Switched the photos from Google to Photobucket. Can you see them now?


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Post subject: Re: 1973 Precision Bass... real or fake?
Posted: Mon May 22, 2017 8:03 am
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Yes.

I see nothing amiss with this instrument -- it appears to be bonafide (the pickguard does appear to be relatively new though).

Arjay

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Post subject: Re: 1973 Precision Bass... real or fake?
Posted: Mon May 22, 2017 9:47 am
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We have photos! Thanks.

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Post subject: Re: 1973 Precision Bass... real or fake?
Posted: Mon May 22, 2017 10:05 am
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OK, so now that we have some photos to inspect, I have some questions/comments.

1. What designates that this is a "too clean" 45 year old instrument? To me, this looks like it's been a player that the owner(s) have, at best, casually cared for. It looks like it's had the crap kicked out of it. "Too clean" wouldn't have enter my mind.

2. Your comment about the thumb rest is probably accurate. For most P-Basses, the thumb rest didn't "head north" until the next year, 1974. This doesn't mean that yours CAN'T be a 1973, there are always exceptions to the rule, but the overwhelming evidence would bump it forward a year or two, if this is, in fact, an authentic bass.

3. The lack of date stamp is certainly a little suspect. Did you check the serial number on the neck plate? Yes, this sort of item can be easily substituted but its always worth a check.

All in all, this bass gives the appearance that it could be what is advertised, but there is certainly enough lack of proof to sway opinions the other way as well.

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Post subject: Re: 1973 Precision Bass... real or fake?
Posted: Mon May 22, 2017 12:42 pm
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LeeJKirkham wrote:
1. What designates that this is a "too clean" 45 year old instrument? To me, this looks like it's been a player that the owner(s) have, at best, casually cared for. It looks like it's had the crap kicked out of it. "Too clean" wouldn't have enter my mind.

I don't have a lot of experience with vintage instruments. The only instrument I've owned recently from this general era is my '67 Gibson EB-0. The finish on the EB-0 has definitely faded and cracked. The hardware has a patina that indicates age. The finish is even pulling away from the logo.

I know that poly and nitro are different animals, and since I posted my first post, I've looked up several more basses of this time period to try to gain a reference on how they look when they age. It just looked more like a new instrument that had been reliced at first. Now I realize it's probably just as old as claimed.

LeeJKirkham wrote:
2. Your comment about the thumb rest is probably accurate. For most P-Basses, the thumb rest didn't "head north" until the next year, 1974. This doesn't mean that yours CAN'T be a 1973, there are always exceptions to the rule, but the overwhelming evidence would bump it forward a year or two, if this is, in fact, an authentic bass.


My concern wasn't the thumb rest vs finger pull, as a lot of evidence shows that Fender installed the thumb rest on many 73 basses. My concern was the fact that it was installed on the pickguard instead of above. That said, the reference picture Reverb posts for a 1973 Candy Apple Red Precision has the thumb rest in the same exact place, so maybe it's just a normal variant.

LeeJKirkham wrote:
3. The lack of date stamp is certainly a little suspect. Did you check the serial number on the neck plate? Yes, this sort of item can be easily substituted but its always worth a check.


Serial number points to a 73 (although it also points to other years, as is the case with most six digit 70's serial numbers). All of the details are right.

LeeJKirkham wrote:
All in all, this bass gives the appearance that it could be what is advertised, but there is certainly enough lack of proof to sway opinions the other way as well.


My plan is to check it out and see if it looks like a 45 year old bass in hand. Nothing else is shady about this guy - he gave me his cell number and we talked on the phone for a while. He also offered a Gibson Ripper bass, so I doubt he has TWO fake basses and would also open himself up with a cell number. Everything looks legit (or legit enough)... it's just getting up into instrument values that make me more uncomfortable...


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Post subject: Re: 1973 Precision Bass... real or fake?
Posted: Mon May 22, 2017 2:34 pm
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musicmand wrote:
The hardware has a patina that indicates age.


Your EB-0's hardware is nickel-plated while Fenders from this era featured (for the most part) chrome-plated parts. Thus, the comparison between the two is not really equitable. Nickel tarnishes very quickly while chrome usually retains its luster for decades. Fender did use nickel for some specific applications, namely the string tree, strap buttons, output jack, string ferrules (on instruments so equipped), all screws, tuner bushings, and (often) the tuners themselves.

Arjay

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