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Post subject: Trade Fender Jazz for 79 Precision
Posted: Fri Feb 12, 2010 10:56 am
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I own a '04 Fender American Standard Jazz bass and have recently decided to trade it for Precision. I posted it around and got a hit from a guy with a 79 MIA precision with original Badass bridge and Seymour Duncan SPB-3 pickups. Its got a maple neck with a road worn look to it. What I am needing to know is would it be an even trade from my end. Is there anything else I should keep in mind? Please help, Thanks


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Posted: Fri Feb 12, 2010 11:17 am
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You need to play the '79 first. As the 70s waned into the 80s, the American Fender product went into a well-documented decline. Some of the basses from that era are monsters, others have poorly-fitted neck joints (e.g., body rout is larger/wider than neck heel) and other inconsistencies.

Given the state of the economy, ebay sales of later 70s P-basses has reflected prices in the $1,000 range, give or take. Many listed at $1,500+ have remain unsold. Dealer prices on these remain around $1,800-$2,400 and I can't imagine many of those moving.


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Posted: Fri Feb 12, 2010 12:10 pm
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Thanks man , I have not gotten a chance to try it out yet. I have pics thought . It looks pretty mean.


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Posted: Fri Feb 12, 2010 12:33 pm
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There's also a certain collectibility factor here. A well-made and well-preserved '79 is going to have some premium associated with it relative to a newer model. However, you wrote "pickups" (plural). Has the bass been routed to add a second pickup? This would effectively remove any collectibility premium.

It may sound great, so, at the end of the day, a '79 is not especially rare, so the value isn't decreased by much. But, any value in the instrument is primarily from a playability perspective as opposed to a vintage/collectibility perspective.

Also, you may want to ask about the weight of the axe. 70s P-basses ranged from about 8-12 lbs. I have a '76 fretless that weighs in at 11 lbs and it feels like about 50 lbs after a gig.


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Posted: Fri Feb 12, 2010 12:39 pm
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Sorry man I mean pickup.


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Posted: Fri Feb 12, 2010 12:41 pm
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Would it help to post pics of it?


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Posted: Fri Feb 12, 2010 12:57 pm
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Image

Image

Image


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Posted: Fri Feb 12, 2010 2:07 pm
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BR5000 wrote:
Would it help to post pics of it?


Always does. They're worth a thousand words if not a thousand dollars.


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Posted: Fri Feb 12, 2010 11:03 pm
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FretlessOnly wrote:
You need to play the '79 first. As the 70s waned into the 80s, the American Fender product went into a well-documented decline. Some of the basses from that era are monsters, others have poorly-fitted neck joints (e.g., body rout is larger/wider than neck heel) and other inconsistencies.

Given the state of the economy, ebay sales of later 70s P-basses has reflected prices in the $1,000 range, give or take. Many listed at $1,500+ have remain unsold. Dealer prices on these remain around $1,800-$2,400 and I can't imagine many of those moving.


'Word.' :wink:

Check out the '79'...hear it & see how it performs. Refer to "FretlessOnly."


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Posted: Fri Feb 12, 2010 11:51 pm
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Damn, that '79 looks like a '60 in terms of fingerboard and overall wear. What that tells me is that either:

1. That bass was well-loved for it's performance for the last 30 years; or
2. Someone had no idea how "poor 70s" that bass was/is.

I'd be 99% inclined to go with #1. Noone would give that much love to a bad bass. Forget the wear; that only takes a small amount of value away. Again, play it first. But just seeing those pictures tells me that some one really dug this. Major wear but love makes it cool in my book. It may well need a fret-job though, considering the fingerboard wear.

Still, play it first to be sure. If you don't want it, send me the details.

And Contrabass - thanks, I've played upright since '92. Bass since '80. Fretless electric since '97.


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