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Post subject: JAZ here. question about appraisal on p-bass
Posted: Tue Aug 23, 2011 12:24 pm
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Hobbyist
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Brad, I am looking to see if you or someone else on here can give me an appraisal on 1971 p-bass w/ 1961 p/u in it.
Had an offer from Tracy Byrd's bassist 2-3 years ago of $10,000.00
serial number is 314963


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Post subject: Re: JAZ here. question about appraisal on p-bass
Posted: Tue Aug 23, 2011 1:10 pm
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Rock Star
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Location: Albemarle, NC
Welcome to the forum.

If you are looking to sell, that was the offer you should have taken.

It is impossible to give an appraisal without clear close-up photos. But a ballpark figure for a private party transaction on a '71 would be $1,200 to $3,500 unless it was celebrity played and you can prove it. If not, then depending on condition your bass falls somewhere in there. Since your bass has been modified with a non-original pickup it will never be a collector class instrument. It is now player class and might be a very nice player. The '71 P-basses in player class sell routinely in the Carolinas for $1,200 to about $2,500. They will certainly bring more in major cities with an active music scene like LA, NYC, Seattle and Nashville.

For a FREE appraisal, take it to a vintage/used gear dealer. Tell them you want to sell it to them. Get their best offer and decline it and then take the bass home. Double their best offer. That doubled figure should be your STARTING asking price because that is what the vintage dealer would be asking for it.

If you are looking for a written appraisal for insurance purposes or as a tool to resell then I'd suggest George Gruhn at Gruhn Guitars in Nashville. He does online appraisals at the Gruhn Guitars website. He may offer to take your instrument on consignment. Usually an appraisal from any appraisal service will be slightly inflated over actual current market value for insurance purposes. I do not suggest consignment sales as a general rule because the commission really hurts. However if you live in a dead market like Detroit, then it makes more sense to consign to a vintage dealer in a major music center city. Instruments hardly EVER sell at the appraisal value, but usually at a percentage of the appraisal. How high of a percentage of the appraisal value you get is dependent upon current demand in the area where you sell it. Vintage instrument sale prices have been hurting over the past 2 to 3 years, but recovered somewhat recently. I'd still delay selling right now if at all possible and wait for an economic upturn. It probably will go up in value significantly over the next couple of years.


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Post subject: Re: JAZ here. question about appraisal on p-bass
Posted: Wed Aug 24, 2011 6:20 am
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Roadie
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Is it a stock sunburst other than the pickups? I have a 1972 Precision that is Custom Color Firemist Gold with special order maple "A" neck that is near mint. I was going back & forth on a trade with a dealer on it & he was hard pressed to go $6K on it. Being so clean & had tags, cloth & strap he was ready to go. I pulled it out & played it before packing it up & realized I wanted to keep it so I backed out of the deal & still have the bass. Even with the pickup change if it is stock sunburst & in near mint condition it should not be worth more than my Firemist Gold. By he way Gruhn will not give you an appriasal unless you pay him $50. It might be worth it he will mail you an official typed appriasal. Of course you should post some picks of your bass the forum shoudl be bale to help with a $$.


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Post subject: Re: JAZ here. question about appraisal on p-bass
Posted: Wed Aug 24, 2011 11:25 am
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Rock Star
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BPGoalie wrote:
Is it a stock sunburst other than the pickups? I have a 1972 Precision that is Custom Color Firemist Gold with special order maple "A" neck that is near mint. I was going back & forth on a trade with a dealer on it & he was hard pressed to go $6K on it. Being so clean & had tags, cloth & strap he was ready to go. I pulled it out & played it before packing it up & realized I wanted to keep it so I backed out of the deal & still have the bass. Even with the pickup change if it is stock sunburst & in near mint condition it should not be worth more than my Firemist Gold. By he way Gruhn will not give you an appriasal unless you pay him $50. It might be worth it he will mail you an official typed appriasal. Of course you should post some picks of your bass the forum shoudl be bale to help with a $$.


When and where was this? A player class 71 or 72 in stock color won't bring 6k. So, this dealer was going to sell a '72 custom color for 12K? And your bass is modified also?

A hacked up player class '71 just sold on ebay for under 1,200. http://www.ebay.com/itm/1971-Fender-USA-Precision-Bass-170341-/390322940854?pt=Guitar And I think that was too much.


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Post subject: Re: JAZ here. question about appraisal on p-bass
Posted: Tue Aug 30, 2011 10:18 am
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Rock Star
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Joined: Thu Aug 07, 2008 3:12 pm
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Location: Albemarle, NC
So far as George Gruhn charging to do appraisals, if you are looking to sell an instrument or get it appraised for insurance purposes, most people including both vintage instrument buyers and insurance adjusters know he is the most noted and quoted vintage guitar authority in the world. If George Gruhn says something about an instrument, it carries far more weight that a free appraisal from volunteers on an internet forum. So far as I know Visa hasn't done a commercial about me not taking American Express but they have George.

If you were getting a diamond, oil painting, real estate or other item of significant value appraised you'd naturally expect to have to pay for a respected professional appraisal. Why would vintage guitars be any different? There is no more respected authority on vintage bass values than George Gruhn. And you do get a thorough type appraisal document by mail and an emailed version. An in person appraisal will be more thorough than a photo appraisal. The more photos and clearer they are the more thorough the photo appraisal.


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