Re: Original Jazz Bass Control Plate


<dustoyevsky@xxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:a4ad4403-9665-4d70-a125-167720b3597b@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
On Nov 26, 2:48 pm, "Gary Rosen" <garymro...@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

One theory I have is that Fender has always had inconsistent quality,
but that over the years the bad ones get "culled" from the herd (tossed,
reworked, cannibalized for parts etc.) so the older survivors have better
average quality.

Not saying that doesn't happen. For instance, with the bum pups my '62
had in it. The neck was twisted, ski sloped, and yeah, back when that
bass was still "worth" maybe $250, it got cannibalized once I "traded
it in" (sold to buy something that worked). But rather than "blame"
Fender for some basses being much better players than others, I think
it's the wood. Some neck wood is more stable than other neck wood, and
some body wood has better tone. I've seen a couple of examples of that
over the years, where you knew a Fender bass was going to sound and
play "special" before you plugged it in--one those, FWIW, a 70's Pbass
and another a Custom Shop 57 Pbass that was made year or maybe two
ago.

Still does not explain the value gap which of course
is collector's value. I was lucky to get my '63 a few years back for
a reasonable price, not much above a new one at the time.

Collector value, sure. But don't you think you enjoy the "vintage"
aspect while you're using it, too?
I've owned or used a few vintage Fender basses and there is a "cool"
there (I know, not for everyone) that IMHO is a cornerstone of the
value those old Fenders have in the market.
I mean, if not for those good-sounding vintage Fenders, and the
"special" ones, even more so, who would care about an old wreck of a
solidbody guitar? --D-y
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Sure there is a certain mystique about having a "pre-CBS" Fender.
But honestly when I bought it I wasn't expecting much. I had the
same skepicism about vintage basses and happened to stumble
on a good deal; I figured if it was nothing special I could at least
sell it for no loss. I took it to a gig and after playing about
half the first song I said to myself "this is the sound I've been
trying to get ever since I started playing bass". I haven't played
enough other "vintage" basses to know if it's because it's vintage
or because it just happens to be a great sounding bass.

I did a gig once with a local drummer, a really good player with
significant touring credentials, and he commented on how good
my bass sounded. I said, "well you know it's a '63" and he said
no, he heard other old Fenders that didn't sound that good.
Maybe it *is* all in the fingers :^) :^) :^).

- Gary Rosen


.

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