Jun 28 2009
Vintage Fender Bass Please!
There’s nothing quite like an old Fender bass. They rumble, roar and shake a room like no other instrument. I’ve always been a fan of the precision bass over the jazz bass; that fat, woolly tone is what a bass should sound like, as far as I’m concerned 
I’ve played a handful of old Fenders and they really were amazing. The earliest I’ve played was a ‘62 jazz bass - it hadn’t been set up for years, the strings were old and dead, the whole instrument was filthy… Bliss! Unfortunately for me, the guy knew EXACTLY what he had, so there was no way he was going to part with it. I wanted to have my own version of the story I’ve heard so often it makes me sick: ‘Well this guy said he had an old bass under his bed that he wanted to get rid of, so I bought it for $500. He didn’t know he’d sold me a ‘65 p-bass in beautiful condition’. Or when someone tells you that their uncle gave them the bass he used to play when he was a kid, which turns out to be a ‘59 p-bass….
The absolute worst, without exception, is when someone says they or someone they know have bought an old Fender bass and are too scared to play it, and it lives up on the wall or in it’s case. What the hell’s the point of that!? These instruments are made to be played, and they get better with age. If you’re going to spend thousands of dollars on something just to hang it on a wall, get a great painting instead.
Every now and then I have a look for vintage Fender basses on Ebay. I’d love to have an early 60’s p-bass one day, but the prices just keep going up and up and up, and I doubt I’ll ever have the dough to get one. Although I have noticed a few more around for sale recently (economic crisis?), so maybe my dream will come true after all. A 1963 precision bass, sunburst with a red tortoise shell pickguard - is that too much to ask?
Having said all that, I love the bass I’ve got. It’s a Fender Squier p-bass, made in China. I got it in 1998 for $300, to learn on. It’s since paid for itself I don’t know how many times over. It’s filthy, hasn’t been set up for years, has old dead strings, records incredibly well, feels great and sounds beautiful!
Maybe I don’t need a vintage fender after all 
Nick
