1973 Fender P-Bass
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PunkRockBassist
- Posts: 682
- Joined: July 1st, 2010, 1:32 pm
- Location: Ewing , New Jersey
Re: 1973 Fender P-Bass
I bought this bass from eBay about two months ago and had to file a complaint and go through the whole Seller's Protection process to get my money back. Most of what they are saying now in the listing is true, and to the first seller's credit (a family member), she just didn't know what she was selling and got some inaccurate evaluation from a "vintage" store.
What they are not mentioning here is that the neck pocket would need to get shimmed and the bass would need a full setup to make it playable. And also they are not mentioning that the board had a fret job, taking away a good chunky of metal in the process (maybe still have 60% - the frets are even, but the are very low) and taking off the paint on the neck. A shame, indeed. I also have a '73 P with original frets and board, and it makes a great difference. The neck is an "A" neck, so that does make it desirable.
The finish looks a lot worse in person, very homemade job. The keys are very hard to turn. The electronics, as described, are from the '80s.
I'd say if it goes for under $1200 and you want to spend some money on a good setup, maybe new frets and a refinish, you are would have a nice bass. It's a light early '70s P bass with an A neck, so there is some value in it. The case is in really good condition.
What they are not mentioning here is that the neck pocket would need to get shimmed and the bass would need a full setup to make it playable. And also they are not mentioning that the board had a fret job, taking away a good chunky of metal in the process (maybe still have 60% - the frets are even, but the are very low) and taking off the paint on the neck. A shame, indeed. I also have a '73 P with original frets and board, and it makes a great difference. The neck is an "A" neck, so that does make it desirable.
The finish looks a lot worse in person, very homemade job. The keys are very hard to turn. The electronics, as described, are from the '80s.
I'd say if it goes for under $1200 and you want to spend some money on a good setup, maybe new frets and a refinish, you are would have a nice bass. It's a light early '70s P bass with an A neck, so there is some value in it. The case is in really good condition.
Re: 1973 Fender P-Bass
Sorry that you had a such a negative experience with the original seller.
Would it survive a stripping of the finish so that you could get a 3TS or natural finish? Is there any turn-ability of the truss rod?
Would it survive a stripping of the finish so that you could get a 3TS or natural finish? Is there any turn-ability of the truss rod?
Lefty007 wrote:I bought this bass from eBay about two months ago and had to file a complaint and go through the whole Seller's Protection process to get my money back. Most of what they are saying now in the listing is true, and to the first seller's credit (a family member), she just didn't know what she was selling and got some inaccurate evaluation from a "vintage" store.
What they are not mentioning here is that the neck pocket would need to get shimmed and the bass would need a full setup to make it playable. And also they are not mentioning that the board had a fret job, taking away a good chunky of metal in the process (maybe still have 60% - the frets are even, but the are very low) and taking off the paint on the neck. A shame, indeed. I also have a '73 P with original frets and board, and it makes a great difference. The neck is an "A" neck, so that does make it desirable.
The finish looks a lot worse in person, very homemade job. The keys are very hard to turn. The electronics, as described, are from the '80s.
I'd say if it goes for under $1200 and you want to spend some money on a good setup, maybe new frets and a refinish, you are would have a nice bass. It's a light early '70s P bass with an A neck, so there is some value in it. The case is in really good condition.
Re: 1973 Fender P-Bass
I didn't touch the truss rod because the neck is straight indeed, although the nut is a bit recessed and I suspect the truss is maxed out. About the refinish, I wouldn't do a 3TS or natural but a solid color. As it can be seen in the pics, the body's sections are very visible.AzWhoFan wrote:Sorry that you had a such a negative experience with the original seller.
Would it survive a stripping of the finish so that you could get a 3TS or natural finish? Is there any turn-ability of the truss rod?
Re: 1973 Fender P-Bass
Sorry i can't remember : is the A type neck the baseball-bat one ? Or is the Jazz-like neck ?
Could it be that the shim thing indicates a non original body ?
Could it be that the shim thing indicates a non original body ?
Re: 1973 Fender P-Bass
An "A" neck has a nut width of 1.5", like a Jazz neck, but still is a rounder and thicker profile like a P-Bass, but is very comfortable. No typical baseball bat thickness, the I guess the profile is like a slimmer baseball bat. It reminds me of the neck of an EB/MM Sterling, an American Jazz Deluxe, or a German Warwick Streamer.cangaroo wrote:Sorry i can't remember : is the A type neck the baseball-bat one ? Or is the Jazz-like neck ?
Could it be that the shim thing indicates a non original body ?
The body looks original, but the heel was painted over inside, so there are no markings. My '73 P has no shims under the neck, and it allows for perfect setup, so I really don't know how come the P-Bass on eBay doesn't have the same angle. Fender inconsistent quality, I guess.