68 Jazz on the bay - got 20K?

[Bassaria]

and they can't even spell Fender right....wow.
http://cgi.ebay.com/Mint-68-Feneder-Jaz ... 500wt_1196

[slybass3000]

and they can't even spell Fender right....wow.
http://cgi.ebay.com/Mint-68-Feneder-Jaz ... 500wt_1196

Hahaha, very reliable. Plus only shipping in the US for such an instrument and only one picture.

And the lefties Feneder are even more rare!

Good one!

[Agent00Soul]

I've never seen a black J-bass from the 60s with either a white pickguard, usually I've seen tortoise, or a black painted headstock. I guess it could be a special order, but who would make a point to order something like that and never play it in 42 years? I do have a photocopy of the 1968 catalog however and they say they will make lefty versions of almost any instrument on special order.

[funky42]

i always wanted a bass made from the year i was born,but they are always soo much money,but never this much!

[Frenchy-Lefty]

Besides the case, looks like some kind of Japanese reissue with a few cosmetic add ons to me. But I could be wrong. Usually, such a sell would require more detailed pictures. Regardless no one is going to crack 20k in this economcal climate. I'd say if it is all legit maybe 6 to 8k.

Thanks for those peeps with those insane listings though, it keeps us going. It is like throwing a bait for a shark feeding frenzie!

[andrew]

Pickguard seems too cleanly white to me to be that old (not that the single distant pic is the best determinant of what this bass is about). I'm skeptical this is legit.

From the home of Fender HQ, might be an employee custom shop bass.

[Frenchy-Lefty]

From the home of Fender HQ, might be an employee custom shop bass

.

Good one!

Talking about white pickguard, I had a white guard that I tried to "age" by sanding it and letting steep overnight in hot coffee and then tea since it did not work. Well, it never even started to stain. Those new materials used for pickguards, unlike old materials, are absolutely not porous. (just in case it crosses anyone's mind to try)

[thumbslam]

Dude has 1 feedback.....and it's a bad one. Me thinks his crack supply runith low.

[LHBASSIST]

I walked into Rudy's Music on W.48th. st., in about 1973, and a guy had JUST bought a bass that looked exactly like that one. Sales guy was writing up the receipt, and I just cried inside. It was black, white guard, lower thumbrest, rosewood board, pearl blocks, matching headstock, both covers, and hard case. It might BE that bass, but who knows? I missed it by less than an hour.
I'm a longtime luthier and bass tech. This is exactly what Fender would have produced then, on special order. I have never seen a black jazz bass with a factory tortoise guard, seen a lot of them on righty basses, owner swapped....but none factory. Seen some on p-basses with metallic and candy colors.
The bright white may be just a contrast effect against the body color. I'd say 20k is way out of line. If it were a pre-CBS, that would be about right.
The comment about the seller's one negative feedback, should give you fair warning. Run away! Nice looking bass, though.

[slybass3000]

The main thing is if he knows it is worth that much, he should know that he has to produce and "ad" that goes with it . Which he does not at all.

[AzWhoFan]

I have been out of town for a few days and just saw this. I have contacted the seller - who apparently doesn't live too far from me - and am trying to arrange a time where I can view and photograph the bass.

Hopefully this is not the same dough-wad who owns a refinished '57 Tele. That Tele is magical, but it has been refinished and he wants 3x what the guitar is worth.

[amimbari]

hey Fender guys....do they purposely leave off the MIA or the trademark/serial/patent stuff due to the reverse head and area constraints?

[Agent00Soul]

i always wanted a bass made from the year i was born,but they are always soo much money,but never this much!

Somewhat OT: I own a Jazzmaster with a next stamp dated three weeks after I was born, from June 1968. I can't resist showing you some porn of it:
http://www.webrocker.de/jaguar/cms/the- ... zzmasters/

My Jaguar is on the same site:
http://www.webrocker.de/jaguar/cms/the- ... 4-jaguars/

[AzWhoFan]

I'll be meeting with the seller tomorrow.

The seller does not have posession of the high def pics yet. They were all taken by The Bass Place - who did the appraisal -and he should have them in a day or two when Dennis (the owner) gets back to the shop. The seller will be posting them when he relists the bass on ebay.

Is there anything in particular anyone wants me to look for when I view the bass? I doubt I'll be able to take it apart, but if there's something y'all want me to investigate, feel free to ask.

[slybass3000]

I'll be meeting with the seller tomorrow.

The seller does not have posession of the high def pics yet. They were all taken by The Bass Place - who did the appraisal -and he should have them in a day or two when Dennis (the owner) gets back to the shop. The seller will be posting them when he relists the bass on ebay.

Is there anything in particular anyone wants me to look for when I view the bass? I doubt I'll be able to take it apart, but if there's something y'all want me to investigate, feel free to ask.

Can you look at a better price tag?

Actually, when you'll play it, try to feel if you really got a special bass in your hands worth it a big chunk of money like that. It might be or may be not

[AzWhoFan]

Sly,
he's hinting very strongly that he'd let it go for less, if the right offer came along. But don't ask me how much less, 'cause I have no clue and I'm not going to insult him by making an offer I can't follow through on. I think the 20K price tag is more of an informational thing to let folks know it's out there.

[slybass3000]

Sly,
he's hinting very strongly that he'd let it go for less, if the right offer came along. But don't ask me how much less, 'cause I have no clue and I'm not going to insult him by making an offer I can't follow through on. I think the 20K price tag is more of an informational thing to let folks know it's out there.

Ok cool, that is good to know even if I won't have the funds right now for that kind of bass

Seriously, since you'll be a lucky guy playing such an instrument tomorrow, ask yourself how it feel??? Is it one of the greatest experience of your bassist's life or a bit of a downer?? I'm sure you'll know if this instrument is special or not even if sometimes, settings are not optimize for such an experience.

Anyway, enjoy the moment, I really do envy you

Sly

[AzWhoFan]

Well, it's the real deal as far as I can tell.

The good: super light weight. Very resonant body, sounds good unplugged. Fabulous fretboard and MOP blocks. Might be a Braz board, it was hard to tell with the lighting in the room, and if it isn't it is top notch Rosewood there's hardly any evidence of filler on the board.
Binding isn't too yellowed and it's in perfect shape. No separation from the neck or board and no chipping of the finish along the seams.

The neck has not shrunk, so the frets aren't popping through the binding (quite surprising as it has been stored in Arizona for years).
One of the best fitted necks I have seen in a post-Leo 60's bass, it's a nice tight fit.
The paint job on the headstock is cool. The tuners are in great shape. Only mild pitting on the bridge, and the chrome looks to be in great shape.
Most of the screws have rarely, if ever, seen a screwdriver. Pickup height looks like factory settings and the pup mounting screws have definately never been touched.
I thought the case was aftermarket until I opened it up and also took a good look at the latches.
It's that gawd-awefful Psycho-Orange lining that was so popular back in the day. I am SO glad LSD is finally out of fashion!
The snap-lock latches are a touch difficult to open and close. the center latch is dead on perfect.

The bad: Two scratches on the back that don't go through the paint. One is fairly long, about 6 inches.
Some mild finish checking near the headstock and in various spots around the neck (not a big deal at all, it's very minor checking).
None that I could find on the body. The pots dearly need a heavy dose of De-Oxit, they crackle more than the wicked witch of the West.
And they feel wimpy, but they do the job. Patina on the tuners.
Your typical screwdriver hackjob on the pickguard where a neck adjustment was done. Speaking of the neck, it's bowed, but nothing that can't be tweaked.

The ugly: nuthin' except maybe the price tag

So you ask, how does it sound?
.
..
...
....
Like a 60's Jazz bass!

I only got to play it through a Fender 75w BXR amp, so it didn't get an honest workout IMHO. But the signature tones are there I think. Think Tarkus by Emerson Lake and Palmer.

And now, for something completely different ...

The pics: Saw pics of the pots and wiring. The wiring, soldering are definately original. Pot codes were a bit hard to discern but they looked legit.
Fender did a lousy job with the neck stamp, but you can clearly see 7, then something undiscernable, then the truss rod, then what looks to be a 6, and finally 7A.
The goofs at The Bass Place either did not take, or forgot, to send the seller pics of the neck cavity. Un-freaking-believable!!!!
At my urging the seller will contact T.B.P. and find out what's up with that.


I may be getting copies of the pics before he relists it, and if I do, I'll be sure to put them up here.

The seller's a quite nice young man, and is in no hurry to sell the bass. But I think if you showed up at his door with 15 or 16K you could go home with the bass.

Oh yeah, I also urged him to get a written appraisal from Gruhn's Guitars or some other equally respectable vintage dealer.

[funky42]

THANKS SO MUCH FOR THE GREAT REVIEW,IT WAS ALMOST AS GOOD AS BEING THERE! IM GLAD THE BASS IS IN SUCH GOOD SHAPE,ITS GOOD TO KNOW NICE CLASSIC LEFTYS ARE OUT THERE!

[slybass3000]

Same here, thank you for that great review.