1978 Fender P-Bass OMG A ROSEWOOD FRETBOARD!!!

[PunkRockBassist]

What Happen to all the mocha browns? they used to pop up all the time ? and VERY rare for a late 70's p-bass a rosewood fretboard. price bit high imo though
http://cgi.ebay.com/1978-Fender-U-S-A-P ... 43a88340f8

[AzWhoFan]

a not-so-unusual price for a bass from Oz. Anything that get's imported to Oz gets absolutely hammered in duty fees and taxes.

But I gotta agree, whare ARE all the skid-mark brown 70's P-basses? I remember when you couldn't give them away.

[Agent00Soul]

Man that color screams late-70s California chill-out to me. But I like it anyway

[andrew]

where ARE all the skid-mark brown 70's P-basses? I remember when you couldn't give them away.

Funny enough, I've always loved the look of that finish.

[frankenjazz]

As do I, that is the color I always associate with a P-bass.

[bbl]

I had a '78 P mocha, same specs.

Paid $500 in 1999.

[Carmine]

Alright, you guys are forcing me to trot out these old horses again....

But I agree the rosewood necks rarely seem to come up on the later 70's lefties, and that has certainly contributed to the unlikelihood of parting with these anytime soon. The white finish is pretty rare too, so I'm really glad it has some player wear on it, it's the only one of these three that actually sees some action outside of the house. The '78 Antigua was mint in the case with hang tags when I got it, and while some road wear is generally cool on an old p bass, I think there's nothing nastier looking than a raggedy, nicked up Antigua finish- so I handle it with extreme care.

The Mocha Brown is a 1974 (I'm with you Andrew, I've always dug the Mocha finish)...this one was also mint in the case with hang tags when I got it- so just like the Antigua it doesn't get much playtime because it's so pristine that it's hard to risk getting too rough with it.

[PunkRockBassist]

i love the mocha beown too everyone always makes fun of it but i like it heres my baby 1975 mocha brown p-bass best bass i have ever played

[Carmine]

i love the mocha beown too everyone always makes fun of it but i like it heres my baby 1975 mocha brown p-bass best bass i have ever played

And it looks like it's seen plenty of action, too!

I know there are varying opinions for and against P basses from 1970- 1980 (I was completely turned off by that fat wide neck they went to after 1980), but I have one from 1970, one from 1980, and 4 in-between ('73, '74, and two '78's) and I love 'em all, but I've gone thru a few to get to the good ones. Admittedly the QC is very spotty, but when you find a good one it makes an excellent workhorse.

A bit off topic- but as an example of the above- my 1980 P was literally cooked inside it's case in a store fire- but it still came out of the case rockin' (and smelling really bad)- took me weeks to clean and get the smoke smell out of it- but it plays fantastic, and man does it have character... and it actually does sound a bit different too to my ear... I guess you could say it was the inspration for MusicMan's "roasted maple neck" concept, to which they attribute the following "benefits":

Performance benefits of a thermally modified microstructure :

•Adds dimensional stability and resistance to temperature and humidity changes
•Increases resistance to warping
•Reduces density while maintaining stiffness for a lighter neck with sufficient strength
•Yields a microstructure similar to naturally aged woods with lower moisture content
•More resonance and less damping
•Eliminates the need for hazardous chemical treatments
•Vibrational testing indicates that roasted maple exhibits clearer tone with a stronger fundamental than untreated maple samples


....Hmmmm...maybe we should all start baking our necks?

[PunkRockBassist]

carmine love the look of that p-bass makes me wanna throw one of my basses in a fire (not really)

[AzWhoFan]

i love the mocha beown too everyone always makes fun of it but i like it heres my baby 1975 mocha brown p-bass best bass i have ever played

And it looks like it's seen plenty of action, too!

I know there are varying opinions for and against P basses from 1970- 1980 (I was completely turned off by that fat wide neck they went to after 1980), but I have one from 1970, one from 1980, and 4 in-between ('73, '74, and two '78's) and I love 'em all, but I've gone thru a few to get to the good ones. Admittedly the QC is very spotty, but when you find a good one it makes an excellent workhorse.

A bit off topic- but as an example of the above- my 1980 P was literally cooked inside it's case in a store fire- but it still came out of the case rockin' (and smelling really bad)- took me weeks to clean and get the smoke smell out of it- but it plays fantastic, and man does it have character... and it actually does sound a bit different too to my ear... I guess you could say it was the inspration for MusicMan's "roasted maple neck" concept, to which they attribute the following "benefits":

Performance benefits of a thermally modified microstructure :

•Adds dimensional stability and resistance to temperature and humidity changes
•Increases resistance to warping
•Reduces density while maintaining stiffness for a lighter neck with sufficient strength
•Yields a microstructure similar to naturally aged woods with lower moisture content
•More resonance and less damping
•Eliminates the need for hazardous chemical treatments
•Vibrational testing indicates that roasted maple exhibits clearer tone with a stronger fundamental than untreated maple samples


....Hmmmm...maybe we should all start baking our necks?

Everyone is most welcome to come to Phoenix with their collection and to leave their instruments in my backyard for about 2 hours in the middle of the afternoon. However, you'll need to bring your own oven mitts.

[AzWhoFan]

Hey, I'm not complaining about the color, in fact I kinda like it. Just referencing a term from the good ole days.

[bbl]

Carmine, I'm gassin for your roasted P!

Wow, I'd rock that live just so I could tell the story to those who ask!

The fact that it was accidental is the key. Hey, did any of the case hairs melt onto it?

Thanks for sharing that story. That made my day.

[pjmuck]

Did somebody say mocha? I love it too, and this happens to be the only rosewood P bass I own:

'78 Fender P fretless3.jpg (59.12 KiB) Viewed 7066 times

'77 Precision fretless 2.jpg (64.03 KiB) Viewed 7065 times

[markcv]

That Mocha P fretless is very cool. I believe Percy Jones used a fretless P on his early Brand X stuff.

[pjmuck]

Not to mention this dude:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJK-fXBe ... re=related

Side note: check out Sting's Ibanez Musician basses in the background. I don't think I knew he had a white one.

[Carmine]

Carmine, I'm gassin for your roasted P!

Wow, I'd rock that live just so I could tell the story to those who ask!

The fact that it was accidental is the key. Hey, did any of the case hairs melt onto it?

Thanks for sharing that story. That made my day.

Well we're digressing a bit from the thread but I think you'll all enjoy this-- here's some close ups of what has affectionately come to be known around here as "Smokey" ... and yeah, people are are always askin' "what the hell happened to that bass---it sounds GREAT- and it plays like butter"! The whole bass has kind of a glazed amber glow to it, and you can see spots on the back where it was in contact with the case hairs...check out the headstock front real close and you can see where the Fender logo outline was baked into the wood! Between the fire and the play wear it's the "relic job" to end all relic jobs, you couldn't duplicate the mojo if you tried!

[Carmine]

...more "Smokey"...

[bigevilrobot]

wow, that is actually just beautiful. I love what the "roasting" did to the sunburst finish as well, so much character.

[Agent00Soul]

it's the "relic job" to end all relic jobs

This made me chuckle out loud!

I'm just imagining telling my Fender CS dealer how I want my new bass relic-ed like this and they have to throw it into a fire for a few minutes if they want to make the sale. Then showing them your photos for reference...