Members madmax100 Posted July 21, 2009 Members Share Posted July 21, 2009 Hi guys, need some help. My step-granddad has been hit hard by the recession, and is unfortunately thinking he's going to have to sell his bass. I was wondering if any of you could give an approximate valuation on it before I get it done professionally. All this info is courtesy of the man himself, so It might be wrong, sorry. He says It's an original 1962 Fender jazz in natural, with a rosewood fingerboard. At the body end, as far as I know,all is original (except for 1 missing strap button, and thumbrest), but the neck has been refinished, and does not have the fender logo/decal on the headstock. However, it is the original neck, and I presume it would have the date stamp etc. in the pocket. It is in great condition overall. I'm a six-stringer first and foremost, so I'm far from an expert on this, so help please. I'm looking for an approximate value, before I take it all apart to take pics when I get it professionally valued. Oh, and does anyone think that fender would supply a logo for the bass if I contacted them? Or would I have to get one from another company? Would it increase the value? The only pic I have of it at the moment is this one (sorry about the flowers lol): Thanks guys, if anyone needs any more info just ask. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members solderjunkie Posted July 21, 2009 Members Share Posted July 21, 2009 except that's not a Precision... it's a Jazz. The earliest Jazz's had two concentric pots for vol/tone of each pickup. Take the neck off and doublecheck that date. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Super Bass Posted July 21, 2009 Members Share Posted July 21, 2009 It's a Jazz Bass, not a Precision. Also, Fender won't supply you with a decal. I would suggest that you contact George Gruhn regarding valuation. http://www.gruhn.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members madmax100 Posted July 21, 2009 Author Members Share Posted July 21, 2009 whoops, sorry guys, my lack of bass experience showing there lol. Sorry about that. I can't check the stamp date at the moment, as the bass isn't with me. I'll definitely have a look though, and update the thread when I can. Thanks for the replies so far. Any possible ideas about the value of it as a jazz then? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Kaesh Posted July 21, 2009 Members Share Posted July 21, 2009 the body has been refinished too.the thumbrest is missingthe chrome parts look too shiny for being 50 years old, but it may be the lightingdoes it have string mutes? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members madmax100 Posted July 21, 2009 Author Members Share Posted July 21, 2009 If I knew what string mutes were, I'd tell you, lol (I don't play bass, just guitar). This is all sounding a bit fishy now..... hmmmm. But I'm 99% sure that the metal is original. As I said, I don't have the bass with me, but I'll check for string mutes when i can, and update the thread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Kaesh Posted July 21, 2009 Members Share Posted July 21, 2009 string mutes are little foam thingies by the bridge. the fretboard looks good, but the neck stamp is king anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members madmax100 Posted July 21, 2009 Author Members Share Posted July 21, 2009 string mutes are little foam thingies by the bridge. the fretboard looks good, but the neck stamp is king anyway. Yeah, I'll try get a hold of the stamp date as soon as I can. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members fretless Posted July 21, 2009 Members Share Posted July 21, 2009 as Super Bass pointed out it's easy to get a decal , I've seen them on ebay but you want the correct era Fender will indeed help you get one as well . http://www.fender.com/support/faqs.php#q9 Can I get a replacement decal for my old Fender instrument? Yes, in many cases. To help Fender get the best decal match, take at least four clear photographs of your instrument (the entire front and entire back, and close-ups of the front and back of the headstock) to help verify that it is indeed a genuine Fender product needing a replacement decal. If the instrument's serial number is stamped into the neck plate, please include a pencil rubbing of the number. Take the photos and your instrument to the nearest Authorized Fender Service Center. Service personnel will then send the photos and neck plate rubbing to Fender Product Support in Scottsdale, Ariz. After receiving the photos, Fender will try to find the most accurate decal for the instrument and send it to the Authorized Service Center (note that decal availability is limited to certain models and that while Fender doesn't charge for replacement decals, the Fender Authorized Service Center may). since it's a re-fin neck but has no decal I would recommend completing the refin , I think it would help not hurt . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Super Bass Posted July 21, 2009 Members Share Posted July 21, 2009 ^ That must be new, they never did that before! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members madmax100 Posted July 21, 2009 Author Members Share Posted July 21, 2009 as Super Bass pointed out it's easy to get a decal , I've seen them on ebay but you want the correct era Fender will indeed help you get one as well . http://www.fender.com/support/faqs.php#q9 Can I get a replacement decal for my old Fender instrument? Yes, in many cases. To help Fender get the best decal match, take at least four clear photographs of your instrument (the entire front and entire back, and close-ups of the front and back of the headstock) to help verify that it is indeed a genuine Fender product needing a replacement decal. If the instrument's serial number is stamped into the neck plate, please include a pencil rubbing of the number. Take the photos and your instrument to the nearest Authorized Fender Service Center. Service personnel will then send the photos and neck plate rubbing to Fender Product Support in Scottsdale, Ariz. After receiving the photos, Fender will try to find the most accurate decal for the instrument and send it to the Authorized Service Center (note that decal availability is limited to certain models and that while Fender doesn't charge for replacement decals, the Fender Authorized Service Center may). since it's a re-fin neck but has no decal I would recommend completing the refin , I think it would help not hurt . Wow, thanks fretless, I'll definitely get in touch with fender then, and can hopefully get a decal for it. If all turns out to be as quoted, and I got the decal, can anyone give an approximate value? I'm not looking for anything specific, just a ballpark. Thanks guys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members fretless Posted July 21, 2009 Members Share Posted July 21, 2009 ^ That must be new, they never did that before! if by "new" you mean the past 20 years or more than yes :poke: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members fretless Posted July 21, 2009 Members Share Posted July 21, 2009 Wow, thanks fretless, I'll definitely get in touch with fender then, and can hopefully get a decal for it. If all turns out to be as quoted, and I got the decal, can anyone give an approximate value? I'm not looking for anything specific, just a ballpark. Thanks guys. It looks super clean , so you would need to determine if it's a refin , provide all the right pics , pot dates , neck dates etc. Show it has all original hardware and electronics . If any of these things were changed or replaced with incorrect parts it would bring down the value . Refins usually go much less than original condition instruments . So I would 2nd the advise of a pro appraisal . It's hard to guess especially in a down market . This may be usueful to you . Good Luck http://www.provide.net/~cfh/fender.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members madmax100 Posted July 21, 2009 Author Members Share Posted July 21, 2009 It looks super clean , so you would need to determine if it's a refin , provide all the right pics , pot dates , neck dates etc. Show it has all original hardware and electronics . If any of these things were changed or replaced with incorrect parts it would bring down the value . Refins usually go much less than original condition instruments . So I would 2nd the advise of a pro appraisal . It's hard to guess especially in a down market . This may be usueful to you . Good Luck http://www.provide.net/~cfh/fender.html Ok, thanks a lot. Yeah it is very clean, though it has been in a closet for the past 20 years, with very occasional use! But I'll have to take a closer look at it when I get a hold of it. At the very least, it'll be interesting to investigate, even if it turns out to be all unoriginal or something. I hope he doesn't have to sell it, because even if it does turn out to be a mongrel, it's got loads of sentimental value to him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Flogger59 Posted July 21, 2009 Members Share Posted July 21, 2009 It's a refin, I've never seen a stock pre CBS natural finished instrument. Deduct half the value right there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members madmax100 Posted July 21, 2009 Author Members Share Posted July 21, 2009 Ok, thanks for the info, I had a feeling it wasn't just the neck that was refin'd. It's not looking great for this jazz then, value wise? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members frunobulax Posted July 21, 2009 Members Share Posted July 21, 2009 Ok, thanks for the info, I had a feeling it wasn't just the neck that was refin'd. It's not looking great for this jazz then, value wise? it still loolks good, tho. it is a 62 afterall. parts alone, it still has value. the downside of this is if you want to replcae some of the missing bits, it'll cost you. the 'vintage' market can be a little ridiculous sometimes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members madmax100 Posted July 21, 2009 Author Members Share Posted July 21, 2009 it still loolks good, tho. it is a 62 afterall.parts alone, it still has value. the downside of this is if you want to replcae some of the missing bits, it'll cost you. the 'vintage' market can be a little ridiculous sometimes. Yeah, I was thinking of that, I've seen things like input jack plates go for stupid amounts of cash. *sigh* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Banta Posted July 21, 2009 Members Share Posted July 21, 2009 If that can be authenticated as a '62, at least 8-10 grand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members madmax100 Posted July 21, 2009 Author Members Share Posted July 21, 2009 If that can be authenticated as a '62, at least 8-10 grand. Wow, thanks for the info. Just hope it turns out to be a 62 then, lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Renfield Posted July 21, 2009 Members Share Posted July 21, 2009 If that can be authenticated as a '62, at least 8-10 grand. I thought it was already discredited as a 62 because it has the wrong number of knobs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bassthumpintwin Posted July 21, 2009 Members Share Posted July 21, 2009 Hmmm.... this thread has captured my interests. I'm definitely curious to see what the date on that bass actually is, and what the final value is determined to be. Seems like a lot of "no nos" have been done to take away from the original value. I'm thinking he will be very lucky to get anywhere close to the originally quoted 8-10k. I could be wrong.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bassthumpintwin Posted July 21, 2009 Members Share Posted July 21, 2009 Also, that bass/hardware looks WAY too clean to be from a bass that's nearly 50 years old. I'll definitely buy that the neck was refinished, but I'm curious how much of the rest of that original bass was replaced/refinished, if it truly is a '62. I mean, unless your g-pa kept that thing in the case for 95+% of its life, I'm becoming rather skeptical. Please keep us updated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members madmax100 Posted July 21, 2009 Author Members Share Posted July 21, 2009 Hmmm.... this thread has captured my interests. I'm definitely curious to see what the date on that bass actually is, and what the final value is determined to be.Seems like a lot of "no nos" have been done to take away from the original value.I'm thinking he will be very lucky to get anywhere close to the originally quoted 8-10k. I could be wrong.... Yeah, I'm thinking pretty much the same to be honest. In a way, I'll be glad if it's not worth as much, because it has a lot of sentimental value for him, and, even if it's not all vintage correct, it's still a lovely bass! At the least, it'll be interesting to find out the truth behind what it actually is. It seems to me now that the body was refin'd as well, which will obviously detract from the value as well. It has been kept away for much of it's life, as he decided he was too old/didn't have enough time to play it, but it has seen the occasional bit of playing. I'll get the bass as soon as possible and post detailed pics of the serial number, neck pocket etc. Maybe then someone can shed some more light on the situation. Thanks again for the replies everyone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bassthumpintwin Posted July 21, 2009 Members Share Posted July 21, 2009 How long has he had the bass? I'm assuming he didn't buy it in '62... Did he refinish the neck during HIS ownership, or was it already done when he bought it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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