Re: Help identifying vintage Fender J-bass
It is not necessarily *post* '75, as you stated. Mid-late '74 is the earliest it could be, as that's when the three bolt Micro-Tilt and such started showing up. And it could be no later than about '82. The knobs narrow it down a bit tighter. I believe the use of Strat knobs started in about '77. I can't say for sure, but I believe the block inlays started phasing out in the early '80's, with dots becoming more common around that time (but you still see blocks sometimes).
I don't know how to narrow it down any more than that. My best guess places it from '77 to '82 for sure, and '77 to '80 most likely.
I hate to break it to your uncle, but even in killer shape, that's not worth a lot. That period was when the worst of the worst Fenders were being made. In tip-top shape, I'd say someone couldn't get any more than $2K for one of them. And that thing is terribly hammered. Additionally, I can't even see what shape the fretboard and frets are in. It'd be a hard sell. It's such an oddly battered piece that I think the best you could do with it as is would be to put it on E-Bay with no reserve, with the opening bid around $500.00 (U.S.A.). If you wanted to maximize its value, it would need quite a lot of good quality cleanup work, and a replacement guard. Every single part on the thing except possibly the electronics) needs to be disassembled. That thick gunk needs to come off, and all the hardware needs to be removed, disassembled, cleaned as well as it can be, lubricated, and reassembled. The fretboard needs to be cleaned and the frets polished. New strings and setup. A lot of work, but poly usually cleans up okay, so it might be worth it.
That being said, you never know what some fool might be willing to pay. For example, look at what this hunk of junk sold for:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Fender-Jaz...D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557. That is completely ludicrous to me, seeing that a near mint one would have cost the bidder only $600 more. But there's a sucker born every minute.
What's the deal with it? Did it sit out of the case for years in the home of an indoor smoker?
