Vintage Fender J-Bass Value?

[EET_FUK]

A 74 jazz bass just showed up at the local music shop near me, and I was wondering if anyone here knew how much it would be worth. It's in fantastic condition.

Sorry for lack of details, I don't know a whole lot about basses, but if the price they're asking for it is a good one I might snatch it up.

Thanks guys.

 

[ginormous]

Re: Vintage Fender J-Bass Value?

Pics?

Tough call without hands-on, up-close examination.

 

[MetalManiac]

Re: Vintage Fender J-Bass Value?

Pics?

Tough call without hands-on, up-close examination.

Exactly. If fantastic means all original and excellent, 2012 book value ( and it should be about the same now) for a sunburst( and custom colors are more, but MUCH more difficult to xfind relative to their book value from my experience) is $2600. Thats for a 4 bolt neck. Earlier '74 3 bolt necks are much less valuable,and go at 2100.00 in excellent condition; 1/2 that for anything less than excellent IMO. BTW, for the 4 bolts, Walnut, is NOT a custom coloir, and is valued less than a burst.
Mint guitars command a substantial premium over excellent, IF you can find one. That said, its a soft market, and the figures I quoted are high, even very high right now, IMO, for anything but a real MINT example, which can and will sell at high book even now, ( understand that its hard enough to find an excellent grade guitar anymnore) but even so, its a tough to high book value even for a mint guitar right now.

 

[EET_FUK]

Re: Vintage Fender J-Bass Value?

Pics?

Tough call without hands-on, up-close examination.

I'll probably snap some pics of it next week some time, if it's still there by then.

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: Vintage Fender J-Bass Value?

Have you tried the instrument? They can be a bit hit and miss. I would pursue an Alder bodied example. I would be less bothered about an original Ash version. I own an American Vintage Re-Issue '75 model. This is assembled to a far higher standard than any original that I have seen.

 

[ginormous]

Re: Vintage Fender J-Bass Value?

My maniacal metallic friend is correct, as is the gentleman with the smelly digits. "Book value" (from an accepted price guide like Blue Book of Guitars, not the booger-eater behind the counter who googles eBay) is rather high, and doesn't take regional variations into account. Your local market might be flooded with one example or another, and that would depress the demand.

If it's NOS (New Old Stock) mint, never played, with all the case candy, tags and stickers, you may have to cowboy up. Having said that, why bother when the RI's are so dead-on?

 

[Bludave]

Re: Vintage Fender J-Bass Value?

I have a '78 Jazz. Its dead mint & I had it appraised a few years ago at over 3K, but as Reggie said markets vary!

 

[MetalManiac]

Re: Vintage Fender J-Bass Value?

I have a '78 Jazz. Its dead mint & I had it appraised a few years ago at over 3K, but as Reggie said markets vary!

Book is $2100 for a 78/79 3 bolt burst in Mint condition. Natural is very slightly less. They made an 'Antiqua' finish that year that is worth a few hunded bucks more. The appraisal is for a 2012. Add 7% a year value for appreciation. Given how the market is so soft, I would expect high blue book to be only for Dead Mint, unscathed instruments.
Not sure how the NYC Market is, but it should be easier, not harder to find good instruments there, but I'm only guessing.

 

[ginormous]

Re: Vintage Fender J-Bass Value?

To the OP: What price is the store asking for the Jazz?

 

[EET_FUK]

Re: Vintage Fender J-Bass Value?

To the OP: What price is the store asking for the Jazz?

$1000.

 

[ginormous]

Re: Vintage Fender J-Bass Value?

From some of my inquiries, a '74 would go for anything from about $850 (well-worn but playable) to $2500 (almost perfect). Don't quote me, though.

So-called "collectors" can hoard and over-bid at auctions. It's cool if an instrument has true collectible value (played by a major artist with documentation), or is a rare example, but some things are getting their prices artificially jacked up. That's the way of the world, I guess, but sometimes the world sucks.

 

[EET_FUK]

Re: Vintage Fender J-Bass Value?

From some of my inquiries, a '74 would go for anything from about $850 (well-worn but playable) to $2500 (almost perfect). Don't quote me, though.

So-called "collectors" can hoard and over-bid at auctions. It's cool if an instrument has true collectible value (played by a major artist with documentation), or is a rare example, but some things are getting their prices artificially jacked up. That's the way of the world, I guess, but sometimes the world sucks.

Yeah, I understand. Like I said, I'll have pics next week, so you guys can see for yourselves.

 

[uOpt]

Re: Vintage Fender J-Bass Value?

$1000 in fantastic condition sounds like a no brainer.