Author Topic: Old basses being sold for silly money (Read 1400 times)

precarius · « **Reply #30 on:** March 29, 2011, 04:56:23 PM »

In 1977 I played a 1964 Fender Precision bass for a while. It sounded pretty good, pretty comfortable,but the maple neck was perfect.I always thought that the 70's Fenders sucked and now they are selling from $1500 to $2000. A few weeks ago I bought a 1983 G&L SB-1 and the neck is perfect. Just like the 64 P-Bass.If you ever get a chance to buy an early G&L. Do it.

cozmik_cowboy · « **Reply #31 on:** March 29, 2011, 06:58:49 PM »

Washburn made a series of guitars from the oak pews they took out when the remodeled the Ryman (new they came with a few nails from said pews) & someone - Taylor, I think - got some wood from the last Liberty Tree when it went down & made guitars.

Peter

hydrargyrum · « **Reply #32 on:** March 29, 2011, 07:45:14 PM »

I've always thought that if I bought another strat style guitar it would be a G&L. It's not like Leo stopped innovating just because he left fender.

elwoodblue · « **Reply #33 on:** March 29, 2011, 08:08:11 PM »

I love my G&L's (leo era) it's amazing that you can still find beaters for under $500.
Here's a G&L that uses reclaimed materials:

and a link to the thread for more info:
link

peoplechipper · « **Reply #34 on:** March 29, 2011, 11:56:00 PM »

I find myself drawn to 30+ year old instruments; not that age is what I look for first, but I always find myself gravitating towards the more 'experienced' ones...I've never been a real Fender guy but when I worked at a vintage shop I got to play some real old ones and they do feel different even from the best relics; you can't fake the aging of a maple neck, they have to absorb sweat!
Another example is my '60 Melody Maker...it's a transition one(had the lap steel pickups, just before they went to the skinny ones...)
Anyway, it was Gibson's student guitar but it's made of wood that we can't get now without paying huge...I've been offered three times what it sells for and turned it down; A. I didn't want to rip off a friend(and my drummer) B. it's one of those old guitars with 1000 songs in it...old guitars make you play new things and any rutbuster is good...

I do think that the prices now paid for '70's Fenders is stupid; those guitars and basses weren't that good 30+ years ago and aren't that much better now, unless lots of that plastic finish has fallen off and the wood dried out!

I could keep going, but I won't...Tony

hydrargyrum · « **Reply #35 on:** March 30, 2011, 06:46:55 AM »

That's super cool Elwood. Talk about having absorbed some frequencies over the years.

precarius · « **Reply #36 on:** March 30, 2011, 08:38:57 AM »

I have often heard about bassists wanting to acquire the Leo trio. A pre-cbs fender,an early musicman, and an early G&L. For some reason I have always owned a P-Bass, just didn't play it very often. In the 70's I played a Rickenbacker, Gibson RD Artist, and a Gibson G-3. If anyone hears of a G-3 for sale, let me know.

elwoodblue · « **Reply #37 on:** March 30, 2011, 10:38:37 AM »

There's a G-3 on ebay right now, honestly I don't see any quality there, and the seller is Waaayyy off on his pricing...probably because it says Gibson on the headstock.

(...reminds me of the Sonex I bought to revisit my teenage years ...that didn't last long )

precarius · « **Reply #38 on:** March 30, 2011, 10:58:52 AM »

I wouldn't pay that much for 10 G-3's. I tend to be gravitating to the basses I had in my teenage years also. There used to be a place called Guitar Trader (used and vintage guitars) in Red Bank, NJ and in 1978 I bought 5 G-3's $100 each. And that included shipping and HSC.

elwoodblue · « **Reply #39 on:** March 30, 2011, 11:11:40 AM »

Gotcha...if I see a G-3 (or a time machine )for a few hundred ...I'll let ya know.

crobbins · « **Reply #40 on:** March 30, 2011, 03:45:39 PM »

DW drums was also making snare drums from maple recovered from a 100 year old ship wreck from the great lakes...

hydrargyrum · « **Reply #41 on:** March 30, 2011, 07:05:44 PM »

As much as I hate the shape of their headstocks, Langcaster and their 35,000 year old swamp Kauri deserve some mention if recovered wood and, old guitars are the topic at hand.

tbrannon · « **Reply #42 on:** March 30, 2011, 07:23:30 PM »

I just can't get past the Langcaster headstock. When I was living in NZ I visited th shop and thought long and hard about having a custom P built by them, but I couldn't get past the headstock and he wasn't too willing to depart from their headstock design. I love the swamp kauri though. We have several swamp kauri sculptures and bowls around our house. They're gorgeous.

pauldo · « **Reply #43 on:** March 30, 2011, 07:54:57 PM »

For what its worth:
I played a bass once in Madison that was made from wood that was recovered from a ship that had sunk in Lake Superior 100 years ago (or something).
Absolutely beautiful wood - absolutely crappy sounding instrument . . .

terryc · « **Reply #44 on:** March 31, 2011, 06:11:49 AM »

Didn't the Craviotto Drum Co make some shells from timber from one of the ships sunk in the great lakes??...and they are expensive of course and limited edition