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I have a 1980 Marshall JMP 2204 head. 50 watts. Two input, master volume model. Recently serviced, cleaned up, and retubed with a matched pair of Svetlana EL-34's and Sovtek 12AX7's. Missing the Marshall logo. Has three very small (1/4") rips in the tolex, but nothing too noticeable. Sounds amazing. Apparently this was the final year of production for these before Marshall began manufacturing the JCM 800's (I also own a 1981 JCM 800 and, while it is a 100 watt amp and this is a 50, they sound remarkably similar and equally great, both live and in the studio).

Anyway...I'm looking for a 1970's model Fender Precision Bass. Sunburst finish. Rosewood fretboard. All stock electronics. Not interested in fretless versions, or anything that has had major repair work done in the past (broken neck, cracked body, etc.). Preferably somewhere within reasonable driving distance of Louisville, Kentucky (up to 300 miles or so)...both to avoid shipping and so that the gear could be tested out by both parties before making a deal.

I'm interested in doing an even trade. If anyone is interested, please let me know. Thanks!

-Tony

don't pull an adam rains tony...remember how you got that 800.

Haha, except I'm not going to sell it to Music Go Round for $200 to pay my court expenses. I'm having some issues with that MIM Fender Jazz I've been using for the last four or five years. I'd like to obtain an old P-Bass like mentioned above, but don't really see $1,000 coming my way anytime soon unless I unload at least one amp. Despite it being awesome, it's the one I use the least nowadays.

Snowblinder wrote:Anyway...I'm looking for a 1970's model Fender Precision Bass. Sunburst finish. Rosewood fretboard. All stock electronics. Not interested in fretless versions, or anything that has had major repair work done in the past (broken neck, cracked body, etc.). Preferably somewhere within reasonable driving distance of Louisville, Kentucky (up to 300 miles or so)...both to avoid shipping and so that the gear could be tested out by both parties before making a deal.

Being serious here, but good luck on finding the $1000 70's P-Bass in the condition you describe. I bought my 78 in great shape in 2001 for $750. I haven't sen one in the same shape under $1500 for some time now.

Have you thought about putting together a franken bass? Pick up a used 70's P Bass neck and buy a new body for it, throw in some of the reissue 65 P-Bass Pickups and call it done.

I've said this in about a zillion threads here, but I think I paid like $250 or $300 for my 1978 Ibanez P-bass, which is a super-precise copy of a p-bass. It's right from that time period immediately following when Gibson sued Ibanez for producing too-high-quality copies of Gibson instruments. As far as performance-to-cost goes, the Ibanez beats an actual Fender from the same decade, i.e. virtually identical quality/performance, and at a small fraction of the cost.

Mine even smells old.

80's JMP and 70's pbass isn't a straight up trade by today's market. Could be up to a $1000 difference there.

Judging by the prices of all of the ones I managed to find online, it seems that you're right. I decided to use the funds I already had and I picked up the MIJ Squier I mentioned in another thread (while getting to hang on to the JMP after all), and may eventually just buy a P-bass neck from this era and swap it out with the stock neck....if it seems necessary. The bass itself seems decent enough as is for the time being.

Thanks for the advice though.

Snowblinder wrote:Judging by the prices of all of the ones I managed to find online, it seems that you're right. I decided to use the funds I already had and I picked up the MIJ Squier I mentioned in another thread (while getting to hang on to the JMP after all), and may eventually just buy a P-bass neck from this era and swap it out with the stock neck....if it seems necessary. The bass itself seems decent enough as is for the time being.

Thanks for the advice though.

Fender MIJ stuff almost always have absolutely great necks, IMO. There's probably even a good chance it's better than stuff from the 70s.

I liked the neck better on my MIJ jag than the the reiussue american jag I had for a bit, there was a 1000 price difference between the two.