fender bass prices

[evilLordJuju]

Hi all,

i'm new to this forum, and I wonder if anyone can help me...

i'm looking for info on Fender bass prices from 1951 until 1985

I'm specifically interested in the precsion, jazz, but maybe also coronado and mustang

i'm also quite interested in shipping figures....

has this been tabulated anywhere? Is there a book or website with some or all of this info. I could buy all the price lists on ebay, but it could take years and cost hundreds of dollars

thanks if you can help

Jules

[doc540]

welcome!

I don't know of an accurate used bass price list for all those guitars mentioned, but you might get some answers about prices on specific basses on the Dude Pit. Helpful bunch'a thumpers there too.

Ask here in the "Fender" section

Good luck!

[evilLordJuju]

Thanks doc - I am a pitter, and I did ask there a couple weeks back, and got no replies....

At first I thought I was geing shunned for my love of Gibsons, but perhaps the answer is that there is no such book.

Odd really I've got all the Gibson shipping figures and all the Guild prices in various books - I would have thought someone would have written such a thing for Fender, seeing as they are what most people own.

I've got (bar one or two) all the Gibson price lists, and i'm trying to compare these prices with a few competitors (ie the precision) etc

Oh well, back to hunting on ebay.....

[BradKM]

but perhaps the answer is that there is no such book.

That is indeed the answer. Fender (at least the modern Fender) doesn't release the shipping totals. Bill Bolton, who used to hang out over on the FDP bass forum, may be able to give you some estimates, but they would only be estimates. I haven't spent any time over there in a long while, so I don't know if he's still there, but searching their archives would probably turn up some of his posts, and he was usually one to leave his e-mail light on.

Price lists shouldn't be too hard to find...but I don't know which direction to point you in.

[doc540]

Jules, what's your ultimate goal with this data?

Are you just collecting info. or are you trying to determine values for specific guitars before you purchase one?

Just curious.

[evilLordJuju]

well, i'm doing some historical guitar research. I'm not sure if I made myself clear - i'm not after current values, but prices they were originally sold at.

i'm making a website gibson bass guitars - it's nowhere near finished (but I am quite a way in), and an important part of the Gibson bass story is its continuing losing battle with Fender [except for the hollowbody battle - coronados look great! whatever they play like..]

I want the sales figures to see how badly Fender beat Gibson - and whether Fender sales dropped after big Gibson marketing campaigns etc, and vice versa

Most of all though I want to compare prices - I have made a graph of price changes by year of all Gibson basses, but I really want to know where they sat in relation to Fender (and maybe rics, guilds etc)

The price was surely a factor, maybe as much as scale length or any other reason. I'm most of all interested in the years 53 to 79.

If any of you can provide me a scan of an old price list i'll be very grateful
Jules

[doc540]

Shoot me an email: doc540@swbell.net

I'll hook you up with Robbie Lawrence. He should be able to help.

Robb's Website

Robb's Les Paul book