Help! 1977 SR with refinished body...what's it worth?

[jlepre]

I have a chance to snag this bass for a pretty fair price in my eyes, but I wanted to ask the experts their opinion. I know that all original '77 SR can go for around $2K, but I'm not sure how the refinish effects that price.

Here's a few pics.

 

[jlepre]

Oh and it doesn't come with the original case, so not sure how that effects the value.

 

[MrMusashi]

if all the parts are correct (bridge, pickup, tuners, electronics) and it doesnt have the crack at the trussrod bullet it might be a good bass

what it is worth is hard to say. for some it might be 2000, for others 1000

i do see the string dampers are missing but you can buy those new today (from the classic series)

if you like the bass and the price is right, go for it

MrM

 

[Rod Trussbroken]

.
Basically what MrM says.

Do you have pics of the preamp, the pickup cavity, serial number and underneath the pickup itself? Make sure the pickup and preamp are not after market substitutes.

 

[Golem]

Not that I can calculate an "authentic" price, but years
of browsing online says the price is competitive.

As to any loss of value due to a refin, a good refin, it's
not really an issue. While there is a following for early
MM basses, it's not an absurdly inflated COLLECTOR
situation where originality is at a premium. So even if
there is some rule of the marketplace that says a refin
drops the value, it drops so minimally that everything
else about the bass is far more important. $2500 or
so usually buys an early StingRay with natural finish,
sometimes a bit less $$ depending on condition. Over
$2500 is seldom seen.

What if someone had put in a non-MM pre-amp years
ago and a more recent owner has replaced that with a
proper-for-the-era MM pre ? No harm, no foul with MM
basses. But if it were in a collectible Fender, the visibly
non-vintage new solder joint, and a marking on the pre
showing it to be a year older or newer than the bass,
would be the difference between a $10,000 bass and a
a $5,000 bass [or worse]. Thaz the Fender thing.

With early MM basses, 100% perfect originality is pretty
much a side bar, a curiosity, and is worth a sort of token
difference. With MM, if it IS what it IS ... has all its right
elements and is in nice shape, nobody cares too much
about a refin or "wrong" date on a pot or a neck. No one
cared about any of that crap back when those collectible
Fenders were new, or were just "used basses", either. In
the MM world, Collector Insanity holds verrrry little sway
concerning price.

MM peeps are players, not curators There's less than
several historically significant individual MMs out there.
Those are what they are. ALL the rest are for us players.

So, buy the damnt thing if it has no functional troubles !

 

[jlepre]

Thanks all for your input. I'm still on the fence if I'm going to pull the trigger on this trade. I'm not a 4 string player, but this bass would be more of a collector's item than a player for me.

 

[somebrains]

It's a refin, you don't want it as a player, might I suggest Amazon, Apple, Nvidia,Walmart, or Google stock?
If it's a good refin, original electronics, it has no issues, isn't hiding bondo from a hack job, and sounds good then $1500.

If it's a bad refin, but otherwise ok maybe $1200.

I mean, check eBay completed items and you'll get an idea that melting motherboards down to make a block of gold is a better use of your time.

 

[Golem]

.......... this bass would be more of a
collector's item than a player for me.

I'm feeling nawzious ...