OT: Vintage stuff

[Aragorn35016]

Well today I got to work on my second pre-CBS fender, a 62 Jazzmaster Guitar. Simple stuff, Reglued the nut, cleaned the pots, setup etc. As I said this is the second vintage guitar Ive worked on, the other a pre-CBS 61' Jazz bass. Both were in really good shape and I've always loved the old photo's of these instruments and tend to kind of get caught up in the nastalgia of the whole thing. But I gotta say after actually having my hands on vintage stuff, I have to say that every MM product Ive ever owned just kills that stuff in quality and craftsmanship. Im not trying to say vintage stuff is bad or start a troll, its just kind of a let down I guess for me, I always pictured this stuff as kind of magical and the reality is is that for me there simply just old guitars.

John

 

[bovinehost]

the reality is is that for me there simply just old guitars.

It's the same reality for everyone, really. Only some people don't get that.

For instance, all this vintage rage focuses on how great those instruments sounded on the classic Motown or Stax or whatever records.

Only those instruments weren't vintage THEN.

Age doesn't impart magical properties to instruments. (Nor to people, much to my chagrin.)

A good instrument is a good instrument. Year of manufacture or where the bass has been or how beat up it is is irrelevant.

Um, IMHO, that is.

Jack

 

[jongitarz]

A good instrument is a good instrument. Year of manufacture or where the bass has been or how beat up it is is irrelevant.

Um, IMHO, that is.

Jack

And don't forget that because irrelevants never forget

 

[Aragorn35016]

It's the same reality for everyone, really. Only some people don't get that.

Age doesn't impart magical properties to instruments. (Nor to people, much to my chagrin.)

Jack

I agree, from what I can tell this guitar probably sounds just like it did when it was built 44 years ago. I can't say this necessarily from experience, because that was still the dark years before my birth, but Im going off of new guitars that sound just like or just as good as this one did without being all jacked up and caked up with gunk. I just know now that Im definitely not into the whole "mojo" thing like I thought Id be. Give me a non scratchy filled electronics freshly painted new shiney hardware equiped instrument anyday. I can jack my on st** up with out paying 5 grand for it.

 

[bovinehost]

Amen and amen.

I'm old enough to have owned those 'holy grail' basses before they were anything other than used instruments.

I had a 64 Jazz. I fought the Jazz and the Jazz won. It would never do exactly what I thought it should do, and it HATED humidity changes. PITA to adjust, too. This would have been early 70s.

The two best Jazz basses I've ever owned were a plain jane Inca Silver late 90s or early 00s model. MIA, nothing special to talk about, but it sounded like the Tuba From Hell. The other was a Custom Shop, still better than any Holy Grail Jazz I've ever played.

To bring it back to the manufacturer at hand, I've also owned numerous pre-EB Stingrays. Most were good; two or three were fabulous. Some were....well, not so good. Many of them weighed way too much.

Now modern-era Stingrays? I can't even pick a favorite, I've had too many good ones. Maybe my 2000 Black Sparkle. But no dogs. Not one.

So, being old and all, it's relatively easy for me to keep the 'vintage' thing in perspective.

Sounds to me, John, like you have your head on straight about it.

(But don't get me started about old Teles.)

Jack

 

[bonzo]

Basses don't play themselves.....

 

[Aussie Mark]

after actually having my hands on vintage stuff, I have to say that every MM product Ive ever owned just kills that stuff in quality and craftsmanship.

You don't say? I'd hope that manufacturing technology and QA have advanced somewhat in 40 years.