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amazing half-century-old Fender Jazz Bass and Ampeg B-15S tube amp

Posted: Fri Nov 24, 2023 10:03 am
by bloke
I pulled these out and played recreationally last night with a couple of friends.

I haven't used this equipment on any sort of job in the last fifteen years.
I should pass them on to someone who will play them.

They both are roughly a half-century old.

The bass (overshadowing any collector value) features an amazing neck - as if a gift from the gods...I've NEVER messed with it...I bought it perfect, and it has remained perfect.
I don't have the pick-up cover, but I never understood how any modern bass player could play with that in place.
Notice that I DO have the "F" original bridge cover and the metal "Fender" logo for this original case. I carefully pried it the case logo - years ago - as a theft deterrent (both to deter theft of the bass and theft of the logo). Everything is original, other than the height adjustment screws on the bridge. I replaced those with some same-thread regular/taller screws with heads, to make adjustment much quicker/easier. Screws (which would completely pass as original) are widely available for sale. This is a very minor detail.

The amp fires up, works, fine, sounds fine, shows a bit of wears, but replacing the speaker cloth - with some new/correct/matching - would do wonders for it's appearance.

I'm not taking either of these in for "servicing" (no pots-cleaning, no tube-testing, as-is).

$3500 buys BOTH.

There's no way that I would ship EITHER of these, but I might be coaxed to drive as far as Chattanooga, St. Louis, Jackson MS, or Fort Smith Arkansas for $75 gas money. LESS distance, if halfway is LESS. Before driving, I would need to have been paid in full. If a buy lives 300 miles away or less, I would expect them to pick these up HERE.

Additionally, someone really ought to consider just bringing their money coming here, letting us put them up overnight, and spending some time trying the bass out, so they can decide whether or not they really want it based on how it plays, rather than buying a pig in a poke. I wouldn't even mind if somebody were to come here and restring it with their favorite type of strings and then test it.

I'm advertising here FIRST, because I sort of KNOW you folks. I really don't care to deal with the "guitar crowd".

Just to be absolutely crystal clear, these are NOT so-called "re-issues" (ie. NOT the current "Fender" name-owner company's knock-offs of the real things). These ARE the real things.

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Re: amazing half-century-old Fender Jazz Bass and Ampeg B-15S tube amp

Posted: Fri Nov 24, 2023 7:42 pm
by matt g
Really good deal here. Hope it sells quickly!

Re: amazing half-century-old Fender Jazz Bass and Ampeg B-15S tube amp

Posted: Wed Dec 13, 2023 8:10 am
by bloke
re: pickup guard

I really can't imagine anyone wanting to play with one of these pickup guards in place (link below), but - if any possible buyer really wants to have one - convincing replicas are really inexpensive...

ex:
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Silver-Vinta ... =101198684

Re: amazing half-century-old Fender Jazz Bass and Ampeg B-15S tube amp

Posted: Thu Dec 14, 2023 4:04 pm
by bloke
At least a couple of you (I'd wager) have been coming back and looking at this.
I might consider an only-slightly lower offer - or willingness to drive a bit further to meet, but - if I say "no" to an offer - we'll still be friends. :thumbsup:

If you have a knock-off, a Squier, a Japanese Fender, or $$$$ so-called "re-issue" - and your bass playing is coming along pretty darn well...

YOU DESERVE BETTER than any of that mess. Go ahead and pick up this REAL Fender bass.
- You know I'm not a scammer.
- You know the neck is going to be as good as I claim.

yeah...the pots might need cleaning, and one or more of the tubes on the amp might (??) test slightly weak, but SO WHAT?

THIS outfit is "the s _ _ t" .

Merry Christmas !

Re: amazing half-century-old Fender Jazz Bass and Ampeg B-15S tube amp

Posted: Fri Dec 15, 2023 1:44 pm
by Three Valves
Does the volume go to 11? :red:

Re: amazing half-century-old Fender Jazz Bass and Ampeg B-15S tube amp

Posted: Sat Dec 16, 2023 8:16 am
by bloke
Three Valves wrote: Fri Dec 15, 2023 1:44 pm Does the volume go to 11? :red:
Sadly, no. It's old vacuum tube technology. Those only go to about 9.2

Joking aside, in their day these were considered pretty big amps, but they are more treasured for their tone than their power. The modern versions look the same and don't have any scuffs when bought new, but don't sound the same.

Re: amazing half-century-old Fender Jazz Bass and Ampeg B-15S tube amp

Posted: Fri Feb 02, 2024 5:32 pm
by bloke
OK...I dislike "bumped" for-sale stuff UNLESS there's a reason to do so.

Perhaps a decade ago I allowed a friend (who owned expensive basses, but drooled over this one) asked if he could clean/adjust it (so he could have it for a while and PLAY it). I allowed him to do so.

I just looked it over carefully. (I suspect know just a bit more about "setting up" a bass than even some people who work on them all the time - OUTSIDE OF those who are REALLY superb at re-fretting, etc.)

so, (looking it over carefully) I'm seeing that (basically, and no actually damage, but) he did a couple of things that were - well - wrong.

I undid what he did, and now the intonation is back to superb - as is the action.

I'm willing to sell the bass separate from the amp, but still strongly recommend buying both for the listed price.

I'll do $3000 for the bass only.

Just as a reminder:
"Vintage/desirable" DOES NOT NECESSARILY MEAN "excellent/superior" and certainly not necessarily "amazing".

As is known, I'm pretty damn picky.

This bass is amazing.
It needs to be bought, played, loved, and owned - and with a new owner's anti-theft strategies in place.

Re: amazing half-century-old Fender Jazz Bass and Ampeg B-15S tube amp

Posted: Wed Feb 07, 2024 12:45 pm
by martyneilan
Cut it to CC!

Re: amazing half-century-old Fender Jazz Bass and Ampeg B-15S tube amp

Posted: Wed Feb 07, 2024 1:52 pm
by bloke
martyneilan wrote: Wed Feb 07, 2024 12:45 pm Cut it to CC!

OK...now what?


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Re: amazing half-century-old Fender Jazz Bass and Ampeg B-15S tube amp

Posted: Fri Mar 01, 2024 10:41 pm
by BopEuph
DUDE.

That Fender looks like early 70s. Geddy Lee's Fender is practically identical to this one, which is a '72 Jazz Bass in the exact same color scheme. How old are those Labella 0760M strings?!

That Ampeg has some serious mojo in it, too.

This is absolutely a steal. If you haven't sold this yet, it would be snapped up on TalkBass before you had a chance to browse away from the submitted post. If I had the spending cash, I'd be hopping in my car and driving from Florida at this very moment!

Re: amazing half-century-old Fender Jazz Bass and Ampeg B-15S tube amp

Posted: Sat Mar 02, 2024 12:39 am
by bloke
BopEuph wrote: Fri Mar 01, 2024 10:41 pm DUDE.

That Fender looks like early 70s. Geddy Lee's Fender is practically identical to this one, which is a '72 Jazz Bass in the exact same color scheme. How old are those Labella 0760M strings?!

That Ampeg has some serious mojo in it, too.

This is absolutely a steal. If you haven't sold this yet, it would be snapped up on TalkBass before you had a chance to browse away from the submitted post. If I had the spending cash, I'd be hopping in my car and driving from Florida at this very moment!
I'm completely aware that it's priced to sell. Just like when I sell tubas, I never have to negotiate my prices down. Most of my stuff sells within a week or so. This hasn't sold, because this isn't an electric bass website.
I'm really hesitant to put it on a bass guitar forum, because I would get too many offers for trades (from people who don't have any money, but have stuff that I don't want) and all that sort of crap. I just want somebody to buy it and go home with it without all that noise that I would know would come with listing it on such a website. Additionally, there would be negative comments, people challenging this that the other, like a little bit of the crap that goes on here - except on steroids.