Sonic/Daphne Blue Fender Bass?

[MrWizard44]

So, my girlfriend decided to start playing bass (because I said chick bass players are sexy). 

She wants to get good before she shells on an expensive instrument, and boy is she going to be shelling out...  she wants a Fender in daphne or sonic blue - in her words, the older the better, and she wants it to be beat up.  Not relic'd, though -- genuine patina (is that how you spell it?).  I can hardly find any examples of basses like this, let alone any for sale . And vintage to boot?  Can anybody help me out here?

What years did Fender offer their basses in these colors?  Are their any reissues in these colors?  Anything anybody knows about Jazz/Precision/Mustang basses in sonic/daphne blue -- please let me know!

[spaceghost]

highway one does Daphne Blue.

i'm sure you could get any bass in sonic/daphne from Fender Japan.

[robroe]

mark hoppus bass came in SGR and DBL



im sure you could get a used on on ebay for pretty cheap because blink 182 isn't around anymore. 

its got some really nice specs for a moderately priced fender instrument.  plus i think the only place it has the dudes name on it is the neck plate....so 7 dollars later, you get a big F neck plate and you are in business with your own instrument.

[dj_techa]

I didnt see a d. Blue highway one model online.  Do they no longer make it in that color, or does someone have one?

[mezcalhead]

she wants a Fender in daphne or sonic blue - in her words, the older the better, and she wants it to be beat up.  Not relic'd, though -- genuine patina (is that how you spell it?).  I can hardly find any examples of basses like this, let alone any for sale . And vintage to boot?

If you're seriously talking vintage, then P and J basses go for way more than offsets .. for an original finish custom colour P bass I think you're talking tens of thousands of dollars and the J basses are even pricier. There are cheaper old Fenders, like the Mustang basses - and the short scale might suit her hands better than a big P or J. I don't have a handle on the prices of old Mustang basses but I think a refinished one wouldn't be too pricey, especially if it was a 70s model (which didn't come in sonic/daphne originally AFAIK).

Finding one in the exact colour you want may take some time .. my approach in your situation would probably be to buy a 70s Mustang bass (or other short scale) that had been stripped, refinish it in thin sonic blue nitro and tell her to beat it up herself by playing it.

 

[MrWizard44]

she wants a Fender in daphne or sonic blue - in her words, the older the better, and she wants it to be beat up.  Not relic'd, though -- genuine patina (is that how you spell it?).  I can hardly find any examples of basses like this, let alone any for sale . And vintage to boot?

If you're seriously talking vintage, then P and J basses go for way more than offsets .. for an original finish custom colour P bass I think you're talking tens of thousands of dollars and the J basses are even pricier. There are cheaper old Fenders, like the Mustang basses - and the short scale might suit her hands better than a big P or J. I don't have a handle on the prices of old Mustang basses but I think a refinished one wouldn't be too pricey, especially if it was a 70s model (which didn't come in sonic/daphne originally AFAIK).

Finding one in the exact colour you want may take some time .. my approach in your situation would probably be to buy a 70s Mustang bass (or other short scale) that had been stripped, refinish it in thin sonic blue nitro and tell her to beat it up herself by playing it.

 

Yes, I was quite concerned when I found out she wanted an old one.  I complain about the prices of vintage offsets but I know that we get off really easy -- the prices of "mainstream" instruments are always much, much higher and Fender basses are incredibly popular.  I mean, amongst guitar players you really see a big mix of Gibson, Fender, and whatever other guitars, but most bass players I see play Precision or Jazz basses...  I haven't looked at vintage prices but I can only guess how awful it must really be. 

My honest suggestion for her was to just get one built but I don't know if that would work.  She's very stubborn. 

I did recommend a Mustang bass -- a 70's one would be good, too -- she's really into the competition stripes.

[dj_techa]

Those stripes rock.  Probably the only guitar they look good on.

[StevenO]

Show her this link:
http://www.capsulemusic.com/retail/detail.asp?ID=3540

She might like something like that.

[mezcalhead]

I have a couple of 70s Precisions and they are surprisingly reasonably priced, even these days, especially if you can find one that's been slightly messed with.

They seemed to escape the worst excesses of the CBS era as well .. I guess they were a fairly basic line and they didn't get changed around too much. And I think the rough-hewn quality you see in the CBS Fenders kinda suits them - a P bass is a bit of a blunt instrument anyway.

But yeah, Mustang basses .. sounds like a plan.

[northern_dirt]

Show her this link:
http://www.capsulemusic.com/retail/detail.asp?ID=3540

She might like something like that.

Not too bad.. 1100.. though I cringe knowing they were going for 500 or less 1 years ago