It is currently Mon Mar 16, 2020 7:55 am

All times are UTC - 7 hours



Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 11 posts ] 
Author Message
Post subject: 1970s Fender Bass Neck Serial Number Q!
Posted: Tue Jul 15, 2014 1:37 am
Offline
Hobbyist
Hobbyist

Joined: Sun Aug 04, 2013 4:34 pm
Posts: 67
I have a good one for everybody. I have just purchased a vintage Musicmaster Bass neck online and cannot tell what year it was made. I know it is from the early 70s... It has the small headstock logo with triangular tuning buttons and the only serial number is on the butt of the guitar. By using the standard numbering format I still cannot guess when it was made. Some help would be much appreciated!

From 1972 to 1980 Fender used a dating and identification system similar to the 1969 to 1971 system. A Stratocaster with a neck code of 09032185. The first 6 digits are paired codes for instrument type, fretboard type, and week. The last two digits year and day of the week, are read individually.

09 = model code (Stratocaster)
03 = neck code (maple neck)
21 = week code (week 21)
8 = year code (1980)
5 = day of the week code (Thursday)

https://www.flickr.com/photos/99856663@N04/14472995350/


Top
Profile
Fender Play Winter Sale 2020
Post subject: Re: 1970s Fender Bass Neck Serial Number Q!
Posted: Tue Jul 15, 2014 1:42 am
Online
Rock Icon
Rock Icon
User avatar

Joined: Fri Feb 05, 2010 4:31 am
Posts: 14045
Location: Province de Québec, Canada
No need a second post for same guitar ,

What is the pots date code ?


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: 1970s Fender Bass Neck Serial Number Q!
Posted: Tue Jul 15, 2014 10:52 am
Offline
Professional Musician
Professional Musician
User avatar

Joined: Mon Feb 25, 2008 8:47 am
Posts: 2967
Location: Westchester County, NY
Here's my input. The stamp should have a letter in the end for width from 69-71, this reads more like their stamps starting in 1972:

07: Musicmaster Bass?
00: neck code (rosewood fingerboard)
36: 36th week of year
5: 1975
1: day of the week (monday)


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: 1970s Fender Bass Neck Serial Number Q!
Posted: Tue Jul 15, 2014 12:16 pm
Offline
Professional Musician
Professional Musician
User avatar

Joined: Thu Nov 01, 2012 1:58 pm
Posts: 1051
Location: SW Florida
I would be happy to input but I would need to see what you are calling triangular tuning buttons and small decal.

Do you mean clover shaped tuners and simply Fender as a logo?

_________________
Collector of vintage Fender 4 string basses.


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: 1970s Fender Bass Neck Serial Number Q!
Posted: Tue Jul 15, 2014 1:26 pm
Offline
Professional Musician
Professional Musician
User avatar

Joined: Fri Sep 05, 2008 6:01 pm
Posts: 1479
Location: Los Angeles, USA
stratele52 wrote:
No need a second post for same guitar ,

What is the pots date code ?


I don't think the neck has a pot date :mrgreen:

_________________
I'm almost out of stuff to sell.


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: 1970s Fender Bass Neck Serial Number Q!
Posted: Tue Jul 15, 2014 2:26 pm
Online
Rock Icon
Rock Icon
User avatar

Joined: Fri Feb 05, 2010 4:31 am
Posts: 14045
Location: Province de Québec, Canada
ebaysux wrote:
stratele52 wrote:
No need a second post for same guitar ,

What is the pots date code ?


I don't think the neck has a pot date :mrgreen:



Oh he just bought a neck ,,,, Sorry :oops:


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: 1970s Fender Bass Neck Serial Number Q!
Posted: Tue Jul 15, 2014 2:28 pm
Offline
Professional Musician
Professional Musician
User avatar

Joined: Fri Sep 05, 2008 6:01 pm
Posts: 1479
Location: Los Angeles, USA
stratele52 wrote:
ebaysux wrote:
stratele52 wrote:
No need a second post for same guitar ,

What is the pots date code ?


I don't think the neck has a pot date :mrgreen:



Oh he just bought a neck ,,,, Sorry :oops:


It happens to the best of us. :lol:

_________________
I'm almost out of stuff to sell.


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: 1970s Fender Bass Neck Serial Number Q!
Posted: Wed Jul 23, 2014 9:46 am
Offline
Rock Star
Rock Star
User avatar

Joined: Thu Aug 07, 2008 3:12 pm
Posts: 6355
Location: Albemarle, NC
I don't understand what you are asking for sure as you don't specify the neck code you have. If there is no date code stamped on the neck butt it would not surprise me. If there is no serial on the headstock it could be one of the earlier models. However that neck stamping code is the only way for sure to date a neck when the neck is all you have.

The neck code is completely legible only about half the time or a bit less than half.

In this case if it only says FENDER on the headstock decal one of two things happened. It is one of the early ones before the MUSICMASTER BASS decals came in. It was refinished with a generic decal. Hard to say.

The Musicmaster Bass was introduced in 1971. Early copies models have a small headstock logo, lack a serial number on the headstock and have small triangular shaped tuning keys unique to the Musicmaster Bass. The later issues featured a much larger headstock logo with a serial number silkscreened next to the "Fender" logo, and Mustang-style tuning keys instead of the triangular ones exclusively used on the early Musicmaster basses.


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: 1970s Fender Bass Neck Serial Number Q!
Posted: Wed Jul 23, 2014 10:29 am
Offline
Rock Star
Rock Star
User avatar

Joined: Thu Aug 07, 2008 3:12 pm
Posts: 6355
Location: Albemarle, NC
affprod wrote:
I would be happy to input but I would need to see what you are calling triangular tuning buttons and small decal.

Do you mean clover shaped tuners and simply Fender as a logo?


The early Musicmaster Bass tuning keys had a split shaft then a triangular piece of metal (sometimes called a "wing") was centered in the split and hammered home. I don't know who made them for Fender and they didn't have tuner ferrules (grommets) either. They looked like this:

Image

Later versions with the tuners used on the Mustang:

Image


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: 1970s Fender Bass Neck Serial Number Q!
Posted: Wed Jul 23, 2014 6:48 pm
Offline
Professional Musician
Professional Musician
User avatar

Joined: Thu Nov 01, 2012 1:58 pm
Posts: 1051
Location: SW Florida
Quote:
The early Musicmaster Bass tuning keys had a split shaft then a triangular piece of metal (sometimes called a "wing") was centered in the split and hammered home.


How about that...thanks Brother Dave.

_________________
Collector of vintage Fender 4 string basses.


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: 1970s Fender Bass Neck Serial Number Q!
Posted: Tue Aug 12, 2014 3:45 pm
Offline
Professional Musician
Professional Musician
User avatar

Joined: Fri Mar 21, 2008 11:00 am
Posts: 1226
Location: In the pocket north of Washington D.C.
Those early Musicmaster bass tuners are better than most people think.
If you notice in the pictures Bro. Dave so nicely provided; the early tuners line up better with the nut slots.

I think those tuners were made in Germany.
They were on the 1970 model and maybe until 73, I am not sure.

They actually work very nicely.

_________________
If thine enemy wrong thee, buy each of his children a drum.


Top
Profile
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 11 posts ] 

All times are UTC - 7 hours

Fender Play Winter Sale 2020

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 1 guest


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum

Search for:
Jump to: