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Post subject: 1975 fender precision bass HELP!!
Posted: Fri Jun 11, 2010 8:06 am
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Hello all, First timer here,

I recently purchased a 1975 Fender Precision bass, serial # 644205. I am having a hard time figuring out the type of wood in the body. It is just a plain wood with a finish on it. no color (i.e. sunburst) just plain wood grain but not sure of the type. if any body has any expertise on '75 precision basses, please help!! Thanks


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Posted: Fri Jun 11, 2010 11:50 am
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I think ... my '75 Oly White is is alder. Would a different wood be used on non-painted bodies?

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Post subject: Re: 1975 fender precision bass HELP!!
Posted: Fri Jun 11, 2010 2:23 pm
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vinaish wrote:
Hello all, First timer here,

I recently purchased a 1975 Fender Precision bass, serial # 644205. I am having a hard time figuring out the type of wood in the body. It is just a plain wood with a finish on it. no color (i.e. sunburst) just plain wood grain but not sure of the type. if any body has any expertise on '75 precision basses, please help!! Thanks


Sounds like you are describing a natural finish, which was not officially introduced as an offical color option until 1979/1980 model year. However starting 1973/1974 they had already starting turning out a few showcase instruments for trade shows, custom orders by endorsed players and print advertising purposes. Therefore unless it is one of the very early limited special runs in natural, it probably was once painted. Sometimes you can find traces of color on the body when removing the neck or in the control cavity or even within screw holes. July 1, 1956 for the 1956/1957 model year all painted basses were alder except the blonde which got ash. They also used ash on the Telecaster Bass no matter the finish. Perhaps you could custom order a painted ash body. Frankly it would be difficult to tell without inspecting it in person however most likely it is alder.


Last edited by brotherdave on Fri Jun 11, 2010 3:44 pm, edited 2 times in total.

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Posted: Fri Jun 11, 2010 2:29 pm
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Quote:
sunburst which got ash


That was my thought .... different wood for a burst ..... couldn't remember ash though. :oops:

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Posted: Fri Jun 11, 2010 2:35 pm
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Quote:
Sounds like you are describing a natural finish, which was not officially introduced as an offical color option until 1979/1980 model year.


According to one book, the 1970 catalog shows a natural finish.

Quote: "When natural finishes were added in the '70s, Fender started using ash as a primary wood"

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Posted: Fri Jun 11, 2010 3:43 pm
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bass-flyer wrote:
Quote:
Sounds like you are describing a natural finish, which was not officially introduced as an offical color option until 1979/1980 model year.


According to one book, the 1970 catalog shows a natural finish.

Quote: "When natural finishes were added in the '70s, Fender started using ash as a primary wood"


I sure thought it was 1979/80 when it got added to the P-Bass as a color option. Could have been 1969/70. My memory stinks so I'll try to dig up the color charts to see when it really was introduced. But I really don't think natural was a color option on a Precision in 1970. Never saw one anyway at the Fender dealer where I worked and I was there 1970 until 1972.

At any rate, if it is an original natural finish or blonde it is probably ash. If it was shipped as an opaque painted or sunburst finish then it would be alder.

That book is somewhat inaccurate in that quote because all Precisions were ash from 1951/1952 until 1956/1957 and ash remained under the blonde finish after that.

Here is the actual Fender 1970/1971 color chart for the entire line. While some natural finishes were available, if you look at the fine print under the color you'll see they were available on a very limited number of models.
Image


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Posted: Fri Jun 11, 2010 7:04 pm
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Quote:
My memory stinks


Heh .... mine too!

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Posted: Fri Jun 11, 2010 7:07 pm
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That's pretty close to the color chart shown in the book.

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Posted: Fri Jun 11, 2010 9:01 pm
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bass-flyer wrote:
That's pretty close to the color chart shown in the book.


In your book does it say when natural became officially available to the masses on P-basses? The chart I previously posted shows no naturals available on P-basses. There were Naturals but they were not available on P-Basses if you read the captions below the Naturals.

So far as I know the colors dwindled from the above chart in 1971/1972 when Ocean Turquoise, Firemist Silver and Firemist Gold were no longer available. Further in 1972/1973 when Sonic Blue was dropped. Next in 1973/1974 Candy Apple Red (said to be a Leo Fender personal favorite) and the popular Lake Placid Blue met a similar fate.

This left Blonde, Olympic White and Black as the only 3 custom colors available on a Precision Bass.

I have not been able to find out any other changes for 1974/1975 until the major 1979/1980 changes when the Custom Color choices doubled.

In your books does it show any other colors during the years 1974/75 and 1978/79 as available on a P-Bass?

After the final paring down in 1972/1973, the next "Fender Color Chart" I have found is 1979/1980 where Natural appears along with Antiqua, Black, White, Tobacco Sunburst and Wine.

I have seen several Precisions purported to be stock in Natural that dated between 1975 and 1978. But can't find any official changes in the color charts adding natural until 1979/1980.


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Posted: Mon Jun 14, 2010 10:16 am
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As far as Natural finishes on Ash bodies, there were plenty of Precision basses and Jazz basses done in this finish from 1972 onwards. I own a 1972 Jazz in Natural ash. It is stamped "NATURAL" in one of the pickup routes.

I remember many Precisions done in this finish and I have a1973 catalog that features a natural finished Precison bass with a maple neck, so I think it is safe to say that Natural Ash was an optional and very popular finish throughout most of the 70's.

Some considered the brown finish a variation of natural since you could see the wood grain through it.
This finish was also done on a lot of Fender basses during the 1970s.

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Posted: Mon Jun 14, 2010 10:46 am
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BCbassman wrote:
As far as Natural finishes on Ash bodies, there were plenty of Precision basses and Jazz basses done in this finish from 1972 onwards. I own a 1972 Jazz in Natural ash. It is stamped "NATURAL" in one of the pickup routes.

I remember many Precisions done in this finish and I have a1973 catalog that features a natural finished Precison bass with a maple neck, so I think it is safe to say that Natural Ash was an optional and very popular finish throughout most of the 70's.

Some considered the brown finish a variation of natural since you could see the wood grain through it.
This finish was also done on a lot of Fender basses during the 1970s.

'
I would really like a scan of your 1973 product pages and especially a color chart for P-Basses for 73/74. If you have any other color charts for 74 through 78 I am missing those too. I have all the rest. Just post them here and I'll download it for future reference. Thanks.

I don't consider brown to be natural but see where some people might confuse it.


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Posted: Tue Jun 15, 2010 2:16 pm
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I'll have to find that catalog, Dave.

You are welcome to the scanned pages if I can find it.

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