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Post subject: P-bass pickup color change
Posted: Sat Jun 11, 2011 12:25 pm
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Joined: Fri Jul 11, 2008 4:55 pm
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Location: Albion, CA
I recently saw a photo of a '74 P-bass with black pickups. I turned to my '64 with envy. I never liked the bone colored pickups, and when I acquired the instrument in 1979, the pickup cover was gone.

I've assumed the color of the pickups changed when they realized everyone removed the pickup cover. Does anyone know when this transition took place?

--- Jim ---


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Post subject: Re: P-bass pickup color change
Posted: Sat Jun 11, 2011 2:01 pm
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Joined: Sat Apr 02, 2011 9:22 am
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I have rarely seen white pickup covers on any bass made before the late 70's(78 or 79)that came from the factory like that,However most late 70's-80s pickup after market upgrades were the Dimarzio brand which usually came w/white covers but some black were availiable I have also saw my share of white covers that were made black by the use of a magic marker(popular DIY up-grade was the m/marker home coloring kit)LOL!
I just went through my 2010 Fender catalog and did'nt see not one bass with white plastic covers,I absolutely remember doing set-ups on late 70's model Jazzbasses that had the white covers while working at a certain un-named Mu-SICK store,they were also combined with the Strat style top-hat knobs opposed to the usual jazzbass knobs(2 big volumes and 1 smaller tone knob)
I do believe they were the straw that ALMOST broke the proverbial back of Fender,they had cut corners so much that the basses were a mere shadow of what they were,the building was still decent but then the electronics started sounding crappy,QC was waining and the build quality followed,they were overly heavy guitars/basses and neither sounded or played like the basses Leo had designed.
It almost crushed the Co.I am not sure of the exact year or names but the Company changed hands(investors and shareholders I believe aquired it)and a complete revamp happened,they had one chance to get Fender back to its original place among the top of the list and this was their shot,Japan was bombing us(and other countries) with killer basses with quality and cost efficiency but with a fraction of the build cost.
So Fender banked on the Vintage re-issue basses/guitars to save the fledgling Co(original Fullerton models that started the whole Vintage re-issue thing)But with all the focus on that they needed quality basses/guitars to sell so they turned to the very same Japanese Co's who were the ones making all the Fender copies(along with many other Co's guitar/bass design's)to produce their new Squier line,JV line and also the very basses that would carry the Made In U.S.A. h/stock decals(its now no-longer a secret that they put US decals on Japanese made basses)people were happy to again be able to get quality Fender instruments once again.
So with the newly designed Vintage re-issues,Up-graded American Standard model's(wink,wink :wink: )and Awesome Japanese Squiers/Squier JV,and Contemporary line(jazzbass specials & blacked out p-basses w/matching h/stocks)they took their throne back as the best Guitar/bass making Co once again.
Long story short :D
ps(years and models are'nt perfect,but the facts pertaining to them are,this is'nt my opinion but facts I have read in accurate locations(internet or Books)I always play Fenders and always will and this is no means an attack on them or their actions, nor accustations about they'er buisness practicies,everything listed here is available to the general public and in no way fabricated by me. :mrgreen:
Thanks for reading.

_________________
BOOMSHANKA: "May the seed of your loin be fruitfull in the belly of your woman"
Neil quoted from the "Young Ones" MTV Sketch series.


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Post subject: Re: P-bass pickup color change
Posted: Sat Jun 11, 2011 2:42 pm
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Joined: Fri Jul 11, 2008 4:55 pm
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Location: Albion, CA
Fascinating...your comment about after-market upgrades being white makes some sense. This instrument had been modified to a degree when I acquired it...the worst of all evils was the tuning pegs had been swapped out for non-P-bass mods (I would love to have that restored some day if it didn't run the risk of killing the headstock).

But I know it's a '64...I have the "matching" Musicmaster Bass amp...they were a pair. Both serial numbers match up to pre-CBS likely 1964.

So if these likely aren't the original pickups/covers for 1964, could one consider it conceivable to back-date the instrument to authentic Fender replacement pickups? That would make me very happy...the real adjustability of the existing pickups was shot a good 15 years ago.

I'd still rather own this modded '64 P-bass than any other...could never part with it...just want to keep it at its best (after a lot of years in storage) and restore it as I can.


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