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Post subject: Need help with my Made in Japan P Bass Please
Posted: Fri Feb 03, 2012 8:26 am
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Hello everyone
I have a P Bass made in Japan. This is not a Squier. According to the serial number the bass was made in 1985-1986. The neck and body are stamped with PB 562. There are only a couple of very very light scratches on it. My questions : Is this a 62 reissue, and what is it worth? This is my first experience with a Fender bass, and I am just looking for a little help.

Thanks


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Post subject: Re: Need help with my Made in Japan P Bass Please
Posted: Sat Feb 04, 2012 12:45 am
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Hello and welcome to the forum. Can you post photos please? There are some Japanese 62 RI's. Not sure if yours is.


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Post subject: Re: Need help with my Made in Japan P Bass Please
Posted: Sat Feb 04, 2012 12:49 am
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I will post some when I get home. Working nights right now. Thanks


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Post subject: Re: Need help with my Made in Japan P Bass Please
Posted: Sat Feb 04, 2012 1:08 am
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I know how it is to work nights. I rotate shifts at work and prefer nights actually.


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Post subject: Re: Need help with my Made in Japan P Bass Please
Posted: Sat Feb 04, 2012 2:06 am
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I did have one picture on my phone. You can see it at the link below. I will post more later. Also, on the neck plate, it does say fender between the top 2 screws.

http://i1266.photobucket.com/albums/jj522/Ahamlin04/IMAG0078-1.jpg


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Post subject: Re: Need help with my Made in Japan P Bass Please
Posted: Sat Feb 04, 2012 6:10 pm
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Ok, here are some more pictures of the bass.

http://s1266.photobucket.com/albums/jj522/Ahamlin04/

The serial number begins with C0. So I do believe that it was from 1985-1986. Also, I am trying to figure out what type of wood was used for the body.

Thanks again


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Post subject: Re: Need help with my Made in Japan P Bass Please
Posted: Sun Feb 05, 2012 7:29 am
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This is not a reissue, the reissue ones have the 60's logo on the headstock. Yours is a standard MIJ Precision (maybe the bodies were also used for 62 RI's), nevertheless, they're very nice basses, had one in Lake Placid Blue with maple fretboard.

http://fenderbass.net/files/2010/10/-11 ... 717461.jpg

Here a 1991 MIJ 62 RI for you to compare.

Hope it helps.

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Post subject: Re: Need help with my Made in Japan P Bass Please
Posted: Sun Feb 05, 2012 12:25 pm
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It is indeed a 1985 MIJ. I have an E-series of the same year, the decal, neckplate and hardware look identical.

These are pretty sought after, and some believe that MIJ P-basses of this year (Particularly the JV and E-series) are better than the USA version, or that there was no USA production this year so the Japanese basses were made to a better quality possibly using USA parts due to the shut-down and relocation of the Fender USA factory.

The body wood could be alder or it could apparently be basswood, although I have never personally seen a P-bass of this vintage in basswood. A very rough test is that Alder is much harder, so light dings on the body will result in dented wood if it's basswood, but intact wood and chipped finish if its alder. If you look in the body cavity or neck pocket, basswood has very little visible grain, or an indistict broad ash-like grain pattern, while alder has a tighter, parallel grain pattern. Also, Alder has a brighter tone while basswood tends to be sweet and mellow and thumpy.

for an MIJ, your bass is quite valuable. Good examples of Basses of this year go for up to 600 EUR in Europe as they are considered superior to the USA basses of the same era. They have recently massively increased in value over about the last 5 years, as people realise their worth and workmanship.

I'm not sure if mine is superior to a USA bass myself though, mine sounds really great for blues or rock, a real vintage sound, and has an amazing action and an amazing fast, slim neck, but the hardware is not so good quality, the chrome is falling off. The pickups are sweet sounding, but are a little underpowered and lack punch.


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Post subject: Re: Need help with my Made in Japan P Bass Please
Posted: Sun Feb 05, 2012 12:55 pm
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Agree not a RI but regular production. The E and C serials were made simultaneously. Anyone care to enlighten us on the reason the serials are different?


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Post subject: Re: Need help with my Made in Japan P Bass Please
Posted: Sun Feb 05, 2012 5:57 pm
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Thank you everyone for your help. I am pleased with the bass. It's a keeper!


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Post subject: Re: Need help with my Made in Japan P Bass Please
Posted: Mon Feb 06, 2012 4:17 am
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Your question about serial numbers:

At the time, Fender USA were using the E (eighties) serial prefix. When they relocated their factory in 1985, manufacture of Fender guitars ceased in the USA. To maintain availability of new Fender instruments in the USA during this period, some Japanese guitars were designated for export to the USA market and therefore used the same "E" serial number system as the USA made guitars.

Guitars made at the same time, in the same factory but designated for non-USA sale carried the Japanese serial number system that started with A, B or C that year.

Whether this meant that there was any difference in quality or wood between the "A,B,C" or "E" series guitars I don't know, serial number-based headstockitis might be a factor here!
But like I said, my E-series looks identical in every way to your C-series except the colour and the "C" in the serial.


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