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Post subject: Trying to identofy bass
Posted: Fri Jul 19, 2013 11:13 am
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I have come across a Fender Precision bass that I am trying to identify (age etc.), but some things about it have me (and the local guitar expert) confused. It has the anodized pick guard, brass knobs, brass nut, gold tuners (pretty sure they are reverse direction), and a gold bridge. It looks like the pickup (split) has been replaced, but the original is in a box labeled "Original 62 P-Bass Pickup". So, I'm guessing that was the reacement. I can't find a serial number anywhere.

Any suugestions?

Thank you!


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Post subject: Re: Trying to identofy bass
Posted: Fri Jul 19, 2013 11:56 am
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Posts: 3169
Location: Linningrad
Clear well focused photos are required.
1) Headstock full front and back
2) butt end of neck (requires removal from bass) clear well focused close ups of any and all stampings; markings, and writtings
3) Neck pocket on body
4) controls - clear well focused images of solder joints; wiring, and numbers stamped into the housings of the controls

And that's just for starters

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One day they shall name a GREAT city after me, and they shall call it LINNINGRAD


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Post subject: Re: Trying to identofy bass
Posted: Fri Jul 19, 2013 12:00 pm
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Thank you. I will take the photos over the weekend, and post them.


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Post subject: Re: Trying to identofy bass
Posted: Tue Aug 06, 2013 10:50 am
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Here are the photos. Thank you for any information.

Whole guitar
http://people.clemson.edu/~tom/pictures/bass/11.JPG


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Post subject: Re: Trying to identofy bass
Posted: Tue Aug 06, 2013 10:51 am
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Head front
http://people.clemson.edu/~tom/pictures/bass/12.JPG
http://people.clemson.edu/~tom/pictures/bass/15.JPG


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Post subject: Re: Trying to identofy bass
Posted: Tue Aug 06, 2013 10:52 am
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Head back - I think the tuners have been replaced. Note the extra holes.
http://people.clemson.edu/~tom/pictures/bass/17.JPG
http://people.clemson.edu/~tom/pictures/bass/21.JPG
http://people.clemson.edu/~tom/pictures/bass/22.JPG


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Post subject: Re: Trying to identofy bass
Posted: Tue Aug 06, 2013 10:52 am
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Top of neck - I think the nut is brass
http://people.clemson.edu/~tom/pictures/bass/13.JPG


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Post subject: Re: Trying to identofy bass
Posted: Tue Aug 06, 2013 10:53 am
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Base of neck (removed) - It has a number barely readable. Looks something like "?D?-265?"
http://people.clemson.edu/~tom/pictures/bass/23.JPG
http://people.clemson.edu/~tom/pictures/bass/24.JPG
http://people.clemson.edu/~tom/pictures/bass/36.JPG
http://people.clemson.edu/~tom/pictures/bass/37.JPG
http://people.clemson.edu/~tom/pictures/bass/38.JPG


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Post subject: Re: Trying to identofy bass
Posted: Tue Aug 06, 2013 10:53 am
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Neck pocket
http://people.clemson.edu/~tom/pictures/bass/25.JPG
http://people.clemson.edu/~tom/pictures/bass/26.JPG
http://people.clemson.edu/~tom/pictures/bass/27.JPG


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Post subject: Re: Trying to identofy bass
Posted: Tue Aug 06, 2013 10:54 am
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Body front
http://people.clemson.edu/~tom/pictures/bass/14.JPG

Knobs
http://people.clemson.edu/~tom/pictures/bass/19.JPG


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Post subject: Re: Trying to identofy bass
Posted: Tue Aug 06, 2013 10:55 am
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Pickups on guitar
http://people.clemson.edu/~tom/pictures/bass/20.JPG
http://people.clemson.edu/~tom/pictures/bass/32.JPG
http://people.clemson.edu/~tom/pictures/bass/33.JPG

Pickup pocket
http://people.clemson.edu/~tom/pictures/bass/34.JPG


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Post subject: Re: Trying to identofy bass
Posted: Tue Aug 06, 2013 10:55 am
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Sticker on back of pickguard
http://people.clemson.edu/~tom/pictures/bass/35.JPG

Electronics (pickguard removed)
http://people.clemson.edu/~tom/pictures/bass/28.JPG
http://people.clemson.edu/~tom/pictures/bass/29.JPG
http://people.clemson.edu/~tom/pictures/bass/30.JPG
http://people.clemson.edu/~tom/pictures/bass/31.JPG

Body back
http://people.clemson.edu/~tom/pictures/bass/18JPG

Bridge
http://people.clemson.edu/~tom/pictures/bass/16JPG

Replacement pickups
http://people.clemson.edu/~tom/pictures/bass/1.JPG
http://people.clemson.edu/~tom/pictures/bass/2.JPG
http://people.clemson.edu/~tom/pictures/bass/3.JPG
http://people.clemson.edu/~tom/pictures/bass/6.JPG

Original pickups
http://people.clemson.edu/~tom/pictures/bass/4.JPG
http://people.clemson.edu/~tom/pictures/bass/5.JPG
http://people.clemson.edu/~tom/pictures/bass/7.JPG

Case
http://people.clemson.edu/~tom/pictures/bass/8.JPG
http://people.clemson.edu/~tom/pictures/bass/9.JPG
http://people.clemson.edu/~tom/pictures/bass/10.JPG


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Post subject: Re: Trying to identofy bass
Posted: Tue Aug 06, 2013 9:39 pm
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The headstock shows age but the fingerboard is light wood (maple) - it may have been planed down at one time?? It's really hard to tell. To me without knowing exactly--( my 74 P bass has the Torres stamp on it)-- 70's era neck the rest is hard to tell for me.

Electronics looks like it has all been replaced except for maybe the cap-- This is a Brother Dave thing- he can scope it out better than me but I 'd say a lot of the stuff may not be original parts.

The case looks like my 72 and 74 cases.
p guard is not original to the body- (extra holes in body -- more than there are in the pguard)

I'd say that's an ash body but someone else may think it's something else like poison ivy wood. Who knows? AND after looking over the pics again today. It looks like a parts axe with some mid 70's parts and maybe a new fret job. Maybe worth whatever someone would pay for it, If it wasn't super heavy and if it sounded real good I'd give 55o cause it has an old case . BUT OOPS-- no serial number??? That sends up the red flags cause it could be a stolen bass. So I would prob leave it alone. :D


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Post subject: Re: Trying to identofy bass
Posted: Thu Aug 08, 2013 7:25 pm
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Posts: 6355
Location: Albemarle, NC
I think this was very possibly a 1974 model year P-Bass because the remaining original style pot dates to the 38th week of 1974 and a Torres necks would fit with that pot date also. The body has the correct paint stick mark in the neck pocket for that period also. The parts that are possibly original are the wooden parts, one pot, the tone cap and maybe the jack. The other pot is aftermarket and all the other hardware parts are non-orignal. The cap looks vintage CBS era correct. The pickup on the instrument appears to be the Fender Original Precision Bass pickup set, the same as used on the '62 USA Vintage Reissue P-Bass up till last year when it was discontinued. Very good pickup. It is somewhat underwound compared to the winding in '74.

If you carefully remove the original pickups from the foam there might be date codes on the bottoms. However often they will be obscured by foam remnants or adhesive so it probably isn't worth looking and better to leave them as is.

The pickguard was made for a Schecter instrument, not a Fender. I'm suspecting some of the other hardware came from the same Schecter bass, which was used as a source for most of the hardware. Even on Fenders with custom gold plated hardware, they didn't get a brass nut, so it is also aftermarket too. All this gold hardware is suspect.

The wiring is not original either.

The case is a 72 to 75 case, so if it is the case that came with the instrument originally it would fit the guess of 1974 model year.

While these could be custom ordered with gold hardware, this one wasn't since the tuners are obviously non-original and are not sized correctly. I agree that the board was de-fretted, sanded and refretted. It doesn't appear the finger board was re-lacquered professionally to match the headstock and the edges on the board appear to have been over aggressively sanded to the point they are uneven and wavy.

I'd pass on this unless you needed it for a player and could get it for less than $600. Even at $600 it is not exactly a bargain. The neck work looks really really sloppy. There are better examples that haven't been messed up like this one has been and I'd look for one of those.

This is the sort of instrument that looks intriguing from a distance but up close is really not what one would actually like to own or play out.


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Post subject: Re: Trying to identofy bass
Posted: Thu Aug 08, 2013 7:26 pm
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Location: Albemarle, NC
Also with no serial number, it is classed as a parts bass. It has a few Fender parts but many aren't.


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