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Post subject: P-bass USA: fake or real. What to look for ?
Posted: Sat Feb 22, 2014 3:30 am
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Hi guys, I'm new here, after being a guitar player for years, I'm going to pick up my first bass.

Next week I'm going to try out a used precision bass. It would be a really good deal if legit, but the owner sais there is no serial number. So my first question is: is this possible at all (prototypes, replacements,...?).

Second, the headstock sais Made in U.S.A., but the owner himself thinks it's made in Mexico. This makes me even more suspicious (although it shows the owner is pretty honest, he just doesn't know anything about his bass).

What are some key features to look or listen at to identify fake from real ones ? And are there visible differences between Made in US and Made in Mexico ?

Some further details:
It's a P-bass with a jazz pickup in the bridge
Should have a narrower, more J-bass like neck,
Badass II bridge
White with a red tortoise pickguard

I can try to post pictures later on, but I have to make some adjustments for privacy reasons.


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Post subject: Re: P-bass USA: fake or real. What to look for ?
Posted: Sat Feb 22, 2014 3:51 am
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Some pictures:

Image

Image

Image

Image

I haven't got a picture of the headstock for the moment, but I have seen a picture of it, and it looked basically like this:
Image


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Post subject: Re: P-bass USA: fake or real. What to look for ?
Posted: Sat Feb 22, 2014 5:41 am
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First, I would never consider buying a Fender bass without a serial #. Almost guaranteed it's a fake. Secondly, the logo looks wrong to me. Not the right placement on the headstock and "Precision Bass" to small. I would stay away from this one.


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Post subject: Re: P-bass USA: fake or real. What to look for ?
Posted: Sat Feb 22, 2014 9:35 am
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pfox14 wrote:
First, I would never consider buying a Fender bass without a serial #. Almost guaranteed it's a fake. Secondly, the logo looks wrong to me. Not the right placement on the headstock and "Precision Bass" to small. I would stay away from this one.


The headstock in the picture is not the headstock of the bass I'm gonna try. It is the headstock of recent American Standard Precision basses and looks similar. So I don't think the headstock in the picture is a fake one.
But indeed, no serial number is fishy.


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Post subject: Re: P-bass USA: fake or real. What to look for ?
Posted: Sat Feb 22, 2014 10:15 am
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Looks like a post-2006 Olympic White FSR HWY1 body with an American Standard neck attached on it.

Someone had put a Jazz Bass pickup in the bridge and dropped a P/J pickguard. The body has been drilled for a side-mounted jackplate.


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Post subject: Re: P-bass USA: fake or real. What to look for ?
Posted: Sat Feb 22, 2014 10:52 am
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:evil: No Serial Number = No Sale! :evil:

Don't even consider buying any instrument without a bonafide authentic serial number. Never. Ever.

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Post subject: Re: P-bass USA: fake or real. What to look for ?
Posted: Sat Feb 22, 2014 11:03 am
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linnin wrote:
:evil: No Serial Number = No Sale! :evil:

Don't even consider buying any instrument without a bonafide authentic serial number. Never. Ever.


I agree to the max! No Serial Number = No Sale.

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Post subject: Re: P-bass USA: fake or real. What to look for ?
Posted: Sat Feb 22, 2014 10:15 pm
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Mr. Nylon wrote:
linnin wrote:
:evil: No Serial Number = No Sale! :evil:

Don't even consider buying any instrument without a bonafide authentic serial number. Never. Ever.


I agree to the max! No Serial Number = No Sale.


+1!


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Post subject: Re: P-bass USA: fake or real. What to look for ?
Posted: Sun Feb 23, 2014 2:40 pm
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No serial = no sale is a great post. Without a serial it is not a real Fender but a parts bass with a Fender decal on it.


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Post subject: Re: P-bass USA: fake or real. What to look for ?
Posted: Mon Mar 10, 2014 1:28 pm
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I own some " parts basses" that would'nt have a serial number if
I was to sell them. But I would not try to pass them off as real Fenders.
Just good sounding basses.

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Post subject: Re: P-bass USA: fake or real. What to look for ?
Posted: Mon Mar 10, 2014 6:07 pm
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Is that a medium scale?


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Post subject: Re: P-bass USA: fake or real. What to look for ?
Posted: Mon Mar 10, 2014 6:40 pm
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WildintheStreets wrote:
Is that a medium scale?



+1 Honestly, that body doesn't even look "right" to me. I wonder if this is a MightyMite/Warmoth/AllParts type bass. There used to be people who sold the waterslide decals on ebay and getting a neck plate is easy. Slapping a bass together is easy enough. As was said above. No Serial Number, No Sale. Simple as that. If you play the bass and like it then that's fine. However, know that the seller is trying to pass off a parts bass as an authentic Fender. So I'd be wary of doing business with them. Part of what the seller is asking is for the Fender name. So if you like it. Pay what you think it's worth as a generic no name bass.

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Post subject: Re: P-bass USA: fake or real. What to look for ?
Posted: Sat Mar 15, 2014 10:45 am
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Buyer beware! There are a lot of squires or even lesser quality basses that can easily be re-branded as a Fender bass, but they are not.

Be careful out there!

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