Fender Precision Bass Solid Body Electric Bass Guitar (1955)
LOADING IMAGES
This item has been sold.
Item # 4254
Prices subject to change without notice.
Fender Precision Bass Model Solid Body Electric Bass Guitar (1955), made in Fullerton, California, two tone sunburst lacquer finish, ash body, maple neck.
This is an extremely well played-in example of the "second generation" Fender Precision Bass, the instrument that took the electric bass from curiosity to everyday tool. By the second half of 1955 when this bass was made, the Precision had begun to shed its original "baritone Telecaster" look introduced in late 1951 and take on some characteristics of the new Fender Stratocaster. The ash body is "comfort contoured" instead of the earlier slab style, and the finish is the black/yellow sunburst introduced on the Strat.
The original single-coil pickup and "Tele" style headstock are still in use, so this bass is generally considered a transition model to the final Precision design finalized by mid-1957. The neck is slightly slimmer and less round-backed than earlier 50's basses but with only a hint of the strong "V" contour that would be seen by 1957. The body is a beautiful piece of ash -- Fender would shortly substitute less expensive alder as the body wood on the sunburst instruments like this.
All these early Precisions are fairly rare; in recent years ex-Police front man Sting has used a Precision Bass nearly identical to this one (with the pickguard similarly removed) extensively, so many now refer to this variant as the "Sting" model. This is an extremely comfortable and great-feeling bass, and has obviously been played and enjoyed by several generations of bassists!
Overall length is 45 7/8 in. (116.5 cm.), 13 in. (33 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 1 1/2 in. (3.8 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 34 in. (864 mm.). Width of nut is 1 3/4 in. (44 mm.).
Very well-used...wear is pretty universal but you can see why-what a great playing bass! Mostly original; missing pickguard (although most of the screws are still there!) and finger-rest; one knob appears later. All other parts original except a couple of screws. The original frets are quite low but still functional. Overall Very Good + Condition.
This is an extremely well played-in example of the "second generation" Fender Precision Bass, the instrument that took the electric bass from curiosity to everyday tool. By the second half of 1955 when this bass was made, the Precision had begun to shed its original "baritone Telecaster" look introduced in late 1951 and take on some characteristics of the new Fender Stratocaster. The ash body is "comfort contoured" instead of the earlier slab style, and the finish is the black/yellow sunburst introduced on the Strat.
The original single-coil pickup and "Tele" style headstock are still in use, so this bass is generally considered a transition model to the final Precision design finalized by mid-1957. The neck is slightly slimmer and less round-backed than earlier 50's basses but with only a hint of the strong "V" contour that would be seen by 1957. The body is a beautiful piece of ash -- Fender would shortly substitute less expensive alder as the body wood on the sunburst instruments like this.
All these early Precisions are fairly rare; in recent years ex-Police front man Sting has used a Precision Bass nearly identical to this one (with the pickguard similarly removed) extensively, so many now refer to this variant as the "Sting" model. This is an extremely comfortable and great-feeling bass, and has obviously been played and enjoyed by several generations of bassists!
Overall length is 45 7/8 in. (116.5 cm.), 13 in. (33 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 1 1/2 in. (3.8 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 34 in. (864 mm.). Width of nut is 1 3/4 in. (44 mm.).
Very well-used...wear is pretty universal but you can see why-what a great playing bass! Mostly original; missing pickguard (although most of the screws are still there!) and finger-rest; one knob appears later. All other parts original except a couple of screws. The original frets are quite low but still functional. Overall Very Good + Condition.