Fender Musicmaster Bass Model Solid Body Electric Bass Guitar (1975), made in Fullerton, California, serial # 649388, Dakota Red finish, alder body, maple neck with rosewood fingerboard, black gig bag case.
This is a worn-in but good playing original 1970s Fender Musicmaster bass, with a bit of a checkered past and some general wear and tear. There is wear to finish overall with dings, dents, scuffs and scrapes overall. There is a deep ding above the treble cutaway and heavier wear to the bottom edge. The red body finish is still basically pre-CBS style Dakota Red, with a light lacquer overcoat now showing a decent amount of wear. This older-style finish was still used on the budget Musicmaster well into the CBS thickskin poly era. The neck is finished in thin lacquer as well, with fine checking on the headstock and some wear on the back surface. Ironically this least expensive Bass has a much more "vintage-y" feel than the "good" professional grade Fenders of this period..
There are inspector's marks but no neck date on the heel as is typical for this period; the serial plate is from around 1975. The pickguard and pickup appear to be from an older bass; the grey-bobbin pickup is ink-stamped 9291 on the bottom which suggests assembly in 1971. There are a few extra scraw holes in the body under the pickguard indicating another guard was once mounted but no extra routing or other funny stuff. The two-saddle bridge and curious imported tuners are original, the plastic knobs and thumbrest later repros. The pots and wiring are later than the bass but correctly done. This bass looks to have been neatly if imperfectly restored from whatever was once done with the original pickguard.
While a bit of a mongrel perhaps this handy little 4-string actually looks and feels more like a 1960s instrument than its 1970s origins would lead one to expect. It plays well and sounds as it should. The Musicmaster still one of the best beginner's basses ever made, a very comfortable 4-string quite suitable for live and recording situations despite its budget origins.
Overall length is 42 1/8 in. (107 cm.), 12 1/4 in. (31.1 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 1 1/2 in. (3.8 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 30 in. (762 mm.). Width of nut is 1 5/8 in. (41 mm.). Overall Very Good + Condition.
