Fender Precision Bass Model Solid Body Electric Bass Guitar (1960), made in Fullerton, California, serial # 45981, white/blonde re- finish, ash body, maple neck with rosewood fingerboard, hard shell case.
This fabulously vibey Fender Bass wears an ancient refinish on the body only but otherwise remains a very original example of a rare variation of the eariest slab-board Precision. Overfinished many decades ago in a sort-of-blonde hue, underneath this is a seldom seen ash-bodied (originally blond) Precision from mid/late 1960. The 1950s one-piece maple neck and gold anodized pickguard had been supplanted by the rosewood fingerboard and tortoise celluloid 'guard in the summer of 1959. The penciled date on this neck is 7/60, the body is pencil dated 9/60 in the pickup cavity. The pots are coded to the 9th week of that same year.
The bass carries the classic pre-CBS features including the clay dot, slab rosewood fingerboard neck with a wide 1 3/4" nut and fairly slim profile back-to-front. The headstock is adorned with the old "Spaghetti" Fender logo decal. The contoured ash body carries the post-'57 split pickup, thick tortoise celluloid pickguard, twin rounder chrome covers and plastic finger rest. The ash body is VERY rare in 1960; by this point only blonde-finished instruments were built using this wood in the instead of the alder used for all other finishes. Very few blonde Precision basses were ordered in the 1960s, only a relative handful in any given year; this is the only 1960 example we have ever seen.
This bass was fairly amateurishly re-shot in some sort of white-ish paint many decades ago. The original blonde finish (over a very grainy ash body) is still intact in the pickup cavity, control cavity and partially in the neck pocket and under the bridge. When the finish was applied the solder joints were not disturbed; the pickguard was removed but the pickup and control areas were simply covered over with masking tape, the lines of which are still clearly visible. Every part of the bass remains original, down to the screws. Amazingly the strings are 1960s green-silk Fender flatwounds; combined with the foam still intact under the bridge cover this gives the bass the original James Jamerson/Duck Dunn thump in spades.
This bass is light for this era at just over 8 1/2 Lbs. and a truly excellent handling instrument. It could be re-finished again to restoration quality by any of a number of skilled modern luthiers, but we think it has a great vibe as it is, funky but chic, so to speak. In any finish this remains a wonderful instrument for any style of music, an absolute joy to play, and a prime example of the glory days of Fender.
Overall length is 45 3/4 in. (116.2 cm.), 13 in. (33 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 1 5/8 in. (4.1 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.)., 8.59 lbs. Apart from the decades-ago finish work on the body only this bass remains in original condition, with all other parts unaltered and complete. The finish on the body is evenly applied but not professionally buffed; it was once white but has now curdled to a surprisingly close approximation of the original blonde. There is some general subsequent wear mostly to the back and especially the rear/lower edge of the body.
The neck finish is completely original and shows wear down to the wood on the edges, some dings and dents and small spots of "curly cord burn" up near the heel and at the base of the headstock. The original small frets show some wear in the lower positions but nothing tragic; the bass has been strung with flatwound strings since new. The beautiful dark slab rosewood fingerboard has a couple of small dings and dents. Even with the heavy flats still in place the neck is quite straight and shows no truss rod distress, in fact the rod does not appear to have been turned much in 60 years.
The hardware is all intact and original; there is plating wear as would be expected and most of the screws have some corrosion. We did add some extra foam under the pickups for improved adjustability but the original mute foam under the bridge cover is still intact and functional. Playing this bass is a trip straight back to the early 1960s; the sound is pure Motown/Stax with the dead string thump in full bloom; there is no modern string that really duplicates this tone. Of course it could be easily re-strung for more modern sounds as well. This would also be a simple restoration project with a pro resto/refin to the body, but we really like the vibe as it is. There's a lot of history in this one, even if we don't know much of it. This is the sort of bass that, if you're only going to own and play ONE, would be a fine choice! Overall Very Good + Condition.
