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Pre CBS Fender basses


dafonky
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[quote name='NancyJohnson' timestamp='1325469955' post='1483500']
A quick question as you appear to have the basses to answer it!

You have the three Precisions that represent the full transition from the original '52/slab to the '58 that we know now recognise as the standard P-Bass. I'm assuming the '52 has a slab body, the '56 a tummy/forearm contour and the '58 it pretty much the P-Bass that [i]everyone [/i]knows. Headstock shape and stomach/forearm routing aside, are the body shapes all identical? It's been something that I've wanted to know for a while, but felt stupid asking...the shapes of the scratchplate(s)/control plates kind of mask what's going on with the body shape.

Cheers
P
[/quote]

Not a stupid question at all, and something that is anything but obvious. The simple answer is yes, the outside shape of the body is the same on all 3 models. The bakelite black pickguards on the recently contoured '54 Precisions were trimmed slightly, to allow for the reduction in 'finished' body size, although this is far too slight to be obvious to the eye. This is also why pickguards from the Sting reissues do not fit the japanese slab body '51 reissues. The difference is quite subtle, about 7mm all the way round.

The first of the contour bodies had a much sharper contour on the upper part of the body (Where the forearm lays), and is quite stark and angular (This appears on the first 2-3 months of the transition), after this, they made the contour much softer, once they had the stratocaster in production, and realised the smoother contour was far more comfortable, and pleasing on the eye!

The '58 body shape is identical to the '56, with regards to contours [i]and[/i] overall size, the only difference here, is the routing for the split coil pickup and the different, elongated control cavity, everything else is the same.

Hope this helps

Here's my '56 & '58;

[attachment=96209:PA260001.JPG]

[attachment=96210:portraitcrop.jpg]

Happy New Year.

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[quote name='Rick's Fine '52' timestamp='1325536759' post='1484199']
Lovely. My favourite Fender Custom Colour, Burgundy Mist, stunning!! Do you have a matching Jazz you want to sell??? :rolleyes:
[/quote]

Unfortunately not! The only one I know of is owned by Guy Pratt and I don't think he's selling!

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[quote name='alanbass1' timestamp='1325198210' post='1480967']
OK. The original owner was a friend of my father who purchased the bass back in '63. Apparently, there was a craze in the sixties of spinning guitar straps. The strap my father's friend bought fixed to the guitar/bass onto a harness that was attached using the strap buttons and two other fixing points that screwed into the body of the instrument, you will see the other mounting point close to the bottom horn. Not only did this require screwing directly into the wood but the other side effect was damage done to the instrument as it looped around and typically hit things as rotation was unpredictable due to the fact there was a lead plugged into it!!! My bass fared OK with just a slightly bent tuner making it very stiff to tune, which was replaced with a tuner from a 1960 P Bass (D string tuner), er - because the owner of the 1960 P Bass fitted new ones back in the early 70's...... - I still have the bent tuner and did have the harness although where it is now I have no idea after numerous house moves since acquiring the bass.
[/quote]

great - love a bit of history!!

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[attachment=96722:P1040192.JPG]

My re-finned 1963 (year of birth) Precision. Was sourced from US by BC'er Si Clifton and had been I think stripped (like so many) to natural. Si arranged for it to be nitro coated in an aged oly white. Has a lovely worn-in neck with no varnish at all left on the back. This pic shows it with the badly cracked and warped tort guard which I have replaced with a period-correct nitrocellulose tort guard (I have kept the original of course but its unusable).

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[quote name='Rick's Fine '52' timestamp='1325509206' post='1483695']
The '58 body shape is identical to the '56, with regards to contours [i]and[/i] overall size, the only difference here, is the routing for the split coil pickup and the different, elongated control cavity, everything else is the same.
[/quote]

Also the difference in the location of the output jack. But yeah nice collection, you are a lucky man!

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  • 2 months later...

[quote name='Chris Horton' timestamp='1331938691' post='1581342']
A Very cool and mellow looking bass guitar , I like it alot :)
[/quote]
[size=4][color=#222222][font=Arial]Thank you[/font][/color]
[color=#222222][font=Arial]There are some great Basses in here makes me think about maybe considering [/font][/color]
[color=#222222][font=Arial]refinishing my Bass but first I really need to get it refretted they are very low but still playable, [/font][/color]
[color=#222222][font=Arial]Cheers [/font][/color][/size]

Edited by convair
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