Any Fenix experts out there ?

[DaveFry]

I picked up this Fenix p-bass a few weeks ago from a local charity shop .
It is on the right in this pic ; ( left is a Sunn Mustang )



The serial number in silver on the headstock says E 1056361


So I have two questions ;
1) The only serial number info I can find is via the Wiki page for Squiers [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Squier"]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Squier[/url]
which is a little unclear .
Was it made in '90 , '91 or '87-'88 ?
2 ) Did the black design on the front come from the factory ?
I have found another pic on the web of one in Germany ;

but none of the others I have found have any designs there .

A puzzle . Thanks for any answers from the collective wisdom .......

[steve-soar]

First off, I love that headstock, really cool. Second, I bet it sounds great. Third, when I worked at KGB Music (Wirral custom guitar builder) we use to sell Fenix instruments. They were all amazing, I bought a Strat and it was a beauty. Mine had a copy headstock and body, ie, Fender rip-off. Yours is subtley different I imaginine to avoid the legal action.

The graphics could be part of a range for different distributors? Really stumped on this.

Still, it's a lovely bass.

[DaveFry]

Thanks .
I read somewhere that a dealer in Scotland bought a lot of Fenix stock after the Fender lawsuit .
Young Chang was licenced to make Squiers , but also made their own range called Fenix which were said to be better than the Fenders they were copying so Fender sued , or threatened to sue , so they stopped .
I'm just curious about the black designs . Mine seems to be under the clear poly .

It does sound great , even with ( I guess ) 20 year-old strings !

[Big_Stu]

I had a Fenix Tele for a while (early 90s), with the non-contoured headstock, the year later there was a magazine review of it which showed the contoured headstock, so I'm guessing that's later.
I was told about the Young Chang/Squier connection as I bought it too, but their version I was told was that Fender just took the contract elsewhere as they weren't happy that virtually identical instruments had varying prices.

[BassBunny]

Snap. I've got a Fenix P Bass that looks the same except mine has the sculptured headstock. i'll take some pics and post them.
I think YT now own Kurzweil Keyboards.

[BobVbass]

yes I had a fenix like the one i the german photo - excellent guitar played it as my main bass for ten years until it needed a refret then gave it away to my friends kid to learn on.

Got mine from the Scottish shop in around 1992 (sound control or something, think it was Glasgow?) £99! They came in black, sunburst, white and red I think. The sculpted headstock are the only ones I've seen - not sure if this means yours is and earlier or later one but as far as I know none of them had designs on them as standard

[geoffbyrne]

The graphic looks like the 'Gekko' logo that Warmoth uses.



G.

[Wolverinebass]

I learned on a Fenix. I've still got it. It's a ludicrously short scale 28 inch with 24 frets. It has a soapbar in the MM position and insanely enough is white. The Scottish shop you mention is probably Biggars which is on Sauchiehall Street in Glasgow. That's where I got mine from. £179 in 1999. It's the only passive bass I own and sounds fantastic. I wonder what it's worth now? £50?

[Big_Stu]

There was a Sound Control in Glasgow, opposite the Jury's Inn on *Jamaica St*????? just next to the bridge. It was my hotel of choice in G'gow for many years if travelling for a gig. It was taken over by another chain when SC went bust, but I don't remember the name of it.

[DaveFry]

Thanks everyone .
The mystery of the black design still remains ....
But thanks again for everyone's assistance .

[BassBunny]

And here's mine. Snap.
[attachment=116694:Fenix_Tort2.JPG]

[spinynorman]

There's nothing in the Fenix catalogues on Vintaxe to suggest the black transfer was a factory option.

[DaveFry]

Thanks for going to all this trouble .

[KiOgon]

Hey Dave,
I hope you don't mind if I tag this onto your thread - I was given a Fenix Jazz the other day & started this thread:- [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/184894-fenix-jazz-bass-by-young-chang/page__fromsearch__1"]http://basschat.co.u...__fromsearch__1[/url]
Although I haven't got it together in a playable state yet, is all seems pretty good so far

I would also be interested in any help with serial number dating, mine is E737656, Made in Korea, (I believe).

Cheerz, John

Edited August 27, 2012 by KiOgon

[DaveFry]

No worries John , I've been following your thread too

As I wrote in the first post , the only information I have managed to find about Fenix serial numbers is on the Wikipedia page for Squiers ( down the page under Korean Squiers ) , where it says ;

"
S/E: The S and E serial number prefix Korean Squiers are from the late 1980s/early 1990s. S = Samick, E = [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Young_Chang"]Young Chang[/url], E letter serial numbers were used on Young Chang's Fenix brand guitars.[sup][url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Squier#cite_note-4"][5][/url][/sup] The first number following the serial number prefix is the year.
The first guitars made ​​in Korea are those with serial number written in silver E1 + 6 digits
For example[list]
[*]"E1 + 6 digits with silver serial = made by Young Chang in 1987-88.
[*]"S9" = made by Samick in 1989.
[*]"E0" = made by Sung-Eum in 1990.
[*]"E1" with black serial = made by Sung-Eum in 1991."
[*]
[/list]
So it doesn't actually say if Fenix numbers correspond to the Squier numbers , it just implies that the first digit denotes the year ,
so my E 1056361 number ( in silver ) would suggest a '91 , but then it says " E1 + 6 digits with silver serial = made by Young Chang in 1987-88." , which contradicts that .
Of course the above only refers to the Squiers that Young Chang were making at the time , so I am as much in the dark as you are !

[KiOgon]

Thanks for that, mine has the serial number engraved on the neck plate only, so no silver or black I'm guessing '87 then?
[IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v48/kjon51/Fenix%20Jazz%20Bass%20by%20Young%20Chang/20120823_195737.jpg[/IMG]

[DaveFry]

I don't know .
'87 or '97 seem possible .

Maybe we need someone with the Blue Book Of Electric Guitars 9th Edition Zachary Fjestad, Edited by S.P. Fjestad [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/1886768579"]ISBN 1-886768-57-9[/url] ( he types hopefully )

[spinynorman]

You can search the blue book on line. It doesn't say much about fenix other than made by YC in Korea 1989-1992 and 1996 to 98/99. The guitars were made in the same factory as Squier and based on same designs. So it is possible serial numbers were the same, but it doesn't say that. You can also download the serialisation PDF, but Fenix isn't listed. Bluebookofguitarvalues.com

[DaveFry]

Some Fenix info for anyone searching in the future ;

[url="http://planetbotch.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/1989-young-chang-fenix-st-20-strat.html"]http://planetbotch.b...t-20-strat.html[/url]

" Sound Control in Scotland notably took a massive consignment of precisely 1,000 Fenixes in summer 1993 and sold them on the cheap "

[geoham]

[quote name='Big_Stu' timestamp='1345675604' post='1780492']
There was a Sound Control in Glasgow, opposite the Jury's Inn on *Jamaica St*????? just next to the bridge. It was my hotel of choice in G'gow for many years if travelling for a gig. It was taken over by another chain when SC went bust, but I don't remember the name of it.
[/quote]

The shop on Jamaica St is now called Kennys Music. Bought an Ashdown Mag 300 and a 210 cab from them for £350. Great deal I thought! They were also called something else (Reverb maybe) before closing down again.

[Oldbluser]

Hi, I am new to this forum but have only just came across it when I was searching the name Fenix.
I have collected these guitars for years and now have quite a sizeable collection including a couple of Basses.
First, the serial numbers. Just forget them, they have never ever made any sense whatsoever. The only thing you can rely on is if you come across squire etc with the serial number beginning with the letter E then it was made in the Young Chang factory.

Second, the black designs on your guitars are put on by owners and were never a factory option.

Third. Headstock shapes. There was never ever a law suit, The Young Chang company thought better of it and changed the shape of the head stock.
The original same shape as Fender lasted from 1989 untill 1991/2
Your shape headstock is generaly thought to be a sort of stop gap between the original Fender shape and the later scolloped headstock which they ended up with. That would make your bass dated around 1993/4.

You will also notice the Fenix legend changes along with the headstocks this was also dont to placate Mr Fender.

They are all great guitars and are the equal of the originals. Some say the pickups are poor but i have never had to change any and they have all performed well in a live or studio environment.

Hope this helps. Oldbluser.

[DaveFry]

Fantastic !
Thanks Oldbluser , and welcome !

[karlfer]

Hopefully the Facebook link works

https://www.facebook.com/groups/128212226340/?fref=ts

[DaveFry]

[quote name='karlfer' timestamp='1369683291' post='2091637']
Hopefully the Facebook link works

[url="https://www.facebook.com/groups/128212226340/?fref=ts"]https://www.facebook...226340/?fref=ts[/url]
[/quote]

The link leads to the farcebook login page ( for me )

[kevbucket]

Bloody hell thats my bass with the gecko on it !!!!