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Withdrawn - American 77/78 Precision Bass (with original case)
£1850

nickcarey

By nickcarey,
in Basses For Sale

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nickcarey Enthusiast

nickcarey

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Withdrawn - please remove

This bass was bought as a restoration project after looking like it had been in storage for a very long time. There was surface rust on most of the hardware that came off with some fine wire wool and a lot of patience. The body and neck were covered from years of general gunk which eventually came off. The frets were heavily worn so a full re-fret was required. All in all it's come up really nicely compared to how it looked previously.  

The serial number on the neck (S750640) dates it to 1977/78. The pickups and electronics are from 1977. The vintage pickups suit the mellow sound of the body nicely.

The truss can be moved freely both ways and the bass has recently been re-fretted professionally with premium jumbo frets.

As for the body it's impossible to tell whether it's the original one as there is no serial number on the body or it's F plate. However more than likely it is the original one. I sent Fender some photos and asked for their thoughts on the body. They think it has been re-finished and stated it is notoriously difficult to ID bodies by themselves. However they did say that the routing matches the basses from the 77/78 period. I have been checking the routing on P basses online and the ones with the matching routing seem to date between 76-79. The body resonates really nicely with a deep, mellow sound with loads of sustain. Also the body and neck do have a really snug fit without any signs of anything being altered. So more than likely it's the original body or a matching period one - it's just impossible to say.

I also asked Fender what wood they think the body is and they came back saying they can't tell as there is not enough grain on display. They have said that more than likely it is alder as that was used more for basses from the period with a rosewood neck.

I was originally informed that the bass was in it's original finish but as Fender have suggested it looks like a re-finish. I would describe the colour of the re-finish as iridescent blue as the body looks different from various positions depending on the angle of the light. See the pictures for examples. The year of re-finish is unknown.

This bass plays very easily due to the recent professional setup and re-fret by a luthier. The neck has a smaller 7.25 radius than the modern American P basses (9.5) which gives it a true vintage feel. To me the radius on the 70s bass makes going across the fingerboard feel more comfortable e.g. doing arpeggios whereas the modern pbass feels more suited to runs up and down the neck.

To give a good perspective I measured this 70s Pbass against the neck on my 2016 Standard Pbass.

  Standard Precision 70s Precision Neck
Radius 9.5 inch 7.25 inch
1st Fret Neck Thickness 20.6mm 21.8mm
7th Fret Neck Thickness 23.6mm 24.4mm
12th Fret Neck Thickness 24.4mm 25.5mm

Basically the 70s bass neck is around 1mm thicker overall at each fret but the smaller radius compensates for this. Neither is harder to play they just feel different. Personally I prefer the feel of the 70s Pbass neck below the 12th fret and the modern pbass above the 12th fret. But then maybe I'm too fussy wanting the best of both worlds! To sum it up I would say the 70s bass has more of a vintage feel.

As part of the professional setup the bass has been strung with Fender Nickel Strings (45-100) which have consistent tension across all the strings.

I also asked Fender about the vintage style bridge  plate. They came back and said it's consistent with ones from the same period of the body and neck. With this one just the saddles have been changed to knurled ones for better string spacing across the pickups.

I have changed some of the screws as some were not the right types. It looks like someone tried unsuccessfully to do some mods. Also the schaller style strap buttons have been fitted as the bass didn't come with any! 

Condition wise the bass in excellent condition for its age. There are just three small areas where paint has come off the body, only two of which are visible and both are on the back of the body. One is near the neck pocket and the other is close to curved forearm area in the body. The third is just below the truss rod which is hidden by the pick guard.

This bass comes with its original 70s Fender case and all its latches work. A new handle that has been recently fitted to the case as part of the restoration as well as a damn good cleanup as it was covered from years of dust. A crack on the corner of the case has been patched up with some black gaffer tape as part of the restoration (see pics).

Bass Weight: 4.5 Kgs (10lbs)
Although the bass is slightly heavier than today’s American or Mexican series ones it’s only noticeable when you pick it up. Once you play you soon forget about the weight difference as it balances so well. The payoff is in the tone which is deeper and more mellow with great sustain.

Nut Width: 42mm

I have attached two basic (flat eq) recordings to give you a better idea of how it sounds! These are located after the pictures.

I’m based in Lancashire. Any questions about the bass are welcome. Plus more than happy to arrange times to try the bass out.

Receipts for the professional luthier re-fret and setup are also included.

Cash please -  no trades.

Postage:

I have shopped around for the best postage cost including cover for loss or damage for the value of the bass. The best deal I can find is Parcelforce 48 at £83.44. The cover bumps it up but I would rather be safe than sorry. This covers UK mainland deliveries. If a buyer can find a cheaper deal i'm happy to consider it.

Edited by nickcarey
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Geek99 Grand Master

Geek99

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Not for the entire 70s, no. It depends exactly when it was made and even then they frequently used up old parts out of order and after changes were supposed to have happened. It’s not uncommon for pots and pickups to predate their instrument by a few years

 

http://www2.fender.com/experience/tech-talk/what-is-micro-tilt/

 

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njr911 Enthusiast

njr911

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29 minutes ago, nickcarey said:

It's a Pbass neck (nut width 42mm).

Thanks for the offer but I'm just after cash. If I buy another bass it could end in divorce xD

Na - she would never know.."what do you mean new bass?? I just sprayed the blue one pink!"

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LewisK1975 Proficient

LewisK1975

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Posted (edited)
On 12/1/2017 at 12:22, njr911 said:

Just out of curiosity, did 70's P's not get the three bolt neck with micro tilt ?

AFAIK the Precision didn't get the 3-bolt/micro-tilt ever.  I could well be wrong, but Bass-wise I think it was only ever on mid-late 70's Jazzes....

Oh and as for this sale thread, nice Bass! GLWTS!

Edited by LewisK1975
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Marc S Veteran

Marc S

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Posted
45 minutes ago, LewisK1975 said:

AFAIK the Precision didn't get the 3-bolt/micro-tilt ever.  I could well be wrong, but Bass-wise I think it was only ever on mid-late 70's Jazzes....

Oh and as for this sale thread, nice Bass! GLWTS!

Yes, I think you're quite right there Lewis
I've never seen a Precision with the 3 bolt-tilt system. I could be wrong though - maybe there were a few prototypes / experimental versions around?
I've just never seen any evidence of any. Also, it does seem to be on mid 70's Jazzes too..... Fender seemed to revert to standard 4 bolt mounting after this system
(of course, the 3 bolt system is also evident on the 70's re-issue Jazzes too)

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Belka Proficient

Belka

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On 11/12/2017 at 16:27, linchoun said:

Look like a refinished...

Or a Frankenbass. Fender stopped spraying basses in lake placid blue in 1973. That bridge is not a '70s item either - it's either an original '60s model or a '60s reissue. Could be a replacement body/bridge rather than a refinish. Either way, as nice as it is, I can't be sure it's all original.   

Edited by Belka
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CH161 Enthusiast

CH161

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Posted

A picture of the neck pocket would be good as you suggest.

Also a body picture with the guard off to one side - showing the routing.

If you can bear it - taking off the bridge would show the bridge ground routing - this would be good to evaluate its age.

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nickcarey Enthusiast

nickcarey

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Posted (edited)

Right - I've added some pics as promised showing the body cavity and neck pocket. 

For piece of mind I have also sent the pictures to Fender to try and authenticate the body. I read somewhere that the serial numbers used to be on the neck plates but this one just has a blank F plate.

I will upload the response from Fender as soon as they get back to me.

Cheers  

Edited by nickcarey
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nickcarey Enthusiast

nickcarey

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Ok folks - thanks for your patience. I've had quite a lengthy email conversation with Fender and have updated the description with all the findings.

Thanks to those who raised the queries which has helped shed new light on the bass.

Anymore questions feel free to ask - although I hope by now everything is there to see (phew!) xD 

Due to the findings I have dropped the price to £1500

Edited by nickcarey
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CH161 Enthusiast

CH161

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Having been able to see all the routings now - including under the bridge, I would suggest this is the correct body for this bass. All routing is as it should be for this period. I don't see any reason to doubt that.

The body has certainly been refinished - but that is a fairly common practice.

The bridge is very probably right as you say - the saddles have been changed though. Not that it would be much of a problem to put the correct style saddles back on it.

Great to have all the pictures you've posted. 

Good luck with the sale!

 

Edited by CH161
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