Dating early Fenders

[Soledad]

This is about serial numbers. There's a Precision on FB at the mo - claimed '63 and looks right (those mucky dot markers, the yellowing s'plate etc). But the SN is L20608. I know there would be a date on neck but he's not showing. Thing is I owned L16277 for years (also a Precision) and that was dated FEB '64 (on neck). Anyone got a similar vintage Precision? I think this one is genuine but may be rather later, say late 64 or early '65. Is there anything odd about S/N sequences on Fenders of this period.
Oh, and it's 5.5k asking

 

[wateroftyne]

Hmm... my '63 is L11xxx. I'm raising an eyebrow at this one.

[Hobbayne]

Guitar data dates it to 1964.

https://www.guitardaterproject.org/fender.aspx

[Soledad]

2 hours ago, Hobbayne said:

Guitar data dates it to 1964.

yep, I'm thinking late 64. I'd say any serious buyer would want the neck and plate off anyway. 54 years and no P/U or pot swaps?
Handy link that ! Just dated my earlier one (S/N 42423) to 60 - 61 - all those years I'd never known. 

[Chiliwailer]

It wouldn’t be un-Fender like to not be strict on parts used, as it’s still early days. This shows it’s not far off http://www.guitarhq.com/fender.html#serial

[Chiliwailer]

That’s asking alot for a refinish too...

[Beedster]

42 minutes ago, Chiliwailer said:

That’s asking alot for a refinish too...

Agreed

[Pea Turgh]

There’s two ways of reading this thread title.  I didn’t read it as intended, anyway.

[Beedster]

35 minutes ago, Pea Turgh said:

There’s two ways of reading this thread title.  I didn’t read it as intended, anyway.

I dated a '64 for a few years, she dumped me 

[Pea Turgh]

I’m a ‘79, and in ‘98 I dated a ‘65. I got freaked out by the fact she had an ‘82, so I stopped calling.

[Soledad]

10 hours ago, Pea Turgh said:

I’m a ‘79, and in ‘98 I dated a ‘65. I got freaked out by the fact she had an ‘82, so I stopped calling.

It's the superficial appeal of the deep cutaways that does it.

[NancyJohnson]

Years ago there used to be a store in Denmark Street that sold all these old Fender neck plates, decals, pots, bodies, necks etc.

Nobody gave a damn about it back then as the basses these went on were just 10-15 years old.

I dread to think how many people own a cherished 60s model, only for it to have been cobbled together from various parts in the 1970s.

[Hellzero]

The worst way to date a Fender is to use the serial number.

First, this one has been refinished, the pickscratchguardplate is an aged one, as it has not shrinked and the thumbrest should be brownish.

Ask for the neck date, the neck pocket inscriptions, the pickup pencilled date, the pots serial with the date to decode, the capacitor value, the bridge type, disassembled pictures of everyting to check the discolouration, uprising of the neck in the pocket, nickel or chrome hardware, close up of the logo on the headstock, tuners, screws, smell of the paint, colour of the solders, colour and type of wire, shielding, ... And then, you can start to rebuild the puzzle and date these old Fender's as it's really an historian work.

80% of the vintage Fender's sold today are fake and this one is 100% fake !

[wateroftyne]

2 minutes ago, Hellzero said:

The worst way to date a Fender is to use the serial number.

First, this one has been refinished, the pickscratchguardplate is an aged one, as it has not shrinked and the thumbrest should be brownish.

Ask for the neck date, the neck pocket inscriptions, the pickup pencilled date, the pots serial with the date to decode, the capacitor value, the bridge type, disassembled pictures of everyting to check the discolouration, uprising of the neck in the pocket, nickel or chrome hardware, close up of the logo on the headstock, tuners, screws, smell of the paint, colour of the solders, colour and type of wire, shielding, ... And then, you can start to rebuild the puzzle and date these old Fender's as it's really an historian work.

80% of the vintage Fender's sold today are fake and this one is 100% fake !

All good points, but worth pointing out there'd be no dates on the pickups pre-'64.

[Hellzero]

Right, but as the OP is mentioning a 1964~65, then there is a pencilled date on, at least, one of the grey bobin. The stamp appeared around 1968.

[wateroftyne]

32 minutes ago, Hellzero said:

Right, but as the OP is mentioning a 1964~65, then there is a pencilled date on, at least, one of the grey bobin. The stamp appeared around 1968.

Of course. The bass is being mooted as a '63, so I was just pointing out to the OP why there might not be a date on the pickups.

 

[gareth]

Anyway, it's not worth £5500

[Beedster]

4 hours ago, gareth said:

Anyway, it's not worth £5500

I have to agree, my '64 was original LPB finish, and it looked it, had a lovely subtle greenness to it, that finish looks like a current MIM. Not sure it shows in the pic below, but thought I;d post it anyway

[Beedster]

As you can see, I was dating three early Fenders, a '64, a '73 and an '81, at the time

[therealting]

6 hours ago, Beedster said:

As you can see, I was dating three early Fenders, a '64, a '73 and an '81, at the time

At the time? Are they no longer a 64, 73 and 81? 😂

[Beedster]

11 hours ago, therealting said:

At the time? Are they no longer a 64, 73 and 81? 😂

Yes, I'm just not dating them anymore

[therealting]

7 minutes ago, Beedster said:

Yes, I'm just not dating them anymore

Am currently dating an ‘88

[FinnDave]

1 hour ago, therealting said:

Am currently dating an ‘88

One of my daughters is an '88 model, so it can't be long ago or I'd be getting old!

[therealting]

33 minutes ago, FinnDave said:

One of my daughters is an '88 model, so it can't be long ago or I'd be getting old!

... we haven’t met have we...?

[Huge Hands]

Regardless of authenticity (I can't afford that kind of cash to be ripped off anyway) there's something about a Precision in LPB with all its covers on that just makes something happen in my trousers (in a good way).....