Vintage Fenders

[bakerster135]

12 hours ago, Owen said:

Now I am confused. My 66 dot/bound/lollipop Jazz is (from my reading of the numbers) Jan 5 1966. So "5=Precision" is now confusing me. I am open to the concept that I have misremembered this number, but I do not think I have. I guess I will have to pop the neck off.

This is definitely a bit odd that your 66 Jazz stamp has a 5 at the start though, I also have a 66 dot bound lollipop jazz and this is mine.

 

Does it still have an A at the end for an A neck? Regardless, possibly a factory error?

 

 

 

[Owen]

I am now doubting myself. However, my wife would not be impressed if I went back downstairs to take a bass to pieces. Tomorrow. 

[andytoad]

3 hours ago, Reggaebass said:

I’m not too bad on a C neck, my AV62 P has one but I definitely find the B width more comfortable, which always gives me a dilemma when a nice 60s one comes up for sale, I think it’s because I’ve played jazzes for years 

Eh up Reggebass. How's the Stow? Yeah shame as it appears to be right up my street aside from the neck profile.

[GuyR]

17 hours ago, Owen said:

I am now doubting myself. However, my wife would not be impressed if I went back downstairs to take a bass to pieces. Tomorrow. 

William Hill are giving 10-1 on it’s a 7, like everyone else’s, including mine.

[Reggaebass]

19 minutes ago, GuyR said:

William Hill are giving 10-1 on it’s a 7

I’ll up that to 20-1 😁

[Owen]

Yep. That shows you how much I know. 

[dodgnofski]

[OliverBlackman]

Obviously a few bits not original but is suspect this is an awesome bass: https://thebassgallery.com/collections/bass-new-arrival/products/hybrid-p

[Steve Browning]

3 minutes ago, OliverBlackman said:

Obviously a few bits not original but is suspect this is an awesome bass: https://thebassgallery.com/collections/bass-new-arrival/products/hybrid-p

 Bet the nut width isn't 45mm as they claim.

[Reggaebass]

Not sure I’d drop that money on it but that’s pretty cool 

[rwillett]

Anyone know of a Jazz with a 66 body and a 64 neck.

 

Asking for a friend...

[ossyrocks]

3 hours ago, OliverBlackman said:

Obviously a few bits not original but is suspect this is an awesome bass: https://thebassgallery.com/collections/bass-new-arrival/products/hybrid-p

This is actually something I want to try.

 

I have a super lightweight 70's Precision which sounds fabulous, but the neck is a bit beefy compared with my others. If I could find a 70's Jazz neck for it, it might actually become my number 1.

 

Rob

[Beedster]

26 minutes ago, ossyrocks said:

This is actually something I want to try.

 

I have a super lightweight 70's Precision which sounds fabulous, but the neck is a bit beefy compared with my others. If I could find a 70's Jazz neck for it, it might actually become my number 1.

 

Rob

It’ll potentially sound less fabulous with a different - especially Jazz - neck

[OliverBlackman]

31 minutes ago, ossyrocks said:

This is actually something I want to try.

 

I have a super lightweight 70's Precision which sounds fabulous, but the neck is a bit beefy compared with my others. If I could find a 70's Jazz neck for it, it might actually become my number 1.

 

Rob

Well I don’t think you would lose out much financially if you didn’t like it and sold it back on. You see them occasionally on eBay.

[Burns-bass]

9 hours ago, OliverBlackman said:

Well I don’t think you would lose out much financially if you didn’t like it and sold it back on. You see them occasionally on eBay.

I bought a 75 reissue jazz neck on here from Chris at a reasonable price. Finding one like this would enable you to try it and have the same aesthetic while you find a genuine 4-bolt 70s neck.

[miles'tone]

23 hours ago, ossyrocks said:

This is actually something I want to try.

 

I have a super lightweight 70's Precision which sounds fabulous, but the neck is a bit beefy compared with my others. If I could find a 70's Jazz neck for it, it might actually become my number 1.

 

Rob

Actually, that sounds like my dream bass! I love a fat neck, especially with the 70s nut widths. My old '65 was a serious bass of doom but given the choice (one day..) a narrower neck lightweight 70s P would be the one ('72 to tick the YOB thing while I'm at!)

[bassbiscuits]

Mine’s a sunburst 1970 with a B width neck which feels very comfortable to me. It’s also been refretted more than once very nicely with larger fret wire than the original, and plays beautifully.

 

Interestingly the neck code suggests it’s possibly from 1968 - in green printed ink it’s 5 16 018 B

 

Can anyone shed any light on what that might refer to?

 

Pots are dated 1966, like many from this era. 
 

Edited November 20, 2024 by bassbiscuits
Edited for extra info

[Reggaebass]

23 minutes ago, bassbiscuits said:

green printed ink it’s 5 16 018 B

As I understand it, Going backwards 

B neck width 

8 - year 

01 - month so January 

16  is the batch or lot number 

5 - precision 

Forgot to mention it’s a beauty bassbiscuits 

 

Edited November 20, 2024 by Reggaebass

[bassbiscuits]

19 minutes ago, Reggaebass said:

As I understand it, Going backwards 

B neck width 

8 - year 

01 - month so January 

16  is the batch or lot number 

5 - precision 

Forgot to mention it’s a beauty bassbiscuits 

 

Thanks Reggaebass - that suggests the neck is from January 1968, which seems at odds with the big black lettering and the age of the rest of the bass (pickups dated 7170 and serial number placing it squarely in 1970 based on the others of a similar era that i’ve seen for sale. 

 

Its something of a dark art trying to work this stuff out ain’t it?!

[OliverBlackman]

1 hour ago, bassbiscuits said:

Thanks Reggaebass - that suggests the neck is from January 1968, which seems at odds with the big black lettering and the age of the rest of the bass (pickups dated 7170 and serial number placing it squarely in 1970 based on the others of a similar era that i’ve seen for sale. 

 

Its something of a dark art trying to work this stuff out ain’t it?!

They apparently had parts lying around so guess they could have made the neck a few years earlier and stuck the decals on when they actually completed the bass.

[ossyrocks]

12 hours ago, miles'tone said:

Actually, that sounds like my dream bass! I love a fat neck, especially with the 70s nut widths. My old '65 was a serious bass of doom but given the choice (one day..) a narrower neck lightweight 70s P would be the one ('72 to tick the YOB thing while I'm at!)

 

Mine still has the 70's B width (41mm), but it's deeper than my other two, only by 1mm, but it feels like more. Quite a big round handful.

[bassbiscuits]

9 hours ago, OliverBlackman said:

They apparently had parts lying around so guess they could have made the neck a few years earlier and stuck the decals on when they actually completed the bass.

Yeah quite possibly 

[vincbt]

I have the opposite situation on my Precision, and I am not 100% sure how to explain it.

 

The pots are 66

The serial number would point to 69 (264XXX)
The neck is 71

 

I would have thought the neck plate with the serial number should be the last thing to go on together with the neck, so why would anyone put a 69 plate on a 71 neck escapes me... 

[bassbiscuits]

4 hours ago, vincbt said:

I have the opposite situation on my Precision, and I am not 100% sure how to explain it.

 

The pots are 66

The serial number would point to 69 (264XXX)
The neck is 71

 

I would have thought the neck plate with the serial number should be the last thing to go on together with the neck, so why would anyone put a 69 plate on a 71 neck escapes me... 

Could it be that the original 1969 neck was swapped for another and the rest of the bass remained the same? Ie they still used the original neck plate etc. 

 

Depending how long you've owned the bass might give an idea whether the neck was swapped at the time or more recently, if indeed that is what happened. 
 

The whole idea of Fenders being made from whatever parts were around means there should be plenty of models whose components span a few dates. 

Edited November 21, 2024 by bassbiscuits

[sprocketflup]

Who are the vintage Fender experts on here? hoping for a bit of help