This has been one of my favorite basses to date, including my Sadowskys, Lulls, and Laklands. The only reason I'm selling is to fund my custom jazz bass build. I wish I had the money for both, but I don't, so this one will have to go to make room for the custom jazz.
This one was built in '99 for the 2000 release date of this model (I believe 2000 was the first year for the USA 75 RI's if I'm not mistaken). It weighs an even 9 lbs on my digital bathroom scale and balances wonderfully.
There are general use wear marks in the clear coat, it's all light scratching and no actual dings or cracks to speak of, so you have to look at it in just the right light to see anything. The original owner, whom I bought it from, took extremely good care of it. I'm the second owner.
The neck pickup cover is installed, but the bridge cover has not yet been installed.
Here are some upgrades that were installed:
- Nordstrand NJ4 pickups (original 75 RI pickups included as well) $155
- Hipshot Xtender Tuning Key (original E string key included as well) $75
- Dunlop strap-locks (original strap buttons included as well)
The Nordstrand pickups made a great improvement in the sound. Fattened up the bottom, made it warmer and fuller, more natural sounding, just killer! The Xtender key is great for those nights when the vocalist wants to drop the key a half-step or more. It's been incredibly useful for me and helps me cover 90% of those gigs where I'd normally need a 5-string.
This is easily one of the nicest looking, feeling, and sounding 75 RI's I've seen or played. Just look at the pics of the grain below. I'm extremely picky and if the bass isn't just right I turn it around in a month. This one I'd hold onto forever if I had the money. These commonly go here around 1200-1400, and on Ebay can be seen used for 1400-1600 commonly enough. I think this one is better, and with the upgrades, I'm only asking $1300 shipped firm with classic OHSC shown to the lower 48. NO TRADES! CASH ONLY!
If I didn't know that Fender has never made a one-piece body, I'd think this would be it. It's just so gorgeous! Just check out some of these pics below to see what I'm talking about.
