Please identify vintage P Bass electronics

[RustyBassRyan]

I recently purchased a 1978 Fender Precision Bass, USA, Serial number S894xxx. When I took off the pickguard, I saw that the pots were dated with the serial numbers 1376103, the third week of 1961, and 13763xx, an unknown week in 1963 (solder obscures the last two digits). The pickups, which have no markings, use old cloth wiring. According to my internet research, plastic wire was not used in 1978 P Bass electronics. I’ve included a photo, where obviously, the plastic wire running from the tone pot to the jack is not original. Is it possible that at some point in time, someone may have swapped out the ‘78 pots, jack, capacitor, and pickups for 1963 components?

[debassr]

I just sold my 78 P so I can't verify. However, the shielding is a dead giveaway that the whole setup isn't really stock and while the pots and jack appear to be original, that skinny white jack wire definitely does seem out of place. IIRC, the wire going to the jack should be black cloth.

[RustyBassRyan]

debassr,

Thanks for the quick reply. You are right about the skinny plastic wire...it's certainly not original. From what I can tell, the pickguard, thumb rest, and speed knobs are from the 1978. It seems to me, however, that the pickups, pots, and jack are from a much older bass. That's why they pots are dated from the early 60's and the pickups use cloth wiring. Perhaps somebody else could add their expertise?

[bobbybigmac]

You may have some pre 65 pups there. Pickup dating can be a mystery. The wiring looks to me like sixties vintage. The brownish cap is also early sixies I believe. The white plastic wiring was added by someone to improve the grounding so it's not original. 50 and pre 68 Pbasses had no wiring ground soldered to the jack. The separate alum shield was the common ground connecting pots and jack.

Sometime in late 1964 the black bottom bobbins changed to grey. I have 2 sets of 64 pups, one black ( neck dated Jan 64 ) and the other grey ( neck dated Oct. 64 ). It's not known when the hand dating of grey bottom pickups started.Maybe mine grey bottoms were early pre dating ?

Pop the covers off and check the colour of the winding wire.
The enamel in 1964 changed from a dark purble-ish brown to a rich copper colour. Again my 2 pickups have 1 dark purble-ish brown windings and the other copper. If your pups are dark purble-ish brown with black bobbins ( bottoms) then you may have pre 64's.

Also true early sixies pickup magnets are slightly rounded/beveled on top. Later magnets are ground flat.
Hope you strike gold here.

[RustyBassRyan]

bobbybigmac,

Thanks for sharing your knowledge. I popped off the covers and found that windings on both pickups are indeed a deep purple/brown color. The bottoms of the bobbins are black. The top of the pickup magnets (on one pickup only) do have a slight "rough" bevel on them; this is best viewed with a magnifying glass. The more research I do, the more I'm leaning to believe that these are 1963 pickups and electronics that were put onto '78 pickguard.

[RustyBassRyan]

boobybigmac,

My mistake! BOTH pickups have a rough beveled edge to them...I was stupidly looking on the BOTTOM of the other pickup when I wrote that only one pickup had a beveled edge. Sorry!

[Quadzilla]

resurrecting this old thread. Did some of the old 60's P pickups from Fender (with the black bobbins) also come with black protective cloth around the windings? Thanks much!