I bought this bass 2 years ago brand new. Here's a link to an old listing for this exact model in black: Fender Classic Series '50S Precision Bass Lacquer - Maple Fingerboard - Black
Condition
You won't find a single ding on this instrument and I like to keep my basses as clean as possible. Very much in brand new condition despite microscopic wear on the top of the pickguard from playing. It's got Ernie Ball Flatwounds on it that were very bright at first and have mellowed really nicely in the year or so they've been on the bass.
Changes
I swapped the gold pickguard (sold it soon after) and replaced it with a Fender black pickguard right after I bought the bass. I didn't love the look of the trans white with gold in addition to such a bright neck. I don't regret it one bit as I still love the black and white on this one. There are more holes in the black guard than the bass had drilled for the gold one, so a few of the pickguard holes are screwless. Everything else is stock.
Included
This will ship in a Fender hardshell case that the handle broke of off. The handle and broken plastic bit are in the case still and I'm sure you could repair it somehow or replace it, but I'm mostly just looking to have a great case to ship it in for protection. There is also an okayish guitar strap in the case that is yours as well.
Personal Details
I bought this bass because I wanted a straight-ahead vintage inspired precision instead of my American Deluxe P that I owned at the time. I read that this model was what the road worn basses start as before they get all relic'd up, and I knew the road worns had a great reputation.
Specifically, I wanted a classic color with a maple board. While that's the look I got with this bass, it technically doesn't have a fret board. The frets are laid right into the wood of the neck. I also wanted reverse tuners as I had just recently come to love the look. They feel way better than expected and I've never had tuning issues with this bass.
I had also started to get real itchy to own a ~~~nitro~~~ finish instrument at the time. This bass is nitro. I have no clue why that's better (other than I believe they age or wear down a bit more quickly) but anyway, that was a big deal to me at the time haha.
The Neck
The neck on this instrument is wild. I'm sure all 50s style precisions were like this, but this is my only experience with something like that. I always heard P bass necks were fat. This neck is crazy thin...that is, if you are considering the depth thickness (fret to thumb). Otherwise, it's incredibly wide especially at the nut. The string spacing is super wide and I've noticed 60s basses have slightly closer string spacing at the nut than these 50s ones. Not sure if that's what people mean when they talk about fat P bass necks or if traditionally they truly are fat all the way around, but this bass has a very thin but wide neck.
Lastly, the treble side of this neck has a healthy amount of figuring in the maple. At the right angle, it looks like a flamed neck. Seemingly impossible to photograph, as usual.
$850 shipped to lower 48.
$725 if you can pick it up near Troy, NY.
Thank you for looking!
