This bass has been my only electric bass for almost 15 years, it plays and sounds great and is only up for sale because I recently got an Olinto. It has very little buzz for a 50+ year old instrument and is really resonant and even sounding (even unplugged). Truss rod is still working great. The body is one piece except for 2 small parts on the bottom (G string) edge.
I bought it in the Detroit suburbs in 2009 or 2010 off of Craigslist from a guy who told me I should "only play Elvis with this bass" .... I have not quite followed that advice
I don't have a ton of recordings, as I mostly play upright, but this record is all this bass:
Currently strung with new LaBella Nickel Rounds, could switch to Olinto Flats or Low Tension Flats if you'd like. $2500 + shipping, pickup possible in NYC or near Ann Arbor, Michigan. Will ship in a hardshell case- but not an original one.
Details:
Maple Neck- B width 1 5/8” comfy shape
Poplar body? (See note below)
Stripped finish w/ poly clear coat.
10.97 OHM Pickup impedance
8.8 lbs — LIGHT for the 70s !
Truss rod still works
Can be setup quite low with minimal buzz
Definite 1973 Parts:
Neck Plate: 374928
Neck Stamp: 0103 2133
250K Pots Serials: 137731, 1377310
Neck is stamped Herb G., neck pocket is stamped Wayne M. same font. Extra stamp “Gabe” in neck pocket.
Body:
The body is a bit weird, and I’ve tried to do as much research as possible. Seems to be poplar with a poly clear coat? it's not bare wood. Like stated above, the stamp font is consistent between neck and body. The body is routing is consistent with 1973 and has the little dowel pins on the back for routing that people look for. There are holes for the pickup and bridge covers, and the 5th hole in the neck pocket. The body is one piece except for small additions on the G string side.
The guys at La Bella / Olinto were the ones that suspected the wood is Poplar. There’s really not a lot of info out there about Fender using Poplar as a body wood though there is this: Vintage Fender Precison Bass Rare Poplar Body Sunburst 1969
This video made me wonder if the body was originally sunburst and the poly finish on my bass is actually original, and the sunburst wore off:
39K views · 4.3K likes | Ultimate Online Bass School on Instagram: "NERD ALERT. Did you know this about this short period in Fender history? What are YOUR thoughts on these ‘natural heavy relics’?"
Non-original parts:
+Badass II bridge
+Pickups date to 1979, but rewound (2013) in Detroit / Ferndale from great Luthier Mike Koontz — sound is full and clear, lots of low end.
+I had the body cavity shielded with copper foil
+Pickup foam was worn out so I added more
+A few pickguard screws don’t match
This 50 year old bass is looking for its next good home, thanks for looking and ask any questions youve got!
EDIT: the more I look at the pickup codes I can’t tell if it’s 79 or an overprinted 73. Maybe doesn’t matter cuz they’re rewound and sound good but still.
I bought it in the Detroit suburbs in 2009 or 2010 off of Craigslist from a guy who told me I should "only play Elvis with this bass" .... I have not quite followed that advice
I don't have a ton of recordings, as I mostly play upright, but this record is all this bass: Currently strung with new LaBella Nickel Rounds, could switch to Olinto Flats or Low Tension Flats if you'd like. $2500 + shipping, pickup possible in NYC or near Ann Arbor, Michigan. Will ship in a hardshell case- but not an original one.
Details:
Maple Neck- B width 1 5/8” comfy shape
Poplar body? (See note below)
Stripped finish w/ poly clear coat.
10.97 OHM Pickup impedance
8.8 lbs — LIGHT for the 70s !
Truss rod still works
Can be setup quite low with minimal buzz
Definite 1973 Parts:
Neck Plate: 374928
Neck Stamp: 0103 2133
250K Pots Serials: 137731, 1377310
Neck is stamped Herb G., neck pocket is stamped Wayne M. same font. Extra stamp “Gabe” in neck pocket.
Body:
The body is a bit weird, and I’ve tried to do as much research as possible. Seems to be poplar with a poly clear coat? it's not bare wood. Like stated above, the stamp font is consistent between neck and body. The body is routing is consistent with 1973 and has the little dowel pins on the back for routing that people look for. There are holes for the pickup and bridge covers, and the 5th hole in the neck pocket. The body is one piece except for small additions on the G string side.
The guys at La Bella / Olinto were the ones that suspected the wood is Poplar. There’s really not a lot of info out there about Fender using Poplar as a body wood though there is this: Vintage Fender Precison Bass Rare Poplar Body Sunburst 1969
This video made me wonder if the body was originally sunburst and the poly finish on my bass is actually original, and the sunburst wore off:
39K views · 4.3K likes | Ultimate Online Bass School on Instagram: "NERD ALERT. Did you know this about this short period in Fender history? What are YOUR thoughts on these ‘natural heavy relics’?"
Non-original parts:
+Badass II bridge
+Pickups date to 1979, but rewound (2013) in Detroit / Ferndale from great Luthier Mike Koontz — sound is full and clear, lots of low end.
+I had the body cavity shielded with copper foil
+Pickup foam was worn out so I added more
+A few pickguard screws don’t match
This 50 year old bass is looking for its next good home, thanks for looking and ask any questions youve got!
EDIT: the more I look at the pickup codes I can’t tell if it’s 79 or an overprinted 73. Maybe doesn’t matter cuz they’re rewound and sound good but still.
