1959 Fender Precision Basses

[Bluesgrunt]

Here's my 59 slab/ ano. No date on neck. Date on pickup cavity is hard to read. Serial 34098. pots show one is 47 week of 58 and the other is 7 week of 59. It seems all original to me.

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Concerning the body date if the control cavity is the older boomerang shape the date would have to be before 7th month if it is the the later route as seen starting in July 1959you can narrow it down a little.
It could easily still have an an̈o guard and the later route

 

[s_wood]

Concerning the body date if the control cavity is the older boomerang shape the date would have to be before 7th month if it is the the later route as seen starting in July 1959you can narrow it down a little.
It could easily still have an an̈o guard and the later route

This is a dating technique I’ve never heard of before! Do you have pics of the boomerang and later cavity shapes?

 

[Bluesgrunt]

This is a dating technique I’ve never heard of before! Do you have pics of the boomerang and later cavity shapes?

Here you go

 

[s_wood]

Thanks

Here you go

Thanks! So I understand, the bottom is the pre-July ‘59 “boomerang?”

 

[used guitars]

if the two screws between the knobs are somewhat parallel - that dead means '59

 

[D Bopp]

Concerning the body date if the control cavity is the older boomerang shape the date would have to be before 7th month if it is the the later route as seen starting in July 1959you can narrow it down a little.
It could easily still have an an̈o guard and the later route

Interesting! Here’s my Jan 59 p, with a body dated 10/58. And the second pic is my 61 p.

 

[Bluesgrunt]

Thanks

Thanks! So I understand, the bottom is the pre-July ‘59 “boomerang?”

That is right

 

[Metal Sombreros]

Here’s my 1/59 p. All the dates in the body, pots, and neck plate date the bass to 1958. But I guess because the neck is jan 59, then the bass is a 59.

This is an incredible instrument

 

[johnnydi]

Do you have a thickness measurement at frets 1 and 12 on your 59 slab neck?

I don't have a caliper to measure it. Sorry

 

[johnnydi]

Concerning the body date if the control cavity is the older boomerang shape the date would have to be before 7th month if it is the the later route as seen starting in July 1959you can narrow it down a little.
It could easily still have an an̈o guard and the later route

Thank you for this info. I cannot believe i didn't know that. So looking at mine its definitely a later routing. So maybe its a 7/59 date in the body cavity? Because it cannot be an 8. It could be a 9 but then i'm sure it wouldn't have the ano pickguard in august. But who knows. The serial number even though i understand its not accurate. But most if not all the instruments in the 30000 was made in late 58 early 59. I always believed it was a april 59 but now you changed that big time. Thank you

 

[Bluesgrunt]

Thank you for this info. I cannot believe i didn't know that. So looking at mine its definitely a later routing. So maybe its a 7/59 date in the body cavity? Because it cannot be an 8. It could be a 9 but then i'm sure it wouldn't have the ano pickguard in august. But who knows. The serial number even though i understand its not accurate. But most if not all the instruments in the 30000 was made in late 58 early 59. I always believed it was a april 59 but now you changed that big time. Thank you

I agree probably a 7 59
This is a July ano guard

 

[johnnydi]

I agree probably a 7 59
This is a July ano guard

Oh WOW! its the exact same 5 and 9 as mine. Most likely the same guy who wrote in mine. Looks like when he started writing the 7 on mine. Part of the top bar of the seven didn't quite write. Maybe due to rough wood. Yours doesn't seems to have any finish overspray in the cavity. Is that an optical illusion?

 

[Bluesgrunt]

Oh WOW! its the exact same 5 and 9 as mine. Most likely the same guy who wrote in mine. Looks like when he started writing the 7 on mine. Part of the top bar of the seven didn't quite write. Maybe due to rough wood. Yours doesn't seems to have any finish overspray in the cavity. Is that an optical illusion?

The base is not mine. It's a picture of one that the guitar broker had for sale. A couple of months ago, he actually had an early 59 with a Maple board. And this one with rosewood board. He was unsure of the date as well. And I told him what I knew about when everything changed, and we sort of came to the agreement that this was probably from the 1st month. Of the cavalry route changed
I'm not sure about the overspray. I think it's possible that since the blonde finish is translucent. That the numbers just may have bled through in the pickup cavity
If I recall correctly, it was an original finish.