1978 Precision

[The Crow Hailer]

a polishing cloth? It would only get grubby again

 

[The Crow Hailer]

...here it is in flight...

 

[Johnny Alien]

It does look like ebony. I also have never seen a standard with an ebony board. It certainly raises some suspicion about it being done at the factory but with Fender I suppose you should never say never.

 

[meatwad]

...but with Fender I suppose you should never say never.

Word!

 

[The Crow Hailer]

oh well, I guess it will have to remain a mystery. I don't mind anyway, I like the bass very much, I was just curious because I had never seen another like it. If I get time I will take off the scratch plates and have a look at the pots etc.

 

[The Crow Hailer]

I suspect Fender used all sorts of 'lying around' bits at this period in their history so I suppose anything is possible.

 

[Flaked Beans]

That bass had a slim contoured veneer rosewood fingerboard and it has been replaced with the slab ebony fingerboard probably by the previous (or by the original) owner. No ebony fboards back then.

Look at my '77 P bass:

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

 

[mikeswals]

That bass had a slim contoured veneer rosewood fingerboard and it has been replaced with the slab ebony fingerboard probably by the previous (or by the original) owner.

+1
Yup, looking closer at the headstock end, you can see the flat cut slab how the ebony was glued to the maple. Fender would have done a curved laminate as Flaked Bean pointed out.

 

[Johnny Alien]

You guys have good eyes. I missed that detail. I was super suspicious of any stock ebony board on a standard Fender of that era but that certainly does confirm it.

 

[The Crow Hailer]

Wow, I am amazed anyone would go to so much trouble.

I can see what you mean about the squareness of the ebony at the headstock end. Whoever did this did an incredibly neat job. The fret markers are mother of pearl but the side ones are ebony.

 

[The Crow Hailer]

Do people think this will lower it's value?

 

[smcd]

Do people think this will lower it's value?

Any major modification like this will lower the value. How much? Anywhere from 30-50 percent of it's full retail value.



I'm also amazed that someone went to this much trouble on this bass.

 

[michael_atw]

Since the late 70's and early 80's aren't really regarded as a prestigious time in collectible history, it won't much be affected value-wise as long as it was a pro-job. Pop the neck off, you could still get probably 75% of the value it was worth without the mod. The body has no affected value, of course. Since these necks run $400-$500 you could easily get $300-$350 for it if it was a pro job. Not a huge affect; the time and money it took to do something like that was the real value-loss. I just sold a late 70's neck with truss rod issues for $375, if that's any indication.

 

[The Crow Hailer]

I'm still not entirely convinced that it is a luthier job. It has had the frets and not replaced and whoever replaced the nut slightly damaged the fretboard getting the old one out so if the fretboard is a replacement it would follow that it was done very early in it's life. Also, the dots along the top of the neck seem to be the same wood.