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68 Telecaster Bass is MINE!!!!!!

#41
bonz - darrell said:
Sweet! I love my '68 T bass as well. In fact, sometimes I guilt myself into playing one of my other basses, because they're all just hanging on the wall collecting dust since I got my Tele...
For recording this thing is just fabulous -- I just did an ep and never once thought to put it down and play something else... One song has been released on the 'Off the Floor' album - link is below in my sig...
Click to expand...

Side bar = Your band sounds great.
 
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#44
The neck date is pretty interesting. It's not a proto decal, but production didn't start on these until '68. I wonder if it was a proto neck, or just something sitting around since the early '50s that somebody finally got around to putting a date on. Anybody know how you could get a '66 neck?

<-- mine, on the left, is the same style (skunk stripe, no separate fingerboard, same decal, dated May 1968) but with the oval tuners rather than the elephant ears
 
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#46
timocharis said:
The neck date is pretty interesting. It's not a proto decal, but production didn't start on these until '68. I wonder if it was a proto neck, or just something sitting around since the early '50s that somebody finally got around to putting a date on. Anybody know how you could get a '66 neck?

<-- mine, on the left, is the same style (skunk stripe, no separate fingerboard, same decal, dated May 1968) but with the oval tuners rather than the elephant ears
Click to expand...

I've seen them with ovals and elephant ears. I'm not sure how that came to be. Mine has elephant ears and I'm assuming they're original.
Mine is skunk stripe and no separate fret board.
Since mine also was refinished before I got it, but it had a clear pick guard, I can only assume it was one of the pink paisley or blue flower models. Also, mine is not a one piece body, so it would make sense that it was painted from the factory.

There's definitely some funky things about the builds of these old basses. It kind of adds to the mystique...

Either way, the OP should play the heck out of that bass, and enjoy every minute.
 
#47
Clouz said:
...the neck is dated 1966
Click to expand...

Are you referring to neck plate date or ink stamp in the neck heel? I would be really surprised if the neck was made is '66, but then again stranger things have happened. :cool:

IN any case, play the heck outta that baby!
 
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#51
Clouz said:
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Click to expand...
This must be fate because I just joined this forum for the first time just now to solicit info about an issue I have with my '69 Tele bass. I cannot find a pickup height that hears the major third harmonic on any of my strings. It is there acoustically but nothing thru the pickup. I have to assume it is the pickup location between the nut and bridge. Anyone else run in to this problem? Otherwise it is a great instrument (overlooking the single coil hum, of course) Thanks
 
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#55
Congratulations- a great find, particularly if it has the original pickup. Many of them were apparently damaged by gas emitted by the deterioration of the pickguard.
My 69 Tele has an old repro guard for this reason and the original pickup is long gone. I have tried a number of pickups over the 10 years or so I have owned the bass. I liked the Seymour Duncan Quarter Pounder but have recently installed a Jess Loureiro split 51 with a push/ pull pot- switchable series/ parallel, to increase the versatility of the bass.
I have put the original pots etc away- in case I ever find an original pickup at a reasonable price or in the unlikely event I decide to sell the bass.
There's info and pics of the installation of the split 51 pickip over on The Official telecaster Bass Club Part 2
The Tele with the new pickup had it's first run with the band last night- very happy. Does a very good impersonation of a split coil P Bass in series but also a quite authentic mid 50s P Bass sound in parallel. The parallel sound is bright and quite lively- like my old 56 P Bass. I particularly like this pickup because it doesn't seem to have as harsh an initial attack spike in parallel. The A response is very slightly down, but nothing a compressor can't fix.

These are really nice basses. Anyway, here's my old girl. Enjoy your new bass!

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#59
Sweet score! I know it sounds big. Let us know when you get tired of it.

I see from your avatar you were Rock of the Marne. I was in 3rd combat Aviation Bn. 76-80, Kitzingen, West Germany.
 

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