Fender Experts, please vet this 66’ Precision Bass

Externally looks right for 66.

 

The headstock decal looks about 7/8 size & could indicate a forger. Internal pots and pumps, neck stamp etc. Needs a check.

 

Yup. After 20 years here, I felt the name got stupid a long time ago. Back then (in 1999) I'd never thought the site would still truck-on two decades later and that I'd still be here.

 

Decal could be ersatz/replacement, but that's a C-neck, clay dots, right pickguard, polepieces have ballpark patina. Full authentication would require pot date codes and neck stamp, and from the look of the screw heads, it wouldn't be the first somebody had gone in.

 

Looks legit from head to toe (to me).

 

Clay dots? They don't look like clay to me. And weren't the gone by '66 anyway?

 

Twelfth-fret dots look very much like those on the '65 I used to own, but I could be misled by the pic quality. And yeah, mid-1965 is probably the clay dot cutoff. Regardless, I'll be interested to see how this bass holds up to further authentication.

 

Stupid question, but I have to know...
If a body has that much wear through the finish wouldn't one expect to see some wear on the neck and fretboard as well?

 

Hi Kirk.
I think the decal looks right. I am no expert but here is a shot of my all original 65 P bass headstock. Looks to be the same size to me. Everything else looks correct compared to my bass anyway.

 

Anybody happen to know when Fender stopped putting the hootenany strap button on the back of the headstock?

 

Looks right from here.

 

Hootenanny strap button: 1960-1968.

 

From '60 until about '69.

The bass looks good/right overall. Of course, much can be faked, etc so can only tell so much from pictures...

 

I would say it looks genuine but the wear on the front and back looks "accelerated".

 

I have an original 66 and have seen many others. No clay dots in 66. These appear to be correct pearl dots, but the body is way too artificially aged. Could be original parts but someone had a hand in aging in beyond normal typical wear.

 

Maybe - though here's the wear on the back of a '62 Jazz I bought well before relics were popular:



Luckydog is right about the dots. Switched from 'clay' to fake pearl in '64.