Fender P Bass Fake or Real?

[NickDG]

I believe it's a Silvertone Bass. Or, at least a Silvertone bass body. I have one just like it. The bridge plate, saddles, and knobs all match up. The pick ups may have been changed or maybe just covers were added. The headstock however doesn't match my Silvertone, so it's possible it's real, or a copy of, a Fender neck.

I bought the Silvertone almost twenty years ago for around $80 brand new. And I don't think they make them any more, or at least when I looked I couldn't find any new ones. It's a shame someone butchered it as I did find a single used all original Silvertone bass on Reverb and it's going for $199.

Above is the OPs bridge and saddles.

Above is my Silvertone bridge and saddles.

The OPs headstock.

My Silvertone headstock.

 

[kmon]

wow the other guy came out ahead on this one...hopefully this was a series of honest mistakes and your buddy can amicably reverse the trade.

The bass is fake, or at best some kind of parts conglomeration. If it was presented as a genuine fender, even out of ignorance, this ain't right. He should get his amp back.

 

[dan1952]

Fake. Truss rod hole tells all!

 

[prowla]

Fake. Truss rod hole tells all!

Yep - didn't need to look at any other pictures.

 

[Plain Old Barry]

Fake, but thats basically a MiM Fender P with fake logo

All of my MIM necks, both basses and guitars, have skunk stripes. Maybe a Squire or Allparts neck?

 

[hypercarrots]

Very similar one on offerup now. Headstock different shape. Who's making these stretchy logos?!

 

[hypercarrots]

I don't worry too much about knobs, bridges or even tuners when trying to identify basses. All of that can be easily changed. I can put ibanez roadstar hardware on a 1962 fender and it doesn't make the fender a fake.

 

[Carlone]

Absolutely fake. No real serial number.

 

[Eric Swaim]

Fake, looks more like a squier from China with a 1970's Fender style decal. Truss rod adjustment, bridge, and the pickups and bridge are not correct for a bass with that decal. Some people are always trying to "put lipstick on a pig"
Or its a cheap P bass copy

 

[H K]

Fake. Truss rod hole tells all!

How could you tell from that? Genuinely asking, all ways of identifying a fake is another weapon for me in the jungle that is online buying these days.

 

[Gluvhand]

What are you implying dude?

Lol. Dude. I'm not implying anything other than if he's been here since '08 he knows this is a fake and this is just silly.

 

[H K]

To me it looks like an early squier with changed pups and a fender decal. Idk why people feel the need to rebrand their instruments so often. Either way, your friend should take it to the sellers house and use it as a bat to get his Orange TT back. They're really good and worth a lot more..

 

[Grinderman]

Another fake for real.

 

[RVRSCO]

Logo gives it away. It's bad. Lol.

 

[Blackbird]

Fake. Sorry.

 

[Whale guy]

I agree with everyone else. It is seriously a fake. Good luck breaking the news.

 

[groooooove]

that neck heel - the neck wood right at the end there - has a shape i know i've seen before (not on a fender!)

fakey fake fakerton is his name.

 

[Bleecker]

Lol. Dude. I'm not implying anything other than if he's been here since '08 he knows this is a fake and this is just silly.

I think the OP was just making sure before he brakes the news to his buddy. I truly hope he can get the TT back it's a killer amp... terrible move on that guys part!

 

[Bleecker]

Lol. Dude. I'm not implying anything other than if he's been here since '08 he knows this is a fake and this is just silly.

I think the OP was just making sure before he brakes the news to his buddy. I truly hope he can get the TT back it's a killer amp... terrible move on that guys part!

 

[Engle]

HELP brothers. My house mate has just swapped an amp for this PBass. I don't know much about PBasses but I think it might be a fake. It just seems poor quality for a genuine Fender
How can I know for sure before breaking the news.?

Looks just like the bridge on my old Squier P body.