Fender pre-CBS Club: pics mandatory!

[Mastermold]

Do you all have the history of your basses? ...

I bought my '64 P-bass a few years ago from Eldery Instruments in Lansing Michigan where it was being sold on consignment. The prior owner who had the bass some 15 years (and who is also a TB member) contacted me afterwards and told me everything he knew about its history. Very cool cat!

 

[Arrow]

Quick question: do the aluminium Pbass pickguard shields belong under every color pickguard in 1961?

 

[Kmrumedy]

Already a member. Just lovin' all these vintage basses. Keep them coming.

Here is my 1960 PBass yellowing nicely. ( Jazz accompanying PBass in 2nd picture is a 1969 used in recording studios for 35+ years. Spectacular bass in its own right.)

 

[vickerekes]

My bass is a ’62 Fender Bass VI bought from roommate for $250 while in college (theory/comp major) in ‘75, a nosebleed to learn on from scratch and still my main bass after several decades of epic sessions and great memories. The ‘antique’ is my forearm wearing through the sunburst layers over 40+ years.

 

[ICM]

View attachment 966549 My bass is a ’62 Fender Bass VI bought from roommate for $250 while in college (theory/comp major) in ‘75, a nosebleed to learn on from scratch and still my main bass after several decades of epic sessions and great memories. The ‘antique’ is my forearm wearing through the sunburst layers over 40+ years.

I love the fact that the VI is your main bass, very unique and you've probably got your own signature sound and style because of it.

It looks to have some mods, were they done by you? Could you explain them?

I keep editing this post wanting to say more and more. I really like your bass and am fascinated by it. Beautiful instrument.

 

[vickerekes]

Thanks, IvanMunoz...

Original pickups, a drop-in Dan Armstrong hotwire for series/parallel turns it into a big fat 3-bucker, a drop-in Staytrem bridge, had the neck re-planed once and a couple of re-frets.

As for the sound: I use SWR gear. The Aural Enhancer (common misconceptions aside) is a resonance circuit, like changing the size of a guitar box. Leaving the AE wide open, I run through a BDDI with the blend full on and everything else at or near 12:00, boosting 200hz on the bass amp quite a bit (the AE does a scoop there). Makes the amps sound huge, helps the inherent tone of the VI, and gets a nice tubey old school sound.

Still playing this one 6-10 hours a week. I want to be Pablo Casals “…when Casals (then aged 93) was asked why he continued to practice the cello three hours a day, Casals replied, "I'm beginning to notice some improvement...".

 

[Bluesgrunt]

In the timeline of Fender production I know that by 63/64 they had gone to the flat round capacitors in the tome circuit but before that I am unsure of what was used when.

Here are 3 pictures and I am hoping someone can tell me where these fall in the timeline.

Thank you

 

[liverbird]

Here are 3 pictures and I am hoping someone can tell me where these fall in the timeline.

Don't know about the first two but the third pic is from a 1959 P bass.

 

[Bluesgrunt]

Thanks for the reply.
Would picture 3 be correct for any other years in addition to 1959 or was this more or less a 1959 feature?

 

[liverbird]

Thanks for the reply.
Would picture 3 be correct for any other years in addition to 1959 or was this more or less a 1959 feature?

1959 because of the pot codes (947 = 47th week of 1959). This type capacitor can already be found on earlier basses. The orange, disk-shaped one came in around 1961.

 

[9mmMike]

1959 because of the pot codes (947 = 47th week of 1959). This type capacitor can already be found on earlier basses. The orange, disk-shaped one came in around 1961.

Would a '59 not be an anodized PG? That looks like a nitro guard with an aluminum shield.

 

[liverbird]

Would a '59 not be an anodized PG? That looks like a nitro guard with an aluminum shield.

It changed from anodized to nitro during that year.

 

[liverbird]

With the pots dating late 1959, the bass in question could of course also be from early 1960. It's unlikely that the neck has a date, so I would make the call based on the body date, if present. (Not that it matters much in terms of value.)

 

[Bluesgrunt]

I think I have the answer I'm looking for. 59 through 60 (maybe 61 depending on when the supply was exhausted) for picture 3.

Pictures 1 also has 59 pot codes but maybe not original capacitor?

 

[96tbird]

They're capacitors, not resistors.

As for switchovers, Fender wasn't picky about stock tracking. He would buy in bulk at the best price and put it on the shelves. Workers would come along and grab what they needed at their station. It was a random lottery as to which box of parts they took. Could be a box of older stock paper caps or could be a newer box of ceramic disc caps.

Even pot codes can only be considered ballpark dating resources.

 

[Bluesgrunt]

I have corrected my text.
Of course they are capacitors (tone caps) Brain malfunction.

As they say, an instrument is only as old as its most recent part date.

 

[96tbird]

I have corrected my text.
Of course they are capacitors (tone caps) Brain malfunction.

As they say, an instrument is only as old as its most recent part date.

Lol. They may say that but neck date and model date is what does it for me.

Ferinstance, my '62 jazz is a three knob (consensus is that it's a 63 feature) with October '61 neck date '61-62' serial plate and early '61 pots. Can't call it a '61 because of three pots, so it's a '62. JPJ's three knob Jazz according to him is a '62. Some guys insist it is a '63. So nothing is clear cut on vintage Fenders. But if you had a three knob neck dated '62 with '63 pots, me, I would argue it's a '62. The neck is the heart, soul and brain of an instrument IMO .

 

[nerkoids]

Already a member. Just lovin' all these vintage basses. Keep them coming.

Here is my 1960 PBass yellowing nicely. ( Jazz accompanying PBass in 2nd picture is a 1969 used in recording studios for 35+ years. Spectacular bass in its own right.)

sigh...

 

[The Bass Clef]

Lol. They may say that but neck date and model date is what does it for me.

Ferinstance, my '62 jazz is a three knob (consensus is that it's a 63 feature) with October '61 neck date '61-62' serial plate and early '61 pots. Can't call it a '61 because of three pots, so it's a '62. JPJ's three knob Jazz according to him is a '62. Some guys insist it is a '63. So nothing is clear cut on vintage Fenders. But if you had a three knob neck dated '62 with '63 pots, me, I would argue it's a '62.

That's actually a bit backwards. A 3-knob with a '62 neck and '63 pots wouldn't have left the factory until '63 - so it's a '63. That's why original solder joints are important... to know that no one replaced the pots at another point in time. The year of the bass is always considered to be the year that it most likely left the factory, according to the last original date you can find on it.

And likewise, based on the info you gave us, you can call your own bass a '61 "because of three ['61] pots"... because you also have a '61 neck date... and a ser # that is still in the '61 range (if that is in fact the case). To get even more definitive, pull the pickups out... my guess is (based on the neck date and those early '61 pots), you'll probably find a '61 body date too!

The concensus is really that 3-knobs are actually a late '61 feature, with some stack knob overlap into '62, while most '62s were 3-knob. I suspect any misinfo going around about 3-knobs being a '63 feature were a resuklt of Fender reissuing the "62 Jazz" with stack knobs - it made most people assume all '62s have stack knobs.

 

[liverbird]

That's actually a bit backwards. A 3-knob with a '62 neck and '63 pots wouldn't have left the factory until '63 - so it's a '63. That's why original solder joints are important... to know that no one replaced the pots at another point in time. The year of the bass is always considered to be the year that it most likely left the factory, according to the last original date you can find on it.

And likewise, based on the info you gave us, you can call your own bass a '61 "because of three ['61] pots"... because you also have a '61 neck date... and a ser # that is still in the '61 range (if that is in fact the case). To get even more definitive, pull the pickups out... my guess is (based on the neck date and those early '61 pots), you'll probably find a '61 body date too!

The concensus is really that 3-knobs are actually a late '61 feature, with some stack knob overlap into '62, while most '62s were 3-knob. I suspect any misinfo going around about 3-knobs being a '63 feature were a resuklt of Fender reissuing the "62 Jazz" with stack knobs - it made most people assume all '62s have stack knobs.

This. Assuming it's an all original bass, last dateable component dates it. Neck date, body date, pot codes, pickup dates and - although it's less precise - serial number.

96tbird, your bass is likely a '61 going by the neck date and pots - as thebrian said, check for a body date as well. Three-knobs started around August/September that year. (Not an exact science, of course.)

Take a look at this one, for example:

Andy Baxter Bass & Guitars Ltd

9-61 neck, 8/61 body, 6120 pots.

Here's my 3-knob Blonde:

1 62 neck, 6143 pots, 70XXX serial number. It's a '62.