Finally Found a Surf Green P-Bass

[Glazenn]

Thanks Glazenn, what year was that jazz bass?

Thank you, I built it in 2012 using a Warmoth body, an Allparts neck and all other parts from Fender (incl. '57/'62 Original Vintage PU).
I posted the pictures to illustrate how a tort guard compares to a whitish one (mint green), and eventually I actually like both.
All 3 pictures are of the same bass (with 2 different sets of knobs - different hues in the green are due to lighting)
I also mentioned that the correct pickguard for an AVRI '57 P is gold anodised aluminum. Individual tastes may differ.

 

[Funky-Wunky]

I have a 1991 Fender catalogue and color #(8)57 (Surf Green) was still there for all 5 Vintage Series models: Stratocaster '57 and '62, Precision Bass '57 and '62, and Jazz Bass '62.
From a Frontline magazine (Summer 1992 issue), this Fender model number is 019-0115-#color and was then named the (USA) Vintage (or U.S. Vintage Series) '57 Precision Bass. The name was later changed (by 1998) to American Vintage '57 Reissue Precision Bass (with the same model number continuing onward to 2012).
Serial number V043xxx says: year 1989, that spans numbers from V040000 to V050000, approximately. This should be confirmed by the pots dates, the neck date and the body date.
The original gold anodised aluminum pickguard has been swapped for a plastic one by a previous owner (and I would please restore the correct one, and with the tug bar).

See the description of the model showing the Surf Green color dates here:
The Official Fender Precision Bass Club (Part 8) | Page 140 | TalkBass.com

This website says the following colors were offered on the US Vintage Series models (all but the Telecaster '52 that was only in Butterscotch Blonde) for that same short period from late '80s to early '90s: Candy Apple Red, Daphne Blue, Fiesta Red, Ocean Turquoise, and Surf Green, in addition to more standard colors like 2- or 3-TSB, black, and OL white.
Actually, this short period is not limitative as I have an AVRI '62 Precision Bass in Fiesta Red that is dated 12/2000 (this color was discontinued again 01/2001).

Please note your bass has the P pickup with the flat pole pieces from the pre-1998 era (not the 57/62 Original Vintage PU with the beveled pole pieces that is found on 1998-2012 P's), and it is extremely difficult to find it separately.

That's a nice and rare find that you have made. Congratulations.

Are you a Club member yet?
The Official Fender Precision Bass Club (Part 8) | Page 140 | TalkBass.com

PS - It should look like this:

Thanks for this good information, somehow I missed it earlier. what do you mean by tug bar, the thumb rest?

 

[96tbird]

Yes thumb rest.

 

[Glazenn]

Yes thumb rest.

Yes, but who has ever had his thumb resting on it?
The original idea was to provide some anchor for thumb playing style:

It's the most useless thing on a Fender bass, but you know, the tradition...
The hootenanny button (at the back of the peg head) on Fender Vintage and Vintage Reissue basses is the same thing...
In the nineties, they relocated the thumb rest above the E string for a few years.
Still in vain for most bass players...

Read: Link Removed

 

[victoralam]

nice..love the color!