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Fraud?
- Thread starter 41willys
- Start date
1983.
A ton of "S8/9" stickers were leftover and used up to the end of '83.
You won't see a Fender bass with E0 or E1 sticker from '80 or '81, all of them wore S stickers instead.
I'd presume the bass sports Strat-style knobs as well ?
A ton of "S8/9" stickers were leftover and used up to the end of '83.
You won't see a Fender bass with E0 or E1 sticker from '80 or '81, all of them wore S stickers instead.
I'd presume the bass sports Strat-style knobs as well ?
Short answer is (as stated above) the S8 and 9 decals got used right up to '83.
I had an ‘82 Precision with an S9 serial number. It’s not a case of fraud. Rather, it’s more an indication of the lame CBS management during their final years of ownership.
I think they also used actual parts. I had a 1982 'S'-series Jazz that had a bullet truss rod, 3-bolt microtilt, maple fingerboard, white binding (like the OP) and dot inlays. I can't remember what knobs were fitted but I think they were 'proper' J knobs.
I expected that once I saw the TR adjustment at the heel. Likely a thinner neck as well.
Good luck.
That would be a 1983. Pay no attention to the dates of the S 8xxxxx serial numbers. My 1982 Jazz has one of those serial numbers that Fender says should be very late '77 or 'early '78. Had a fellow who worked at Fender back in the 80's pop in and say that mine was not a 78 and that they used those "S 8xxxxx" numbers well into the 80's because they still had them. He suggested mine was probably an '82 or '83 at the latest.
My '82 has no date stamp on the neck so consider yourself lucky. Obviously with a 1983 neck, it's not a 1978 bass. Had to figure out the date of mine by the numbers on the pots and the fact that it had white binding on the neck, which was only standard in 1966 and 1982. My '82 Jazz also has the strat-type knobs.
The pots are from the 4th week of 1982, so odds are it was made in the first few months of '82 as they didn't keep a lot of inventory of pots on-hand. You should be pretty confident it is an '83 with that neck stamp, but you can always open your controls and see if you can read the numbers on the pots. My tone pot says, "R137824. The R137 means its a CTS part and 824 is the year and the week that pot was made, so 4th week of 1982. Neck stamps make dating sooooo much easier.
On the plus side, I’d much rather have a 1983 bass than a 1978.
Some of the changes put into effect by Bill Schultz were starting to make a difference by 1982. Although the majority of production had been transferred to Japan, 1983 saw many more changes both to quality and the USA models being offered. By the time the Fullerton plant closed up and the company was sold in 1985, there were only 250 or so Fender employees remaining (down from over 700 in the late 70’s). Schultz had basically “cleaned house” in his effort to turn things around.
CBS Inc. Agrees to Sell Fender Instruments to Schultz-Led Group : ORANGE COUNTY
In fact, the values of the last instruments made at the Fullerton plant (mostly those made from ‘82 thru ‘85) are increasing. The American Vintage (later renamed the AVRI) models from those years are especially collectible.
Some of the changes put into effect by Bill Schultz were starting to make a difference by 1982. Although the majority of production had been transferred to Japan, 1983 saw many more changes both to quality and the USA models being offered. By the time the Fullerton plant closed up and the company was sold in 1985, there were only 250 or so Fender employees remaining (down from over 700 in the late 70’s). Schultz had basically “cleaned house” in his effort to turn things around.
CBS Inc. Agrees to Sell Fender Instruments to Schultz-Led Group : ORANGE COUNTY
In fact, the values of the last instruments made at the Fullerton plant (mostly those made from ‘82 thru ‘85) are increasing. The American Vintage (later renamed the AVRI) models from those years are especially collectible.
