GC Eye-roll Vintage Fender Precision, '68-'69

[Josh Thatguy]

• Saw this yesterday high up on the wall, out of reach of typical mere mortal slap-bass Ibanez punishers. I asked the nearest hipster employee to take it down so I could check it out. "Yeah, it's a '68 body with a '69 neck. We think it was a transitional bass. All the electronics have been replaced and improved." I'm just going to let the photos speak for themselves. $2,499. By the way, the tech was there and was quite proud of the setup he did on it. ?????????????

 

[Josh Thatguy]

I forgot to take close-up photos of the two different strap buttons-- a Dunlop on the top horn, Schaller style on the bridge end, with several extra big mounting holes drilled (for lighter weight, perhaps?).

The extra holes on the headstock face for various string trees are much smaller by comparison.

 

[Lownote38]

Wow. That bass has been seriously modified. How can they even date the body? The neck will have a heel stamp with a date. The neck looks like it has the dreaded ski jump issue (some of the frets are pretty flattened out like someone tried to compensate), but it looks right for 1969 otherwise (other than all the extra holes drilled in the head stock, the missing tuner screw, and the replaced tuner bolt). Transitional? No. Nothing transitional happened in 1969 with Precision Basses. 1968 was the transition year, and nothing came out looking like this bass. If the body is nitro (early 1968 or before), it is a frankenstein bass with an earlier body and a later neck. Also, the wood is the only thing that hasn't been changed on that body. The pick guard, the bridge, the pickup, and the electronics have all been replaced. The pick guard is from a 70's Precision (looking at where the thumb rest holes are). The neck plate should have the serial number, and that would tell me more.
On to the setup. Horrible job! The pickups are way too low, and the action is way too high. It also needs serious fret attention.
After all that, if the body and neck are indeed vintage Fender, the price is fair in my book.

 

[Morgan Koren]

That's no more than an $1800 bass, but I like it.

 

[Crusher47]

Not a fan of the white pickups, but the rest looks pretty good. Agreed with above, no more than $1800

 

[Josh Thatguy]

I played it, unplugged, for 5 minutes, then handed it back. I had ZERO interest in actually amp'ing it after feeling how phenomenally lifeless it was, even with new roundwounds on it. And, despite the carpal-tunnel-inducing string height, anything from the 11th fret forward was a buzz kill. Literally. The fret buzz would kill the note in half a second.

When I left the store, I was actually relieved, in a way: I didn't have to worry about spending a dime on a vintage bass today. No attraction, no lust.
Honestly, I'd only be in if it were around $600-$800, and only then to part out.

 

[Josh Thatguy]

...The neck plate should have the serial number, and that would tell me more...

I took a photo of the neck plate & number, but since the bass is so bastardized and I have no interest in buying it, I'll just keep the # off the 'net so that the next owner doesn't stumble across this thread or any others, and therefore they can remain ignorantly blissful about buying a "vintage Fender P."

 

[Lownote38]

I played it, unplugged, for 5 minutes, then handed it back. I had ZERO interest in actually amp'ing it after feeling how phenomenally lifeless it was, even with new roundwounds on it. And, despite the carpal-tunnel-inducing string height, anything from the 11th fret forward was a buzz kill. Literally. The fret buzz would kill the note in half a second.

When I left the store, I was actually relieved, in a way: I didn't have to worry about spending a dime on a vintage bass today. No attraction, no lust.
Honestly, I'd only be in if it were around $600-$800, and only then to part out.

It would definitely need a lot of help. The only reason I would ever consider buying it would be to part it out and make a profit on eBay.

 

[creaturegods]

That "set up" is hilarious! Bridge is still nasty, pickup isn't even raised past the pickguard... Maybe their tech means he "set" it "up" on the wall?

 

[Bill Whitehurst]

I think the wood and finish are original.