Help me date my pbass

Wanna date? Bottle of wine and a Barry White album.

 

Well the pups look as old or older than the bass. She's held up to the years really well. Gorgeous bass.

 

If the pots are original, a shot showing the serial numbers on them would allow the Fender experts to provide some guidance.

 

I'm not sure there is enough in those pictures to definitively tell a '68 from a '69. However, I thought the r-in-circle stamp on the tuning machines happened in the '70s. Hopefully somebody with a better memory than me will show up, because those look more like mid-70s logos on the tuning machines.

 

On the original bridge, was the G string saddle bolt/screw unusually long?

 

I saw that, but couldn't really tell if it was a 6 or the last letter of the month. Does it read "5JUL6#" ?

If so, those tuning machines don't make sense with what I thought I knew. I thought the logo was added in '68, but the r-in-circle didn't show up until somewhere late '70 or very early '71.

 

Your search doesn't work like my search, but I didn't break out my Fender bass book to confirm, either. Truth be told, I'm not sure if I know where it is.

Fender 1968 Fender Precision Bass 1968 See Thru Blonde



Fender Precision Bass 1969 Sunburst | William's Gear Locker


I did see this '69 at CME, though, and it matches yours...
Fender Precision Bass Sunburst 1969 (s489)

 

Like this? Would this be an original Fender bridge? If so, what era?

Edit: after some further investigation it appears this bridge was used from 69 to 72. It's been in my parts drawer for decades.

 

Need help dating a Pbass? Bring flowers.

 

Bass is pretty easy to get into bed and usually doesn't require dating , easier than a guitar some say