Help me identify this bass. What do I have?

[limmlimm]

Hey there I recently purchased what I thought was a 1979 fretless Precision bass with pj pickups but now that I’m looking at it I’m fairly sure it was modded into a pj. It also has a bunch of other non original parts I believe. Did fender make a pj model in 79? I took a bunch of pics. If anyone can help me identify any of this it would be much appreciated.

 

[limmlimm]

It was obviously modded to have a blend knob but its kind of weird. When both pickups are selected in the middle detent position it looses a good bit of volume and sounds very thin

 

[Slater]

When both pickups are selected in the middle detent position it looses a good bit of volume and sounds very thin

The pickups are probably wired out of phase. Try swapping the bridge pickup hot and ground connections.

 

[mikeswals]

CBS/Fender did not make any pj's.

 

[Killing Floor]

Definitely modded. But that is OK. Those maple fretless necks are pure gold.

 

[limmlimm]

Definitely modded. But that is OK. Those maple fretless necks are pure gold.

The neck is really nice. The thing feels great. Its very easy to play. The bridge pickup is pretty bad but I think its the original P pickup and it sounds pretty nice. I want to put a new jazz pickup in the bridge and maybe change the capacitor on the tone tone pot.

 

[Bugspray]

With the neck date and pronounced contouring on the body it is definitely from 1982. They used the S9 decals for a good while.

 

[TrustRod]

It was obviously modded to have a blend knob but its kind of weird. When both pickups are selected in the middle detent position it looses a good bit of volume and sounds very thin

As mentioned it could be out of phase, that will be an extreme loss of volume. The other more likely issue is the wrong kind of blend pot. There are two kinds labeled something like MN or AC (I forget) and only one is full volume at detent. And there are grounded - ungrounded wiring choices that also effect the volume. Even with the right blend 2 pickups in parallel will always have some volume drop.

 

[bobyoung53]

Hey there I recently purchased what I thought was a 1979 fretless Precision bass with pj pickups but now that I’m looking at it I’m fairly sure it was modded into a pj. It also has a bunch of other non original parts I believe. Did fender make a pj model in 79? I took a bunch of pics. If anyone can help me identify any of this it would be much appreciated.

The J pickup looks like a Dimarzio model J like they put in TF Franklins, a lot of people modded P basses back then with either a neck humbucker or a bridge J. Sometimes both. Attention @DJ Bebop !

 

[limmlimm]

As mentioned it could be out of phase, that will be an extreme loss of volume. The other more likely issue is the wrong kind of blend pot. There are two kinds labeled something like MN or AC (I forget) and only one is full volume at detent. And there are grounded - ungrounded wiring choices that also effect the volume. Even with the right blend 2 pickups in parallel will always have some volume drop.

 

[limmlimm]

I’m going to open it up tonight and take a look. It’s a pretty extreme volume and tone loss. I’m guessing it may be the wrong pot

 

[limmlimm]

The J pickup looks like a Dimarzio model J like they put in TF Franklins, a lot of people modded P basses back then with either a neck humbucker or a bridge J. Sometimes both. Attention @DJ Bebop !

 

[limmlimm]

Yeah it’s a Dimarzio. I’m not really a fan of it. I want to swap it out for a single coil of some kind.

 

[rojo412]

That Model J is a great pickup and matches well with the P for output. There's a chance it's wired wrong, as they were a 4-lead humbucker. You could try it in series or parallel to see if it makes you happier.

That said though, if you're looking to get a single coil, not only would you be able to pick just about anything for specs you want, you'd have no trouble selling the Model J.

 

[Smooth_bass88]

From '79 until the closing of the Fullerton facility, the serial numbers are kind of all over the place. The finish looks like 1980-1982. Obviously modded with bridge pickup. Cool bass for sure

 

[LHbassist]

The DiMarzio j- is a dual coil humbucker. I'm certain from your description, that it is wired out of phase. Take the wire from that pickup, that is soldered to the hot terminal, and swap it with the one soldered to ground. That should do it. DiMarzio wiring is usually- black and white soldered together, red is hot, and green to ground. It could possibly be a total wiring mess- just wire it like DiMarzio's instructions. As stated, they really work well in conjuction with a standard p-bass pickup. I have a bass with this setup- and love it. And since they are a humbucker, they're quieter solo'ed, too. Looks like a 1979 neck, and the body- could be from '82 or thereabouts, due to the almost total lack of red in the three tone burst. The saddles appear to be totally in the wrong place- use a good capo at precisely the 12th. fret and set the intonation. Nice bass- good luck with it!

 

[limmlimm]

The DiMarzio j- is a dual coil humbucker. I'm certain from your description, that it is wired out of phase. Take the wire from that pickup, that is soldered to the hot terminal, and swap it with the one soldered to ground. That should do it. DiMarzio wiring is usually- black and white soldered together, red is hot, and green to ground. It could possibly be a total wiring mess- just wire it like DiMarzio's instructions. As stated, they really work well in conjuction with a standard p-bass pickup. I have a bass with this setup- and love it. And since they are a humbucker, they're quieter solo'ed, too. Looks like a 1979 neck, and the body- could be from '82 or thereabouts, due to the almost total lack of red in the three tone burst. The saddles appear to be totally in the wrong place- use a good capo at precisely the 12th. fret and set the intonation. Nice bass- good luck with it!

Thanks for all of that info!

 

[REV]

Doesn't even look like a fender body to me.

 

[tpaul]

Is that a CNC indexing hole?

Doesn't look like an early '80s Fender body to me. I may be wrong and I hope I am.

 

[Smooth_bass88]

27524233[/URL], member: 188862"]Is that a CNC indexing hole?

Doesn't look like an early '80s Fender body to me. I may be wrong and I hope I am.

There was an active electronics Fender Precision bass around 1980 which might explain the extra routing under the pickguard. Maybe someone converted this bass to passive.

look at these pics

Fender Precision Bass Sienna Sunburst 1981