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Help with a '94 Fender P Bass

D

DWCJR

Jun 3, 2014
41
16
50
#1
I have a P Bass from approximately 1994; recently someone asked me where it was made, and I had to confess that I had no idea. There is no stamp or decal on the headstock. I took off the neck and written in pencil on the neck is 03-03-94, so I presume the neck is from an early 1994 batch. There isn't a series number, but stamped on the heel in black is PBD 57, which I assume makes it a '57 reissue. Can anyone tell me if it was made in Mexico or Japan?

Thanks,
DC
 
#4
I am really sorry, I just joined, and I did not realize that I have to wait 2 days or 5 posts before I can post pics/links. I have everything in my photobucket account and will post as soon as I can.
 
#6
A pic would help. Serial number should be on the neckplate from my understanding, not on the headstock for the 57 reissues. Should be a "V number on the neckplate (US). JV=Japan.
57 reissues were not made in Mexico, they're either from Japan or the US. One made in 1994 should be made in the US from my understanding, Post some pics when you can and we can give more info.
 
#7
Few things - I maybe mistaken but 94 is too early for Mexico. A US bass would have the SN on the neck plate. No SN plate = suspicious in the fact that A) is it a mishmash bass or B) theres a reason plates go awol. As a dealer, if we know this is an AMerican bass with an altered/missing SN, Its actually illegal for us to buy or sell. Not putting any fear out there.... Just talkin.. BUT if it was a US bass the date stamp would read MAR not 03 so my hunch is this would be a Japan bass BUT the sn is a decal under the fin and a MIJ tag too. If the neck is orig finish, I have no clue what this is...
 
#8
Pix of the OP's bass -

bass-pix.jpg
 
#9
I think its funky... Wrong tuners (Theyre late 70s), Wrong neck plate for a 57ri, wrong guard for a 57 RI... It doesnt look Japan because the decal under the paint is missing.. IF this had a SN it should have been on the back of the head or the plate was changed. BUT the US build for a 57ri would have said MAR, not 03. Not sure what you have BUT its not a 100% 57 ri...
 
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#10
I tried to do my homework before posting, but this has me stumped. I like the bass. I have had it forever (or so it seems, it is my oldest instrument in terms of how long I have had it).

My guess is that it is a Japanese bass that some one tried to pass off as an American made P Bass.

PBD-57 is stamped in black on the body of the bass at the heel, that is why I thought it was a '57 VRI. There is no other serial number.

Anyway, thanks to AJ for posting my pics.
 
#12
Is it possible that the body is a MIJ P Bass but the neck is non-original? It is a 20 year old bass, someone could have swapped out the neck before I bought it. I forgot to mention this earlier, but the neck has what looks to be a name stamped in red. It "might" say "Hector" but it is at a weird angle and trails off so I can't read the last name, but it might begin with a "C".
 
#13
It's not all original from the looks of it, it can be something like this, body and neckplate are original MIA standard P bass. Neck was probably replaced with a MIA 57 reissue neck going by that Hector name- sorry, but I don't think there's too many Japanese workers with that name besides, 57 reissues from 1990 on were made in the US.
You wouldn't see any serial number because the serial number from a MIA Standard P would be on the headstock (which in this case has been replaced with a 57 reissue one that didn't have the number on the neck as it would have been on the neckplate had the body been a 57)
 
#17
Perfessor said:
How's it sound?
Click to expand...

It does the job. It sounds fine but certainly not outstanding. I mostly play double bass these days, but when I need an E bass it has never let me down. I could never sell it because it looks like it has been dragged down the street by Jaco.... Then again, with the proliferation of Fender relics, that might be a good thing.
 

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