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Is this P a find?

basskababble

basskababble

Mar 28, 2008
828
6
Miami Florida
#1
Can anyone help Identify this P?

Picture4.png


It's labeled as "vintage" but wasn't even identified as a Fender until I asked for pictures. Seller says it cuts in and out a lot ("the switches and plug go in and out alot.")... it's $200... go for it?
 
#3
Its an old Pbass copy if I'm not mistaken. The pickguard looks... odd, the knobs, switch, and J pickup certainly aren't original. That bridge might be an early badass, but I very highly doubt it. The truss rod route on the headstock also looks weird.

But then again, its only $200, if you can get it to play nicely you might have a nice enough freteless to knock around with.
 
#5
The extra horn is due to the picture. (kind of mashes the "registered" sign with the R)...

BUT that picture you posted does reveal that the N in Precision ends a little too early. Does that nod to the year? (look at where the headstock "dives" in. In the posted picture the word precision ends AFTER the dive and on the bass in question it ends before it)

The problem is I'm looking for a P, would love a vintage, but not looking for a frettless and have no experience fixing pots and wiring/soldering...

could be a $200 money pit.

I'm going to try and go see it asap. Anything special I should look for? Weight? markings on back?
 
#6
You could always swap out all the electrics and ordering a whole new wiring kit. I think it was Bayou who makes the ready made wiring harness. Just ask to make sure the truss rod works. Worse comes to worse, I'll buy it off of you. :p
 
#9
dragoon419 said:
Looks like a fake to me. First, it's a p/j and the jack is located on the pickguard, last I checked, all p/js had the jack on the body. Second, the R in Fender is wrong. It doesn't look like a fender R.
Click to expand...

Im not saying it's a fake or not but just in response to your comment...
The r looks normal to me. that is a (R) over the letter r.
Also, the j pick up could have been added later and not stock.

...just throwing it out there.
 
#10
The neck appears to be genuine Fender late 1970s. The bass body appears in the photo to be Ash(heavy) which Fender used in the late 1970s but modified by the owner w/ jazz pickup. I wouldn't lay down the dow for this bass unless I had better pics.. no unless it was in my hands.

+1 could be a $200 money pit
 
#16
basskababble said:
Thanks a mil... but what do I find out when it's in my hands? I.O.words, how do i know it's genuine??? forgive the noob...

again, will it be really heavy? will is jump up and John Paul Jones basslines all by itself?
Click to expand...

No problem. How much time do have? Here is a few details to get you started towards identifying a Fender.

+Pull the neck- Look on the heel for a stamp date or post-it note style decal that list builders' last names.. hmm just look for any identifiable stamps. Also, chk the truss rod cavity. Is the truss rod nut recessed more than 1/8" deep? That would not be good.
+Remove the pickguard - Check the numbers stamped on the bottoms of the pots, as well as the bottoms of the pickup. Check the routes for a serial no. sticker usually Sxxxxxxx ( the first numeric indicates the year).
+Check the headstock - serial no. Sxxxxxxx first numeric indicates the year.

Really heavy? I dont know. Is a 10 pound bass heavy for you? Maybe if John's ghost was present. that would be coo. post some pics!!
 
#17
The headstock looks authentic to me. Granted, I'm no Fender historian, but I've seen a lot of Fenders and a lot of variation on the lettering in the logos.

As for the body, the J pickup is definitely a custom job, and I'm also not entirely sure what's up with the bridge, which definitely isn't a standard Fender part. I'd say that if you can date it and authenticate it by the serial number, and if it's got any kind of decent vintage, 200 bucks is an alright bargain. Assuming nothing serious is broken, all it could really need is some wiring fixes and a set up.
 
#18
It's definitely not all-original if it is authentic - the J-bass pickup is for sure a later addition, and the Strat knobs and the white pickguard were '80s things IIRC, but may have been added when the pickup and selector switch were added. The logo looks right to me - I'm not sure about the truss rod fill at the nut though.

It's worth at least $200 for sure if the neck is OK, possibly more - $5-800, especially if you fix the wiring - the cutting out bit could be just a loose solder joint.
 

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