Hello David. Congratulations. Don't refinish it. Whatever you liked about this bass so much, that old finish was part of that. "Don't fix it if it ain't broken." Enjoy!
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
NDB: 1961 Fender Precision
- Thread starter DavidBassista
- Start date
Hello David. Congratulations. Don't refinish it. Whatever you liked about this bass so much, that old finish was part of that. "Don't fix it if it ain't broken." Enjoy!
Yes. In fact it would not be possible to put a tug bar on this bass without drilling new holes in the guard because it has shrunk in that area so that the holes no longer line up with the metal plate holes below. Fortunately they left the pickup cover screws in the guard so I'll be able to put a new pickup cover on it without issue.
What a beauty, especially for a '61! Seems like a really good catch! Congrats!
Agreed. I'd be very surprised if that '61 was originally sunburst. Most likely blonde. But the old adage "never say never with Fender" might apply here. There have always been factory outliers, not to mention that Fender was open to special order requests, even in the 50's. A Fender dealer requests an ash body with a sunburst finish?...sure, why not.
Regardless of the reason for the dark edges on the body (previous refin?...previous finish burned off with a heat gun?), I'd have the body professionally "restored" to an era-correct blonde. And I'd have it (I can't believe I'm saying this) relic'd to match the play wear on the neck. The bass has more than enough value to justify the cost of restoration. In for a penny, in for a pound I say. YMMV, TETO, etc. Cheers.
Hopefully you can seek out a proper vintage pickup cover, the new ones are horribly curved and "all wrong”
Top is vintage, middle is 2005 Custom Shop, bottom is 2012 Neo American Vintage (from Fender Precision Facebook group)
Agree with all. Previous refin is possible. Also, of course, Fender would respray botched finishes - but as solid colors (though I don't think that's the case here).
Also agree, if it were mine, I'd get a correct blonde refin on it. And, generally, it would add more to the overall value than the cost of the refin as well.
Last edited:
Exactly. Besides, keeping it mounted on the body is as good a way of keeping it from shrinking, as screwing it onto an alternate surface. Cheers.
I ordered a set of Fender pickup and bridge covers, but yeah they prob won't be bent the same way as the originals. I have a repro Fender pickup cover on my 63 and I don't mind it though. Funny, people remove the covers to make it easer to play but I'm so used to using the pickup cover on my 63 as a thumb rest that it bothers me to have it missing on the 61.
Awesome photo. Love that shirt and strap too.Here's a pic from 1969 with my 1968 P bass. It was the style back then to strip the finish off so it was more "natural". What were we thinking!?
Here is a pic of me in 2014 with the 63.
That's my understanding, too. I should have clarified what I meant.
Play it and enjoy!
- May 3, 2019
- 92
- 79
- Disclosures
- I have no disclosures and am not receiving any product endorsements
Yes, Great bass, congratulations. But I really liked the homemade case.
Congrats! My dream bass is a 62 P. I think I could settle for a 61!
Just a minor clarification. Your point is right so far as I know. I've never seen an original '57-CBS burst on ash. There were some odd experiments with other woods (korina and mahogany - maybe others) but only on solid colors.
That is the bass everyone wants .. and you've got it! Congratulations! For several years I had a nearly identical bass down to the year and the stripped finish ... except a later owner incised the grain lines before covering the natural finish in black semigloss house paint.
Last edited:
