Need help with 1966 P-Bass

[mikeswals]

so theres no way to find out the original color

Its not the original finish. Not original guard.
And there were no records kept at Fender.
All you can do is take it apart and hope some patches of original color are in a deep cavity or pocket.

Sunburst was THE standard finish, and everything else was 'custom color'.
Around 1970 is when white, black, brown, sunburst, & natural became standard colors as well.

Your neck pocket pic tells us it was refinished at least oce more before the natural. A 66 would have a paint stick bare spot if it were factory.

 

[Matt O]

From the look of the neck pocket, it appears to have been refinished more than once. Looks like it was refinished black at one point and then stripped to natural. A vintage red tort guard would look killer on it, imo.

 

[MIMike]

If the original was sunburst, then the PG would have been tort. So, either the PG is original and the color was something other than SB, or the PG is not original…like the finish.
Natural didn’t happen for about 4 or 5 years later.

I have a 65’ Jazz that I refer to as a “no-fin” instead of a re-fin. Not only do I love the look, but I love the fact that it’s pretty beat and doesn’t much matter if it gets even more beat.

 

[Acoop]

The pickguard is post 75. Pull it apart and see what else is different. Remember CBS Fender made more P basses in 66 than any other production year.

 

[Matt O]

Pickguard is single ply. It’s not a Fender guard.

 

[blr2]

The pickguard is post 75.

Being a single ply, I don't think it is Fender at all.

PS: Matt O beat me to it.

 

[denton57]

I’d get a Spitfire tort and call it good!

 

[Smooth_bass88]

I'd have MJT do a beautiful relic sunburst, than get an aged tortoiseshell pickguard from Avant Guards.

 

[micguy]

would this be the original finish

Nope - later on, Fender offered natural finishes on ash bodies, but that’s too early and it’s alder. It’s been stripped, which a lot of folks did - that’s a diy strip/refin job.

There are a LOT of ‘66 stamped necks out there - CBS may have made a bunch, figuring they’d sell more than they did. You bass may have sold well after 1966..

 

[rwkeating]

Another reason why the pickguard isn't an original from 1966 is because the holes for the tug bar are on top (near the low E string.) One from 1966 would have tug bar holes near the G string. If you take the pickguard off, you should see the holes by the G string side. If those holes aren't there, I'd question the year of the body.

 

[micguy]

Tort looks good on everything

The 1950’s were a very long time ago. Black looks better on more things than tort, and it isn’t 70 years out of date….

 

[GretschWretch]

cool , but im not sure tort would look good , so that pickguard isnt original?

Actually, probably no more than 50% of that bass is original, nor is it complete. But I would have pounced on it in a heartbeat. Me personally, if the body grain on any FSO is visible, I jettison the original pg and replace it with the smallest guard I can find that will keep all the cavities covered. For a 1966 P, a chrome crescent MM control cover should work just fine.

 

[Fender_Bender]

I’ll second the thought that it’s been refinished at least twice. The black should not be totally covering the pocket because they screwed in a holding stick for painting purposes that covered the pocket.

 

[yodedude2]

'c' neck. sweet!

 

[dc-upright]

My first good bass was a 66 P, I got when I was 14. It was candy apple red!

 

[blr2]

The 1950’s were a very long time ago. Black looks better on more things than tort, and it isn’t 70 years out of date….

A matter of taste, I guess. Fender replaced tort with black PG on their sunburst finished basses in the 70's and the 80's (the dark ages of Fender history ), but then went back to tort. Tort is used, together with white on pretty much everything Fender is making today. Do they use black on basses?

PS: Fender didn't use much tort in the 50's.

 

[Mike Vee]

The 1950’s were a very long time ago. Black looks better on more things than tort, and it isn’t 70 years out of date….

You're not very in-touch with the last 20-40 years of indie music, are you?

 

[ThudThudThud]

My favourite vintage Fender finish....Stripped.
I don't think that pickguard is original.

 

[JohnnyChatter]

Dang! Rad bass. I’m not sure if anyone told you this yet or not but the finish has been stripped and the pickguard is not original. Also… something tort.

 

[Dynacord]

1966 Custom Color chart - a lot of the colors changed in '65: