Precision Bass serial number is wonky

[coreyfyfe]

According to Kennis Russell on YouTube, Fender never put the string tree over the F and d in the logo. Check him out. He gives talks on spotting fakes.

The only thing consistent about fenders, especially in the 70s is their inconsistency. Several of mine have a string tree over the F, and the three 78s I’ve owned all has their logos placed differently.

 

[DogsAndStuff]

I LOVE my '79 P., in as much as I can love any Fender product anymore (long, bad history with Fender).

I was very lucky in that the bass belonged to a friend of mine and I had "borrowed" it, several times through the years so I was able to get familiar with it before purchase.

If you have the time, Fender is usually very good with talking with customers on the phone. In fact, because of all the mishegoss with how CBS sold the company back to the employees, their records and specs are a bit spotty and they are looking for owners of CBS-era instruments to help them with "rebuilding" their data base (at least, they were, the last time I spoke with them).

Thanks MichaelStanley, I'll do that...

 

[hypercarrots]

The only thing consistent about fenders, especially in the 70s is their inconsistency. Several of mine have a string tree over the F, and the three 78s I’ve owned all has their logos placed differently.

My 77 jazz is missing the made in usa decal too

 

[lug]

My 75 just barely catches the "F".

 

[DogsAndStuff]

Mine is covering part of the 'F'. Fake P-Bass, or hand made variation?

IMG_0177

• DogsAndStuff
• Dec 31, 2022
• p-bass headstock

P-Bass headstock with S/N

 

[Puntti]

 

[coreyfyfe]

My 77 jazz is missing the made in usa decal too

Yeah there’s a fair range in how they laid the decals. OPs bass and my two precisions kind of show the continuum. The fretless has the F for fender very low and close to the corner of the point while the “precision bass” runs very close to the edge of the headstock curve, and the made in USA is cut off. My fretted P is a little higher and the “precision bass” part goes around the curve differently. OPs bass has the F higher up which puts it closer to the string tree.

 

[fourstringburn]

According to Kennis Russell on YouTube, Fender never put the string tree over the F and d in the logo. Check him out. He gives talks on spotting fakes.

Maybe so, but the Fender decal was put on by hand and not always in the exact same place. Some are crooked and others I've seen partially have the "F" partially covered up by the string retainer button. Some of the pics on this thread reflect that.

I do believe the latter years in the 70's till the present Fender Basses (except Vintage and reissues etc.) have the decals buried underneath clear coat so it's safe to assume the string retainer was installed after the decal and clear coats were applied causing slight to moderate variances between many Basses.

 

[banjackal]

Man, I'm seeing a lot of fake fenders here

 

[P. Aaron]

Mine is covering part of the 'F'. Fake P-Bass, or hand made variation?

IMG_0177

• DogsAndStuff
• Dec 31, 2022
• p-bass headstock

P-Bass headstock with S/N

Nice lookin' bass. I'd venture to say whoever set the decal set it higher than usual.

 

[DogsAndStuff]

Man, I'm seeing a lot of fake fenders here

how can you tell?

 

[banjackal]

how can you tell?

It was a joke re: decal/string tree placement

 

[LBS-bass]

The only thing consistent about fenders, especially in the 70s is their inconsistency. Several of mine have a string tree over the F, and the three 78s I’ve owned all has their logos placed differently.

I think he meant "over" as in obscuring part of the letter, not above the letter. None of yours look obscured to me.

 

[elgranluis]

Take it how you want

Thanks , that’s what I always do.

btw , check out the rest of the thread for pictures that go against what you “learned” from this russel guy.