• 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.

Sourcing a Fender Precision Bass Control Plate

MacSwell

MacSwell

Feb 17, 2025
15
43
30
ETX
#1
Hello all! Been browsing this site for many years, finally made an account in an attempt to get some help sourcing a part.

I am looking to mod my 2023 Fender MIM Precision Bass to have a metal control plate. It's one of my favorite things about my Jazz bass, and I would love to have the same functionality/aesthetics on my P. For the life of me I cannot seem to find a part for this anywhere. The only one I have seen is one made by AllParts (AP-0876-010), but it is long discontinued and out of stock everywhere. I wanted to check here to see if 1) someone has a source for this or another part that I don't know about, or 2) someone has this part and would be willing to sell it to me. I have found a couple of older threads with the same goal but they seem to have dead-ended.

For reference, I have attached pictures of what I am talking about. Thanks in advance for any help!

Fender Precision bass nlmcguire91.JPG

IMG_4778.JPG
 
  • Like
Reactions: TomB, DJ Bebop, LoveThatBass and 2 others
#2
I guess there's just not enough demand for someone to produce these on a large scale, and I gave up hunting for them. Maybe you'll get lucky, but you can easily make your own out of brass or aluminum with a small saw, file and drill. You should be able to find a few samples of similar homemade control plates on Talkbass.
IMG_20240303_144024723.jpg
 
#3
You might be able to get genuine Fender parts, by looking for the control plate & pickguard from a Troy Sanders signature Precision (not his signature Jaguar bass, obviously).

Alternatively, look at the control plate on various G&L models (particularly older, and the current "vintage style" Fullerton L1000, and L2000 models)

A third option might be the control plate for a Music Man Sabre bass.
 
#6
As an eBay Associate, TalkBass may earn a commission from qualifying purchases.
  • Like
Reactions: MultiScaleMale, Deleted member 409896 and FugaziBomb
#10
porterbass said:
Be careful with that allparts2014.myshopify.com link... I believe that is a scam seller account using the Shopify domain.
Click to expand...
I'd give that one a miss. Sketchy as can be. Lots of placeholder text (Lorem Ipsum et cetera), fake or missing contact info, except for an overseas phone number that may or may not be legit.

The Reverb item has an extra hole, and the part at Guitar Parts Factory appears identical.

I guess you could put a Leland Sklar switch in the extra hole, if you could find a switch of the right size.

I was hoping @Mickey Mao would post here. His solution is the best I've seen so far, and I may follow suit in the near future. I have an all-aluminum replacement pickguard on the way, but I would like to do something with the original, broken (in the jack area, as typical) pickguard other than throw it away.
 
Last edited:
#14
RomanS said:
Vincent Bass in Germany has some - not sure how well they fit on a Fender, though...
vincent-bassguitars.de

Electronics covers

Handcrafted covers made of polished stainless steel for the electronics compartment of your Vincent. Suitable for Akkurat, Akkurat PJ and Metropol. Akkurat: 1x Volume, 1x Tone, Input Jack Akkurat P…
vincent-bassguitars.de vincent-bassguitars.de
Click to expand...
At a minimum, new holes would need to be drilled in the plate or the body. Those don’t look to line up with Fender pickguard holes….
 
  • Like
Reactions: fhm555 and Deleted member 409896
#16
Mickey Mao said:
At a minimum, new holes would need to be drilled in the plate or the body. Those don’t look to line up with Fender pickguard holes….
Click to expand...
Filling and drilling is pretty much SOP when changing to a different pickguard setup. It’s not that tough and doesn’t take much. As far as that goes, unless a new hole is required that is too close to an old hole youvdon’t need to fill any old holes not used. I do because I would go nuts knowing there was an empty hole under my new guard.
 
  • Like
Reactions: WRM
#18
Wow, thank you all for the responses! So much helpful info in this thread.

@Mickey Mao your DIY solution looks really really good, though I doubt I would be able to match that level of quality.

Regarding the plates from other brands and guitars, I would like to avoid modding the actual bass guitar itself if possible. If one could be made to fit with some drilling or cutting on the plate I might be able to make that work, but it's hard to tell if any of those will fit. @DCCat your plastic solution may be a good last resort if I use a chrome plastic pickguard to start with.

I kept searching yesterday and came across someone overseas that seems to make exactly what I'm looking for:

www.positechdesign.com

PBase® control plate for Precision Bass | Positech Design

PBase®, the control plate that replaces the control section of your Precision Bass pickguard, same as a Jazz Bass. In 2 mm high-grade stainless steel with mirror-8 finish.Important notes: Before ordering check details for correct fitment All prices excl. VAT and shipping costs (will be added at...
www.positechdesign.com

So I have reached out to see if I could get one shipped to the US. I have also reached out to AllParts to get part dimensions in case I want to contact someone like Frets On The Net to do a custom piece. I will keep everyone posted!
 
  • Like
Reactions: LP Custom and Deleted member 409896
#19
@MacSwell that Positech Design item is the first and only non-DIY solution I've seen so far in this thread that I think would work with a minimum of fuss, and be worth the money. I asked them whether they thought it would fit my 1995 P-bass.

It doesn't quite match the thickness of the original pickguard (2 vs. 2.3mm), but it's close. I would be OK with the metal portion not having a bevel to match the rest of the original pickguard, and a slight step from plastic to metal section, though I do worry the screws might sit 0.3mm proud due to the difference in thickness. Maybe I could get shorter screws, or there is some extra depth in the existing screw holes.

I intend to do a more detailed analysis later, but Mk. 1 eyeball has a hunch that all the other products posted so far aren't the right shape to match the lower portion of the P-bass pickguard, let alone correct number and placement of screw holes. If I've got to do a bunch of cutting, filing and drilling on a finished product to get it to fit, might as well DIY one out of locally-obtained aluminum plate.

update:

I got a thoughtful and thorough reply within the last hour, wow!

I might order one of these vs. DIY. It depends on how much shipping will cost.
 
Last edited:

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back