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Surprise NBD: 1969 Fender Precision

tb-player

tb-player

Why so serious?
Mar 6, 2019
6,720
30,013
East Coast, USA
#1
I know I just had an NBD last week but I swear I'm not reverting to my old ways. I decided not to keep that bass. Nothing wrong with it. It was practically perfect in every way. It just wasn't me. Apparently I am not so perfect… lol.

I've been on the hunt for a very specific bass, and I found it this week, just a couple of hours away, tucked away in a vintage bluegrass guitar shop. It's a real gem: a 1969 Fender Precision bass. All original and it just oozes p-bass vibes. Weighing in just under 8 pounds, it ticks every box. It even came setup with Dunlop flats (edit: or maybe not :rolleyes:), which are my favorite flatwound strings. Straight neck, low action, clean frets with plenty of life left in them and classic tone for days. Really great bass. I should have this one for life.

I don't know exactly when it happened, but I've fallen in love with Precision basses. My #1 is still my active jazz Lull M5, but I just can't beat the nice, warm, thick tone of an old Precision.

Enjoy! :thumbsup:

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#5
It's funny. I have been on the hunt for the right vintage bass for literal years. I had almost given up as prices kept skyrocketing. But when I discovered this video and started DMing with the bass player, my interest was renewed. And with the timing of not keeping that Lull, it all lined up! I feel very fortunate to have found this so close to home at a reasonable price. This bass will see a lot of action.
 
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#7
tb-player said:
It even came setup with Dunlop flats, which are my favorite flatwound strings....
View attachment 5080902 View attachment 5080901 View attachment 5080903
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Are you sure they're Dunlop Flats? I ask because these only have black silk at the tuner end and not at the ball end. Also, looking at where the silks start on A, D and G, they appear to be 38" in winding length.

Black silk at tuner end only + A-D-G longer in winding length than the E = La Bella 760FS (45-65-85-105).

Dunlop Flats are 37.25" in winding length on all four and have black silk at both ends.
 
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#8
michael_t said:
Are you sure they're Dunlop Flats? I ask because these only have black silk at the tuner end and not at the ball end. Also, looking at where the silks start on A, D and G, they appear to be 38" in winding length.

Black silk at tuner end only + A-D-G longer in winding length than the E = La Bella 760FS (45-65-85-105).

Dunlop Flats are 37.25" in winding length on all four and have black silk at both ends.
Click to expand...
Haha... only on TalkBass. :D

I assumed from the black silks and the feel these were Dunlops. But I'm not a big flat wound guy. I could definitely be remembering the Dunlops incorrectly. If these are LaBellas, I'm a fan. They feel nice.
 
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#15
tb-player said:
I know I just had an NBD last week but I swear I'm not reverting to my old ways. I decided not to keep that bass. Nothing wrong with it. It was practically perfect in every way. It just wasn't me. Apparently I am not so perfect… lol.

I've been on the hunt for a very specific bass, and I found it this week, just a couple of hours away, tucked away in a vintage bluegrass guitar shop. It's a real gem: a 1969 Fender Precision bass. All original and it just oozes p-bass vibes. Weighing in just under 8 pounds, it ticks every box. It even came setup with Dunlop flats (edit: or maybe not :rolleyes:), which are my favorite flatwound strings. Straight neck, low action, clean frets with plenty of life left in them and classic tone for days. Really great bass. I should have this one for life.

I don't know exactly when it happened, but I've fallen in love with Precision basses. My #1 is still my active jazz Lull M5, but I just can't beat the nice, warm, thick tone of an old Precision.

Enjoy! :thumbsup:

View attachment 5080902 View attachment 5080901 View attachment 5080903
Click to expand...
That looks awesome ... congrats! You never know when and where those gems will be found. I accidentally stumbled into my '76 Stingray in about '80 in a little bluegrass shop in Fredericksburg, VA while up there for work. Totally unexpected.
 
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#16
Nice score! Picked up a 69 P myself just last week. As much as people rag on the CBS stuff the changes made in the late 60s and early 70s were really my favorite era of fender. Love the introduction of blocks and binding on the jazz for example. Specifically sought out a late 60s model for the B nut width over the C width more commonly used in the earlier basses. The late 60s/early 70s at least were also thinner front to back than the late 70s model I'm currently selling, so not every change was great, but not all bad either.

Enjoy the bass.
 
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#18
coreyfyfe said:
Nice score! Picked up a 69 P myself just last week. As much as people rag on the CBS stuff the changes made in the late 60s and early 70s were really my favorite era of fender. Love the introduction of blocks and binding on the jazz for example. Specifically sought out a late 60s model for the B nut width over the C width more commonly used in the earlier basses. The late 60s/early 70s at least were also thinner front to back than the late 70s model I'm currently selling, so not every change was great, but not all bad either.

Enjoy the bass.
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Yeah, I was so obsessed with '57-'62 P Basses that I completely slept on last 60s. I really like the neck shape/feel, nut width and the TV logo. The pickup sounds fat too. This is a surprisingly wonderful bass.
 
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#20
jmlee said:
Well done! My '68 spent maybe 25 years as my one-and-only and it's still a wonderful instrument. Yours seems to have the same slender at the nut neck that mine does. Very, very comfortable—especially for a J-bass individual like yourself! :thumbsup::bassist::woot:
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Yes! I have an FCS '58 P that has the wider nut. I have to work a little harder when playing that one, but I do really like it. This one felt comfortable right out of the box.
 
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