The last bass Leo Fender was working on when he died is for sale.

Looks like a Big Al prototype with the 3 pickups

 

ONE OF the last, the listing says. There could be three dozen of them for all we know.

 

I'd never pay that much for something that's only half finished

 

They've had that for sale at Carters here in Nashville for at least 2 years now...

 

For a second there, I was going to pull the trigger, but when I read "Case: TBD"
that killed it!

I thought that Leo put pups & such on a breadboard-type of device when prototyping.
Anyhow- I'm not sure that even with Leo Fender's provenance all over that. it would command those dollars, but then again, I'm not a collector, and that bass as a player- fuhgeddaboudit!

 

Hmmm... three pickups. Clearly Leo recognized the need for this many and had moved on from the ancient P design.

Someday we will.

 

Just kidding........

 

I would just ask G&L to make a custom bass of the same design. Or a Fender Custom Shop '54 with 3 pickups in the same position. Less $$$, but the sentimental value is certainly there.

 

When you think about it , that is actually very close to one of those vintage modified Squier tele bases with the mudbucker near the neck and the jazz pickup in the bridge position. I think that he was onto something with the positioning of the pickups although I don't think that the pickup nearest the neck would do anything for me on a switch. If it was blendable into the other pickups it might have a value to me in terms of adding some thick , meaty flavour to the tone but I don't know, a pickup that close to the neck never seems to capture enough of the fundamental of the note and it seems to be missing the attack that I like. Now if that pick up was moved back to just slightly in front of the middle pickup I think that old Mr. Fender would have really been on to something...... may he rest in peace.

 

G&L doesn't do custom basses, just offers lots of great options on their stock models.

FCS- Sure no problem-o. Less than the original Leo, but for say $6-10K you could have them make you a very sweet bass, 3-pickups and all. If that's what you wanted!

 

I thought the last bass Leo was working on was a prototype 6 string bass/baritone guitar for G&L. I know I have seen photos of it on his workbench and, IIRC, it was noted as the last thing he was working on.

 

G&L switches it up once in while. Sometimes the last thing he was working on was that, sometimes a Ray with a P pickup, and now a Tele-Bass. It depends on who's curating the "museum". The only definite I've seen is that Leo liked to have lots of empty peanut cans near his workspace.

Whatever happened with that theft they had where someone pilfered Leo's office and then posted the items for sale?

 

Shouldn't that be in the Smithsonian or sumthin?

 

Needs tort.

 

Or the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame?