Fender Precision Bass Solid Body Electric Bass Guitar (1957)
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Item # 13195
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Fender Precision Bass Model Solid Body Electric Bass Guitar (1957), made in Fullerton, California, serial # -20518, two tone sunburst lacquer finish, ash body, maple neck, tweed hard shell case.
This is a generally well preserved original example of a "second generation" Fender Precision Bass, the instrument that took the electric bass from curiosity to everyday tool. When this bass was made in spring 1957 the Precision had started shedding the original "baritone Telecaster" look it from 1951, taking on characteristics of the newer Stratocaster. The body is "comfort contoured" instead of the earlier slab style and the finish is the two-tone sunburst introduced with the Strat.
This bass' penciled neck date is 4-57 with the body dated 3-57 inn the pickup cavity making it a late example of the made-over model. By summer 1957 production shifted over to the "new" Precision Bass with a split 8-pole pickup, larger headstock and anodized aluminum pickguard. These transitional Precisions were in production from early 1955 thru mid '57, a time when the Fender bass was still considered somewhat of a novelty and far fewer were built than later in the decade.
This bass has typical features of the 1955-7 Precision Bass most notably the original single-coil pickup, with the staggered-height polepieces introduced in 1954. The single layer white plastic pickguard covering the upper half of the body was a newer look, consistent with the Stratocaster. The 2-saddle bridge strung through the body (discontinued when the bass was made over in the summer) and smaller "Tele" style headstock are holdovers from the original design; the bridge now has steel thinner saddles in place of the earlier hard composite ones.
The original pots are dated to the 4th week of 1957, topped with flatter-crown knurled knobs than the dome-top style of earlier '50s Fenders. The fingerrest "tug bar" mounted on the pickguard is made of wood, painted black and secured with a single screw at the center. The early style chrome bridge and pickup covers are intact and original, the mute pad from under the bridge cover has been removed but the mark where it once was can still be seen.
The one-piece maple neck is somewhat slimmer than earlier 50's basses, with the smooth but distinctive "Soft V" contour common in 1957. The low 20,000 series serial number with a "-" in front of it is on the neckplate, where it had migrated from the bridge base in 1955. The two-tone sunburst finished body is made of nicely grained ash -- by 1957 Fender already moved to less expensive alder wood for the body on sunburst-finished instruments, but the Precision seems to have lagged a bit behind the Stratocaster in this change.
All early style 1950s Precisions are comparatively rare, especially in original unmodified condition like this one. Many were literally played into the ground, refinished and/or modified along the way. Several notable rock'n'roll players of the time helped popularize this version of the Fender bass including Bill Black with Elvis and J.W. Brown with Jerry Lee Lewis. Over several decades ex-Police front man Sting has used a Precision Bass nearly identical to this one (heavily worn with the pickguard removed) extensively, so some now refer to this variant as the "Sting" model.
This is an extremely comfortable and great-feeling instrument, with a focused and powerful sound quite unlike any later Fender basses. In the case is a lovely note from the original owner, stating he received the bass as a gift from his father when he was 7(!) years old in 1957. It's hard to imagine a 7-year old comfortably playing a 34" scale Fender bass, but that's the story anyway and we always are thrilled to find documentation like this with old instruments, giving a human side to their individual history.
Overall length is 45 7/8 in. (116.5 cm.), 13 in. (33 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 1 1/2 in. (3.8 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 34 in. (864 mm.). Width of nut is 1 3/4 in. (44 mm.).
This bass is generally well preserved for its nearly 70 years on the planet showing general play wear overall but remaining nicely original with no major repairs or alterations. The thin lacquer 2-tone sunburst finish on the body has fine checking overall with some noticeable play wear including dings, scratches and dents with areas of finish rubbed off the edges and a swath of belt buckle wear on the back. At some point someone added a thin brushed-on layer of shellac to the headstock edges, some of it spilling onto the face. This has been largely neatly removed leaving some small traces and marks in these areas which are not conspicuous; one has to look pretty closely to notice.
All parts on the instrument remain original, including the somewhat fragile exposed-coil pickup which looks to have been wax potted along the way (there is a slight pinkish hue to the string wrapping the coil) but it shows no signs of having been rewound. All internal wiring components remain original and the solder joints are clean and tight. The chromed bridge base and steel saddles show some minor corrosion, and small spots of red nail polish (?) on the saddle faces. These are hidden under the bridge and pickup covers which are still intact with some wear to the chrome. All fittings are original except the screws securing the pickup cover appear newer.
The fingerboard has some fairly small wear spots through the lacquer and some roundwound string marks into the wood in the lower positions under the strings. The back of the neck is worn to the wood on the treble side edge and has small dings, dents and chips over its length. The original thin wire frets have been crowned down with no subsequent wear. The bass is currently strung with flatwound strings both for sonic reasons and to preserve the fretwire.
This is not only an wonderful piece of Fender history but also just a fantastic player's bass; a superb-handling instrument with a bright and powerful sound that mellows down beautifully with the very effective tone control. It comes in an older reissue tweed case, with a decent amount of external wear but fully intact. This is simply a lovely for the Fender Bass enthusiast, a delight for bassists of any stripe. Overall Excellent - Condition.
This is a generally well preserved original example of a "second generation" Fender Precision Bass, the instrument that took the electric bass from curiosity to everyday tool. When this bass was made in spring 1957 the Precision had started shedding the original "baritone Telecaster" look it from 1951, taking on characteristics of the newer Stratocaster. The body is "comfort contoured" instead of the earlier slab style and the finish is the two-tone sunburst introduced with the Strat.
This bass' penciled neck date is 4-57 with the body dated 3-57 inn the pickup cavity making it a late example of the made-over model. By summer 1957 production shifted over to the "new" Precision Bass with a split 8-pole pickup, larger headstock and anodized aluminum pickguard. These transitional Precisions were in production from early 1955 thru mid '57, a time when the Fender bass was still considered somewhat of a novelty and far fewer were built than later in the decade.
This bass has typical features of the 1955-7 Precision Bass most notably the original single-coil pickup, with the staggered-height polepieces introduced in 1954. The single layer white plastic pickguard covering the upper half of the body was a newer look, consistent with the Stratocaster. The 2-saddle bridge strung through the body (discontinued when the bass was made over in the summer) and smaller "Tele" style headstock are holdovers from the original design; the bridge now has steel thinner saddles in place of the earlier hard composite ones.
The original pots are dated to the 4th week of 1957, topped with flatter-crown knurled knobs than the dome-top style of earlier '50s Fenders. The fingerrest "tug bar" mounted on the pickguard is made of wood, painted black and secured with a single screw at the center. The early style chrome bridge and pickup covers are intact and original, the mute pad from under the bridge cover has been removed but the mark where it once was can still be seen.
The one-piece maple neck is somewhat slimmer than earlier 50's basses, with the smooth but distinctive "Soft V" contour common in 1957. The low 20,000 series serial number with a "-" in front of it is on the neckplate, where it had migrated from the bridge base in 1955. The two-tone sunburst finished body is made of nicely grained ash -- by 1957 Fender already moved to less expensive alder wood for the body on sunburst-finished instruments, but the Precision seems to have lagged a bit behind the Stratocaster in this change.
All early style 1950s Precisions are comparatively rare, especially in original unmodified condition like this one. Many were literally played into the ground, refinished and/or modified along the way. Several notable rock'n'roll players of the time helped popularize this version of the Fender bass including Bill Black with Elvis and J.W. Brown with Jerry Lee Lewis. Over several decades ex-Police front man Sting has used a Precision Bass nearly identical to this one (heavily worn with the pickguard removed) extensively, so some now refer to this variant as the "Sting" model.
This is an extremely comfortable and great-feeling instrument, with a focused and powerful sound quite unlike any later Fender basses. In the case is a lovely note from the original owner, stating he received the bass as a gift from his father when he was 7(!) years old in 1957. It's hard to imagine a 7-year old comfortably playing a 34" scale Fender bass, but that's the story anyway and we always are thrilled to find documentation like this with old instruments, giving a human side to their individual history.
Overall length is 45 7/8 in. (116.5 cm.), 13 in. (33 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 1 1/2 in. (3.8 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 34 in. (864 mm.). Width of nut is 1 3/4 in. (44 mm.).
This bass is generally well preserved for its nearly 70 years on the planet showing general play wear overall but remaining nicely original with no major repairs or alterations. The thin lacquer 2-tone sunburst finish on the body has fine checking overall with some noticeable play wear including dings, scratches and dents with areas of finish rubbed off the edges and a swath of belt buckle wear on the back. At some point someone added a thin brushed-on layer of shellac to the headstock edges, some of it spilling onto the face. This has been largely neatly removed leaving some small traces and marks in these areas which are not conspicuous; one has to look pretty closely to notice.
All parts on the instrument remain original, including the somewhat fragile exposed-coil pickup which looks to have been wax potted along the way (there is a slight pinkish hue to the string wrapping the coil) but it shows no signs of having been rewound. All internal wiring components remain original and the solder joints are clean and tight. The chromed bridge base and steel saddles show some minor corrosion, and small spots of red nail polish (?) on the saddle faces. These are hidden under the bridge and pickup covers which are still intact with some wear to the chrome. All fittings are original except the screws securing the pickup cover appear newer.
The fingerboard has some fairly small wear spots through the lacquer and some roundwound string marks into the wood in the lower positions under the strings. The back of the neck is worn to the wood on the treble side edge and has small dings, dents and chips over its length. The original thin wire frets have been crowned down with no subsequent wear. The bass is currently strung with flatwound strings both for sonic reasons and to preserve the fretwire.
This is not only an wonderful piece of Fender history but also just a fantastic player's bass; a superb-handling instrument with a bright and powerful sound that mellows down beautifully with the very effective tone control. It comes in an older reissue tweed case, with a decent amount of external wear but fully intact. This is simply a lovely for the Fender Bass enthusiast, a delight for bassists of any stripe. Overall Excellent - Condition.