1964 FENDER PRECISION BASS

Fender Precision Bass from 1964, refinished in a very convincing Olympic White, in perfect playing condition.

Here is a beautiful example of the original solidbody bass, introduced in 1951 by Fender. At the time it was a new kind of instrument, and although there had already been some more or less successful attempts at electric bass guitars in the previous decade, it is certain that Leo Fender’s proposal was the first to have been met with unequivocal success from the general public. The shape of the instrument we find here has evolved somewhat since the early days of the model, which initially had a so-called slab body, that is to say without the rounded contour at the upper side and where the player’s arm rests on the body of the instrument. The pickup type and pickguard shape were also revised in 1957 to produce the Precision Bass version seen in 1964, at the tail end of Fender’s pre-CBS era (the company was bought the following year by audiovisual giant CBS, which changed many of the features on instruments produced since the 1950s).

The example presented here left the Fullerton factory around the summer of 1964, originally in the standard Sunburst finish that has since been replaced by Olympic White. The refinish appears to be old, so much so that it now has a very nice patina. Other than that, the main parts of the bass have been preserved, including the body, the neck on which we can still find the old spaghetti logo, the tortoise celluloid pickguard, the original pickup dated to 1964, as well as the tuners and the ashtray bridge cover. We have worked hard to restore all the playing comfort of this stunning instrument, with a complete refret and making a new bone nut to bring back a low action and perfect intonation.

Sold in a gig bag.