❌SOLD❌ Fender ’59 P-Bass Closet Classic Translucent White, 2001

The Fender ’59 P-Bass Closet Classic was built as a part of the Custom Shop’s ‘Time Machine’ series, which includes ‘bought and stored’ to ‘heavily reliced’ replicas. This Closet Classic, built in Corona CA during 2001, reproduces a 1959 model -the first year Fender used a Rosewood fingerboard – and sports a Translucent White lacquer finish, plus the bridge and pickup covers that many players removed.

This bass is in very good condition with only light wear. There is a small amount of natural lacquer checking, which would be expected even on an instrument purchased new and stored in an closet for decades. Presently strung with round wounds, it has very light fret wear and plays well. The back has a small amount of pressure marking, possibly from jean rivets.

The woods used for this Fender ’59 P-Bass are close to but not exactly what was used in 1959. The body is Ash and carries the translucent white finish Fender originally introduced with the 1950 Broadcaster. The Ash body is paired with a Maple neck with a slab-style flat-bottomed Rosewood fingerboard, no ‘skunk’ stripe meaning the truss rod was mounted from the top of the neck before the fingerboard went on. The truss rod adjuster is at the body end of the neck.

There is a difference here: at that time, the word ‘Brazilian’ was generally silent but implied when the word ‘Rosewood’ was used. Respecting legal and conservation restrictions that began in 1967 with Brazil’s embargo and which have been formally in place since 1992’s CITES convention, this Fender ’59 P-Bass neck appears to use Madagascar Rosewood.

The pickguard is an aluminum anodized ‘gold’ model – used into early 1959 – and the pickup set is the two-section, humbucking model that Fender introduced in mid 1957. Perhaps co-incidentally, two other companies, Gibson and Gretsch, also introduced humbucking pickups in that year.

The original period-correct brown-tolex rectangular hard shell case by G&G is included with this Fender ’59 P-Bass, and contains the Certificate of Authenticity and other materials.