❌SOLD❌ Fender Precision Bass Sunburst, 1964

Many players love the look of worn instruments, and this 1964 Fender Precision bass gained its ‘relic’ wear through years of use to the point where the original finish is largely a suggestion.

Introduced in 1954, the Fender Precision Bass was quickly adopted by bass players. It was an elegant solution to a few large problems related to the large size of an upright bass, its tendency to feed back as amplified volumes consistently rose, and the ease with which notes could be out of tune on a fretless fingerboard. The P Bass was compact, lightweight, durable and reliable, would not feed back, and would be precisely in tune with the rest of the band.

This Fender Precision Bass was built in very early 1964 as a Sunburst model with Rosewood fingerboard. The neck date is 5JAN64C, with the 5 indicating that it’s a Precision Bass and the C relating to the neck width – it is the widest at 1.73 inches. The date codes stamped on the pots indicate 1963, and the ‘L’ series number on the neck plate was used between 1963 and 1965, when CBS purchased Fender. The original clay-dot position markers are intact.  The faux-tortoise shell pickguard is original and still has the finger rest, for players who use their thumb. There is a small hole on the back of the head, which is from an original strap button. At the time, it was relatively common for players to use straps that went to the head, rather than to a button on the body. Straps still come with a tie-string for this purpose – the tie goes around the neck behind the nut.

Over the years, many players have taken new instruments and used various techniques to simulate the effects of wear and tear on a finish. The wear on this bass is real, not simulated, and to our eyes looks great.

This Fender Precision  bass has a good set up and is strung with flat wounds. It plays and sounds great – it is reasonably light weight and resonant.

A non-original Fender style rectangular case is included.