Fender

Fender Precision Bass, Olympic White (1961)

$8,995.00

Pickup available at 165 Showroom

Usually ready in 1 hour

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Product information

Vibe Meter is absolutely pegged on this amazing 1961 Fender Precision Bass!

If you're wondering which previous war this 1961 Fender Precision Bass lived through, you're not that far off in your curiosity...

This early '61 P Bass came through our front door from its original owner, who'd purchased it new as a Sunburst model in the same year. An active gigging musician in his youth, a request came from his band to refinish the bass in Olympic White (or a really great substitute for said color) along with other band members' guitars. Matching outfits and matching instruments were the name of the game in the 1960s!

It might seem blasphemous to strip the finish off of a roughly five year old guitar at the time, but let's remind ourselves that this was a not a bass worth many thousands of dollars back then- not even close! So we're here to actually celebrate the longevity of the second finish, which held on for dear life as it took the blood, sweat, tears, tobacco smoke, and funk of decades of use with honor.

One minute playing this bass and you'll understand immediately why it was a go-to instrument for all those years. It's one of the lightest you'll find out there, clocking in just a few ounces north of 8lbs. The neck is perfectly worn in and smooth to the touch, and thanks to a fresh refret done in-house by Glenn Nichols (one of our resident bassists), it's playing as good as ever. The slab Brazilian Rosewood fingerboard is beautiful! The original split coil pickup- with its original wind- is bright, punchy, and powerful, with lots of sonic range that can be covered with some volume and tone control manipulation.

According to the owner, the original brown case simply wore out, and he replaced it with a used case sometime in the 70s (which lines up with the age of this Fender case).

It cannot be overstated how great this bass is to play. It's got everything you want in an old Precision Bass, perhaps even more than you'd expect. It wears its gig history proudly, which is something we aim to preserve just as intently as the uber-clean vintage instruments that find their way to us.

If you want the ultimate vintage P Bass experience with that road dog vibe, try finding another one as special and as cool as this!

Includes vintage Fender hardshell.

Body

Style
Solidbody
Body
Alder
Finish
Nitrocellulose
Color
Olympic White (Refin)

Hardware

Pickup
Original | 10.98k
Electronics
Original CTS | 137 6019 Volume / 137 603x Tone
Controls
Volume / Tone
Bridge
Original w/ (1) replaced saddle (replaced adjustment screws)
Tuners
Original
Pickguard
Original

Neck

Neck
Maple | 1-61 Pencil Date
Binding
None
Fingerboard
Slab Brazilian Rosewood
Inlays
Dots
Frets
43080 (Refret)
Nut
Original
Scale Length
34"

Other

Serial #
57631
Weight
8lbs 4oz
Case
Vintage Hardshell

Preserving The Past. Played Into The Future.

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