Old Relic P Bass (Eye Candy)

[robert spencer]

I don`t know about anyone else but I love stuff like this:



Take care. Bob

[refin]

Mojo!

[joaopazguitar]

Aside the "burnt" pickguard it looks perfect to me!

[Immo]

Damn, those ebonite bridge saddles are ultra-vintage, first stages of 1951...

[robert spencer]

My first thought too Immo. I wouldn`t want to have to buy a set on todays market>

The one screw tug bar is cool too. Adjustable that way for guys like yourself that like to cant them. Take care. Bob

[robert spencer]

These two instruments & photos are much alike:





but different at the same time. Take care. Bob

[heath]

I wonder what put the wear on the fretboard above the highest fret? plucking over the upper portion of the fretboard?

[glen smith]

Hmmmm, the stories that could tell.

[spauldingrules]

Originally Posted by heath

I wonder what put the wear on the fretboard above the highest fret? plucking over the upper portion of the fretboard?

LOL that's the first thing I noticed as well. Any player will look at it/you and laugh.

[Immo]

Originally Posted by robert spencer

My first thought too Immo. I wouldn`t want to have to buy a set on todays market

I believe there's a guy in USA who makes the saddles like that from ebonite. They don't sound that good, in fact they really damp the sound, or so I heard.

Originally Posted by heath

I wonder what put the wear on the fretboard above the highest fret? plucking over the upper portion of the fretboard?

Slap and pop technique leaves that kind of damage on maple fretboard, my MiJ P has it (maybe not that serious, but still). I guess plaing only with your thumb (the vintage way) also will leave that kind of marks after a LONG time. And this bass is OLD, ya'know. :D

[Cadfael]

Originally Posted by joaopazguitar

Aside the "burnt" pickguard it looks perfect to me!

The pickguard isn't "burnt" ...
The first pickguards were made of shellac and were painted.
So, what you see is a worn out painted shellac pickguard.

From the mid 1950s it was possible to produce white plastic pickguards, but no good black plastic pickguards. So, the pickguards first were shellac, white, (gold) aluminium and tortoise.

When were the first black platic pickguards used by Fender? Somewhen during the CBS time? 1967/68??? I can't remember a Pre-CBS Fender instrument with black (mono or three-ply) pickguard? Or am I wrong?

[rip_topaz]

According to the Fender Bass Handbook, the first pickguards were NOT shellac.

They were Bakelite (these days sold as Garolite), which is a plastic that at the time was used alot for circuit boards and radio components.

The Bakelite guards were then LACQUERED, as bakelite is not shiny is its raw form.

What you see in the picture is the lacquer worn away to reveal the natural Bakelite, which in turn has player wear that produces shiny spots. The guard was originally black.

[Cadfael]

Uups! Sorry!

I mixed up Bakelite and shellac - but Bakelite was meant!
The same material old telephones and switches are made of ...

[El Hefe]

I dig relics alot! But that one has gone to far.

[robert spencer]

I think Bakelight is the proper term.
Also from the Fender Bass Handbook are several photos of the exact same bridge with unnotched saddles. They simply termed phenolic resin as the material used. By 53 they updated & were both metal & grooved. Gotta love the history in these old relics. Would anyone care to estimate current mrket value on this vintage classic? Judging by the outrageous priced being asked for old Fender stuff today I an sure it is worth a small fortune. Take care. Bob

[Cadfael]

Hi Bob,

the German expression is "Bakelit" (and this is a phenolic xy ...).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bakelite

What's wrong with this bass ...
The pickguard screws?!

The early 1951-53 basses with these bridges had "normal slotted screws" and no "Phillips screws" (hope I used the right English expressions?).

It also irritates me a bit that the two bridge "riders" (as we call them in Germany) are in such good condition. In most cases, the "riders" became "weak" after some time (that's why they changed them to metal riders?).

[robert spencer]

Good eye Cadfael. You`re right the first screwheads were straight slot and were eventually standardized to Phillips head. Take care. Bob

[oramac7891]

I like it

[Manolete]

Is that even a relic? I'm pretty sure that is the real deal... I think it's cropped up before, the tagline being that if you saw a relic that looked like that you would criticise it, but it happens to be a real 51 P bass....

[robert spencer]

Manolete my interpretation is used in the old standard context.
Relic is something old and revered because of it.

Reliced is something made to look old.
So i am guessing that this example is a relic. Correct me if I`m wrong. Thre are some pretty good reliced examples out there capable of fooling much more experienced eyes that mine. Take care. Bob