1962 Blond Fender Precision Bass in Scranton PA

A few months ago I had the pleasure of acquiring a slab board 1962 Fender Precision Bass in factory blond finish from the family of the second owner in Scranton, Pennsylvania! This bass was purchased by the previous owner’s brother in used condition in 1965. His brother moved on from the bass quickly and his father bought it off of him and learned how to play. The previous owner borrowed the bass in his teenage years when he played in local bands. 

I am always a buyer for vintage Fender guitars made in the 1950’s, 1960’s, and 1970’s and I especially love custom color precision basses like this one. If you have one you would like to sell please contact me here. 

Slab Board ‘62 P Bass History

This P bass was purchased used in 1965 by the previous owner’s brother. He put it on a payment plan, but quickly wanted to move on to a different bass. His father took over the payment plans and kept the bass for himself. The wear on the bass above the treble side of the bridge is because the father played bass with a pick. It’s always cool to hear from the long-time owners about how the wear on the instrument happened. 

Wondering how much your vintage fender precision bass is worth? Contact me for a free appraisal.

Custom Color Fender Precision Bass Verification

Before purchasing this bass I needed to inspect it to verify its originality. The pickup was replaced in the late 60’s or early 70’s, and the strap buttons were replaced as well but the bass was otherwise original. The previous owner loved playing it, but did not play it much due to its value so he was looking to sell his bass. I was thrilled we could connect on it, and it was a joy to be able to own it for a short time. 

Upon taking this bass apart I found everything I was expecting. The serial number and neck plate were correct for the year. The custom color blond finish on the body was nicely worn, and the body and neck finish had similar amounts of wear which suggested it was original. The original celluloid tortoiseshell pickguard was correct for the year, and I was happy to find that it had not shrunk as much as many did. The strap buttons were just a little bit too shiny for the age, and the screws were too large to be original. In 1961 the pickups should have had black bottoms. On this bass the pickups had grey bottoms, which signified that they were from the late 60’s or early 70’s.

I also had to authenticate the custom color blond finish. Some custom colors were available in the mid 50’s, but they were not standardized until 1961. I was excited to find everything I was expecting, such as no paint stick in the neck pocket, clean nail holes, and the proper undercoat.

I also found the correct stamp on the heel of the neck. The neck was stamped in July 1962 making it a pretty late example of a slab board neck.