1974 Fender Precision Bass Electric Bass Guitar

A Precision Bass really never does go out of style -- just like a Telecaster. It's simply an effective musical weapon with a dependable, reliable, and functional sound and manner. This one is owned by a consignor and guitar-hunter-extraordinaire and he brought it to me in a pretty unplayable state. The goods were there, but it needed tweaking.

I gave it a fret level/dress, cleaned it up, and set it up... and then plugged it in. I knew something was off because it had the tone of an anemic Jazz Bass thirsting for a good glass of single malt to settle its nerves. So, I took up the pickguard and pickups and set-about figuring it out. By the end of this frustrating session, I'd replaced the pots and cap with a couple 500ks and new wiring and then rewired the pickup's halves in series rather than parallel. What silly fool had made that swap years ago? The end result is, well -- it sounds like a dang P-Bass, now, and those "goods" are freely on display --ready to go!

The owner must've restrung it with a fresh set of 105w-45w as the strings have not been played in (much to my chagrin), and it's now setup with action descending from 3/32" on the E side to 1/16" on the treble side at the 12th fret.

Like many '70s Ps, this one is a little heavier than a '60s Ps. The maple neck looks great, though, and the finish and pickguard look instantly recall swamp rock.

The nut is 1 5/8" in width and the neck profile is a medium C-shape.

I don't think either of the knobs is original -- but the Switchcraft jack is.

I always add extra "spring foam" under the pickups as the old stuff is almost always too-compressed to do anything.

Obviously, someone played the heck out of this.

That medium-borwn, ash body is looking good with all that wear.

It comes with a newer, hard SKB case.