Sparky Mark

That seller is a studio that appears to run a sideline business listing its instruments on Ebay for high prices. Take a look at its other items on Ebay.

I love to see the signs of wear on an old bass showing it has been played regularly through the years but sometimes they look like the previous owner(s) just couldn't care less for it. This one is borderline for me and some of the chipping around the body edge looks a bit "manufactured".

Are we sure there aren't bridge saddles underneath that chrome cover?

Although 51 to 54 is a super rare era I just don't like those Ps as much as the 57 and Js.

Indeed. Essential reading for fans of vintage Fenders:-

I received this picture of mine in October 2022 and it was finished in July 2023. Total time from placement of order was 26 months.

Obviously an original 51/52P in decent condition (with case?) is worth whatever someone is prepared to pay for it. If some serious (well off) Fender collectors were to bid against each other at auction who knows where it would end? If it's all original with case then it's a very rare thing; I don't think it can be priced accurately without knowing its true condition. Its provenance would be relevant too. Maybe a come buy me auction estimate of £20k+ wouldn't be unreasonable with the expectation it would go (much) higher.

Yoiks!! If it's all or majority original it'd be serious serious money at a specialist auction with international interest.

Small (bass)world.

Tough crowd!

It's genuine and definitely not pieced together any more than other Fenders of that period. All Fender guitars were made up from parts made at different times. The vintage year is traditionally determined by the youngest dated component such as the neck, body or pots. Fender would buy bulk pots and serial number plates and they would be picked from stock bins relatively randomly so there is a fair degree of date tolerance when it comes to serial numbers. IMO a genuine period case would've added at least £500, maybe a fair bit more, to the price. I don't think the strap buttons are significant as a reliced modern pair would be indistinguishable from the originals.

You're welcome. Yes the 63 rosewood is practically black, like a dark ebony.

It's a horrible rainy day here so I thought I'd do a comparison of my 63 (on the left) and 64 J's. I cannot hear an output level difference between them. The 63 is wearing stainless vs nickel strings on the 64 which is evident in the slightly brighter tone of the 63. The headstock of the 63 is 14mm thick against 15mm on the 64. Otherwise the neck profiles feel the same. The body contouring of the 63 is cut very slightly deeper and feels relatively light weight for a J which is confirmed by my bathroom scales by approx half a pound at 9lb vs 9.4lbs for the 64. If these were fitted with the same strings I doubt I could tell them apart blindfolded.

My guess is that the fretless fingerboard was supplied with excess wood at both ends to allow for whichever neck it was to be installed on. Unfortunately whoever fitted it didn't account for that and just slapped it down regardless, probably thinking "it's a fretless; who needs markers? Play by ear".

You would think that the intonation problem would be the same for all strings. If you measure the distance from the nut to the first fret position is it the same as on another bass (if you have one to compare)? If that distance is a few mm more then maybe a zero fret is required?

I concur completely with this opinion. Even though mine is the entry level active version the fit and finish are absolutely flawless and there wasn't a single fingerprint anywhere that I could see. The fretwork and wiring were also as good as I've ever seen; in fact probably the best, and I have owned a Wal. There's even a circuit diagram attached to the inside of the control cover; I've not seen that done before. The active preamp is remarkable in that the frequencies are perfectly selected to maintain a usable sound even at quite extreme boost settings. Switching to active mode on some of my basses changes their basic tone significantly but the JD allows you to sculpt the tone in a more "natural" manner precisely as John describes on his website. I'm surprised considering I've been smitten by JD basses from the time I heard Mark King in 1981 that it took me 40 years to order one! I don't have a formal bucket list, but if I did, having JD build me a bass has just been ticked.

Apologies, I may have missed this information in the earlier posts; when open tuned to the correct pitch and you play the strings exactly on the 12th fret mark position is the note flat or sharp? I'm assuming the bridge saddles don't have enough travel to correct any variance?