Calling Fender experts.

[FlatEric]

Hi.

Hoping someone can help me on dating an instrument.

The only Fender USA stuff I have is the "P" in question, a '72 Jazz
and a much later fretless, so I am no expert!

[url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=109007"]A WhatyearFender??[/url]

I could bore you rigid on T-40's and other stuff but when it comes to this issue,
I am a little in the dark.

I bought it from a guy who had bought it from the original owner, in the early nineties.
I have had it about 3 years. He thought it was a 78/79 but to be honest I think he was more
into playing the thing than wanting to know when it's birthday was - it looked tidy enough
so I had it - it was one to tick off the list

So, Fender experts, when was this old fella born??

Cheers.

[bh2]

Wow! That's a beauty... I reckon 70's sometime. You'll have to get the neck orf and have a lookie at the stamp.

[EssentialTension]

[url="http://www.guitardaterproject.org/fender.aspx"]Guitar dater project[/url] says 1978-1981 for that serial number.

You'll need to take the neck off and check the pot codes.

Edited December 12, 2010 by EssentialTension

[Grand Wazoo]

stab in the dark: 1979

[Musky]

Actually I'm not sure there's much more to add to your for sale thread. The volume pot seems to date to 1980 and the tone looks like 1981 (it's a bit hard to see the last digit in the shots). Assuming both the pots are original, it means your bass couldn't have been put together before 1981. So a build date of 81 would seem most likely, though of course the body and neck could well have been crafted before that.

[RhysP]

"S" prefix starting with a 9 puts it at mid 1980 at the earliest - more likely to be sometime in 1981.

[stinson]

There will be a stamp underneath the pickups if they're the original set, that should confuse things more! Im thinking its 79 onwards

[simon1964]

[quote name='RhysP' post='1055881' date='Dec 12 2010, 11:56 AM']"S" prefix starting with a 9 puts it at mid 1980 at the earliest - more likely to be sometime in 1981.[/quote]

Actually, S9***** is a much wider period than that. It could be anywhere from late 78 to 81 - see the info on the Fender website here: [url="http://www.fender.com/support/usa_instruments.php"]http://www.fender.com/support/usa_instruments.php[/url]

Edited December 12, 2010 by simon1964

[bh2]

Groan... wish I had some spare cash... oh well. Looks very nice.

[matski]

So to sum up, we have an 'S9' serial on the headstock - which could date anywhere from 1978 to 1981, and pot codes from 1980 and 1981.

I'm gonna take a wild stab in the dark at [b]1981[/b]!

[Cat Burrito]

I have an S9 serial number Fender P & they are a nightmare to date. I managed to get my neck confirmed as 1979 but the pots were 1980. Who knows with the body!? It'll be late 78 at the earliest and 1981 at the latest. A very clean example in the linked thread btw

[stingrayPete1977]

Am I having Dejavu or has this all been covered in the FS link thread? Looks really nice BTW! MMmmm

[Musky]

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' post='1056241' date='Dec 12 2010, 05:37 PM']Am I having Dejavu or has this all been covered in the FS link thread? Looks really nice BTW! MMmmm[/quote]
It does look VERY nice indeed. I've always loved Tobacco Sunburst - much nicer than the 3 tone IMHO - and my first decent bass was a Tobacco Sunburst Fender P.

[Rayman]

My twopenneth, it looks identical to the one I had, which was a 78 body, 79 neck and 79 pups I seem to remember.

I know it [i]does[/i] matter to some people, but does it [i]really[/i] matter? It's a beautiful bass whatever year the parts (manufactured over a two or three year period) were put together.

[PauBass]

[quote name='matski' post='1056130' date='Dec 12 2010, 03:57 PM']So to sum up, we have an 'S9' serial on the headstock - which could date anywhere from 1978 to 1981, and pot codes from 1980 and 1981.

I'm gonna take a wild stab in the dark at [b]1981[/b]! [/quote]

+1
The bass is definitely not a 70's, pots and serial number indicate it's an 80's instrument.