1975 Fender Precision Fake?

[Doctor J]

You'd expect there to be extra routing to find a home for the battery powering the EMG, no?

[MrFingers]

Under the pickguard is plenty of realestate for that. 

 

 

[itu]

I wouldn't bother. I expect the price to be irrelevant to the playability and sound it makes. Collectible? No. Soundmachine? There are better alternatives available. If the production year is important, the price does not mean a thing, although the parts are most likely a collection. "Handmade" details lower the price as well as desirability.

[Pea Turgh]

I love it! 🤣. If it was priced accordingly, it could be brought back up to spec?  (Apart from the ferrules 😬).  Gut feeling it plays nice.

 

Are you happy to share how much you paid for it @ronswanson?

Edited Sunday at 10:00 by Pea Turgh

[ezbass]

1 hour ago, miles'tone said:

The fingerboard dots look like they've filled the holes with woodfiller to match the body finish.

 

I agree with that. This looks like a bass that has been owned and modded in a way that suited the previous owner/s. The string through ferrules seem to be a result of fitting a replacement, brass bridge, with that option and the subsequent holes made for that feature, made without recourse to a drill press and are, thus, all over the place.

Edited Sunday at 10:30 by ezbass

[HeadlessBassist]

1 hour ago, Doctor J said:

You'd expect there to be extra routing to find a home for the battery powering the EMG, no?

 

In some cases they hide the extra routing for the battery under the Scratch Guard, in front of the volume control.

[Doctor J]

That's entirely the point, the lads were discussing potential routing hidden by the scratchplate.

[ronswanson]

 

Thanks again for all the replies.

 

It was an auction house through their online portal. They have T&Cs that cover forgeries. If the buyer can prove it's a forgery then they'll refund so I'm not too concerned on that front. It was described as 1975 Fender Precision with no real caveats apart from condition. It came from the estate of a working musician who'd passed away, so I don't think there's anything devious going on - just the potential that the family didn't really know.

 

Based on the feedback, it seems likely to be genuine, thanks @MrFingers especially. Definitely nothing conclusive to say otherwise so I have to pick it up to investigate further.

 

I'd like it to be a player. I have an early 80s P bass that I love but I played a 78 at a studio recently and it was very nice. I'd probably try to restore it a little with original parts if I can. Expect a future question on tackling the bridge situation!

 

How much did I pay? .... £1150 including fees. If it's mostly genuine I think that's a good price. It doesn't seem uncommon for these to be around £3K but Rich Tone Music has one on eBay just now (a 76) for £2K.

 

I'll post some updates once I've collected it.

 

[ezbass]

3 hours ago, ronswanson said:

Expect a future question on tackling the bridge situation!

Put a regular BBOT on and fill the offending, through body holes with dowels.

[Burns-bass]

3 hours ago, ronswanson said:

 

Thanks again for all the replies.

 

It was an auction house through their online portal. They have T&Cs that cover forgeries. If the buyer can prove it's a forgery then they'll refund so I'm not too concerned on that front. It was described as 1975 Fender Precision with no real caveats apart from condition. It came from the estate of a working musician who'd passed away, so I don't think there's anything devious going on - just the potential that the family didn't really know.

 

Based on the feedback, it seems likely to be genuine, thanks @MrFingers especially. Definitely nothing conclusive to say otherwise so I have to pick it up to investigate further.

 

I'd like it to be a player. I have an early 80s P bass that I love but I played a 78 at a studio recently and it was very nice. I'd probably try to restore it a little with original parts if I can. Expect a future question on tackling the bridge situation!

 

How much did I pay? .... £1150 including fees. If it's mostly genuine I think that's a good price. It doesn't seem uncommon for these to be around £3K but Rich Tone Music has one on eBay just now (a 76) for £2K.

 

I'll post some updates once I've collected it.

 

A skilled luthier can fill the holes in the back and you should be able to colour match the finish pretty well.

 

Barring any major horrors under the scratch plate it’s probably all good.

 

Reckon it could be a cracker. If not, you’d make it back selling the parts.

[kwmlondon]

On 07/06/2025 at 18:14, Burns-bass said:

Deleted post as I was wrong.
 

This is the bass I had seen.

 

Might be good as a reference?

 

https://richtonemusic.co.uk/fender-1976-precision-bass-mocha-hard-case-2nd-hand/?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=17621730406&gbraid=0AAAAAD_dMP3g5GEaSq-BJVH3JCCIPv-ag&gclid=Cj0KCQjwxo_CBhDbARIsADWpDH6QFy1oJPV75GkeXgflwqYVhEsDYkGIdtm5VpjOL6DXnNRJLpUpqvYaAn7qEALw_wcB

I've seen this around a couple of times and it's EXACTLY the kind of vintage bass I'd be after - one that's been messed around too much for a collector, but loved enough that it's been played a lot and worth customising. If I was still playing 4-string basses I'd love to have a go on it - could be a killer instrument. Or a mutt, but it'd be worth trying.

[diskwave]

I had a nearly new Mocha P bass bk in 77. Those new pictures with the crazing, colour tone etc show the body and neck are prob legit but as we've already deduced the entire thing is a hack job. Pity. If its a nice weight then its prob a nice player.

[ronswanson]

I've picked up the bass now. After seeing it in person and checking a few things I'm really happy with it.

 

First thing was the neck. Stamped 103-1655 so that checks out for 1975. Also stamped R BUSH which I've seen on images of others.

 

 

With the pick guard and bridge remoed, the overall shape of the routing was consistent for that era, based on this thread: https://www.basschat.co.uk/topic/128339-70s-fender-precision-timeline/. Also good to see the through-hole holes were quite small and tidy and the original bridge holes there as you'd expect. The EMG pick up is active with a battery hiding in the main cavity - no scary routing for it thankfully. Battery was dated 2012 😀

 

The neck pocket isn't quite what I expected. Fully painted, some black and no stamps visible - does this suggest a refin? There's also a odd circular patch - could it have been originally made as for a 3-bolt neck? There no signs on the back of it ever having being 3 holes instead of 4.

 

The cavities are mostly a similar shade to the main colour, maybe some black and white paint visible although the pickups seem to have tar-like black adhesive underneath. Paint under the pickguard has more of a red-shade - I don't know if the colour changes under the pickguard or only fades on the uncovered part. There's also what looks like a paint imperfection which I'm guessing Fender wouldn't have allowed.

 

 

There are no date markings on the pots that I recognised. The pickups have no stamps or markings on the back. Did EMG produce a fully wired set with pots back then?

Pick guard has pencil writing on the back - swirly hand-writing, probably L, LBR, and upper case JMD. The covered hole that might have had a switch has been patched with epoxy or similar on the back.

 

Frets are quite worn but I used it with the band last night and it felt great. Heavier than my early 80s bass and maybe it bit punchier.

 

I'm even coming round to the bridge and controls now I see them in real life. I'll probably leave it alone for a while at least.

 

The first thing might be putting in a passive pickup. I've never had an active bass and the battery isn't easy to change in a hurry.

[ezbass]

20 minutes ago, ronswanson said:

pickups seem to have tar-like black adhesive underneath.

I imagine that that is height adjustment foam that has disintegrated.

[Mrbigstuff]

28 minutes ago, ronswanson said:

I've picked up the bass now. After seeing it in person and checking a few things I'm really happy with it.

 

First thing was the neck. Stamped 103-1655 so that checks out for 1975. Also stamped R BUSH which I've seen on images of others.

 

 

With the pick guard and bridge remoed, the overall shape of the routing was consistent for that era, based on this thread: https://www.basschat.co.uk/topic/128339-70s-fender-precision-timeline/. Also good to see the through-hole holes were quite small and tidy and the original bridge holes there as you'd expect. The EMG pick up is active with a battery hiding in the main cavity - no scary routing for it thankfully. Battery was dated 2012 😀

 

The neck pocket isn't quite what I expected. Fully painted, some black and no stamps visible - does this suggest a refin? There's also a odd circular patch - could it have been originally made as for a 3-bolt neck? There no signs on the back of it ever having being 3 holes instead of 4.

 

The cavities are mostly a similar shade to the main colour, maybe some black and white paint visible although the pickups seem to have tar-like black adhesive underneath. Paint under the pickguard has more of a red-shade - I don't know if the colour changes under the pickguard or only fades on the uncovered part. There's also what looks like a paint imperfection which I'm guessing Fender wouldn't have allowed.

 

 

There are no date markings on the pots that I recognised. The pickups have no stamps or markings on the back. Did EMG produce a fully wired set with pots back then?

Pick guard has pencil writing on the back - swirly hand-writing, probably L, LBR, and upper case JMD. The covered hole that might have had a switch has been patched with epoxy or similar on the back.

 

Frets are quite worn but I used it with the band last night and it felt great. Heavier than my early 80s bass and maybe it bit punchier.

 

I'm even coming round to the bridge and controls now I see them in real life. I'll probably leave it alone for a while at least.

 

The first thing might be putting in a passive pickup. I've never had an active bass and the battery isn't easy to change in a hurry.

Glad you like it. I believe the 3 bolt neck tilt was on jazzes only. The finish to me looks more like a varnish on a stripped body. Another common mod of the era.

[Geek99]

7 hours ago, Mrbigstuff said:

Glad you like it. I believe the 3 bolt neck tilt was on jazzes only. The finish to me looks more like a varnish on a stripped body. Another common mod of the era.

Totally agree with all that. Maybe it had a jazz neck for a while ? I’d guess at sunburst originally 

[Geek99]

7 hours ago, ezbass said:

I imagine that that is height adjustment foam that has disintegrated.

Yes. Since the copper plates are there 

[bloke_zero]

11 hours ago, ronswanson said:

The first thing might be putting in a passive pickup. I've never had an active bass and the battery isn't easy to change in a hurry.

I'd give the EMGs a while, see if you like them. It's different from passive, but there is a lot to be said for them. They are active pickups which is different from an active preamp, and one of the differences is that the current draw is much lower so you don't need to swap the batteries often.

 

Here is a pretty strong argument for the EMGs!
 

 

 

And here is a way to boost the voltage going to the pickups (Lee has 18 volts with 2 batteries IIRC) - https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/192895789297?_trksid=p4375194.c101949.m162918 - check the specs on the pickups first to make sure they can handle it - most of them can handle up to 27 volts - I found it made for more headroom (as I lean in a bit too much on the strings).

[ezbass]

1 hour ago, bloke_zero said:

Here is a pretty strong argument for the EMGs!

Guy Pratt’s Betsy is another.

[ronswanson]

I thought the tar-like stuff might be the foam but didn't think it be so unrecognisable in consistency. With the location, etc it makes sense though.

 

Despite how it might look in the photos, the finish is still really solid and smooth to touch. I was a bit surprised. If it has been refinished or varnished it's been done in a fairly professional way.

 

In terms of the mystery repair plug in the neck pocket. There are no signs of a hole on the other side, so bit of a mystery.

 

 

 

I'm liking the info about the pickups - thanks @bloke_zero I'm also pretty lazy so if they sound good and might not be too much hassle I might well leave them for a while too!

 

[Chiliwailer]

21 minutes ago, ronswanson said:

 

In terms of the mystery repair plug in the neck pocket. There are no signs of a hole on the other side, so bit of a mystery.

 

 

 

Sometimes a screw or nail is used in the neck pocket when a body is being refinished on the rear part; they likely would have used an existing screw hole by the bridge as well, but the existing neck pocket screws are large, hence the new hole. 

 

 

 

[Geek99]

14 hours ago, Geek99 said:

Yes. Since the copper plates are there 

Looking again I’d suggest the original foam

disintegrated and this is some modern silicon putty from when the EMGs went in