1982 Fender Precision Bass Special Walnut. Can you take it to the bridge?

[ET777]

Hello. This is my first post here in the forum.  Earlier today, I purchased a 1982 Precision Bass Special in walnut, from an online dealer.  I will receive the bass sometime next week.  I did research and have found that these are fairly rare basses.  This bass appears to be in all original very good/excellent condition.  However what has me curious is this very large half moon shaped hi-mass brass bridge.  Its engraved "Fender pat. pending" and appears to be original to this bass.  Does anyone have any info on this bridge?  I searched up and down the web for info on it but came up empty.  The only other one that Ive found is on a current listing from Japan on ebay for a 1982 in Alpine white, which has this bridge, although that one is pretty beaten up.  Any insight on this? Was this a prototype bridge only in limited production? Thanks in advance.  Photo of the body of the bass I bought in walnut, and the alpine white one in Japan below.  

Edited 8 hours ago by ET777

[PaulThePlug]

Cure for neck dive...

[ET777]

7 minutes ago, PaulThePlug said:

Cure for neck dive...

 Yes, built in ballast.  I have not yet received the bass.  If its a boat anchor, then there is a return policy. However the price was good and  it appears to be a rare one. 

[Jean-Luc Pickguard]

I've never seen this style of bridge, it isn't the most aesthetically pleasing piece of irnmongery I've seen.

 

I do however remember the 1982 Fender Precision Bass Special Walnut looking like this, having seen them at the time:

 

[ajkula66]

I owned a Precision Walnut Special back in the early '80s, bought it brand new. An expensive piece of gear it was and likely my favourite Fender P out of the myriad that I've owned over the past 45 years.

 

Never have I seen a bridge like that on any Fender bass from this era which doesn't necessarily mean it's not original...another head scratcher from the Dan Smith era I guess.

 

These are exceptionally well-made instruments in my limited experience. 

 

May you get to play it in good health and enjoy it thoroughly!

[ET777]

Mo' pics.  SN CD115xx

Edited 6 hours ago by ET777

[ET777]

I’ve been doing some deeper digging into the origins of this unusual half-moon brass bridge and whether it was actually factory-installed. One detail that really stood out: the two outer screw holes on the bridge are not drilled into the body—both on the bass I just bought and on the example currently listed in Japan. Only the four inner screws (under the strings) are used.

 

I emailed the Japanese dealer about their bass, and this was their reply:

 

“The bridge you are asking about is the original High-Mass Brass Bridge adopted by Fender for this Precision Bass Special, which was a change from their traditional bridge design.  This brass bridge is a high-mass, top-load type. It was a modern feature Fender included to improve sustain and tone, following a popular trend at the time.  Unlike the traditional Fender plate bridge, this one has a thicker, heavier design. The increased mass helps transfer string vibration better to the body, which is believed to result in longer sustain. Some players did find the design a bit less comfortable.

Thank you,
Teeda”

 

I’ll also be emailing Fender on Monday to see if they have any additional info on this bridge.

The good news is that, based on the mounting pattern, it appears this bass could accept a standard Hi-Mass brass bridge without having to plug or drill any new holes, since only the four inner screws are used. If so, it would be an easy swap, and I could include the original bridge with the bass if I ever decide to sell it—assuming I even want to change it out at all.

Edited 4 hours ago by ET777

[cocco]

These are colloquially known as "claw" bridges, try using that as a search term.

 

I don't know a great deal about them but from what I understand they're quite rare and sought after. I don't think they were produced for very long. 

[Bagman]

there was one here in Chch years back at Mac's Sound Cashel Street