Hello and welcome back to The Low
End. In prior installments we explored
Rickenbacker and Gibson basses. This
month we will take a peek at “old reliable”
– the Fender bass line. The nice thing
about Fender basses is that they are basically
bulletproof and flaws are easy to
spot, although there are also some Achilles
heels in the product line. Luckily, most
issues can be discovered with little more
than a simple Phillips head screwdriver.
The Common Stuff
By now, most vintage Fender basses have
played a million gigs. Expect to see a
refret and changed pots. These are items
that wear and I would personally rather
have a playable bass than an original one
that requires work. As long as the neck
finish was not altered and the refret was
done professionally, there shouldn’t be any
issues. Changed pots are another story;
it is an individual decision whether to buy
a bass with non-original pots and it does
result in a minor devaluation. The good
news is that dated replacement pots are a
pretty easy find online. I see more Fender
basses with fret jobs and changed pots
than any other brand, likely because they
were simply used more often.
Another general malady affecting Fender
basses is the infamous E tuner split
– a slight split that runs off the E tuner
mounting screw, which was also touched
upon in our Gibson discussion [October
2007]. On Fenders, the split tends to run
straight down and will sometimes wrap
under the bottom of the headstock. This
is common and easily fixed. A small split
on a non-mint bass is nothing to worry
about, although a larger split may result in
some devaluation.
One thing to count on in vintage Fender
territory is that virtually every Telecaster
bass from the ‘60s has a changed pickguard.
This is simply due to the fact that
plastic deteriorates. If you expect this
going into the purchase of a vintage
Fender, you’ll be happy. If you actually
find one with the original, give yourself a
great big “Mazel tov!”
The Dark Side
Fender basses have two common areas of
trickery that you should always check. First,
remove the pickguard. I have purchased
perfect-looking, pre-CBS basses where I
skipped this step because I was assured it
was perfect, only to find a swimming poolsized
route underneath. The other area to
check is solder joints. A typical scenario:
you unscrew the J-Bass control plate and
the solder appears to be original. However,
the pickups were changed, clipped in the
middle of the lead and tucked into the
body. Make sure to pull the pickups – don’t
take anything for granted.
The Two Big Problems
Neck issues and pickups are the only big
component issues you will likely face when
buying a Fender bass. Early ‘70s pickups
are prone to blowing. Remember, a blown
pickup may have output – it will just sound
thin and terrible. If you put a multimeter on
the lead, you will get an open coil reading,
instead of the 6 to 9.5k reading you expect.
Rewind guru Jim Rolph explained the
issue to me. When they were produced,
the holes on the bobbins were the wrong
size, and CBS-Fender left the inner surface
rough. This resulted in wire chafing where
the leads were connected. Jazz basses of
that era are especially prone to this.
Another electronic issue to keep an eye
out for— early Music Man basses are now
developing preamp issues. The issue presents
itself like a bad pot or bad pickup and
requires careful examination by a professional
because parts are nearly impossible
to get.
Of course, the big area to check on any
instrument is the neck. Fenders with block
markers and four bolts are usually either
dead-on perfect or dead on their way to
repair. Here are some common issues: For
some reason, some truss rods do nothing.
Luckily, these basses are easy to spot:
they have super light strings, high action,
and are usually tuned low. More common
is the “Fender Flip.” The neck ski slopes
from approximately the 14th fret, going
into a rise at the rod adjustment point.
The neck will choke on the high notes or
be a little buzzy. I have seen some dots
and bound J-Bass necks with the flip as
well. Early Music Man basses have similar
issues, with a rise between the 11th and
16th frets. It will take a fret job with some
planing, but it can be fixed.
A repaired bass is easy to spot – just look
at the binding height. If it’s lower in height
anywhere from the 12th fret, wrapping
under the bottom of the neck to the 12th
fret on the other side of the neck, you
may have a prior repair. Once fixed, there
should not be any additional problems.
Well, that does it. I hope you found this
three-part series informative. Next month
we will meet a fellow player who is very
active in promoting the vintage bass hobby.
Until then, don’t forget the cannolis!
Kevin Borden
Kevin Borden has been a bass player since 1975, and is currently President of
Goodguysguitars.com.
Feel free to call him KeBo.
He can be reached at
Kebobass@yahoo.com