1965 Fender P-Bass

winston · Post by **winston** » 8 Feb 2020 8:39 am

I am selling my 1965 Fender p-bass. Guitar sounds great, and plays great. Thinning out the herd and it is time the bass went to a new home. Everything is original but the finish and the case is an 80's plastic one. I have an old tolex case if you would rather have it. Price is 5000 plus insurance and shipping. USA only please. thanks for looking.

winston · Post by **winston** » 9 Jun 2020 7:03 am

Russ Wever · Post by **Russ Wever** » 15 Jun 2020 9:24 pm

CBS . . ?

winston · Post by **winston** » 17 Jun 2020 6:25 am

Russ, I think 1965 was the first year for CBS. thanks Winston May

Doug Taylor · Post by **Doug Taylor** » 17 Jun 2020 6:44 am

Beautiful bass Winston, my first good bass was a 66P I bought with my paper route money when I was 14.

winston · Post by **winston** » 19 Jun 2020 1:54 pm

Thanks Doug. I see we are almost neighbors. I am in Frankfort. thanks Winston May

Doug Taylor · Post by **Doug Taylor** » 19 Jun 2020 3:01 pm

Yes sir right down the road. I was at Doo Wop in Frankfort this afternoon. I am new to the steel guitar world but have played bass since the 60s. There is magic in those old Ps.

Roger Rettig · Post by **Roger Rettig** » 20 Jun 2020 5:31 am

Regardless of the exact date of the changeover to CBS (in '65), most guitars were assembled from pre-CBS parts for up to two years after the switch. Fenders as late as '67 can still have that 'pre-CBS' aura and are none the worse for the changes that the new owners made to 'improve' things.

Marc DiLorenzo · Post by **Marc DiLorenzo** » 20 Jun 2020 8:51 am

Roger Rettig wrote:Regardless of the exact date of the changeover to CBS (in '65), most guitars were assembled from pre-CBS parts for up to two years after the switch. Fenders as late as '67 can still have that 'pre-CBS' aura and are none the worse for the changes that the new owners made to 'improve' things.

If you take a peek at the neck plate, if it's got a big old "F" on it, most collectors would consider that CBS. And if it doesn't, it should instead have a serial number beginning with the letter L which is known as an L-plate and generally considered the last of the Pre-CBS era...YMMV

Roger Rettig · Post by **Roger Rettig** » 20 Jun 2020 9:42 am

And that 'L' is supposed to have occurred when Leo carelessly wrote an order to the suppliers of neck-plates and his sloppy '1' was misinterpreted as an 'L'.

Rather than scrap the lot he just used the 'L' plates once the older ones had run out. That's why the 'L's are followed by a 4- or 5- figure number. L-12223 should really be '112223', etc.....

I still contend that Fenders emerged from the factory after the take-over without that stylized 'F' on their plate. Not for long, of course.

J Fletcher · Post by **J Fletcher** » 21 Jun 2020 7:38 am

Well my May 65 Jazz Bass had an "L" serial number . Most people who would be interested in an old Precision would want to see the date stamp on the neckl , and the neck plate with serial number . Can't beat an old Fender bass !

Roger Rettig · Post by **Roger Rettig** » 21 Jun 2020 7:44 am

Sorry: I should have said: '...some Fenders emerged after the takeover and without the 'F' plate...'

winston · Post by **winston** » 21 Jun 2020 1:29 pm

I did not realize I had omitted these pics.

Rondall Jones · Post by **Rondall Jones** » 27 Jun 2020 5:39 pm

It was made the same day I was born.

winston · Post by **winston** » 28 Jun 2020 7:41 am

Chris Scruggs · Post by **Chris Scruggs** » 29 Jun 2020 3:21 am

Rondall Jones, month and year perhaps, but the â€œ5â€ is not the date, itâ€™s the assembly code for a Precision Bass neck. Jazzmasters are 4, Strats are 2, Jazz Basses are 7, etc...

winston · Post by **winston** » 5 Dec 2020 6:58 pm

Bob Carlucci · Post by **Bob Carlucci** » 13 Dec 2020 4:17 pm

Nice.. That bass looks like a "transition" model... They are considered CBS built guitars, but lets face it, the same parts,wood, necks, pickups, assembly procedures and personnel were being used on identical instruments just a month or two earlier, and there is NO difference in quality, only in vintage price guides and "collectability".

A couple years down the road, yes quality started to suffer, but early CBS Fender guitars and amps are very fine instruments... bob

winston · Post by **winston** » 14 Dec 2020 7:16 am

Thanks Bob for the kind words, I agree completely. Winston May

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