Left-Handed Fender Custom Shop ‘57 Precision Bass, w/OHSC - Mint!

Hi, and welcome to my auction. :-)

Today I'm selling my ‘57 Left-Handed Fender Custom Shop Precision Bass, 2-Tone Sunburst On Alder, with the original hardshell CS case. I bought this bass earlier this summer from a shop where someone was selling it on-consignment. Apparently it was made in 1996 (one of the first years of the Fender Custom Shop's existence) and was in absolutely MINT condition. I'm not kidding: it appears to have never been played, and actually came with - what I believe to have been - the original strings on the instrument (still in pretty much unplayed condition - I suppose someone bought this was an eye to becoming a bassist, but then gave up on the idea?). When I took it to my guitar tech (Fountain City Guitarworks in KC, MO - they're a gold-level Fender CS Repair Shop, FYI), they verified that the frets were all original as well. (I know companies like to call items "New Old Stock," but this appears to be the real deal!). All in all, it appears to be in exactly the same condition as the day (whoever it was) bought it...

As to the build of this bass, as you can see, it's very nice, and just what you'd expect from the Fender Custom Shop: Alder body (not light, but not heavy, either: the overall bass weighs right at 9 lbs, FYI), coupled with an equally-nice Maple neck with matching Maple fretboard (the neck is wide - yes - but also has a really nice "flat" feel to it that makes it much easier to play), all "appointed" by a gold-anodized pickguard (no fake vinyl p/g here, guys - this is the real deal!). As for the split-humbucking pickup, you're in for a surprise here: it's just like a normal Fender split-humbucker, BUT it has "raised poles" underneath the A-string, where the poles "extend" (a centimeter or two) beyond the normal pickup (I’ve added a photo to try and show more detail on this unique pickup). I'd never seen another Fender pickup like this, so I called a friend of mine who happens to run one of the Custom Shops at Fender (who shall remain anonymous), and he told me the following: "This instrument was made during the first few years the CS was in existence, and they were trying some innovations on the original recipe. The extended pole pieces were meant to fix the problem with P-basses, where you couldn't get the A-string to be as loud as the E-string, so people would need to raise-up the side under the A string, while lowering the side that was under the E. This fix compensates for that & eliminates this problem." He also added "It's a shame they didn't keep making them that way, but people complained because it wasn't EXACTLY like the original '59 P-basses, so...we essentially had to go back and undo this fix, thus engineering - what is essentially - a small 'flaw' back into the original model." And I can assure you that it WORKS, too: when you play it, you can leave the pickup level, and still hear the A-string, too. It's a shame they didn't keep making them this way, really, but I suppose you have to keep the customers happy... (UPDATE: I’ve just been informed by a very kind Reverb member that the “raised A-pole pickups were actually originally produced by the factory and are historically correct.” Hah! Shows what I know, eh? A big THANK YOU to this very kind person for pointing that out!) :-)

One other curiosity about this model: I also asked my friend about the finish. "You noticed this!" he said, laughing. "That's actually a Polyurethane finish on it! This was made in the era BEFORE the whole 'relic-ing' craze that we have now. Back then, they assumed musicians would want their instrument to look & feel new as opposed to looking old within a few years, so they used a Poly finish on it so it would keep looking nice." And, sure enough, I verified with my guitar tech that this bass IS finished in a Poly finish. Amazing, eh? Oh, and he added one more thing: "Given that you've got the extended-pole piece humbucker, and the Ploy finish on it, the fact that it's left-handed would make that instrument quite the collector's model, too." I admitted I hadn't really thought of that - whether something is a "collectors model" or not is pretty much meaningless to me (I'm a PLAYER, not a COLLECTOR), but...I also realize that this DOES matter to some, so thought it worth mentioning.

As for sound, this particular model has really captured the sound of those original late-50's P-basses: nice, highs that (almost) "tingle," couple with enormous boom in the low-end and just enough mid to cut through the mix. And - in honor of the "vintage" vibe for this instrument - I've strung it with Rotosound RS77LD flatwound strings so that you can achieve a vintage sound as well (think: Duck Dunn on the original Stax recordings - that's literally what this bass sounds like to me). All in all, this is a REALLY nice bass: Fender CS quality, combined with vintage appointments & sound, and a collector's model to boot. Oh, and it also has original Fender hang tags, polish cloth & the Certificate Of Authenticity. :-)

As for price, I've listed it for what I'd like to sell it for, but - if you happen to be a bit short of that - please let me know & we'll see if we can work something out. (I'm a musician, too, so I know how it is.)

Thanks for looking, and let me know if you have any questions.

Model Name: Vintage Custom '57 P Bass® Time Capsule Package, Maple Neck, Wide-Fade 2-Color Sunburst

Series: Vintage

Custom Color: Wide-Fade 2-Color Sunburst

Body Shape: Precision Bass®

Body Material: 2-Piece Select Alder

Body Finish: Lacquer

Neck Material: Quartersawn Maple

Neck Shape: 1957 Soft "V"

Scale Length: 34" (86.36 cm)

Fingerboard Radius:7.25" (184.1 mm)

Number of Frets: 20

Fret Size: Jescar Medium Vintage (47095)

String Nut: Bone

Nut Width: 1.75" (44.45 mm)

Neck Finish: Polyurethane Lacquer

Fingerboard: 1-Piece Maple Neck

Position Inlays: Black Micarta Dot, 0.25" (6.35 mm)

Bridge Pickup: Custom Shop Hand-Wound '57 Precision Bass®

Controls: Volume, Tone

Pickup Switching: N/A

Pickup Configuration: H

Bridge: 4-Saddle Vintage-Style

Tuning Machines: Vintage Style

Orientation: Left-Hand

Hardware Finish: Nickel/Chrome

Pickguard: 1-Ply Gold Anodized Aluminum

Control Knobs: Knurled Chrome

Included Accessories: Deluxe Hardshell Case, Polish Cloth and Certificate of Authenticity.