Another "is this a real Fender?" thread...

Bugeyed Earl

Bugeyed Earl

Aug 27, 2013
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South Florida
#1
Spotted this bass for sale locally, seller claims it's a Fender, but it looks sketchy in the pics. The color looks like Monaco Yellow from the International series, and a maple board would be consistent with that, but it also appears to have a single-ply pickguard, and some weird knobs:

bkhRzwMGLovBEX8t_EenFvHXuZeW1R1YRRLUgoOZMvfQM9d3qmWJePodyK6UYMbZ2oi6V5GjYqr-8ZBlLKXO32dw37NU_OOOpR4INX5ezaglAtDmrmG9R_h8M105CECd0fA3NTwF_X5xCMtNvI8BXu_iezCT38ydlsZxOJdcngI3kvqyhGS0gnfyPY7qc48MnA4PopBov7wvatXaj2YcCAb2xGuSj3J_y__aanJ9IOd18Nx0l7pAMkoYdv8fBvO-AmGQKkaKmO-ozQwffyuOt9JyVOnZe6K73hgaL_2AUcd90usG4w0LwMliH0SLSiBFyhEFek2c5Wu9HDgJAJRtsRfjFBqDKBkaXbMDHpBVfSOSOaMuw1XP4TQyI4gIXcRbhSD4IINDEMJbbJsGO8bpT-OH9ZTsHCe4WFbr6ke-ZZuRNnw8KVWQbMp9sEVHbtmt5RpXq1Jjjs7Y6_ZzXVfwn-Y8gtz_VlgEE2ha2DiKpbj-x5HqpZqQPT44sdznTtDrAlh2HADiqmsVWiM5cgyQ3B88sLIArS5iBLaz-UqWNSdW2qIVuf4Q-P5enR41rmS5Cg6P5iZmF8RnKdVon54zGHtGRmtl99R5lRU4mYYuVdhGGw4dxYpL=w600-h662-no


The neck-body joint looks pretty weird also, though it could be due to the crap lighting and angle, and maybe a just a bad shot...

The headstock also has a bunch of red flags - replacement tuners with big washers under the nuts, and the logo looks pretty bad also, maybe a replacement of some sort...

YBLf9K841Pvya5forutI4mQ4s5JhZBB5NSnybmh4tPwG1sEOTqjIyB4NHmOoKoDZPORPyOic-g4h2KlHWpGOklqk1HoFWR60xxcOJqZZt5fQe5ViKKjmAf87RmhuBAf6yzL5sHJBJBrrxp7sjcsYg-HY6WOGjDVDaKqQwZmHDkAWoDWqbwbaV32DWp_VxizFvl_cHIYhxGyWmH9o1Mk24cRmX-SjDVaMtAlpAlY_1Pwz7Jee-XU3Nf5N9oCUPdGZ5vQyIdq2EW-QDsQU81MN6O6FTWc6Ol-nvZ-W_eI5BqzfvWUPScO15ssiwo7Bpdla24pqlOJVdguaXKP8pfK1NDNfaK5u8GGg-07XeMdb_tTj76QoQD7_FKG2wtDc58zQOGoA3nssUKUcEQwIxFbkpozDNSR8srTpNdnO-ogcm1_32d1D1lVosgYKVqoh0yGAa8Tcxka5PspTJxrU3VSFU5fcxJrbdDpPyYQ4ofjirqi9_wVTXOcSb9uB4EEIHtUoZApy8JWMWaq36zt7zLEKT9eS0IR9mRGx84kszVz3WROO4la7qKEPHAriBQxCczSqTrgXcVjhBbKU7xPgjoK5e2K7Ply1Ec5c0rtZc_bk11vJh_UIA3XE=w600-h662-no


As far as I can tell, Fender's "international color series" from the early 80's would have the truss rod adjustment at the neck heel, with a plug at the headstock, I can't really tell from the pic if that's the case here.

It looks pretty doubtful that it's legit, but it's not too far from me, so I'll go check it out this afternoon and maybe get lucky and score a beat up Fender in a weird color for cheap. It doesn't hurt that I'm a sucker for a maple fretboard. In the meantime, any opinions or wild theories are welcome...
 
#3
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#10
Glazenn said:
An original pickguard would have thumb rest holes on the E string side.
Most of the pickguard screws are badly located and one is missing south of the PU.
The pickguard shape is wrong (lower horn).
Fancy knobs. Fancy logo.
The price is 1/10th of an original '81. Too nice to be true.
Fender Precision Bass '81 International Color Monaco Yellow (Used,Vintage/ITM0024453) | Buy Guitars from Japan! [J-Guitar.com]
Click to expand...

I didn't pick up on the pickguard shape being wrong, I'll have to look at some more pics to figure out what's wrong there. I know it's highly unlikely, but if it was an international color series, I think a one-ply guard would necessarily be a replacement, so it's not outside the realm of possibility.

As for the too good to be true factor, I've scored some deals that would make your toes curl, so I'm usually up for a gamble :)
 
#12
Bugeyed Earl said:
I didn't pick up on the pickguard shape being wrong, I'll have to look at some more pics to figure out what's wrong there. I know it's highly unlikely, but if it was an international color series, I think a one-ply guard would necessarily be a replacement, so it's not outside the realm of possibility.

As for the too good to be true factor, I've scored some deals that would make your toes curl, so I'm usually up for a gamble :)
Click to expand...
The tip of the PG on the lower horn should be sharp, not rounded as it shows.
It should also have that additional screw in the middle near the G string.
https://images.reverb.com/image/upl...90,w_620/v1453508031/hxy5lzw1ggswp0jgaflt.jpg
 
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#13
Bodeanly said:
Wait a second. Why does the one pic appear to have a maple neck with black dots, but the other has a darker neck with no dots? Is it just the lighting? In any case, this is not worth the gas to go and check out. This isn't even a "rebranded" Squier.
Click to expand...

The automatic light-sensor starts dropping the exposure when there's a lot of light. The camera's eye is almost pointing directly into the shops lighting fixture, so everything starts looking darker. :snaphappy: :bookworm:
 
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#14
#15
That neck joint is all wrong. I mean, Fender has had some sketchy neck pocket things happen, but nothing like what that looks like! There's also no way the head stock logo is original. The word "Fender" is in the wrong place entirely, and the words "Precision Bass" are written in a font that Fender has never used.
 
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#20
Wait....is the D and G string both on the same string tree position?

I'm no expert at all, in fact I know very little in general, but this thing looks terribly fake. Just looking at a few quick pictures of the International Series, the logo looks really weird on this one as well.

I'd ask the seller a few more questions about the possible replacement parts.

At the end of the day, an 80's Fender P bass for $200 will always be a fishy situation.
 
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