Vintage Fender Precision Bass - USA 1956

A superb example from the final year of the original single-coil Precision Bass design - the instrument that laid the foundation for every electric bass to follow. This transitional ’56 model retains all of its key early features before Fender introduced the split-coil pickup and gold anodised guard later that year.

This example displays a gorgeous two-tone sunburst finish over an ash body, with deep checking, honest playwear, and rich amber patina that only seven decades can create. The neck is pencil-dated 1-56 and has the unmistakable soft-V to early-C transition profile typical of this period - smooth and substantial without being chunky. The feel is classic mid-’50s Fender: fast, resonant, and unmistakably alive.

Under the hood, the details tell the full story. The single-coil pickup features black fibreboard flatwork, heavy cloth string wrapping, and original windings with the period-correct pencil date 2-56 under the pickup on the body. The pots are Stackpole 250K, coded 304-54* (40 something week of 1955), wired with black and yellow cloth push-back leads and an original “brick” tone capacitor. All solder joints appear undisturbed.

The control cavity, neck pocket, and pickup rout exhibit the clean hand tooling and router humps typical of Fullerton production in early ’56. Every sign points to a fully authentic, well-preserved example that has seen use but never abuse.

Tonally, it’s everything you want from a single-coil P - bright, woody attack with a piano-like clarity in the lows and that unmistakable “thump” that sits perfectly in a mix. Plugged straight into a tweed amp, it’s pure mid-century Fender magic.

An extremely rare and historically significant instrument, representing the very end of the first-generation Precision era - few survive in such honest, original condition.

Comes in non-original Fender Custom Shop heavy duty gig bag.

Features:

Action at 1st Fret: 0.75mm

Action at 12th Fret: 3.5mm

Neck Depth at 1st Fret: 22.59mm

Neck Depth at 12th Fret: 25.03mm

Nut Width: 42.64mm

Width at 12th Fret: 56.69mm

Weight: 4.3kg / 9.48lb

Finish: Two-Tone Sunburst over Ash

Body: Ash (pencil-dated 2-56)

Neck: Maple, soft-V to early-C profile

Neck Date: 1-56 (pencil-dated)

Fingerboard: Maple (one-piece neck)

Scale Length: 34"

Frets: Original nickel-silver

Pickup: Original single-coil Precision Bass pickup 

Controls: Volume, Tone (250k Stackpole pots dated 304-54*)

Capacitor: Original

Wiring: Original cloth push-back (black/yellow)

Hardware: Nickel; original bridge and control plate

Pickguard: Original single-ply black phenolic