Vintage Fender Telecaster Bass – USA 1968

The Fender Telecaster Bass was introduced in 1968, closely following the format of the early 1950s Precision Bass with a single pickup and just one volume and one tone control. Early examples had the single coil pickup placed fairly centrally in the body, before Fender redesigned the model in 1972, dropping the single coil in favour of a humbucker positioned right up against the neck.

The 1969 Fender catalogue described it like this, "Fender has gone back more than 15 years to reintroduce the original solid body electric bass. The slender all maple neck is remarkably fast, truss rod reinforced and set for low string, high speed playing action. The single pickup is located for maximum string response and is adjustable at either end for custom string balance. The comfort contoured body is finished in natural blond and trimmed with a white pickguard."

This particular example is a genuine first year 1968 Telecaster Bass, serial number 223xxx, and it has led a remarkably quiet life. Bought new in the USA in 1968, it was a one owner guitar for decades before being handed down to the original owner's son, who never played it and kept it untouched in storage for 40 years. It was later purchased by a professional player in Sydney, who had it set up properly but only used it sporadically before it found its way to us. As far as we can tell, the only thing changed on this bass in over 50 years is the strings. The original bridge cover, pickup cover and finger rest are all present, and we cannot find a single indication of any alteration from factory spec. The neck is dated August 1968, the pickup September 1968, and the pots date to the 23rd week of 1967. The original nitro blonde finish has aged gracefully into a lustrous cream.

The neck on this one is genuinely one of the best we have come across, with what appear to be original frets in very good condition. It plays well in every position with no dead spots or fret buzz, currently set up with a comfortable medium action, though it can easily be dialled in lower if preferred. All hardware is clean and the truss rod is fully functioning with no issues. The original wiring appears completely untouched, with no evidence of later solder joints, and the volume and tone pots are smooth and work exactly as they should. The pickup sounds excellent, rich, warm and full. It is rare to find a Fender bass from the late 1960s in genuinely unmolested condition, and this is a true collector grade original that also happens to be one of the best playing 60s Fender basses we have listed at Premier Guitars.

Specifications:

Weight: 10.6 lbs / 4.960 kg

Action at 1st Fret: 0.5 mm

Action at 12th Fret: 2.5 mm

Neck Depth at 1st Fret: 24.65 mm

Neck Depth at 12th Fret: 26.50 mm

Nut Width: 44.20 mm 

Width at 12th Fret: 58.00 mm

Model: Fender Telecaster Bass

Serial Number: 223xxx

Year: 1968

Origin: USA

Finish: Blonde, aged to cream

Body: Alder, comfort contoured

Neck: One piece maple, dated August 1968

Pickup: Original single coil, dated September 1968

Controls: Volume and Tone, pots dated 23rd week 1967

Hardware: Original, chrome plated

Case: Original Fender hard case, logo missing, split in base but functional

Condition: Collector grade original, all original components verified