Fender Precision (1951)
As we know (and we will further study in the section dedicated to the history of the electric bass in the next lessons) in 1951 Leo Fender commercialized the first electric bass that had an impact in the history of music: the Fender Precision.
Based on the first mass-produced solid body electric guitar released by Leo Fender in 1950, the famous and equally revolutionary Telecaster (first called Esquire and then Broadcaster, in 1950), this wonderful work of industrial design and lutherie, with its single coil pickup, established some fundamental technical specifications that became standards in the construction of electric basses:
1) The solid body.
2) The use of the frets (20 in this case) to produce notes with a precise intonation (hence the name Precision).
3) Scale length, that is the length of the string at 34 inches (long scale).
4) The screwed-in neck.
5) The double cutaway (the lateral parts of the body that comes into contact with the neck, and that becomes the horns of the bass).
After a second version 1954 in which some finishes were introduced such as the shape of the body, this model was replaced by the glorious Precision of 1957. The first Precision enjoyed a second life and a second name. In 1968, at the highs of the flower power era, it was placed on the market again with the name of Fender Telecaster Bass, thus remembering the direct descent from the legendary guitar. After various versions and replicas, Sting recently signed a 1954 reissue and also the Fender Squier has proposed it in various models. Worthy of special mention is the limited edition of the Fender Custom Shop with the beautiful 1951 Relic Precision Bass.
FENDER TELECASTER BASS WITH PAISLEY STYLE FINISHES (1968) (retro)
STING PRECISION BASS (REPLICA OF THE 1954 MODEL)