Leo Fender - Evolution of the "Tele-bass"
Fenders Early Bass Designs. 1951 - Fender Precision Bass - Telecaster inspired design, slab construction. 20 fret, bolt on one piece maple neck and fret board with black fret markers. Single layer white or black plastic "tele-bass" pick guard. old school split coil pickup 1 volume 1 tone knob. The "skunk" stripe, was a piece of dark wood (usually walnut or rosewood) fitted into the back of the neck where they routed out for the truss rod assembly. They eventually stopped doing this when they started using a 2 piece necks, but they brought it back for the vintage look of the reissue models. 1953 - Fender Precision Bass - First upgrade was made in 1953 when the Pbass got contoured edges making it more comfortable to hold and play. 1957 - Fender Precision Bass - Rethought and reinvigorated the Pbass was redesigned to look more like the stratoca...