Custom Shop Reincarnation of the Legendary ’59 P Bass
The Fender Custom Shop Limited-edition ’59 Precision Bass Journeyman Relic is a meticulous reincarnation of a legend. In 1957, Fender gave the first electric bass its second major makeover, in the process creating the iconic instrument as we know it today. Fender’s world-class Custom Shop luthiers painstakingly handcrafted the Limited-edition ’59 Precision Bass, complete with vintage-spec details such as its 2-piece alder body with Journeyman Relic lacquer finish and gold anodized pickguard, vintage-style bridge and tuners, tinted quarter-sawn maple neck with a 1960 P Bass Oval “C” profile, and rosewood fingerboard with a period-correct 7.25-inch radius. In the electronics department, the Limited-edition ’59 Precision features a hand-wound ’57 P Bass pickup that delivers the tone that has driven countless iconic recordings. Play a bass legend: the Fender Limited-edition 1959 Precision Bass Journeyman Relic.
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Genius in the details
With Fender’s Limited-edition 1959 Precision Bass Journeyman Relic, there’s genius in the details. This remarkable guitar’s beauty, tone, and playability are no accident. Originally sporting a non-contoured “slab” body at its 1951 launch, the Precision received its first makeover for the ’54/’55 model year, gaining the comfortable Stratocaster-like body contours we know and love. Of course, a late-’50s Precision has to have the classic gold anodized aluminum pickguard. Then, there’s the satisfyingly chunky quarter-sawn maple neck crowned by a vintage-style slab rosewood fingerboard with rolled edges. But in a nod to modern player preferences, this ’board has a 7.25-inch radius and 20 medium-jumbo frets. And pumping out that classic beefy growl is a hand-wound Custom Shop split-coil ’57 P Bass pickup.
Painstaking vintage accuracy
For the Limited-edition 1959 Precision Bass Journeyman Relic, Fender Custom Shop artisans referenced several original ’59s and exhaustively analyzed them to ensure a painstaking level of vintage accuracy. Every facet of the original instruments — including minute details such as curves, perimeters, radii, and more — was examined, measured, evaluated, and ultimately incorporated into this amazing instrument. Take it from us: what you see in this remarkable axe is more than the sum of its parts. It’s a highly playable, eminently musical-sounding re-creation of an iconic instrument that changed music forever.
The Journeyman Relic treatment
Though a relic’d guitar finish is almost as common these days as a flawless factory finish, it was the Fender Custom Shop that pioneered the process — and they know how to do it better than anyone. Fender offers different levels of finish distressing. One of the newer techniques is the Journeyman Relic, found on this Limited-edition 1959 Precision Bass. This is an authentic nitrocellulose lacquer finish, which is thinner than today’s polyurethane finishes, allowing the wood to breathe and the tone to bloom. You get a look and feel that’s used but not abused. Imagine a beloved, decades-old bass that’s been well taken care of, with a played-in feel but perfect fretwork. Like every instrument in our Guitar Gallery, it’s been through Sweetwater’s 55-point Inspection and plays splendidly, right out of the box.
Fender Custom Shop Limited-edition ’59 Precision Bass Journeyman Relic Features:
- 2-piece alder body with gold anodized pickguard
- Quarter-sawn maple neck with 1960 P Bass Oval “C” profile
- Rosewood fingerboard with vintage-spec 7.25-inch radius and 20 medium-jumbo frets
- Hand-wound ’57 P Bass split-coil pickup
- Relic’d hardware, including bridge and pickup covers
- Vintage-style bridge and tuners
- Journeyman nitrocellulose lacquer finish
- Handcrafted in Fender’s Custom Shop in Corona, CA
- Includes hard case and Custom Shop certificate of authenticity
