Fender Custom Shop 60 P Bass Relic in Black CZ552211

This Fender Custom Shop 1959 Precision Bass Relic in Black is exactly the kind of P-Bass that gets us excited around here. It starts with the classic ’59 Precision Bass recipe—an alder body, maple neck, rosewood fingerboard, and traditional split-coil pickup—but this one has some particularly nice Custom Shop touches. The Black Relic finish, dark-tint quartersawn maple neck, AAA rosewood fingerboard, 4-ply light tortoise pickguard, and hand-wound ’62 P-Bass Relic pickup make for a seriously cool combination. It comes with the Fender Custom Shop P-Bass Tweed case, Certificate of Authenticity, and all of the original Custom Shop goodies.

The Precision Bass needs very little introduction. Introduced in the early 1950s and refined throughout the decade, the P-Bass became the foundation for the sound of modern electric bass. By 1959, Fender had arrived at a combination of comfort, simplicity, and sheer authority that has been copied countless times but never really improved upon. This Custom Shop version captures that old-school spirit while giving you the fit, finish, and attention to detail you'd expect from a Custom Shop instrument.

The neck is where this one gets especially good. Fender spec'd a quartersawn maple neck with a dark-tint lacquer finish and a 60 P-Bass Oval “C” profile measuring .790" at the first fret and .900" at the 12th. The AAA rosewood fingerboard has a traditional 7.25" radius, vintage clay dots, a bone nut, and 20 vintage-style Jescar 45085 frets. It's a very familiar P-Bass neck shape—substantial enough to feel like a real Precision Bass, but not a baseball bat. There's also a third strap button mounted on the back of the headstock, another nice period-inspired detail.

The body is a 2-piece alder slab finished in Black and aged with Fender's Relic treatment. The combination of the black lacquer, lightly worn finish, tortoise guard, and rosewood fingerboard gives this bass a great late-'50s/early-'60s look without trying too hard. Fender finished the hardware in aged chrome/nickel and included a black thumb rest, vintage-style tuners, and the Relic P/J-style bridge.

For electronics, Fender went with a hand-wound ’62 P-Bass Relic pickup. That's a great choice for this recipe: big fundamental, plenty of low-end authority, and the familiar midrange punch that makes a Precision Bass sit in a mix so well. Controls are kept exactly where they belong on a P-Bass—Master Volume and Master Tone—so there's nothing here to get between you and the bass.

If you're looking for a Custom Shop Precision that feels convincingly old-school without simply being a generic vintage recreation, this one has a lot going for it. The Black Relic finish is killer, the neck specs are excellent, and the ’62 hand-wound pickup gives it the right voice. It's a serious P-Bass, built the Fender Custom Shop way.

Specs

Fender Custom Shop
1959 Precision Bass Relic
Black Finish
Relic Lacquer Finish
2-Piece Alder Body
Weighs 8 lbs 14 oz
1959 Precision Bass Body Style
Quartersawn Maple Neck
Dark-Tint Nitrocellulose Lacquer Neck Finish
60 P-Bass Oval “C” Neck Profile
.790" 1st Fret / .900" 12th Fret
AAA Rosewood Fingerboard
7.25" Fingerboard Radius
20 x Vintage Jescar 45085 Frets
Vintage Clay Dot Inlays
1.75" Nut Width
Bone Nut
34" Scale Length
Hand-Wound ’62 P-Bass Relic Pickup
Master Volume
Master Tone
4-Ply Light Tortoise P-Bass Pickguard
P/J Bass Relic Bridge
Vintage Bass Nickel Relic Tuners
Aged Chrome/Nickel Hardware
3rd Strap Button on Back of Headstock
Included: Fender Custom Shop P-Bass Tweed Case
Included: Certificate of Authenticity

The Music Gallery
(847) 432-6350 
Musicglry@gmail.com