Is this a Seymour Duncan Salesman Sample Bass?

[jonf2003]

I bought what I optimistically believed to be a 1960s era fender jazz bass on ebay about 10 years ago. The seller said it was a 62. It had a Seymour Duncan neck plate, but the seller said that was added later. Some buyers were skeptical but I bought it anyway. It plays nice. In any event, I got curious and took the neck off and found Seymour Duncan stamps on it. On a fender forum everyone was 100% convinced it's not a genuine fender, and some of the posting folks thought it may be a SD salesman sample bass. I'm curious if anyone else has heard of this. Here are the photos. Thanks for any input. https://www.dropbox.com/sc/libsgzwz1wtm8mp/e_U2IxlG1T

 

[dystrust]

Re: Is this a Seymour Duncan Salesman Sample Bass?

I don't know a lot about these, but AFAIK some 'Seymour Duncan' branded guitars and basses were made for the Japanese domestic market in the 90s and were not intended for export. The neck heel appears to be dated 06/25/91 which would corroborate that suspicion. These instruments had a Seymour Duncan logo on the headstock instead of a 'Fender' one, however the coloring of this headstock is a bit suspicious as if it were originally sprayed clear but has since been tinted. I'm very confident that this bass is not a genuine Fender, and I hope you didn't pay vintage price for it.

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: Is this a Seymour Duncan Salesman Sample Bass?

+1

You have a perfectly good Japanese-made bass guitar that somebody has defiled by changing the headstock decal. Ironically, the instrument would now be far more valuable with the original SD decals.

Other non-vintage, non-US evidence includes the bridge baseplate with tracks in it. I suspect that the original bridge would have been a replica of the early Sixties "threaded" design.

The three-tone sunburst of your instrument looks very like my Squier Silver Series Precision Bass and nothing like the much darker finish of a Fender AVRI '62 Jazz Bass.

 

[Johnny the Kid]

Re: Is this a Seymour Duncan Salesman Sample Bass?

Those decals looks way too fake to me. Other than that the bass looks great.

 

[Falloffthebonetone]

Re: Is this a Seymour Duncan Salesman Sample Bass?

Those are the old school sticker decals. Chances are they sre replicas though. Not a 62 but from the looks of it a good bass nonetheless, what pickups are in it? You know?

 

[dg27]

Re: Is this a Seymour Duncan Salesman Sample Bass?

Looks like a nice bass.

You have a perfectly good Japanese-made bass guitar that somebody has defiled by changing the headstock decal.

I will never understand why anyone would do that: drives me a bit crazy.

 

[Johnny the Kid]

Re: Is this a Seymour Duncan Salesman Sample Bass?

Those are the old school sticker decals. Chances are they sre replicas though. Not a 62 but from the looks of it a good bass nonetheless, what pickups are in it? You know?

The edges around them seemed like they were fake.

 

[dg27]

Re: Is this a Seymour Duncan Salesman Sample Bass?

The edges around them seemed like they were fake.

I agree--that's the first thing I noticed.

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: Is this a Seymour Duncan Salesman Sample Bass?

The most obvious signs of fakery are the typeface and positioning of the patent numbers legend below the Fender logo. The outline of the waterslide isn't too bad. It runs closer to the stroke of the F and the top of the n than a typical genuine decal might.

Needless to say, the "OFFSET Contour Body" decal is wrongly positioned. So is the string guide.

There is clear evidence of abrasion where the original decals have been removed. There is also something weird going on in the varnish where old meets new. I would not be surprised if the fake decal sits beneath a layer of poly varnish (as distinct from on top of nitro-cellulose).

 

[Bass_Medic_05]

Re: Is this a Seymour Duncan Salesman Sample Bass?

Does anyone know more about the Seymour Duncan on the neck and body? And the plate is it original to this bass?

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: Is this a Seymour Duncan Salesman Sample Bass?

Looks original and legit to me.

Follow the link to the photographs. On the headstock shot, the light catches in such a way as to reveal where abrasion has been used to clean off the original decals.

In most respects, the instrument has about it the look of the Fugi-Gen factory. e.g. Fender (Japan) Vintage Re-Issue series.

 

[Bass_Medic_05]

Re: Is this a Seymour Duncan Salesman Sample Bass?

If it was originally a SD what @$$clown would deface it? Maybe someone who thought it would have more value as a "1960's Fender". Darn shame!!

 

[ginormous]

Re: Is this a Seymour Duncan Salesman Sample Bass?

I don't know a lot about these, but AFAIK some 'Seymour Duncan' branded guitars and basses were made for the Japanese domestic market in the 90s and were not intended for export. The neck heel appears to be dated 06/25/91 which would corroborate that suspicion. These instruments had a Seymour Duncan logo on the headstock instead of a 'Fender' one, however the coloring of this headstock is a bit suspicious as if it were originally sprayed clear but has since been tinted. I'm very confident that this bass is not a genuine Fender, and I hope you didn't pay vintage price for it.

The SD guitars and basses were made by ESP, and they were pretty smooth Fender clones, save for the non-lawsuit headstocks in later years.

From the ESP Japanese website:

The Japanese writing underneath this pic translates to "discontinued".
Many of these designs look similar to the ESP home-market Grass Roots series, which also clones famous Gibby designs.