You can quickly feel, when picking up a guitar or a bass, whether it’s going to work or not. With this one, it was obvious right away. It resonates very well unplugged (it only weighs 4 kg / about 8.8 lbs), and the playability is really excellent. The fingerboard is beautiful and very comfortable to play. The frets are of plenty of life left, the truss rod works properly, the neck angle is perfect (a small shim in the neck pocket provides an ideal tilt), and the action is low and comfortable. It’s all good.

On the electronics side, everything is original and unmodified: the potentiometers date from 1966, which is normal since Fender bought large stocks that year, and they can be found up until the early ’70s. The two pickups are the original “black bottoms,” delivering both a rich and precise sound—hence the instrument’s name.

Both covers are in the case with the screws.

It comes with a period European hard case.