Late-1970s Fender Precision Bass – Natural / Rosewood – USA – S745081

A beautiful late-1970s USA Fender Precision Bass in Natural finish with rosewood fingerboard, weighing approximately 4.1 kg / 9.0 lb.

This is a particularly characterful example with a known long-term history and genuine Irish music provenance.

Serial number: S745081. Fender's published serial-number dating places S7-prefix instruments within the late-1970s period, principally 1977 with production overlap into 1978.

History & Provenance

This bass belonged for many years to Irish musician Willie Hughes, my father, and has remained within our family since.

Willie was a bassist in Dublin band Ned Spoone, formed with his brother John Hughes, and later became one half of Minor Detail, again alongside John. Minor Detail signed internationally with Polydor/PolyGram and recorded their self-titled 1983 album at Dublin's Windmill Lane Studios, produced by Bill Whelan. Their hit was Canvas of Life, which reached US top 50 in the charts. A link to Minor Detail’s Canvas of Life video is included below as background to Willie Hughes and the instrument’s musical provenance. Please note that the bass appearing in that video is not this instrument.

The instrument remained in Willie's possession for decades following his performing career and subsequently remained within the family.

To the best of our family's knowledge, the bass has not been modified and is believed to remain in its original specification, aside from normal consumables such as strings. Given its long-term ownership history, we have no reason to believe components were replaced or the instrument modified.

I have deliberately not dismantled this nearly 50-year-old instrument solely for the purpose of sale, so the internal electronics and component date codes have not been independently inspected. I therefore prefer to describe its originality transparently rather than make an unsupported claim of internal authentication.

Condition & Playability

The bass has recently been carefully tested and is playing very well.

• Pickup produces strong, consistent output
• Volume control functioning correctly
• Tone control functioning correctly
• Output jack functioning and holding the cable firmly
• All four tuning machines functioning correctly
• Frets tested across all four strings with no dead notes observed
• No significant signal dropouts observed during testing
• Approximate weight: 4.1 kg / 9.0 lb

Cosmetically, it displays the genuine marks, patina and wear expected of a played late-1970s instrument. I have intentionally avoided restoration, refinishing or aggressive polishing in order to preserve the instrument as it has survived.

Please study the detailed photographs carefully, as they form part of the condition description.

Included

The bass is supplied with the vintage fitted hard case pictured, together with the associated accessories that have remained with it, including a striking vintage woven strap bearing the stamp of McCullough Pigott, Dublin, along with old D'Addario XL individual bass-string packets and other pictured accessories.

I am not representing the case as an authenticated original Fender factory case, as I have not found sufficient markings to establish this conclusively.

Specification

• Brand: Fender
• Model: Precision Bass
• Serial: S745081
• Era: c. 1977–78
• Country: USA
• Finish: Natural
• Fingerboard: Rosewood
• Pickguard: Black
• Weight: approx. 4.1 kg / 9.0 lb
• Case: Vintage fitted hard case as pictured

This is a lovely surviving late-CBS-era Precision Bass with an unusually complete personal history — equally appealing as a serious vintage player's instrument or to a collector who values known provenance, honest preservation and long-term ownership history.

Additional photographs or information are very welcome on request.