Fender Japan Left-Handed Precision Bass

Overview
When this vintage white left-handed P-Bass came in for a setup, shielding, and change of pickups, it had already been modified. These mods included Japanese 250K volume and tone pots, a chrome Leo Quan Badass Bass II bridge, and Seymour Duncan Quarter Pound™ for P-Bass® SPB-3 passive pickups. Now, let's take a closer look at this bass. The neck is by Fender Japan, was manufactured between 2004 - 2005 at the Fuji-gen Plant, and feature-wise, is similar to a PB57/LH. The pickguard is probably non-stock, as it's not single-ply as one would expect, but 3-ply Black-White-Black (see pics below).

References
Quarter Pound™ for P-Bass® SPB-3
Steve Harris Signature P-Bass® SPB-4
Chrome Leo Quan Badass Bass II Bridge
Japanese Instruments Product Dating | Fender Support | Fender®
The Guitar Dater Project - Fender Serial Number Decoder

First Look

"Crafted In Japan"

Front of headstock.

Back of headstock/Period-correct strap button.

Chrome Leo Quan Badass Bass II Bridge

Seymour Duncan SPB-3 Pickups

Seymour Duncan Steve Harris Signature P-Bass® SPB-4 Passive Pickups
Here's the new set of pickups that will be replacing the SPB-3s.

Copper Foil Shielding

Ibanez Artist AR305AV

Introduction
In my original post, I'd identified this beautiful guitar as an AR300, as the top looked like curly maple to these untrained eyes. However, Wojtek Kalinowski has pointed out that the top is actually Burl Mahogany, as the "wood grain is short and is facing "north" (headstock)." Therefore, this guitar is actually an AR305AV. Many thanks to Wojtek for setting the record straight.  


Specifications
Manufacturer: Terada Musical Instrument Co., Ltd. [Japan]
Date of Manufacture: April 1984
Body: Mahogany / Burl Mahogany Top [Double Cutaway]
Finish: Antique Violin [AV]
Neck: Laminated Rock Maple / Set In / Smooth Heel
Scale Length: 24.75"
Fingerboard: Ebony / Abalone-Pearloid Block Inlays
Frets: 22 / Ibanez Large
Hardware: Gold
Strap Buttons: Dead End
Machine Heads: Velve Tune [Dual Post] Tuners
Pickups: [2] Super 58 Humbuckers
Controls: [2] 500K Volume Pots / [2] 500K Tone Pots
Tone Caps: 0.022uF
Control Knobs: Sure Grip II 
Switching: [1] 3-Way Toggle / [2] Tri-Sound
Bridge: Gibraltar II
Tailpiece: Quik Change II / 'Cloud' Tailpiece Ornament

Noteworthy Features
The Ibanez 'Tri-Sound Coil Selector System' enables each humbucker to function in either humbucking, single coil, or parallel coil mode. When combined with the 3-Way Toggle Switch, this system is capable of producing "15 distinct sounds."

The 3-Way Toggle Switch, Control Cavity and Output Jack are shielded from "induced hum" by "chrome-plated metal shielding" containers. These containers also ensure the "proper grounding of all electrical components."  


References
The Guitar Dater Project - Ibanez Serial Number Decoder
Dating Ibanez Guitars
1980 Ibanez New Artist Series Catalog
1983 Ibanez Roadstar II & Artist Catalog
1983 Ibanez Electric Guitars and Acoustic Guitars Catalog
1985 Ibanez String Instruments Catalog
Ibanez Collectors World
Schematy Elektroniki Gitarowej
Repro Guitar Parts
Noah James Artist Series Page

Pics Section

Ibanez Velve Tune Dual Post Tuners

Ebony Fretboard/Abalone-Pearloid Inlays

Set In Neck/Smooth Heel/Dead End Strap Button

Super 58 Neck Humbucker

Super 58 Bridge Humbucker

Underside of Super 58 Bridge Humbucker

Gibraltar II Bridge

Quik Change II Tailpiece

Sure Grip II Knobs/Tri-Sound Switches

3-Way Toggle Switch/Metal Canister Shielding

Output Jack/Metal Canister Shielding

Control Cavity Cover

Control Cavity Metal Shielding Box

Control Cavity

Volume and Tone Pots

Tri-Sound Selector Switches

Roland Fantom-S Workstation Keyboard

This unfortunate Fantom-S suffered a fall onstage and ended up virtually unplayable. As the band had a major gig in 3 days' time, sourcing replacement parts from Roland Japan was out of the question. So they went along with my idea of swapping the damaged keys with similar ones from the lower register. However, as one key was broken and two were missing their latches (to keep them from popping up), repairs and mods had to be carried out (super glue and high density foam) before the swap. Here are some pics for you.