Fender basses
FlyGuitars Your collections obviously dominated by a large number of Fender basses and Fender appear to be your chosen workhorse. Is that because you find those most practical for live work and recording?
Bob Daisley Yeah they've always been very versatile you can get lots of different sounds out of especially a Precision bass. Very versatile, very reliable, very robust for travelling. I love Gibsons for some stuff but sometimes you only have to look at them the wrong way and the head falls off, they're notorious for that though. If they fall or they get transported the wrong way or they are not packed properly the head can break off, it's always the head that goes first. I've had that happen to a couple of mine but the Fenders are very robust and you could probably throw it across the room and it'd be still in one piece you know. You've got to really mean to break one, somebody like Ritchie (Blackmore) or Pete Townsend to break a Fender, they're very robust. You know I've always found them very versatile.
FlyGuitars What was your first Fender
Bob Daisley I actually got a Telecaster bass at first which was ok but when I joined Chicken Shack with Stan Webb I ended up getting the 61 Precision bass and I remember Stan saying to me "Oh you won't be sorry, you'll have that for the rest of your life". That's one I've really hung on to and it's been great, it's been really good, a real workhorse, it's been on so many records and albums and done so many tours.
FlyGuitars In '72 Fender edged into Gibson territory by putting a large humbucker right up by the neck of the Telecaster bass. Your original Tele didn't have this, but have you now got a humbucker equipped Tele in your collection?
Bob Daisley No, mine's the '68 Paisley which is another pretty rare one but that hasn't got the humbucker it's the one with the early Precision straight pole pickup.
FlyGuitars What's it like in terms of tone compared to the other Fenders that you've got?
Bob Daisley It's nice, you know it's got nice playability and it sounds good. Very similar to the early 50's ones, I have got a couple of early 50's ones, a 53 Precision, the butterscotch with the black pickguard, that's really nice, I like that one and the other one I've got is the '55. Same sort of thing but with the contoured body.

The pictures below show a selection of Bob's Precision and Jazz basses. Six Fender Precision basses: 1953 blond, 1954 Sunburst, 1957 Sunburst, 1959 Sunburst, 1962/3 Olympic white, 1964 Sunburst






Thanks to Graham Fieldhouse and Bob Daisley for making this interview possible. Images courtesy of bobdaisley.com
Links: Bob Daisley's homepage | Kahvas Jute homepage | More FlyGuitars interviews
Gibson bass guitars for sale
1964 Fender Precision Bass - The REAL Deal!
Arroyo Grande, California, 934**, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
$6000
I bought it around 2012 as a gigging bass. It had been refinished in clear which was fine with me because I planned to send it to the great Gord Miller for an authentic relic refinish job. It's like going back in time and ordering a custom color - Olympic White in this case - which really suits this bass
Other than finish, it's completely original. Neck date stamp is "5 OCT 64 C " , serial number is L62358, has clay dots, and pot date ... more
1975 Fender Precision Bass beat sweet Blonde Maple Neck w / P / J Bartolini pickups.
Fort Lauderdale, Florida, 333**, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
$2750
1968 Fender Telecaster Bass Refinished Great Player. Translucent Blonde 10 8 Lb
Spring Hill, Florida, 346**, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
$5500
1973 Fender Precision Bass (American)
Colchester, Connecticut, 064**, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
$2900
1975 Fender Precision Bass- Blonde
White Plains, New York, 106**, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
$1035
1978-79 Fender Precision Bass Natural / Maple! Clean! w / OHSC
New Egypt, New Jersey, 085**, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
$2299
All ... more
1980 Fender Mustang Bass International Color Series, 100% Original w / Case
Seattle, Washington, 981**, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
$6000
With an ash body and an uncommon one-piece maple neck with maple fingerboard, ... more
1978 FENDER PRECISION BASS OWNERS MANUAL & WARRANTY CARD PLUS BONUS
Berlin, New Hampshire, 035**, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
$129
I know from experience that there are not a heck of a lot of 70's instrument manuals out there. This one is from a 1978 Fender Precision Bass and also includes the signed & validated wallet-sized warranty card, a rare find in itself. Also included is what I thought to be an iron-on but I'm not sure about that. The manual itself is in excellent shape and has the original serial number sticker still applied to it. It doesn't make sense ... more
1971 FENDER JAZZ BASS OWNERS MANUAL WELL-WORN BUT INTACT & ORIGINAL
Berlin, New Hampshire, 035**, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
$99
You can bet that there are not a heck of a lot of 70's Fender instrument manuals out there. This one is from a 1971 Fender Jazz Bass and it's in OK shape with some wear, patina and a loose cover. But even with those imperfections it will still add value to your vintage Fender Jazz Bass. Because there is no revision date inside the cover, it's perfectly suitable for Jazz Basses from 1968 thru 1975 or so.
FREE USA SHIPPING and a 30-day ... more
1982 1983 FENDER PRECISION AND JAZZ BASS OWNERS MANUAL GREAT SHAPE & SCARCE
Berlin, New Hampshire, 035**, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
$75
While not an ancient manual by modern standards, this particular manual is scarcer than you might think. Remember, the 1982 & 83 P and J Basses with the white pickups were only made for 2 years so naturally the print run only lasted that long. This is in very nice shape, crisp & flat with no stains or fading. Both the P and J bass are mentioned and if you own either one then this manual will add much more to the value of your bass ... more
1981 FENDER PRECISION BASS OWNERS MANUAL DECENT SHAPE WITH SLIGHT BOTTOM FOLD
Berlin, New Hampshire, 035**, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
$69
This is a pretty nice owners manual with date revision 1981 making it perfect for 1981 thru 1984 USA Fender Precision Basses. It's got crisp pages, good color and minimal handling wear but has a slight crease or printing defect along the bottom of the pages. Still it's a great piece that will add value to your vintage P Bass add it includes the original heavy brown thread for hanging. Case candy for these old basses is getting a lot ... more
1971 Fender Musicmaster Bass Dakota Red - Very Good Condition
Memphis, Tennessee, 381**, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
$1350
Make: Fender
Model: Musicmaster BAss
Year: 1971 - 1972
Scale length: 30 "
Weight: 8lbs 15oz
Nut Width: 1 6110 "
Neck Width at 12th fret: 2 0770 " ... more
Squier by Fender Affinity Bronco Bass Red S / N ICS10129969 AMP W / WIRE HEAD PHONE
Great Falls, Montana, 594**, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
$450
Fender American Vintage II 1960 Precision Bass with C&G case & J Bass Neck
Canyon Lake, Texas, 781**, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
$2150
Fender American Vintage II 1960 Precision Bass Sunburst w / Rosewood Fret Board, & Fender Brown Tolex Case
This Precision comes with an additional Jazz Bass Neck!
This USA made Fender vintage series bass comes complete with all of the original parts, pickup covers, bridge cover ('ash tray') and Fender brown Tolex case with keys, plus a Fender Vintera Jazz Bass Neck. (See Photos) It's is currently set up with La Bella Copper White Tape-Wound strings on the Jazz Bass neck, and the... more
1975 USA FENDER PRECISION BASS CHROME COVER SET W / SCREWS GOOD FOOR 1974-1979
Berlin, New Hampshire, 035**, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
$109
This is a nice original chrome cover set from a 1975 Fender Precision Bass. The set is also correct for 1974 thru 1979 P Basses. The chrome is in beautiful condition with no hint of rust or oxidation & no scratches. As you can see the front cover has the very rounded shape along with the smooth underside and factory markings for the adhesive mute strip (not included). The (4) screws are original with some minor oxidation.
FREE USA... more
EARLY 1970s FENDER PRECISION BASS THUMBREST THE MAROON COLORED ONE FOR 1968-1973
Berlin, New Hampshire, 035**, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
$85
This is a clean and very solid thumbrest from a 1971 Fender Precision Bass. It's not dented or warped like a lot of them are and includes (2) original mounting screws. These are very hard to find because the deep maroon ones were only made for a few years. Fender discontinued them because they actually stained the pickguards, especially white ones. I always loved seeing the maroon outline when I removed them for playing. The screws are in ... more
FENDER POWER JAZZ BASS SPECIAL 1984-1987 MADE IN JAPAN
Spring Hill, Florida, 346**, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
$600
1973 Fender Jazz Bass Natural Ash w / Black Blocks + Binding, Case
Seattle, Washington, 981**, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
$4400
Offering smooth sustain and a detailed, punchy quality, the maple fretboard delivers enhanced note attack and more upper midrange accentuation, with a particular burp and grind from the bridge pickup. The original pair of ... more
Vintage Fender Jazz Bass Special Fretless - MIJ - 1982
New York, 100**, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
$1499
Incredible Fender Japan jazz bass special: so it has a PJ pickup configuration but with a fast Jazz-bass style neck
In a truly excellent condition, no visible dents, and only some very minor scratches in the back that I couldn't even get in the photo
It has a pickup selection switch, volume control, and the famous TBX tone control (a passive system that is flat at center, works like a normal tone in... more
1963 Fender Precision Bass 100% Original
Westminster, Colorado, 800**, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
$45000



















