On loan to The Met The Met accepts temporary loans of art both for short-term exhibitions and for long-term display in its galleries.
Precision Bass
Fender
Chip Shearin
Manufacturer FujiGen Gakki
Not on view
In 1955, Fender redesigned the Precision bass with a more Stratocaster-like contoured body and sunburst finish, moving away from the original blond-bodied Telecaster design. By the end of 1957, the Precision bass featured a Stratocaster-style headstock and a new split-coil pickup that boasted thicker bass and midrange tones than its single-coil predecessor. The modernized P-bass has remained an industry standard up to the present day. This example was used by bassist and producer Chip Shearin, whose playing on this instrument was sampled on the Sugarhill Gang’s “Rapper’s Delight” (1979), widely considered the first hip-hop song.
Technical Description:
Alder body, one-piece maple neck with walnut “skunk stripe”; 34 in. scale; black finish; bolt-on neck with black dot inlays; silver Fender logo decal on headstock; one split-coil pickup with volume and tone controls; chrome adjustable bridge and knobs, nickel tuners, white plastic pickguard
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