Unique Chartreuse Sparkle Precision Bass - Specially Made by the Fender Custom Shop in 1995
for the Legendary Dick Dale

This unique left-handed 1959-60 specification Precision Bass was specially made by the Fender Custom Shop in 1995 for surfing hero Dick Dale. It is finished in 'Chartreuse Sparkle' as only Dick Dale would have wanted. This guitar came from the estate of the late John English (1950-2007) who was one of the greatest of the Fender Custom Shop's Master Builders. It had been given to John by Dick Dale - they were close friends. In fact it was John English who was given the task of building Dale's Signature Stratocaster guitar with Dale being the overseer. "Dick Dale plays left handed upside down which was a result of holding the guitar left-handed. The strings became upside-down, chords are designed for right handed players making it very difficult for a left handed player unless he were to change the strings for a left handed guitar, something Dale never did." (Dick Dale Homepage: History).

This 13-inch-wide 'left-handed' bass guitar weighs just 9.60 lbs. and has a wonderful fat nut width of 1 3/4 inches and a full bass scale length of 34 inches. Solid alder body contoured on back and lower bass bout, one-piece maple neck with a medium profile and 'slab' rosewood fretboard with 20 frets and 'clay' dot position markers. Single circular string tree. Individual Fender [Schaller] tuners with 'flat' metal cloverleaf buttons. Headstock decal with Fender logo in silver with black trim and "Precision Bass" in black beneath it. Four-bolt neckplate with the serial number "CN401515" between the top two screws. One split black eight-pole-piece pickup with an output of 10.46k. Three-layer (white/black/white) plastic pickguard with thirteen screws. Two controls (one volume and one tone) on lower treble bout. Knurled control knobs with flat tops. The potentiometers are stamped "R137 9517" (CTS, April 1995). Combined four-saddle '1959-1969' style bridge/tailpiece with deep grooved spiral saddles. The neck is stamped on underside in black "H. Gastelum" (Herbie Gastelum joined Fender in 1961) and also stamped in red with oval "Custom Shop / [guitar neck] / Fender U.S.A." Also signed in red ink above and below "W.E. / Perez". This guitar is in mint (9.50) condition and is complete with the two original chrome-plated bridge and pickup covers (never fitted to the guitar). Housed in the original Fender 'Tweed' hardshell case with tan leather ends and orange/red plush lining (9.25).

This guitar came to us directly from John's estate together with a letter of authenticity.

"Dick Dale invented surf music in the 1950's. Not the '60's as is commonly believed. He was given the title "King of the Surf Guitar" by his fellow surfers with whom he surfed with from sun-up to sun-down. He met Leo Fender the guitar and amplifier Guru and Leo asked Dale to play his newly creation, the Fender Stratocaster Electric Guitar. The minute Dale picked up the guitar, Leo broke into uncontrolled laughter and disbelief, he was watching Dale playing a right handed guitar upside down and backwards, Dale was playing a right handed guitar left handed and changing the chords in his head then transposing the chords to his hands to create a sound never heard before. Leo Fender gave the Fender Stratocaster along with a Fender Amp to Dale and told him to beat it to death and tell him what he thought of it. Dale took the guitar and started to beat it to death, and he blew up Leo Fender's amp and blew out the speaker. Dale proceeded to blow up forty nine amps and speakers; they would actually catch on fire. Leo would say, 'Dick, why do you have to play so loud?' Dale would explain that he wanted to create the sound of Gene Krupa the famous jazz drummer that created the sounds of the native dancers in the jungles along with the roar of mother nature's creature's and the roar of the ocean." (Dick Dale Homepage History)

Senior Master Builder John English who passed away June 2007 at the early age of 57 was raised on ‘50s and ‘60s rock ’n’ roll. He joined Fender in 1970, working alongside company pioneers such as Freddie Tavares and Bill Carson, and was a driving force in the early days of the Fender Custom Shop, helping to define the creative environment that continues in the shop to this day. One of the original Custom Shop builders, he was internationally renowned for his custom, concept and art guitars. He was a guitarist, drummer and artist who worked in the United States and Europe, and was a true original whose creations used exotic woods, metals, plastics, stones and bone, and were inspired by music, art, architecture and nature. He built custom guitars for countless musicians and collectors, ranging from Eric Clapton to President George W. Bush. His collaboration with surf guitar king Dick Dale resulted in one of the first Fender Custom Shop signature model guitars; he created Fender’s first Japanese signature guitar with Michiya Haruhata, and his trio of concept guitars created with art phenomenon Shag caused quite a sensation at the 2003 NAMM show.