New T-40 ... Questions

Hey,

I got a T-40 for a little under $190 with a hard plastic case.

The guy said it was a 78, but I'm not sure. It has toaster pickups, and a weird serial number, not sure if it's original:
N00140-81-C-0431

Has anyone seen something like this? Here is a picture:
https://imgur.com/ceOTJ.jpg


Anyways, when I got it I discovered that the bridge pickup didn't work. Luckily it was just a loose wire. I found the wiring diagram online and soldered it back together. While I had it open I disassembled and cleaned all the parts (vinegar, water, dunlop 65).

With a new set of lo-rider strings, an action adjustment, and both pickups working I have to say this bass is amazing! There are so many different tones.

Here's a picture of it all cleaned up and ready to play (note: the old owner put a wooden thumb rest on the pickguard, but it's just glued on):
https://imgur.com/CVgnE.jpg

I know the database is no longer around, but if anyone could help me with dating this it'd be much appreciated. I've been looking for more info since I got this bass and this forum is a wealth of information.

Cheers!
New T-40 Owner

Welcome to the show Tuesday and congrats on your new T-40.


The serial number sticker is not original. The serial numbers were imprinted directly into the wood. You may find the imprints under the sticker.

Does the headstock have the text "Patents Applied For"? If so you do have a 1978 on your hands.

I hope this helps you.

It's a bit faded, but it looks like a 1982 serial.

010xxx23

Congrats on your purchase. I just got a T-40, too. And-like you-the bridge pickup is not working! I am hoping it is as easily fixed as yours was!

Also, congrats on getting one for such a sweet price!

tuesday wrote:

It's a bit faded, but it looks like a 1982 serial.

010xxx23

Yeah, that does look like a 1982 serial number. Does the headstock say "Patents Applied For" or "U.S. Patent No. 4,164,163 Other Patents Pending"?

Double A wrote:

Congrats on your purchase. I just got a T-40, too. And-like you-the bridge pickup is not working! I am hoping it is as easily fixed as yours was!

Also, congrats on getting one for such a sweet price!

I am starting to think this is a common issue, as I had problems with mine as well. New switches did the trick for me.

New switches can't hurt, that's for sure. Chip has stated several times that the quality control kind of took a dive when he left for Fender. Before he retired he was accepting "dead" pickups so he could do a proper autopsy on them to find the cause of death.

When I bought a T-40, 1978 (8M), the bridge pickup was not working.
The problem was the out of phase switch; I simply did a bypass, and the pickup came to work OK.

Santi wrote:

When I bought a T-40, 1978, the bridge pickup was not working.
The problem was the out of phase switck; I simply did a bypass, and the pickup came to work OK.

I guess that proves the theory of bad switches in the T-40 equals the "dead pickup" syndrome!

No, the switches were not really unreliable, just prone to breakage if the guitar was dropped on the switch. That would only hold true in trouble with the bridge pickup. The later models had the chrome covers staked on wrong and about 50 % of them had pickup problems. It's a shame that the switches got blamed for breakage, although I would opt for stronger switches if I could do it over. I consider that to be one of Hartley's and my worst mistakes.
Chip

Hi Chip:
I´m happy to read you again.

I had two T-40 from 78 and 79 (natural finish) and the switch only was broken on one of them, since this bass has been abused for the previous owner.

Now I have an 83 T-40 in black (poplar body) and blade pickups. It sounds great, and the switches are pretty solid.

Best regards Chip.