PRODUCED: 1954-1957

ORIGIN: USA

TYPE: Solidbody, twin cutaway, 4-string

BODY: Ash mainly but alder also used

NECK: Maple, bolt-on, 20 medium frets

SCALE LENGTH: 864mm (34-inch)

FINGERBOARD: Maple, black dot inlays

HARDWARE: Chrome covers over bridge/tailpiece and pickup, twin brass-saddle bridge, reverse action open gear tuners

PICKUP: One singlecoil

CONTROLS: Volume & Tone on separate plate

FEATURES: Large scratchplate, through-body stringing, Telecaster styled headstock

FINISHES: 2-tone Sunburst, Blonde & Custom Colours

COMMENTS: The Fender Transition P-Bass earned its name as it represented the first round of updates but didn’t get quite as far as the major overhaul in 1957.

Here the slab body was given contouring in line with the newly released Stratocaster and Sunburst became an option to the regular blonde finish with custom colour choices added in 1956. An alternative white scratchplate was also introduced that still covered most of the body and that all-important Telecaster styled headstock remained.

Sting has a couple of these from 1955 and 1957 although apparently fitted with Seymour Duncan Custom Shop Basslines Stacked single-coil pickups that help overcome some of the original pickups’ shortcomings. The later model has an alder body.