Hi Von,
Here's the details I found about your bass in the file:
top and back: Vermilion
core: Mahogany
neck: Maple and Purpleheart, 34 long scale
fingerboard: Ebony with mother of pearl ovals
peghead veneer: Vermilion
pickups: SC1
controls: Series I
birthday: June 17, 1982
originally made for: Guitar Center, Hollywood
The only history for the bass is that you are the original owner. There's a letter you wrote to us in 1983 regarding the lack of warranty information supplied by the dealer and a copy of our reply letter. There's also a dark copy of the warranty card you sent to us.
There is no notation about the FS other than that is is part of the serial number. We have never used FS as any official designator for Factory Second, but if you contacted us back then and got that response, it must have been how we felt that day about your bass.
In fact, there were problems in building your bass. It was started in March, and the body cracked in April while it was in spray. We cut the original body off and made a new body for it. There is a notation on the build record that says kinda ugly so I guess we weren't entirely happy with the bass, but it wasn't defective in any way to prevent its sale. Who knows, maybe yours is the only one with FS in the serial number.
We do not finish instruments that would be considered factory seconds. If a bass or guitar doesn't make it, it usually winds up in a small pile of others that will never be finished, but may be useful in experiments.
Hope all this helps.
