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Posted: Sun Jun 28, 2009 5:09 pm
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bassdude812 wrote:
I have a 1981 vintage white w/original case, but it is missing the tuners. I know that the original tuners were a shorter stem than what in on the P or J, because of the fact that Fender did not want to have the cloverleaf sticking up to far above the Telecaster style peghead and look out of balance. I would love to find a set of tuners, new or used, so I can get this old girl fired up and play it. I have owned Bullets before, but none this good of shape. If anyone knows how to help me, please respond. Thanks.


Try this...http://accessories.musiciansfriend.com/ ... 361386#new


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Posted: Mon Jun 29, 2009 5:23 am
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Thank you boblisic! I will try this asap and post if it is what i'm looking for.


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Posted: Mon Jun 29, 2009 6:28 pm
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hey boblisic, I went there and they have to long a stem. They are the style for p and j vintage basses, but not the ones with the Telecaster Bass headstock. Thanks for the response and the lead. If you ever get a chance to see the open tuners on an original Gibson EBO, they are the right length of tuner stem, but are stamped Gibson. Anyboby else have a suggestion?


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Post subject: Bullet Bass
Posted: Wed Apr 21, 2010 4:20 pm
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The Bullet Bass is definitely a cool number. I normally play one of 3 P Bass's I have, and bought a Lipstick Red 34" Deluxe for my daughter several years ago. The "Deluxe" signified the USA made 34" versions of the basses.

While is does generally not have the deep lows of the P, the bottom end is tight, clean and predictable. The highs are smooth and definitely not too tinny. With the right amp, one can achieve the the wall rattling bass one feels from a P. The neck has a similar feel to a P Bass from the early 60s with the tele type head stock. In some cases, they might be old P Bass necks that were re-dated. These basses came about through old parts lying around, and are essentially a hybrid between a mustang body/pick ups and a P or J Bass neck. The feel of them is quite comfortable. Until recent years, they were relatively unknown models, and because of their origins, labeled mutts, and their validity as a real bass discounted. Time has proven that they are certainly worthy of the Fender label, and their value finally being realized. They were often times used as studio basses in the mid to late 80s for recording, but it was often times unmentioned. The US versions are definitely good workhorses that will, at minimum, hold their value, if not increase even more than they have in the last 5 years.


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Posted: Sat Apr 24, 2010 8:44 am
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bassdude812 wrote:
hey boblisic, I went there and they have to long a stem. They are the style for p and j vintage basses, but not the ones with the Telecaster Bass headstock. Thanks for the response and the lead. If you ever get a chance to see the open tuners on an original Gibson EBO, they are the right length of tuner stem, but are stamped Gibson. Anyboby else have a suggestion?


Bassdude,

The tuners you need for your USA made Bullet bass are the same Schaller brand tuners as found on Musicman, G&L and a number of other basses.
They feature a smaller stem than standard Fender Schallers.

They shouldn't be that hard to find, depending on where you are in the world.
You can go the allparts.com and look up the tuner style.

Now the Japanese verson of the bullet bass used a Japan sourced tuner that has a larger stem and leaf than that found on the Schaller tuner.

Have fun restoring your bass.

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Last edited by BCbassman on Thu Sep 30, 2010 7:30 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Posted: Tue Sep 28, 2010 10:05 pm
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I've had mine since about '85, got it from a pawn shop and all but the "E" in the serial number was scratched off. It is made in USA and very solid. I always find myself going back to it.

I made the mistake of putting EMG active pickups in it and cutting the pickguard to accomodate them. I got tired of them and returned the original pickups in to it but had to order an aftermarket pickguard replacement.

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Posted: Thu Sep 30, 2010 7:30 am
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BCbassman wrote:
Bassdude,

The tuners you need for your USA made Bullet bass are the same Schaller brand tuners as found on Musicman, G&L and a number of other basses.
They feature a smaller stem than standard Fender Schallers.

They shouldn't be that hard to find, depending on where you are in the world.
You can go the allparts.com and look up the tuner style.

Now the Japanese verson of the bullet bass used a Japan sourced tuner that has a larger stem and leaf than that found on the Schaller tuner.

Have fun restoring your bass.


I parted out one of my Bullet basses and used the neck on a Jazz bass body form 1983. It fits perfectly and I have a generic P-bass neck on the Bullet bass.

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Posted: Wed Oct 27, 2010 6:01 am
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I had a MIA in "Butter Yellow" back in the '80s, probably a very early example as it was already well aged in '85.......great for Country, Blues,and '60s "Light" Rock......wish I still had it.

Edit: Mine had the traditional "thumb rest" that I don't see in any of the pics here.


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Posted: Wed Nov 03, 2010 2:07 pm
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Thumb rests didn't come on the Bullet bass, but lots of times they were added by players after the fact.

The necks are great on those basses.

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Post subject: Re: Who likes the fender bullet bass??
Posted: Sat Apr 02, 2011 11:26 am
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Again its the question of quality,they are a budget bass of the 80's,bodies 3 pieces of non matching wood grains,necks famous for getting the lip at the highest fretts(ones nearest the body)the dead spot on the neck between the 3 and 8th fret ETC...these were the beginner basses,tone is pretty much one dimensionable and usual small scale ment for smaller hands,in my exp as a bass tech I have seen a few of them that were thought to be a "diamond in the rough,sleeper,un-known treasure"even when a full size p-bass was routed in they still were kinda dead,the wood used was'nt something to write home about,for the money going to invested to up-grade its one dimensional tone you can get a great Japanese model for equal or even less than the total price of the Bullet.

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Post subject: Re: Who likes the fender bullet bass??
Posted: Mon Apr 04, 2011 8:42 am
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I wouldn't say these bases are totally one dimensional in sound.
Some people think of a precision bass as being one dimensional and i disagree.

A lot of the tone depends on the player!

I really like the necks on these basses. They are done very well.

If a bullet is a dead sounding bass-it may just be that particular bass that has the problem. I am sure the tone of these basses varies with the pieces of wood that are used for the bodies and necks.

The bodies are multiple pieces of alder, usually mis -matched, unless the bass was given a natural finish.

The pickup is the same as a Mustang bass so a Bullet Bass Deluxe is as versatile, in tone, as a Mustang bass.


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Post subject: Re: Who likes the fender bullet bass??
Posted: Sat Apr 23, 2011 1:39 pm
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I had 2 of them,I thought I would head the new movement of the Bullet bass and make it the new"Cool Japanese Bass to Sport"if I ever made it,NO.... just joking.
But yes I did have 2 of them,the pick-ups were lousy,the fit and finish were OK,not the best Fender Squiers from Japan(even US models bombed out)sounded dead and lifeless, :cry:

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Post subject: Re: Who likes the fender bullet bass??
Posted: Fri Jul 01, 2011 11:11 am
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I bought one back about 8 yrs ago,black w/white pickgaurd & maple neck I got it for 225.00$ on E-bay,it looked great no wear ETC... but I have learned that an old bass thats not showing wear usually they are'nt the greatest sounding basses.
Not always is this case but why would someone buy a brandnew bass NEVER to play it ? sometimes it was an impulse buy or was a back-up but sounding crappy is more than likely the culprit such was my basses problem.
It had no life,it never sustained the notes even with a badass bridge and graphite nut,I changed out the pick-ups and pots out with a set of pickups from my buddies great sounding mustang bass that without question had good electronics,and even after replacing ALL the electronics(pick-ups,pots,tone capacitor and output jack)and a fret-level the bass was still BLAND.
So that leaves only 1 thing left; Dead no tone wood used for the body,possibly some knots in it or un-even or non at all rings,WHO KNOWS? Sadly I sold it,it was one of my fav's but it was a bad investment and the buyer wanted it for home practice and cared not about sustain or natural tone.
I may just have to get a'nudder :mrgreen:

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Post subject: Re: Who likes the fender bullet bass??
Posted: Tue Jan 24, 2012 1:58 pm
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I think mine's an '84, made in Japan. Branded "Squier by Fender." It's black and the pickguard on mine follows the body contour like the Presicion. Strat knobs (with the numbers painted in), chunky maple neck and fingerboard with the skunk stripe on the back. It was my first bass, I got it when I was 12, and 25 years later, I'm still playing it.


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Post subject: Re: Who likes the fender bullet bass??
Posted: Fri Jan 27, 2012 8:25 am
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Any model bass can have a bad piece of wood that just doesn't have any tone.
You are fighting a losing battle when confronted by one of these basses.

No matter what part you replace, bridge, pickup or preamp. It will still sound bad.

You can't overcome a bad body resonance. Many basses have had this problem over the years. You just have to get another bass to fairly judge that model of bass.

Good luck with it.


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