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Post subject: Standard or Vintage: Pickup height question
Posted: Tue Feb 23, 2016 3:24 pm
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I'm pretty sure I have a '78 P-Bass. The SN on the headstock is an S8+5 digits.
Would this would make it an "American Standard" P Bass?
I'm trying to follow Fender's pickup height adjustment chart and they spec the vintages at 8/64"-6/64" and standards at 7/64"-5/64" (Bass/Treble Side respectively).

Not much difference I'm sure but I thought I'd ask anyway.


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Post subject: Re: Standard or Vintage: Pickup height question
Posted: Tue Feb 23, 2016 4:20 pm
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You must read pickups height with string fretted at the last fret.
Height is a matter of taste too and how you play , start with any of both and listen when you play, try another height.

Too close from the strings is not recommended.


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Post subject: Re: Standard or Vintage: Pickup height question
Posted: Wed Feb 24, 2016 3:47 am
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oKors wrote:
Would this would make it an "American Standard" P Bass?


No.

In 1978 Fender made the Precision Bass. Period.

The qualifying adjectives such as "American" and "Standard" were not introduced until the modern FMIC era, when Fender instruments began to be manufactured in Mexico and Japan.

Arjay

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Post subject: Re: Standard or Vintage: Pickup height question
Posted: Wed Feb 24, 2016 8:01 am
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oKors wrote:
I'm pretty sure I have a '78 P-Bass. The SN on the headstock is an S8+5 digits.
Would this would make it an "American Standard" P Bass?
I'm trying to follow Fender's pickup height adjustment chart and they spec the vintages at 8/64"-6/64" and standards at 7/64"-5/64" (Bass/Treble Side respectively).

Not much difference I'm sure but I thought I'd ask anyway.


I have a '76 Precision. Some people call them CBS Fullerton Fenders, but just like Arjay says it wasn't until FMIC started importing foreign made Fenders that American Standards came into being after the Corona, CA plant was built.

As far as pick-up height on Precisions go, it's more important to go by balanced string-to-string volume than measurement. Your strings must be properly radiused to the neck. In your case a 7 1/4" radius. Also your strings must be equal height from the bottom of each string to the top of the 17th fret. I like 0.100" So once your set-up is perfect, then you can adjust you pickups for equal string-to-string volume. It is of utmost importance to play each string as evenly as possible so I use my thumb. Good Luck!

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Post subject: Re: Standard or Vintage: Pickup height question
Posted: Wed Feb 24, 2016 8:54 am
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The StewMac String Action Gauge is a huge help.
http://www.stewmac.com/Luthier_Tools/Tools_by_Job/Tools_for_Measuring/String_Action_Gauge.html

Image

Image


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Post subject: Re: Standard or Vintage: Pickup height question
Posted: Wed Feb 24, 2016 9:21 am
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Thanks everyone.
I just picked up a radius gauge kit, and string action gauge from amazon for a few bucks each. Once those arrive, I'll radius the strings, set the string height then intonation. Pickups from there.

So just to get the semantics out of the way. Is my '78 neither a "vintage" nor "standard"? or are those terms just a general way Fender identified anything pre and post USA made?

I guess it doesn't really matter for what I'm doing, It will just bug me that the Fender "owners manual" will use arbitrary terms for a chart that they themselves created.


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Post subject: Re: Standard or Vintage: Pickup height question
Posted: Wed Feb 24, 2016 12:38 pm
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oKors wrote:
Thanks everyone.
I just picked up a radius gauge kit, and string action gauge from amazon for a few bucks each. Once those arrive, I'll radius the strings, set the string height then intonation. Pickups from there.

So just to get the semantics out of the way. Is my '78 neither a "vintage" nor "standard"? or are those terms just a general way Fender identified anything pre and post USA made?

I guess it doesn't really matter for what I'm doing, It will just bug me that the Fender "owners manual" will use arbitrary terms for a chart that they themselves created.


Your Precision is considered 'vintage' because it is Pre-FMIC and has Leo Fender's original (now vintage) 7 1/4" neck radius.


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Post subject: Re: Standard or Vintage: Pickup height question
Posted: Wed Mar 02, 2016 4:31 pm
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Pickup height is an interesting topic. I once purchased a 58P from an artist that will remain nameless. The bass pup had the raised "A" poles, but had been reversed so the raised poles were under the E. I thought something probably happened when they took it apart for pictures and reassembled it.

However, I recently purchased a 58P from Bob Babbitt's family. This is the bass he used when Motown went to L.A. and he went to the east coast. It has incredible provenance. Bob had also reversed the raised poles so they were under the E so I no longer think it was an accident the first time. And Bob had gone further and shaved the rest down to cover height. The bass is heavily modified, including the bridge, but according to my bandmates, it sounds great, and to my ear, I agree. I should note it has round wound strings on it, and I will leave it that way. I like flats, but I don't want to mess with the sound he wanted on this particular bass.

So I have said little of use, just information to further the question.

Some bass models, not Fender, had adjustable pole heights back in the day...maybe they still do? But this 58P is the only example I have where pole heights were physically adjusted, through force, not a screwdriver, and it sounds really nice. So, what exactly is the difference?

Good topic. I do not have the science education to suggest an answer. I hope others weigh in on the topic.

Steve

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Post subject: Re: Standard or Vintage: Pickup height question
Posted: Wed Mar 02, 2016 4:40 pm
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Well, it turned out to be a moot point anyway. The reason I asked in the first place was because, A) I was setting the instrument up for the first time in who knows how long and B) the foam under the pickups had dried out and turned hard as a rock.
I replaced the foam and set the pup height to kinda near where it was before, played it, adjusted it lower, couldn't tell a difference, higher, couldn't tell a difference, pushed them flush to the pick guard and could barely hear a drop off in volume.

So... there I have it. I guess for the professional, that 3/16th of an inch makes a difference. For me it really doesn't seem to matter.


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