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Post subject: Precision 51 RI CIJ questions
Posted: Fri Aug 12, 2016 9:32 am
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Hello

I found for a very honest price a Precision RI 51 CIJ (serial says 2006-2008) as new, and I fell in love with the look, so I traded my JB Special Japanese (Duff McKagan) to buy this one.

Image

I bought it for the look and the nostalgic aspect of these "first Precision" near reissue.. and I'm really found of the fat neck at a point that for my daily routine it is replacing my beloved 2008 MIA Precision NAS.

I have two questions :

- First one is cosmetic, my model is sunburst with a black pickguard, and I fail to find and mention of this combo (sunburst/black pickguard) and the pick guard doesn't look as if it as been changed (the bass is really like new)

- Second is about strings, I know that flats are prefered , but I have it with round and quite like it, and on the other hand both my Jazz (Labella 760FL) and my MIA Precision (Fender 9050L) have flats so I'd like first to use it with round. Those who have this model, which brand of round sound the best for you ?

Thanks in advance

Luc

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2007 Precision 51 RI CIJ (prefered)
2009 New American Standard Precision Bass / OW
2010 New American Standard Jazz Bass / Sunburst
1996 USA Vintage Reissue 57 Stratocaster


Last edited by lstelie on Tue Aug 16, 2016 2:29 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Post subject: Re: Precision 51 RI CIJ questions
Posted: Fri Aug 12, 2016 10:38 am
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Quote:
Those who have this model, which brand of round sound the best for you ?

I have a custom made lefty '54 with Seymour Duncan single coil p'up.
Electronically, it's as close to a '54 as I can get. I run GHS Bass Boomers .045-.105 set. They are the perfect rounds for this type of bass. Very well made and smoother to the touch than any other roundwound. Great tone throughout the bass range. No super high end tin can zing like Rotosounds. GHS Bass Boomers were the very first roundwound electric bass guitar strings designed & manufactured in the U.S.A. and made to compete directly against the brand new British made Rotosound Swing Bass 66 set.
https://www.talkbass.com/threads/a-fresh-perspective-on-a-stalwart-american-standard.1230050/

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2012 Lefty American Standard Jazz
2017 Lefty American Professional Precision
2018 Rumble Studio 40 Combo
2016 Rumble 200 Combo
One day they shall name a GREAT city after me, and they shall call it LINNINGRAD


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Post subject: Re: Precision 51 RI CIJ questions
Posted: Fri Aug 12, 2016 1:11 pm
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linnin wrote:
Quote:
Those who have this model, which brand of round sound the best for you ?

I have a custom made lefty '54 with Seymour Duncan single coil p'up.
Electronically, it's as close to a '54 as I can get. I run GHS Bass Boomers .045-.105 set. They are the perfect rounds for this type of bass. Very well made and smoother to the touch than any other roundwound. Great tone throughout the bass range. No super high end tin can zing like Rotosounds. GHS Bass Boomers were the very first roundwound electric bass guitar strings designed & manufactured in the U.S.A. and made to compete directly against the brand new British made Rotosound Swing Bass 66 set.
https://www.talkbass.com/threads/a-fresh-perspective-on-a-stalwart-american-standard.1230050/

Any pictures linnin I'ver never seen a lefty early 50's Precision :) .

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Post subject: Re: Precision 51 RI CIJ questions
Posted: Fri Aug 12, 2016 2:54 pm
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luckman67 wrote:
linnin wrote:
Quote:
Those who have this model, which brand of round sound the best for you ?

I have a custom made lefty '54 with Seymour Duncan single coil p'up.
Electronically, it's as close to a '54 as I can get. I run GHS Bass Boomers .045-.105 set. They are the perfect rounds for this type of bass. Very well made and smoother to the touch than any other roundwound. Great tone throughout the bass range. No super high end tin can zing like Rotosounds. GHS Bass Boomers were the very first roundwound electric bass guitar strings designed & manufactured in the U.S.A. and made to compete directly against the brand new British made Rotosound Swing Bass 66 set.
https://www.talkbass.com/threads/a-fresh-perspective-on-a-stalwart-american-standard.1230050/

Any pictures linnin I'ver never seen a lefty early 50's Precision :) .

No. I refuse to post photos of this bass. It's a long story. I won a contest put on by Seymour Duncan, and Floyd Rose. The prize was a custom made guitar. This low down dirty scum bag offers me a left-handed bass in place of the right handed guitar, but never plans to deliver at all. Three years later and some legal goings on, I got my bass. It is valued at $5,000.00, and I will have to pay taxes on that greatly inflated amount. I will not name the builder/luthier, nor will I post photos. I would much rather have had a Fender Custom Shop Lefty '54 Precision.

_________________
2012 Lefty American Standard Jazz
2017 Lefty American Professional Precision
2018 Rumble Studio 40 Combo
2016 Rumble 200 Combo
One day they shall name a GREAT city after me, and they shall call it LINNINGRAD


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Post subject: Re: Precision 51 RI CIJ questions
Posted: Sat Aug 13, 2016 8:03 am
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lstelie wrote:
I have two questions :

- First one is cosmetic, my model is sunburst with a black pickguard, and I fail to find and mention of this combo (sunburst/black pickguard) and the pick guard doesn't look as if it as been changed (the bass is really like new)

- Second is about strings, I know that flats are prefered , but I have it with round and quite like it, and on the other hand both my Jazz (Labella 760FL) and my MIA Precision (Fender 9050L) have flats so I'd like first to use it with round. Those who have this model, which brand of round sound the best for you ?


My brother recently picked up one of those basses and it's the sunburst model with a white single-ply pickguard. My thought is that the previous owner of yours simply swapped the original part with that of a blonde model to create a more unique visual impact. I think it looks great. My brother added the ashtray-cover set to provide a more vintage vibe, along with a four-saddle bridge for more accurate intonation. He too prefers round-wound strings and favors the Rotosound RS66 set.

Arjay

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"Here's why reliability is job one: A great sounding amp that breaks down goes from being a favorite piece of gear to a useless piece of crap in less time than it takes to read this sentence." -- BRUCE ZINKY


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Post subject: Re: Precision 51 RI CIJ questions
Posted: Tue Aug 16, 2016 2:31 am
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Retroverbial wrote:
lstelie wrote:

My brother recently picked up one of those basses and it's the sunburst model with a white single-ply pickguard. My thought is that the previous owner of yours simply swapped the original part with that of a blonde model to create a more unique visual impact. I think it looks great. My brother added the ashtray-cover set to provide a more vintage vibe, along with a four-saddle bridge for more accurate intonation. He too prefers round-wound strings and favors the Rotosound RS66 set.

Arjay


Hello Arjay

Does the bridge cover allow an easy change of strings or do your bother need to remove it if he want to change them ?

_________________
2007 Precision 51 RI CIJ (prefered)
2009 New American Standard Precision Bass / OW
2010 New American Standard Jazz Bass / Sunburst
1996 USA Vintage Reissue 57 Stratocaster


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Post subject: Re: Precision 51 RI CIJ questions
Posted: Tue Aug 16, 2016 7:02 am
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String changes are easier with the cover removed. It's two screws and adds about two minutes to the entire process.

Arjay

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"Here's why reliability is job one: A great sounding amp that breaks down goes from being a favorite piece of gear to a useless piece of crap in less time than it takes to read this sentence." -- BRUCE ZINKY


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Post subject: Re: Precision 51 RI CIJ questions
Posted: Thu Aug 25, 2016 2:08 pm
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I bought my Classic '51 in 2006 -- ten years ago! It mostly sat in its case while I played my Classic '50s in a C&W band and my StingRay5 in a '70s rock group. Then four years ago I started a new combo playing pop material from the '30s and '40s -- guitar, bass, percussion and 2-3 singers. Without a drum kit I discovered, after cycling through all five basses I had at the time, that the '51 was perfect. Its fast attack and short sustain really helped the guitar player and me lock into the tempo, and the singers/percussion were not suffering from the "too-loud rhythm section" thing.

A couple of remarks: it was shipped from Japan in a cardboard box (I got a Fender vintage tweed case for it) and it required a 1/4 turn of the truss rod screw a coupe of weeks after I got it, and this in humid Deep East Texas. The other regards the mods: American Deluxe 4-saddle bridge, Seymour Duncan Quarter Pound pickup, an Electrosocket for the output, and Thomastik-Infeld Jazz Flats.

It's cool to see the '51s others own. I like the OP's sunburst/black pickguard combo.

Obligatory pic:
Image


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Post subject: Re: Precision 51 RI CIJ questions
Posted: Thu Aug 25, 2016 6:20 pm
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Love that butterscotch!

Get yourself a dummy 5F6 Bassman cabinet and stuff all that modern gear inside -- you'll be right at home in any rockabilly situation.

Arjay

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"Here's why reliability is job one: A great sounding amp that breaks down goes from being a favorite piece of gear to a useless piece of crap in less time than it takes to read this sentence." -- BRUCE ZINKY


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Post subject: Re: Precision 51 RI CIJ questions
Posted: Thu Sep 01, 2016 10:38 am
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ha ha. I have a '59 Bassman LTD...but I'll stick with the Mesa/Boogie rig. Note that I don't play the '51 RI for its appearance, but for its sound. The same goes for the amp. Instead of some behemoth I can't pick up (and I have owned those, too) I have a fine-sounding setup that breaks down into a 13-lb head and 2 16-lb speakers, with the cables and AC cord inside my gig bag.

You should have known I wasn't a purist as soon as you saw the 4-saddle bridge.:D


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Post subject: Re: Precision 51 RI CIJ questions
Posted: Thu Sep 01, 2016 2:20 pm
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So long as the cat gets skinned, it matters not the size, type, or composition of the blade.

:mrgreen:

Arjay

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"Here's why reliability is job one: A great sounding amp that breaks down goes from being a favorite piece of gear to a useless piece of crap in less time than it takes to read this sentence." -- BRUCE ZINKY


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Post subject: Re: Precision 51 RI CIJ questions
Posted: Thu Sep 01, 2016 3:19 pm
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lpdeluxe1 wrote:
You should have known I wasn't a purist as soon as you saw the 4-saddle bridge.:D


Welcome to the club..mine is currently at the guitar tech to have a Badass III installed....

Luc

_________________
2007 Precision 51 RI CIJ (prefered)
2009 New American Standard Precision Bass / OW
2010 New American Standard Jazz Bass / Sunburst
1996 USA Vintage Reissue 57 Stratocaster


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Post subject: Re: Precision 51 RI CIJ questions
Posted: Fri Sep 02, 2016 11:29 pm
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A couple of thoughts on this thread. The other respondent is correct. Someone swapped guards between the two stock colors available. It would be nice to just take one off but there is a router notch under the guard.

This instrument has VINTAGE frets, meaning the same fret wire is used as on a Strat or Tele. This is not the medium jumbo fret wire used on modern era P-Basses and other Fender Basses. It also is Asian made guitar fret wire. Anytime Fender bass specs say "Vintage Frets" they are not as big as you may be accustomed to and will wear faster with roundwounds than modern medium jumbos commonly used on basses. While they come with roundwounds on them from the factory the best string to use on them are flats to maximize fret life. If you have an instrument with modern size medium jumbos then use the rounds on it.

You can use any bridge you want but I could not get the USA Deluxe to intonate properly due the very limited superior/inferior saddle travel.

I encourage using a pickup cover on these whether you use a bridge cover or not. The pickups are very fragile. If you use the pickup for a thumb rest or if you catch a string under the top of the bobbin and then the top flatwork of the bobbin pops off and the pickup is DONE. Also these Asian pickups are not as good as the USA ones and the pots are mini-pots. The cap on these is a poly chicklet. I would change the pickup and cap plus give it a full shielding job, but leave the pots alone. The control cavity is not large enough for full sized CTS pots so you would have to route it out. Also the control plate shaft holes are NOT large enough for CTS pot shafts either so you would have to drill them out. Just leave the pots alone. Lots of people make aftermarket guards for them and you can buy the original CIJ ones still. Here is my pickguard choice on the sunburst.
Image

The pickup is a Lindy Fralin split coil, cap is Sprague Vitamin-Q 200 V 0.05uf 200, Leo Quan BAIII, covers by Fender, pickguard by Jeanie Pickguards. It came out looking pretty gaudy and sounds like Morgan Freeman. I like it.

This lighting is bad but here is the full thing:
Image


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Post subject: Re: Precision 51 RI CIJ questions
Posted: Sat Sep 03, 2016 12:07 am
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That turned out right nice, brotherdave!

8)

Arjay

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"Here's why reliability is job one: A great sounding amp that breaks down goes from being a favorite piece of gear to a useless piece of crap in less time than it takes to read this sentence." -- BRUCE ZINKY


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