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Post subject: fender p bass 51 reissue
Posted: Thu Nov 12, 2009 8:24 am
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ok guys im thinking of buying a fender p-bass 51 reissue dose anyone have one can you recommend this bass, dose anyone have any horror stories with them, or would you guys recommend an alternative,
also i love fenders so i really only wanna play fender
thx guys


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Posted: Thu Nov 12, 2009 2:57 pm
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From my experience, I had a '51 P RI but I did struggle to get used to the slab body and missed the contoured body of my '54 RI.
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Posted: Fri Nov 13, 2009 1:27 pm
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A lot of us own '51 RIs and love them. Mine is one of four Precisions I own (fretless, Classic '50s, AV '57 -- the Classic '50s has been sold, and as soon as it's paid for I'll be down to three).

The '51 is a different beast from the split-coil. Practical differences are the slab body, the electronics, and the bridge; the tuners turn the opposite way from contemporary basses, but, since two of the other three I have turn the same way, it's not a problem. If you're around people who pick up a bass and then compulsively retune, it'll be a problem until you start hanging around more mature musicians.

The slab can be uncomfortable, but these days I usually sit while I play, so it doesn't cause difficulty.

The single-coil pickup is distinct in tone, attack, and sustain from the split-coil. To my ear, it's more "hi-fi," with a wider range of frequencies, is thumpier, with less sustain. I recently plugged mine into a friend's '70 B15N, and I was in heaven: the place was awash in warm thump. Split-coils had the attack designed out of them, so they are more legato and sustain more, and, of course, have the famous P mid-range hump.

Some guys think the two-saddle bridge is too cool for words. Me, I like intonation, so I substituted a Fender American Deluxe, which drops right in and has provision for through-body stringing.

Another weak point is the stamped sheet metal output jack cup, which loosens pretty quickly. I replaced my with an Electrosocket from Stewart-McDonald, which fixed it.

I string all my basses with Thomastik-Infeld Jazz Flats, which are pricey, but last forever. For a while, I had LaBella nylon tape wounds on it, but they sounded nasal.

The final issue is the neck: the fingerboard has a 7-1/4" radius, with a high crown, and it's chunky, so if you like flat, skinny necks, you may not be happy.

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Posted: Fri Nov 13, 2009 4:51 pm
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I wish I was better and structural details, but if I can give you my .20 (inflation)

The feel of the '51 is a bit different. I just played a short gig and was using the house band's Bassist axe, a 51'.

I gotta say that I loved the tone. Slightly different feel on my shoulder since I'm used to my 67 P-Bass, but the slab didn't really bother me that much.

The Thump in the sound was what got me. The mid range was very distinctive. Because there was less sustain, the tone range I like to play in, rolled down on the bass, hardly any top, was really smooth and comfortable.

I've decided to invest in one myself.

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Posted: Mon Nov 16, 2009 3:38 am
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I’ve had a ’51 RI P-bass for 3 years as of this coming January. It is a 2005/2006 model year issue in sunburst. I like it better now that I’ve finally gotten it like I want it. It has had numerous modifications from stock.

It is more of a reproduction than a reissue. The stock electronics differ in that it uses mini-pots and a Japanese polypropylene capacitor. The pickup is pretty good though. However I opted to upgrade the pickup to a split wound Lindy Fralin which eliminated the hum and RFI issue. It also changed the character of the tone too. I still consider the split wound pickup to be a good upgrade. I also replaced the green Japanese chicklet cap with a vintage Sprague Vitamin-Q paper in oil .047/200V cap.

The two saddle bridge is not the ideal bass bridge, but is a very close reproduction of the original. These two saddle bridges require compromises in intonation. I first replaced it with a Fender Deluxe USA Bass Bridge that fits perfectly. I found that on my ’51 RI it would not intonate perfectly as the saddle travel was not long enough to compensate on the D & G string, I needed those saddles to move a bit more toward the neck. So next I bought an obsolete Leo Quan BadAss III pre-grooved bridge and put that on it. It also is a drop in replacement. That one intonated correctly but was very hard to find. At last I had it right.

I also had Jeannie Pickguards make a custom brown tortoise guard for it. They did an amazing job and the bass looks really custom with a 60's flavor. I also previously added pickup and bridge covers. The bridge cover almost hides the BAIII bridge completely.

This bass sounds and plays GREAT now and is completely gigable or recordable. It is dang near bulletproof and sounds perfect to me.

The 51 RI shares many attributes of the STING artist bass which is made at the same Fuji-Gen plant in Matsumoto, Japan. Other than the body contouring and the 12th fret inlay on the Sting, they are essentially the same instrument. The '51's lack of body contouring doesn’t bother me very much because I've got a big belly, but later I tried a Sting and it is far more comfortable for the right hand. However, I don’t think the Sting I tried was quite as resonant and I wonder if this was due to the smaller body mass due the contouring or if it was just not as good a piece of ash in the first place.

The ‘51 RI is a well made and solid but not very sexy instrument. I’m partial to the simple design, the tone and the big neck with small vintage (6 string guitar type) frets. If it was stolen I’d consider replacing it with the Sting version. I’d do the very same upgrades on the replacement too. Cap, Pickup, bridge, pickguard…or maybe just take the pickguard off completely.

Both the ’51 and the STING share the following differences from other Precisions. (Some mentioned elsewhere in this thread, but it might help to see them all compiled in one place along with my ten cents worth.)
1. Single Coil Pickup hum and RFI sensitivity. While the pickup sounds great it can be noisy in that it picks up interference. Like a Jazz Bass with the neck pickup soloed can be. Shielding can help some, but won't completely eliminate it. Custom split wound pickups get rid of it though.
2. Mini-pots. For some reason Fender uses Mini-Pots on these. I like standard CTS pots. Just my preference. They feel and sound ok though.
3. Vintage frets. I like them myself as they are easy to play but roundwound strings, especially stainless steel roundwounds will eat these little frets up way faster than you might like. Therefore I only use flatwounds on my '51 RI. Also the smaller frets may not be good for slap and tap folks. Never do that myself.
4. Missing the strap button on the back of the headstock like the real first generation basses had. No big deal though. But it is missing and this is called a reissue.
5. REVERSE vintage tuners. They wind BACKWARDS from other current production Fenders. Not a problem once you get used to it.
6. Like the real vintage ones the truss rod adjustment is on the neck butt and not on the headstock. Headstock adjustments are much more convenient. You can remove the pickguard and get to enough of the screw to make minor adjustments without removing the neck.
7. The jack as someone has mentioned is troublesome to repair.
8. The limited intonation capability of the 2 saddle bridge.
9. The tone is unique, sort of between a second generation P-bass and a Jazz, which I like. It sounds good in a live band. With the tone cranked it can get real aggressive for solos or just barely crack the tone for some serious lowdown. More versatile than you might think.

In my view the body wood, finish and neck are all on par with American basses and in fact the neck is so good I'd rate it just a hair shy of Custom Shop caliber. Excellent wood and decent hardware.

I’m really happy with mine BUT a '51 RI is NOT for everyone. My first bass was a Telecaster bass I bought in '68. I got the ’51 because it is a lot like a Tele bass and I sort of knew what I was getting into with it. I think the ’51 RI is heavier than the Tele, but both are ash so I guess when I was younger things felt lighter. Plus the finish on the '51 is thicker so it probably adds some weight too. The instrument balances extremely well.


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Posted: Thu Nov 26, 2009 11:11 pm
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I have one, bone stock, and love it. It's my go-to bass for blues.


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Posted: Fri Nov 27, 2009 12:40 am
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I also have a stock butterscotch one that's a 1999-2002 model and I love it.


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Posted: Fri Nov 27, 2009 10:03 am
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I love mine. I don't gig with it enough though.

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Posted: Fri Mar 26, 2010 9:56 am
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i have a fender sting bass i changed the pickguard to a black one and have no complaints on it bone stock...i got them when they first came out for 599.00 now they are like 200.00 or 300.00 more now!


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Posted: Tue Apr 13, 2010 11:41 am
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richard g wrote:
i have a fender sting bass i changed the pickguard to a black one and have no complaints on it bone stock...i got them when they first came out for 599.00 now they are like 200.00 or 300.00 more now!


They were a victim of the February 2009 price hike like every other Fender, but thankfully you can still find them on eBay for more reasonable cost. These are great basses, can't say enough good things about them.


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Posted: Tue Apr 13, 2010 2:08 pm
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i also have a peavery 4x10 no horn cabinet with a markbass little mark2 (im resting my swr sm900) ...and sounds awesome from the mark bass head!!!..i rotate from my sting to my jaguar bass 3tone to my fender u.s.a. sienna sunburst(80's)


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Post subject: a little getting use to
Posted: Sat Apr 24, 2010 11:16 pm
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This bass is not as refined as a later model p-bass,the body has no body contours so itsdifferent on the players body,the neck is a one piece maple or a thin maple capped piece of maple,the tuners are reverse and usually a bit stiff(an upgrade was definately needed with this tuners)the pick-up is a little harsh so some dampening may be in your future and I almost forgot the edges of the neck(51 p-bass) are not rounded or what some call "broken in feeling".
Its a great bass I had 3 of them,and changed out that very thin sounding trebley single coil and went with a guitar model Dimarzio blade style pick-up which sound a bit more fuller and less noise.
Again you need to play as many as possible to assure its a model you want,assembly wise they are great fit and finish not one negative thing to mention except the lack of body counters makes it a bit uncomfortable after a long nite gigging or some serious practicing time.
good luck


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Posted: Sun Apr 25, 2010 10:11 am
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Quote:
,the tuners are reverse and usually a bit stiff(an upgrade was definately needed with this tuners)


For me, personally ..... I've never had a problem with the tuners. Some complain about the tuners on the MIM '50s Classic P also.... I don't have a problem with the two of mine.

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Posted: Sun Apr 25, 2010 10:48 am
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bass-flyer wrote:
For me, personally ..... I've never had a problem with the tuners. Some complain about the tuners on the MIM '50s Classic P also.... I don't have a problem with the two of mine.


The tuners on my '51 were really stiff at first -- it was a pain restringing it -- but now they seem to be broken in a little. My Classic '50s also had stiff tuners, but not as bad; they are long ago loosened up.

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Posted: Sat May 08, 2010 7:30 am
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Update: in February I bought a Mesa/Boogie Walkabout Scout 1x15 bass amp, and since then I've been playing my Fender AV '57 P through it. That is the tone to die for! I've never been happier with a rig than I have been with the M/B and the '57.

Anyway, I started to think maybe my '51 was surplus to requirements, so I made a point of taking it out instead of the '57. The result? That '51 ain't going nowhere!

The original single-coil Precision pickup had a sudden attack, a hi-fi kind of full sound, and practically no sustain. After a few years of warranty returns on Leo's bass amps, he redesigned the pickups in a humbucking configuration, and the single-pole-piece-per-string format was changed to having two that straddled each string, which attenuated the first attack of the note being plucked and added sustain. It was also voiced for the mid-range Precision sound that we know and love.

The tone of the two basses is very similar through the Mesa/Boogie: present, warm, easily heard over the drums/keyboards/rhythm guitars without being overpowering loud. In short, perfect. The difference is pretty much what you would expect: the '57 is smoother, sounds better on legato passages, can be mellow on songs like "Georgia on my Mind". But the '51 is the Thump King: the notes pop out in a way that makes every song more driving and percussive. The rhythm player loves them both, but from my perspective -- playing the beasts -- the feel between the two is very different.

Long story short: the '51 ain't going nowhere. I'm going to start taking both, with an A/B switch, to the gig.

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