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Post subject: Natural finsh
Posted: Sun Feb 13, 2011 12:36 pm
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Anyone wish Fender would offer a natual finish w/ maple neck like the new Deluxe series in Am. Std. or Std. versions. I always liked the look, guess they didn't sell well.


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Post subject: Re: Natural finsh
Posted: Sun Feb 13, 2011 2:21 pm
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Natural finishes on MIM Standards were available as FSR (Fender Special Run) in ash for music store chains in the recent past. FSR's are usually limited with the minimum order being either 200 or 250, forget which. Both Musicians Friend and Guitar Center offered them a couple or 3 years back. They were basically about the same specs at each chain, but they had different pickguards depending on which chain's FSR you were buying. Now that Guitar Center and Musicians Friend are under the same ownership maybe they could pull it off again with one version for both outlets.

Natural finishes require nicer looking pieces of wood than an opaque finish. I'm not sure what wood they are using in the MIM Standard now. The type of body wood is no longer specified on the Standard P-Bass product page. Basswood or agathis might not look so good in natural. So expect to pay an up-charge for natural as it should probably be ash or alder. On the American Deluxe of today a natural finish costs extra not because it is harder to finish but because you are getting an extra nice looking piece of body wood that otherwise might have almost been good enough for the Custom Shop.

When the body blanks are graded, after pulling the very best blanks for the Custom Shop first, the sorter would designate the remaining better looking ones for see through finishes like natural, blonde, etc. So if you want what the sorter considered nicer looking wood, get a translucent or transparent finish. It doesn't necessarily mean it will actually sound better, just that it looked better when sorted. Every piece of body wood is different and some sound better than others no matter whether they have visible imperfections in the grain that excluded them from a see through finish or not.


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Post subject: Re: Natural finsh
Posted: Sun Feb 13, 2011 3:17 pm
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I've got one of the FSR MIM basses, it has an ash body, rosewood neck and a tortise shell pickguard. It's a very nice looking and sounding bass.


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Post subject: Re: Natural finsh
Posted: Mon Feb 14, 2011 10:13 am
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I have an MF FSR ash/rosewood/tortoise pickguard P. The illustration showed a white pickguard but it arrived with the tort. I replaced the neck using a Warmoth with a fretless maple fingerboard. I love that look: if it had had a fretted maple neck I might have left it alone.

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Post subject: Re: Natural finsh
Posted: Mon Feb 14, 2011 6:08 pm
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Musicians Friend had the white and the Tortoise was at Guitar Center. I'm guessing you ordered after the merger and they robbed Peter to pay Paul. Enjoy it!


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Post subject: Re: Natural finsh
Posted: Mon Feb 14, 2011 9:03 pm
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If you're not averse to Squiers, they have a couple of Vintage Modified basses in natural finishes with maple necks, both a Jazz and a Precision. I have both and not only are they gorgeous , but they're great players, too.

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Post subject: Re: Natural finsh
Posted: Tue Feb 15, 2011 7:31 am
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Well just checked and there is a FSR natural ash body Jazz on Musicians Friend. But not a P-bass.


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Post subject: Re: Natural finsh
Posted: Thu Feb 17, 2011 10:03 am
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brotherdave wrote:
Well just checked and there is a FSR natural ash body Jazz on Musicians Friend. But not a P-bass.


Here's the bass you're talking about, Dave.


Image

It seems that both basses have been discontinued a long time ago.


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Post subject: Re: Natural finsh
Posted: Mon Feb 21, 2011 4:12 am
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Hello Dave

I have a 1974 Vintage Precision Bass in a natural finish with maple neck for sale. I don't suppose you would be living anywhere near Oxford, UK?

Cheers

Richard

jd101 wrote:
Anyone wish Fender would offer a natual finish w/ maple neck like the new Deluxe series in Am. Std. or Std. versions. I always liked the look, guess they didn't sell well.


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Post subject: Re: Natural finsh
Posted: Thu Mar 10, 2011 4:01 pm
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I really love the natural finish also. I have a fender Jazz bass with a natural finish. It's a great bass, I don't know much else about it, like the year and what not. I picked this up at a pawn shop a few years ago. It's a little beat up, but I really like it.

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Last edited by captianflyer on Mon Mar 14, 2011 8:36 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Post subject: Re: Natural finsh
Posted: Thu Mar 10, 2011 10:23 pm
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Natural ash P-Basses look great with a fretless maple fingerboard!

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Post subject: Re: Natural finsh
Posted: Fri Mar 11, 2011 11:29 am
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Yep.
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Post subject: Re: Natural finsh
Posted: Fri Mar 11, 2011 11:32 am
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They are some nice finises.


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Post subject: Re: Natural finsh
Posted: Fri Mar 11, 2011 5:16 pm
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Sting played a natural fretless maple-neck P during his early days with The Police. Not sure if he owns this bass anymore.

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Post subject: Re: Natural finsh
Posted: Sun Mar 27, 2011 3:11 pm
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Never thought of it that way, you're right.


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