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Post subject: '65 Precision
Posted: Thu Mar 03, 2011 9:41 pm
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Hi, ya'll, first post here. Glad to be aboard. Lemme share an experience with you. Tonight at band practice I played a '65 Precision that had been in a fire. One of our guitar players owns it (it was his place that burned). I've played a '58 before, so I was looking to see what similarites there might be. There were some. I don't know how to say this, and maybe it's the way the finish felt from having been heated up and charred, but it's like the bass lets you reach through and touch the note. Comparatively, my 2001 Jazz Bass feels more like the note is behind something. That's not to say that the Jazz is bad, no. It just feels different. I could feel the wood in the Precision's notes more than in the Jazz's, I'll say that. Heh, I just realized I haven't said anything about how it sounded, only how it felt. Darker, just as I expected, and bigger. I also have a 1988 Jazz Bass Special with a Precision pickup that, however, doesn't sound at all like the '65 Precision. Perhaps the worn, thin finish is at work here, and the different electronics. Then, there's the choice of wood. The precision was very lightweight, maybe Basswood. Anyway, somehow it's like the notes "burst" out when I picekd it (finger style). That's the best I can say. The '58 was like that, and it's something that can't be dialed in with eq settings on another bass. I love that sound and feeling.

Cool that I could instantly get back on my modern Jazz while I still had the feel and sound of the old Precision in my hands and ears. What a different world. A different animal. A different experience. And I was pleasantly surprised at just how very, very good the Jazz felt and sounded. It was just different, but just as good. Heh, heh, but then it's hard to find a bad sounding Fender bass in my opinion. I love them all. Can't wait to take my Special with its P/J set-up to compare it to next week.

Well, that's my tale, and I'm glad I could come here and tell you folks. Thanks for listening. Ya'll be good.

--Russell

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Post subject: Re: '65 Precision
Posted: Fri Mar 04, 2011 8:28 am
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I would bet that the body is not Basswood. Those pre CBS P basses are great. The best sounding and playing P bass I experianced was a 64 with a rosewood board. Like you said- the notes were so easy- very nice neck, the sound was very woody and ringing and loud. Those basses are so good-- they are similar in looks only to the new P basses. There is just something about them. You have dicovered it !!!! Now try to buy one!!! HA!!!! :D

*disclaimer-- I know Fender changed hands in 65 but I realize they still had basses that were not made by CBS at the time of the buy out. I have no way of knowing the data on the bass mentioned. It just sounds in your description like a pre CBS bass.


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Post subject: Re: '65 Precision
Posted: Fri Mar 04, 2011 9:32 am
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Well, I hadn't thought about the CBS thing. I'll see if we can get an accurate date of build on it, if that's possible. And yeah, I dunno what the wood really is. Oh, and forgot to mention that the action was very low without buzzing too much even if I played hard. No idea what it's worth, being as it was in a fire and all. It looked ok, though, just the usual wear and tear, maybe a little charred looking on the neck. Pickguard is a tad warped and it has a short in the input.

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Post subject: Re: '65 Precision
Posted: Fri Mar 04, 2011 9:43 am
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Fender made Alder & Ash bodies at that time. Ash was mostly used for blond finishes so it's probably Alder. I have a white '66 that is clean not been in any fire but the 'feel' is kinda like what you described. SO different from my recent mexi P-bass


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Post subject: Re: '65 Precision
Posted: Fri Mar 04, 2011 10:16 am
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This one is kinda butterscotch colored with a red shell pickguard. Nothing is shiny on the finish anymore and the whole thing feels dry all over.

LOL, get this, I went to tune it up and thought the tuners were broken. Then, my bud, Rick, came over and said, "They go backwards." Yep, I didn't even think to check for that :oops: .

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Post subject: Re: '65 Precision
Posted: Fri Mar 04, 2011 10:36 am
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How badly was the bass burned?

Can you post any pictures of it?

I will agree that old Fender basses have a special sound and feel. Part of it was the way they were built and a big part is just that the basses have had 45- 55 years of playing, drying out, being adjusted and tweaked, etc.

They both sound like great basses. I'm sure that your Jazz bass will come into its own as it ages.

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Post subject: Re: '65 Precision
Posted: Fri Mar 04, 2011 1:13 pm
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Well, at first glance at the '65, as it hangs on the wall, you wouldn't know it was in the fire. I'll have to ask Rick more about that. He said it was in the building that burned. Like I said the pickguard is warped some, and it seems like the neck might have lost some finish. But, it's hard to tell on some of it because the bass was already very worn to start with. Amazing that it could survive all the heat in that blaze. (There was also a Jazz Bass with block inlays on rosewood that didn't make it---plus many other instruments).

I'm not up yet on how to do photos, but I'll be working on it. (Computer dummy here).

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Post subject: Re: '65 Precision
Posted: Fri Mar 04, 2011 4:48 pm
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Awesome, great to play those old tone monsters. I have a 09 MIA P-bass and when I got it it was pretty good. So I played it now and then and it's always been pretty good but not incredible. I play a 81 G&L L-1000 Mahogany/Rosewood that was played for years and then parked for the last 10 under a guy's bed that inherited it. I cleaned it up and took it to rehearsal and OMG it was alive! It felt like you described. The 2 guitarists mouths literally dropped open when they heard it and it's one of my mains to this day. Now back to the 09, since it's a new bass I felt guilty not playing it much, so I forced myself to take to rehearsal a few weeks ago and it came alive. I can't explain it at all but the vibe it has is incredible. Granted it does'nt connect quite like a well played bass, but it got vibe? I can't believe that after 1.5 years it just came alive?

Anyone else have that happen with a newer bass? I know it sounds crazy but I have several basses and this one just moved up to top dog class with the L1K and 79 Stingray. Very cool thing. Now I went and ordered a AV62RI and hope to have 2 Ps to go to.

I really love the vintage Ps but the new ones are pretty impressive too if you can't put up the ching for a vintage P.

Reb


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Post subject: Re: '65 Precision
Posted: Sat Mar 05, 2011 6:21 am
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Well, Reb, we're in the same boat because I have a hard time trying to explain what I'm feeling here, too. What was really interesting was to immediately compare my 2001 Jazz Bass to the '65 Precision. It's like harmony. Two notes together say something different than just one note alone. Having played the Precision for awhile first gave me a platform upon which to assess my Jazz. As a result, I could more clearly recognize just what the Jazz IS. Now, to describe that is where I run into trouble. All I can say is that the Jazz turned out to be awesome (as you said, It came alive). But nothing had changed about it. I've been playing it professionally for 9-1/2 years, and even though I have always appreciated it, and knew it was good, suddenly I could better see in just what ways it was good. Kinda like driving a '65 muscle car and then jumping in a modern car. Different vibes, and each is good in its own way. So, I was pleased that my Jazz also turned out to be awesome, too, in my own mind, that is. Now to do that with my 1987 Jazz Bass Special. Tha will be real interesting.

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Post subject: Re: '65 Precision
Posted: Mon Mar 07, 2011 5:40 am
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Blonde finishes would have had ash, which would feel lighter.

If the heat from the fire warped the celluloid pickguard then it got pretty hot. I'm SPECULATING here, but that much heat could have cooked off what little moisture was left in the wood which could have improved resonance.

Send that theory to the MYTHBUSTERS guys and see what they come up with. I do not suggest blowtorching your own vintage bass to find out.


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Post subject: Re: '65 Precision
Posted: Tue Mar 08, 2011 7:24 pm
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Yeah, i'll take a better look at it this Thursday night at practice. Wanna see just how scorched it got. I'll be back. (LOL, luv the Mythbusters idea).

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Post subject: Re: '65 Precision
Posted: Thu Mar 10, 2011 9:15 pm
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Well, I got a better look and more of the story. Turns out the bass was only in the building that burned, but it didn't get heated up---it got wet. The pick guard is warped on its own. I reckon that takes a bit of intrigue out of my story here. Sorry ' bout that, lol, it's just a good old bass, but not a scorched one as I thought. It looks like it coulda been though, the way the finish looks in places. Back of the neck is dark, but from having been held a lot over the decades. The strings are old, but that's ok. I still did some good comparisons with it to my 2001 Jazz and now, tonight, my 1987 Jazz Bass Special (Japanese).

To wit. Again, there is a lot of difference in feel and sound. My '87 Special is basically a Precision, only it has a Jazz neck and an additional Jazz bridge pickup. I played it tonight on the front pickup, though, so as to get the Precision sound. But first I played the '65 for awhile. By comparison, the '87 had a more transparent sound. The '65 has a little something riding on the edge that made the notes stand out. It's that thing I don't know how to describe, like the notes are more raw and in my hand, something like that. Interestingly, the '87 could sound very much like a regular Jazz Bass if I turned both pickups on. It sounded good both ways, but, like my '01 Jazz, in it's own way. I like that old Jazz Bass Special. It'll be a Classic by next year.

So, my bud, Rick has a cool bass there, even though it's not burnt. Fortunately, I can play it when we practice. There's also a '74 Jazz and a Guild bass there that I haven't tried yet. Heh, heh---I will next week, though.

Well, there ya go. Ya'll be good.

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