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Post subject: Dream Fender P-Bass
Posted: Tue Jul 31, 2012 5:10 am
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I recently begun the build-up of my dream Fender P-Bass. It needs to be light, sound warm and funky, play like a dream, and look cool. As the owner of a couple of sixties guitars - a '63 Jaguar and a '66 Electric XII, I realised the incredible warmth of and playability of the older fender necks. Their's something about near fifty year old necks with super thin nitro that has worn away to basically nothing, mixed with nearly fifty years of human sweat that creates a neck that is velvety smooth and just begging to be played! So I bought a '66 neck with a quality recent re-fret at a reasonable price. The thing is amazing, resonant, and super light! I fitted it up with suitably aged Gotoh Resolite tuners. These are HIGHLY recommended. I decided to bolt this neck up to my '57 re-issue P, and two things amazed me;- how much lighter it was, and how much warmer and woodier it was. Next stage is to decide and find a body. The options are:- find a new body, find an old body, or scrap my old P-bass and use its body. Opinions are invited. Either way, it's going to be Lake Placid Blue with a tortoiseshell pickguard.


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Post subject: Re: Dream Fender P-Bass
Posted: Wed Sep 05, 2012 5:57 pm
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Find an old body.
Like the neck.
Simple but effective.


By the way, CHICKS DIG NECKS with 50 YEARS OF SWEAT :!:
:lol: :lol: :lol:

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Post subject: Re: Dream Fender P-Bass
Posted: Thu Sep 06, 2012 1:37 am
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Location: Athens, Greece
How about a 6-string Precision?

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Post subject: Re: Dream Fender P-Bass
Posted: Thu Sep 06, 2012 3:38 am
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Chrome. How is that six string strung? with E-E or B-B strings?
Toppscore

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Post subject: Re: Dream Fender P-Bass
Posted: Thu Sep 06, 2012 6:02 am
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Location: Athens, Greece
BEADGC. A pretty standard tuning for a 6-string bass.


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Post subject: Re: Dream Fender P-Bass
Posted: Thu Sep 06, 2012 6:52 am
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chromeface wrote:
BEADGC. A pretty standard tuning for a 6-string bass.



Interesting.
I just purchased a baritone guitar and had been studying tunings.
B-B tuning is the baritone's most popular tuning.

Four String Bass = EADG
Five String Bass = BEADG
Six String Bass = BEADGC
Six String Guitar = EADGBE
Six String Baritone = BEADF#B
Seven String Guitar = BEADGBE

Question. After searching that the B-C bass tuning is popular,
I've a simple question about the above six popular tunings . . . . .

Why is the Baritone an odd ball?
Five of the six have the BEADG pattern approach,,
but the Baritone has an "F#" instead of a "G"
and the six-string Bass has a "C" instead of a "B"

. . . . and, since both the baritone and 6-string Bass both start in "B",
why are their six strings not in the same tuning?

I have never noticed this as I play normal six strings.
My baritone guitar will ship to me this week.
Thanks for explaining the "theory" behind the differences
with the baritone guitar and the six-string bass guitar.

Thanks for the theory lesson :lol: :lol: :lol:

Maybe I will post this as a thread. Toppscore :)

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Post subject: Re: Dream Fender P-Bass
Posted: Sat Sep 08, 2012 7:15 am
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I like the old body idea. Those old Fender basses are the best.


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Post subject: Re: Dream Fender P-Bass
Posted: Sat Sep 08, 2012 11:45 pm
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stroker vance wrote:
I like the old body idea. Those old Fender basses are the best.


What is it about the older guitars you like?
Feel, electronics, wood, weight, pickups, tuners, bridge?

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Post subject: Re: Dream Fender P-Bass
Posted: Sun Sep 09, 2012 8:33 am
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The wood is aged. The finish is thinner. The necks feel great, the pickups were wound by hand and can sound awesome ( some of them), I love a regular Fender bridge, just about everything about those old ones is nice IF you get one that has that really killer sound and yes a lot of the old ones have the sweet tone. I have played a 52 P and a 64 P . Those two - I got to spend more than just a few minutes with and I played them in a band setting performing songs. There is no comparison to any other as far as I'm concerned as far as how those played and sounded. Check out how Stings bass sounds on the Police reunion tour ( dispite of any mods it still has that old sound) You need to hear it on a good stereo. The 64 was just killer in weight and sound and it was just the best too. I'm glad I got to play those basses. They did not belong to me. So I spent years trying to find that sound without spending the bucks for a pre CBS. Only coming close with my 70's basses and surprising myself with a close sound in my 09 Roadworn P bass with old Dimarzios in it. After that believe it or not would be my Classic 50's P bass MIM ! The Roadworn is MIM too. 20 years ago I would not have thunk it about MIM basses.


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Post subject: Re: Dream Fender P-Bass
Posted: Thu Sep 13, 2012 1:35 pm
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My "Dream Fender P-Bass" is finding "THE FUNK MACHINE." Maybe in a pawn shop, a Goodwill store, estate sale or at a yard sale. While unlikely, it actually could still be out there intact somewhere. After all the "BASS OF DOOM" popped up intact when everyone said it was probably lost forever too. I'd turn TFM over to Fender in exchange for the USA 62 Reissue P-Bass and hearty handshake, which is their standing offer...secure in the knowledge it was being returned to his family by Fender. Ahhhh to dream!


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Post subject: Re: Dream Fender P-Bass
Posted: Fri Sep 14, 2012 3:34 am
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The sound of that vintage warmth is from a 30 year old, completlely dried-out swamp Ash body, old weaker magnet pickups..and some worn flatwounds on an at least slightly bowed neck. I think the nickel hardware might also have something to do with that softness tone.

My dream Precision would have a Leo Quan bridge, Dimarzio P and J Passives(no tone knob), and Ash or Basswood for a body.

If I were on a stock P Bass tone spree, I'd have to get one of those Squier Classic Vibes. With a good set of replacement tuners(that install with no added drill holes), you get a bass that only gets better with age for 350 bucks.

Pretty nerdy post, I admit.


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Post subject: Re: Dream Fender P-Bass
Posted: Fri Sep 14, 2012 5:51 am
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brotherdave wrote:
My "Dream Fender P-Bass" is finding "THE FUNK MACHINE." Maybe in a pawn shop, a Goodwill store, estate sale or at a yard sale. While unlikely, it actually could still be out there intact somewhere. After all the "BASS OF DOOM" popped up intact when everyone said it was probably lost forever too. I'd turn TFM over to Fender in exchange for the USA 62 Reissue P-Bass and hearty handshake, which is their standing offer...secure in the knowledge it was being returned to his family by Fender. Ahhhh to dream!



Nice. My "Dream P Bass" would be Bill Black's 56 Precision, or Shifty Henry's 51. If it's still in existance.

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