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Post subject: Precision Special?
Posted: Tue Sep 11, 2012 1:19 pm
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Back in the early '80's, I picked up a Precision in a pawn shop. It had a neck in Jazz bass dimensions, but otherwise was a standard Precision bass. The guy at the store told me it was a "Precision Special", made for players (like me) who preferred the J-neck. I would guess the instrument to have been from the mid to late '70's.

While I really liked the bass for its playability, I sold it on a few years later when I got more interested in the J sound, too, and switched over entirely to J basses.

Now I am looking to restore a traditional P bass sound to my stable and am looking at the Precision line. But, while there are several versions of Specials around, they all seem to indicate active electronics, not neck size. So, my questions: does Fender make a P that has a J size neck on it? And did Fender ever make one, or was the info I had on my old bass completely wrong?

Thanks!

Simon


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Post subject: Re: Precision Special?
Posted: Tue Sep 11, 2012 5:29 pm
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Fender has the Deluxe Active Precsion Bass Special, and the Duff McKagen model. A Precision with a Jazz neck and P and J pickups is like Fender Heaven to me. I love the string spacing of the Jazz, but you can't sit and play one of them comfortably. That lower lump gets in the way.


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Post subject: Re: Precision Special?
Posted: Tue Sep 11, 2012 6:22 pm
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In the mid to late 70's Fender had one Precision bass. You could order it with a "A" width neck, which is the Jazz width, with a "B" width which became the stock P-Bass nut width July 1, 1968 or a larger "C" neck which was the stock width prior to July 1, 1968. No matter the neck width the model designation was simply "Precision Bass" and CBS only made one model in the 70's.

An "A" width means a 1.5" nut (usually on Jazzes but a smaller number of P-basses were ordered with an "A" neck), "B" width is 1.625" (the 68-on stock P-Bass width) with a 1 and 5/8 nut fitting correctly, and the "C" is 1.75" (Pre-68 stock) but often the nut is cut to 1 & 11/16ths to fit properly. The neck width letter designation was almost always stamped on the neck butt.

I believe if all my neurons are all firing properly that the first Precision Bass Special was introduced in 1980. I'm sure if I'm wrong someone will chime in about it.

What the seller probably meant, or even said but you perhaps misunderstood, was that the "A" width instrument you had at one time was a Precision Bass that was special ordered or perhaps "Entered Special" because "Entered Special" was how Fender differentiated a custom order from a regular production model which all got the stock width Precision neck width of the day. So far as I know all P's with "A" width necks were special orders.

Only one current Fender mass production Precision model that I know about has a Jazz Bass "A" neck width and that is the Deluxe P-Bass Special. Throughout the run of the Precision Bass Special most of them, but not all, had "A"/Jazz neck width at the nut. The Mark Hoppus Jazz has a Precision pickup but an "A" neck width also, however you may not like the total lack of a tone control circuit on the Mark Hoppus. (The Duff McKagan Precision Dalembic posted about may at one time have had an "A" neck for all I know, but it is currently spec'd with a "B" neck width of 1.625". Not sure when that changed, but possibly it was when production moved from one plant to another.)

There may be additional "A" width Precision models not available in the USA produced by Fender Japan that are not imported to the USA by FMIC. Fender Japan makes many more models than FMIC distributes in the USA. So you could check that avenue with dealers in Japan or check on the used market. These "Japan Only" Fenders frequently find their way into the US market as used instruments.

Most of today's other Precision models have the "B" width. Exceptions to the "B" width are a few Artist Series and Vintage Series instruments which have the even wider vintage "C" width such as the two 50's Precision models, American 57 & 62 Reissues, the Roger Waters and Steve Harris Artist Series models.

There are three possible options around this dearth of "A" neck P-Basses. 1. Find the recent mass production Precision model you like and then simply take the original neck off and put a mass production Jazz Bass neck you like on it. People do that frequently and it is a pretty easy swap. Far less common is putting a Precision "B" or "C" neck width on a Jazz Bass but either will work there too! eBay is loaded with used Fender necks. You could actually buy a P and a J and just swap necks on them. 2. Custom order an "A" neck Precision through the Fender Custom Shop. 3. Look for a used "A" width P-Bass. They are out there but harder to find than you might think.

Good luck in your quest!


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Post subject: Re: Precision Special?
Posted: Wed Sep 12, 2012 7:17 am
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Thank you, BrotherDave. Very informative. I recently played a new Precision Special in a store (the one with P and J pickups and active electronics) and was quite impressed by it. Now that I know about the Deluxe P Special, I guess I could say the search has begun.


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Post subject: Re: Precision Special?
Posted: Sun Sep 23, 2012 9:46 am
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Don't know if this will help, but around 1985 I think, will have to check, I bought a brand new Precision Elite II, which I think is the "special"??? It has a wider neck than my 72 and the onboard active electronics. I'll have to measure exactly how wide it is..

As I understand it, these were some of the last to come out of the Fullerton plant before they shut it down. Is that correct?


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Post subject: Re: Precision Special?
Posted: Sun Sep 23, 2012 10:24 pm
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There is a good writeup from a noted collector and authority on Fender Elite basses here:
Image
Nice guy who I've communicated with previously. He had five of them last I heard.
Very knowledgeable!

The Elites were not the last of the instruments out of Fullerton. They were kind of near the end, but not quite last. They didn't sell especially well because they were more costly and because they got some bad press for tremolo issues on the STRAT version. Fender stopped making them in 1984 I think. Near the end of CBS's run with the brand they did blow out all the remaining ones in factory inventory at fire sale prices.

The last things out of Fender Fullerton of note would be the Fullerton Reissue Series which collectors climb all over each other to obtain.

The P-Bass Elite and Elite 2 were great instruments and collectible in their own right for several reasons. I did find the walnut ones really heavy but they had wondrous tone. I wouldn't want to play 4 sets standing up with one, but from a quality standpoint they were killers. Not all of them were walnut, but the ones most commonly seen today for sale are the walnut ones. There were some natural finish ones in alder that were fantabulous.


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Post subject: Re: Precision Special?
Posted: Mon Sep 24, 2012 4:10 am
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brotherdave wrote:
There were some natural finish ones in alder that were fantabulous.


Those natural-finish basses you're talking about were made from ash. Fender never used alder for their natural bodies AFAIK.


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Post subject: Re: Precision Special?
Posted: Mon Sep 24, 2012 6:33 am
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chromeface wrote:
brotherdave wrote:
There were some natural finish ones in alder that were fantabulous.


Those natural-finish basses you're talking about were made from ash. Fender never used alder for their natural bodies AFAIK.


Chrome did Fender Japan do naturals other than ash, not the same model...E series from the 80s?

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Post subject: Re: Precision Special?
Posted: Mon Sep 24, 2012 6:39 am
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@brotherdave

You've inserted a bad link between the IMG Tags!

Image


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Post subject: Re: Precision Special?
Posted: Mon Sep 24, 2012 10:06 am
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I regonize that bass. :D

This one is not the walnut version, but the table is.

for more information:

http://www.riverband.demon.nl/elite.html


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Post subject: Re: Precision Special?
Posted: Mon Sep 24, 2012 10:37 am
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Those Siennaburst Elites are gorgeous! :)


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Post subject: Re: Precision Special?
Posted: Mon Sep 24, 2012 3:57 pm
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Here's a walnut version for sale.

http://phoenix.craigslist.org/nph/msg/3260578954.html

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Post subject: Re: Precision Special?
Posted: Mon Sep 24, 2012 5:09 pm
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@brotherdave

The fine-tuner bridge has been used on certain Pluses and the CS 40th Anniversary Precision Bass, I guess...

Image

Unfortunately Schaller no longer produces those bridges.


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Post subject: Re: Precision Special?
Posted: Tue Oct 16, 2012 7:52 am
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I have a 1972 Firemist Gold P bass with an "A" neck. I am not a Jazz player I prefer P basses . I really like the UNBOUND "A" neck. SO I assume from 1972 on you could find one with an "A" neck on it. The problem is that some sellers may not have taken off the neck & see that it is stamped "A" & unless you actually see it it may not be apparent from photos.


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