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Post subject: '97 Precision Lyte Deluxe
Posted: Sat Oct 13, 2012 12:56 pm
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Hi all. First post. I'm quite new to playing bass and have been learning on a friend's Ibanez. I wanted my own bass, but didn't want to put a great deal of money into it right now. My choice basically came down to new Squier, used MIM Jazz, or, I found a used '97 P Lyte Deluxe (wood grain body with gold plated harware and 3-band EQ).

I decided to buy the Lyte (partly due to some good reviews here), but don't really know much about this model. Serial number decoder says it is a '96-'97 model.

Does anyone know what the body is made out of? How to care for it? What is the neck and fingerboard made out of?


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Post subject: Re: '97 Precision Lyte Deluxe
Posted: Mon Oct 15, 2012 9:35 pm
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Between the choices you listed I think you chose most wisely. Although discontinued, the P-Bass Lyte Deluxe was a very well received model in its day and still is highly coveted by owners. I consider them a big bargain in today's market. This instrument is active and my only criticisms are that there is no passive option and you have to remove the entire control cavity cover plate on the back to replace the battery. (Fender came to the "Quick Change Battery Slot Party" late.) So with an instrument like this I wind up changing batteries a lot more than really necessary because if the battery goes during a gig the instrument is out of commission until you change the battery which requires tools, good lighting and maybe 5 minutes minimum. That is not the sort of thing you want to do in the middle of a set. One other criticism I've heard about this instrument since it first came out is that it sounds fantastic live but less fantastic when recorded. While that was said by several people, mostly I think it is mainly because most recording engineers only know how to make a passive P-Bass sound "good" and why most studios keep a house passive P-Bass at the ready in case someone dares to show up with anything else. I think the P-Bass Lyte Deluxe has some of the best electronics of any Japanese made Fender ever. I love the variety of tones they can produce.

Now to your spec and care questions. Actually on the P-Bass Lyte the stock gold plated hardware is what requires the most attention! It should all be buffed after each use with a clean dry soft cloth, such as an old gym sock or a microfiber cloth. If you don't it will tarnish or discolor wherever you touched it. All gold plated hardware requires this attention after each use, so it isn't just this model. Taking care of the gold plating is the maintenance you will do most and if your gold plating is by some miracle in good shape and untarnished I strongly encourage you to keep it buffed.

The Precision Lyte Deluxe has a maple neck capped with a rosewood fingerboard and by your woodgrain natural finish description it sounds like you most probably have the oiled mahogany body.

The finish on the natural body Lytes is oiled mahogany and there is no sealer or poly topcoat such as you find on most painted Fenders. Just oil. This means...just dust it off. Done!

Do not put polish, wax, cleaner or anything on that body or it will soak in and turn the finish darker. Any liquid you put on it will soak in. Beer, sweat, rain, or anything else is going to leave spots most of which disappear as the liquid evaporates. So for cleaning just buff it with a clean soft dry cloth or a microfiber cloth would be great. Simple!

As for the rosewood fingerboard, the care it is less simple. Some people say use furniture oil, others say use specialized guitar fretboard oil and others still say use nothing at all because the oil from your fingers is enough oil! Personally I go with nothing most of the time but once or at most twice per year a small quality furniture oil or specialized guitar fretboard oil product for rosewood will make the fingerboard look better.

Rosewood actually is extremely dense and contains natural oils. However these oils will evaporate from the top layer of cells causing the wood to look lighter in spots. It is almost always just the surface that dries out, the wood is fine underneath the very top cell layers. So it makes sense to oil about once per year, twice at the most. The rosewood is so dense that when oil is applied only a few of the top cell layers will actually absorb anything, thus use very little oil because you'll be wiping most of it off later anyway. This should be done shortly before string change time as some oil may get onto the strings which will cause them to die a speedier death. The oil also helps with gunk removal around frets on a rosewood neck, but even with very gunky frets still apply oil sparingly. Next always allow the instrument to sit for a minimum of a few hours to up to 12 hours then buff with a clean dry cloth under the strings to remove as much of the excess oil that didn't absorb or evaporate as you can...and most of will still be there to wipe off but the wood will look richer and darker. Change strings as planned 5 to 10 days later. You should not change strings immediately after oiling because no matter how much you buff some oil can get on and into the string windings for a few days yet. As to what furniture oil to use, select a furniture oil that contains petroleum distillates. By law in the USA it must have a child resistant cap and the label will say something like: "Contains petroleum distillates. Harmful or fatal if swallowed," so if you see that then it is ok stuff to use. Or you can buy a smaller bottle of the specialized guitar product, but the furniture oil works just as well and you get way more for your money. Never use an aerosol furniture polish as that will have several ingredients that are all wrong for rosewood such as wax and water.

For routine weekly/monthly cleanings of a rosewood fretboard just buff it with a clean dry cloth under the strings. To remove gunk that tends to build up around frets some people suggest a plastic Scotch scrubbing pad like you use for dishwasing but I use wooden toothpicks instead. Toothpicks are easier to work around the strings than a Scotch pad and way cheaper. The toothpicks are softer and won't hurt the much denser rosewood or maple and certainly won't harm the frets at all. I get more gunk off with toothpicks and get it off quicker than with a Scotch pad.

Some people suggest 000 steel wool (very fine) for fret gunk removal, but use care with steel wool as any metal bits that come loose will be attracted to the pickups and any metal bits that get inside the pickup can possibly lead to premature pickup failure. (Metal bits attracted to the magnetic pickup work their way into the winding where they can wear down the enamel on the windings which makes the windings short circuit causing the pickup to eventually fail.) Therefore the pickups should be completely taped over with masking tape first then use the steel wool and a final clean soft cloth buffing. Once the fretboard is squeaky clean then apply another complete layer of tape over the original tape and then remove all the tape at once so that you are trapping any metal particles between the tape layers. The upside of this that is the steel wool makes your frets all shiny though!


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Post subject: Re: '97 Precision Lyte Deluxe
Posted: Mon Oct 15, 2012 10:48 pm
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Here's mine. One of the four screws from the bridge humbucker is missing. Bass is in excellent condition. Plays like butta.

Image


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Post subject: Re: '97 Precision Lyte Deluxe
Posted: Mon Oct 15, 2012 10:52 pm
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trek4fr wrote:
Hi all. First post. I'm quite new to playing bass and have been learning on a friend's Ibanez. I wanted my own bass, but didn't want to put a great deal of money into it right now. My choice basically came down to new Squier, used MIM Jazz, or, I found a used '97 P Lyte Deluxe (wood grain body with gold plated harware and 3-band EQ).

I decided to buy the Lyte (partly due to some good reviews here), but don't really know much about this model. Serial number decoder says it is a '96-'97 model.

Does anyone know what the body is made out of? How to care for it? What is the neck and fingerboard made out of?


There are alternatives to this model: the American and Mexican Deluxe Zone Basses. These models replaced the Japanese Lytes in 2003. Fender discontinued the Zones in 2006.


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Post subject: Re: '97 Precision Lyte Deluxe
Posted: Tue Oct 16, 2012 4:13 am
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Brother Dave, thank you for that helpful information. I think I will really like this bass. Granted, though a noob, I tried a couple of "purist" MIA P's but they felt too heavy (what a whiner, huh?) and I didn't like the thick neck compared to the Ibby I've been playing. The Jazz is nice and I will probably pick one up in the future when I can find a MIA that's a great deal. But the reviews here said the Lyte was a really good bass for the money and I stumbled upon this one. Some folks are into mojo and that's absolutely fine, but I like to take good care of all my stuff. So I appreciate your help.

Chromeface, I was aware of the Zone but haven't seen any around. They seem to be nice, but this Lyte was only 3 bills and I couldn't pass it up. :D I'll have a hard time finding a case for it (other than a boxey cardboard one), but the bass is worth it. I'll probably upgrade when I get to Jaco's level. :wink:

You're looks nice. I'll put up a picture in a day or two.

Thanks again, folks. Great instruments with a great community of fans to support them can't be beat.


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Post subject: Re: '97 Precision Lyte Deluxe
Posted: Wed Oct 17, 2012 4:14 am
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Has anyone here ever tried "Never-Dull" (silver cleaner) on your frets?

I think it would do the job of removing the gunk and brightening them up, but I'm not sure if the active ingredients in it would harm the wood of the fretboard.

Any opinions?


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Post subject: Re: '97 Precision Lyte Deluxe
Posted: Wed Oct 17, 2012 7:47 pm
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Howdy, ya'll!

Well, I got the Lyte tonight off the UPS truck and went to work checking her out. I thought I would share just a couple of observations about her, but keep in mind I'm a noob.

First, she is truly "light!" I thought at first that the shipping box was empty. Even lighter than my friend's Ibanez.

No fret wear at all (she was strung with black nylon-coated strings). No obvious dings or scratches. Even the gold hardware looks about 95% with just a touch of hazing. Love the tuners! Love the thin neck and the smaller body compared to the standard P. The nut seems strange to me. I've always seen them capping off the end of the fretboard, but this one is recessed. Wish the knobs were metal instead of cheap plastic. Cosmetically, she is about a 9.5.

However, she does have the buzzing that some (but not all) posters here have complained about. It is, of course, most noticable with the treble turned up, but it is always there unless I put my hand touching all the strings. Posters here seem to recommend putting copper foil in the PU cavities, but the "afterward results" seem to be mixed. I will probably try that for the $10-$12 investment in materials and if that doesn't fix it, I might upgrade the preamp. I suspect the bass would be worth it.

So that's my initial thoughts. All in all, I'm very happy with her and hope I can get the buzzing fixed. If any of you have further recommendations, I'd appreciate hearing them.


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Post subject: Re: '97 Precision Lyte Deluxe
Posted: Wed Oct 17, 2012 8:36 pm
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@trek4fr, Is it buzzing on both pickups or just on the Jazz single coil?

Check the ground wire UNDER the bridge first, it might not be making good contact. Usually it is just laying under the bridge and the pressure of the screws pressing down on the baseplate of the bridge makes the contact. Sometimes you can improve contact by wrapping the stripped wire around the shaft of one of the bridge screws and screw it down and then retighten all the other bridge screws. Sometimes this helps and sometimes it doesn't. But it is a free remedy and only takes a few moments so it is worth a try.

If that doesn't help, then copper foil shielding might help unless it is some fault in the preamp itself. Copper shielding is a multi-hour job. It isn't what I'd call a "quick-fix." Just take your time and be thorough. Take 2 days if you need it. Use real care in the control cavity and don't put pressure on the circuit board components or on any of the wiring at all!

I would foil shield both pickup cavities and the entire control cavity. There is probably shielding paint in the control cavity, but copper foil is an improvement. Also you will need to run a wire to ground from the pickup cavities or daisy chain them if possible and solder this wire to the copper shielding in the control cavity. This ground wire can be very thin and doesn't have to be the same gauge as the signal wire. Some people use screws instead of solder for the ground wire connection in the control cavity, but solder works too and I hate adding screws even where they aren't visible. You should foil shield the entire pickup cavity, so first remove the cavity cover, knobs, mark the pot shafts with numbers so you'll know which hole they go in and then loosen the pot and jack nuts. Unscrew the circuit board mounting screws carefully. You should then be able to copper shield the entire pickup cavity working around the wiring and preamp. Just poke holes with a pointy tool in the foil for the pots and jack and expand the holes in the foil until they are just large enough with a screwdriver or pencil. If the back of the cavity cover has metal foil (some do) there is no need to copper shield it. Here are links to pages I frequently cite about copper foil shielding.
http://archive.basssessions.com/oct04/shield.html
http://www.artandtechnology.com.au/guitar/shielding-strat.html
(The second link shows a Stratocaster, but it is exactly the same principal.)


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Post subject: Re: '97 Precision Lyte Deluxe
Posted: Thu Oct 18, 2012 6:01 pm
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Brother Dave, the buzzing doesn't seem to be coming from either pickup. It is most noticeable with open strings and me not touching anything. Touching any of the strings causes it to diminish somewhat. But putting my hand on either the bridge or the tuners causes it to pretty much disappear.

I tried moving the ground wire under the bridge as you suggested, so that it would make better contact - to no avail.

Update: I removed the strings and lifted the pickups out of the bass. The front two split pickups, when touched, sound like someone is tapping a microphone. The rear double humbucker buzzes louder when touched, but doesn't sound like a microphone. There are no ground wires screws into the body under the pickups and the wood is raw as it doesn't appear that Fender did anything in these cavities (or in the preamp cavity) to shield anything.

So now I need to decide whether to try the copper lining (with no guarantees of results from what others have said), a new preamp, or return it for a refund. It is a shame because this is a beautiful looking and playing bass, but the buzz is indeed irratating. :cry:


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Post subject: Re: '97 Precision Lyte Deluxe
Posted: Fri Oct 19, 2012 10:39 pm
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@brotherdave

The regular Lytes were shipped with a P/J configuration and a 2-band EQ, though I suppose a very few were sold with a 3-band EQ like their deluxe counterparts. True?


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Post subject: Re: '97 Precision Lyte Deluxe
Posted: Fri Nov 02, 2012 10:05 am
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chromeface wrote:
@brotherdave

The regular Lytes were shipped with a P/J configuration and a 2-band EQ, though I suppose a very few were sold with a 3-band EQ like their deluxe counterparts. True?


I honestly don't remember!


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