It is currently Mon Mar 16, 2020 2:12 pm

All times are UTC - 7 hours



Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 9 posts ] 
Author Message
Post subject: Classic 50s Lacquer P-Bass
Posted: Tue May 28, 2013 12:06 am
Offline
Amateur
Amateur

Joined: Sat Mar 26, 2011 3:20 pm
Posts: 164
Location: Kuwait
Well, anybody checked this thing out? Or even come across one? Seems to me like a simple Classic 50s with just a finish difference, and a case too!

Any thoughts on it? I personally am not the biggest fan of the black finish, but eh.

_________________
Ramblin' all day and night.


Top
Profile
Fender Play Winter Sale 2020
Post subject: Re: Classic 50s Lacquer P-Bass
Posted: Tue May 28, 2013 7:13 pm
Offline
Rock Star
Rock Star
User avatar

Joined: Thu Aug 07, 2008 3:12 pm
Posts: 6355
Location: Albemarle, NC
Nitro finishes are generally considered very desirable for the potential of the tone improving over time as the wood continues to dry through the porous lacquer. Nitro finishes are not considered more desirable for how they look over time or their durability. As a rule Poly is more durable and colorfast than Nitro.

However when you put Nitro top coats over a poly primer or base coats (such as the FullerPlast sealer/primer one-step process Fender used from sometime in 1964 well into the CBS era) then the long-term tonal benefit of Nitro is negated since the wood can't breathe at all through the plastic primer/sealer. Whether there is any benefit to the Nitro topcoats on the 50's Lacquer models depends on what primer/sealer is used and I don't have that data.

"What is the base-coat/primer/sealer and clear-coat?" is the best question someone seriously interested in any instrument touted as NITROCELLULOSE LACQUER could ask. When you put Nitro over poly you might as well be using all poly for better durability. Guitar makers have put Nitro on top of Poly primer/sealer and then concentrated on selling the benefit of the Nitro before. I'm not saying that is what is going on in this case though because I simply don't know.

So buyers beware. Nitro only matters if it is all Nitro from the top clear coat all the way down to the bare wood.

That being said, the "Lacquer" specs look identical other than the Nitro comes only in black while the Poly comes in a bunch of different colors. And of course the Nitro gets a tweed hard case instead of a gig bag.

The $260 MSRP difference boils down to being about $150 in the street price over the Poly 50's P Bass according to the online prices for the "Lacquer" P- Bass. That is a pretty good deal really as the hard case is worth about that anyway. People begging for Nitro on an affordable P-Bass should be happy too.

The 50's P and the 50's Roadworn P (which is the same instrument in relic treatment Nitro) are about the most widely acclaimed MIM P-Bass models Fender ever offered. It makes sense to make another version of this popular offering available. I liked the Fiesta Red color but not the relic treatment. I prefer a new looking instrument with my own relic marks over time. I'm not crazy about black on the new Lacquer model, but some people love black the best. The "Lacquer" models are NEW and nobody has one around here yet. They are offered by online dealers already but not at the local dealer here yet.


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Classic 50s Lacquer P-Bass
Posted: Wed May 29, 2013 10:11 pm
Offline
Amateur
Amateur

Joined: Sat Mar 26, 2011 3:20 pm
Posts: 164
Location: Kuwait
There's "fake" nitro?! :? :cry:

I guess we gotta give it a shot to find out. Thanks for the info again B.Dave. I do agree that the 50's MiM lineup is the best that Mexico produces. Tried both the Classic and the Roadworn 50's P a few years back and loved them! 'Til this day I'm constantly considering getting me one. :oops:

_________________
Ramblin' all day and night.


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Classic 50s Lacquer P-Bass
Posted: Thu May 30, 2013 12:03 am
Offline
Rock Star
Rock Star
User avatar

Joined: Thu Aug 07, 2008 3:12 pm
Posts: 6355
Location: Albemarle, NC
Garf wrote:
There's "fake" nitro?! :? :cry:

I guess we gotta give it a shot to find out. Thanks for the info again B.Dave. I do agree that the 50's MiM lineup is the best that Mexico produces. Tried both the Classic and the Roadworn 50's P a few years back and loved them! 'Til this day I'm constantly considering getting me one. :oops:


Oh it is real Nitro. But only if all finishing products are Nitro will the breathable attribute of the Nitro color coat matter. The breathable attribute is the only real advantage to a Nitro color coat. Poly is superior in every other category. One layer of poly sealer/primer under Nitro or a clear poly top coat over it and the result is a sarcophagus sealed tighter than King Tut's tomb. With no clear poly top coat you'll still get the familiar Nitro crazing/checking after a few decades, but if there is a poly sealer/primer under it then it will still sound exactly the same.

People often overlook that an all Nitro finish isn't a one-way valve only letting moisture out. It works both ways. Keep the instrument in a humid environment or expose it to cigarette smoke and it soaks up either just as quickly as moisture dries out from the body in an arid environment. This is why so many old Fenders smell like Budweiser and Marlboros.


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Classic 50s Lacquer P-Bass
Posted: Sat Jun 01, 2013 9:32 pm
Offline
Professional Musician
Professional Musician

Joined: Sat Feb 12, 2011 8:01 am
Posts: 2842
Garf wrote:
There's "fake" nitro?! :? :cry:

I guess we gotta give it a shot to find out. Thanks for the info again B.Dave. I do agree that the 50's MiM lineup is the best that Mexico produces. Tried both the Classic and the Roadworn 50's P a few years back and loved them! 'Til this day I'm constantly considering getting me one. :oops:



The 50's P and the Roadworn P are the best Mex axes I've ever played- I would say "git you some" .


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Classic 50s Lacquer P-Bass
Posted: Sun Jun 02, 2013 12:17 am
Offline
Hobbyist
Hobbyist

Joined: Mon Jun 18, 2007 2:16 pm
Posts: 15
I'm playing my Classic 50s P for 4 or 5 years or so and I'm still loving it! I've put Fender Pure Nickel strings (7150M) on it for a boomsy and vintage-sound.
It's a fine bass, but out of the shop, I had to bring it to a professional for the right setup. It just wasn't perfect, but now it is!


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Classic 50s Lacquer P-Bass
Posted: Sun Jun 02, 2013 12:51 am
Offline
Rock Icon
Rock Icon
User avatar

Joined: Thu Dec 31, 2009 10:34 pm
Posts: 10760
Location: Athens, Greece
Muller wrote:
I'm playing my Classic 50s P for 4 or 5 years or so and I'm still loving it! I've put Fender Pure Nickel strings (7150M) on it for a boomsy and vintage-sound.
It's a fine bass, but out of the shop, I had to bring it to a professional for the right setup. It just wasn't perfect, but now it is!


Can you post a couple of photos and a video?


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Classic 50s Lacquer P-Bass
Posted: Sun Jun 02, 2013 12:59 am
Offline
Hobbyist
Hobbyist

Joined: Mon Jun 18, 2007 2:16 pm
Posts: 15
Here it is, next to my new American Deluxe P:
Image
Image
Here I'm playing it some time ago: (Oh yeah, If you find the bass a little small, that's because I'm 2,00 meters tall (6,5 feet or so?))
Image

It's a bass with a lot of character.


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Classic 50s Lacquer P-Bass
Posted: Sun Jun 02, 2013 6:43 pm
Offline
Rock Star
Rock Star
User avatar

Joined: Thu Aug 07, 2008 3:12 pm
Posts: 6355
Location: Albemarle, NC
Hey Stretch, nice brace of basses!


Top
Profile
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 9 posts ] 

All times are UTC - 7 hours

Fender Play Winter Sale 2020

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 2 guests


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum

Search for:
Jump to:  
cron