'51 Fender Precision Reissue question

**Chef** · #1 01-14-2006, 09:31 PM

Just bought one of these used, and it's a sweet bass. But, the finish is really a little too yellow-they sort of overdid the aged/yellowed thing. I don't really mind, but then read this in a bgra review:
"Thin polyurethane on the neck and thin high yaller butterscotch polyester on the body. The body finish is inauthentic: too glossy and too yellow. You can fix this by rubbing the body out with 000 or 0000 steel wool, very gently and slowly with little rubbing pressure. This whitens and fades the yellow and gives the body the satiny or ivory-like patina of the original nitrocellulose lacquer, and still retains a durable finish."

Does that really sound like it would work?

thx-chef

ehque · #2 01-15-2006, 07:33 PM

im not sure, but i would be really careful with the steel wool near the pickups.

lpdeluxe · #3 06-06-2006, 07:03 AM

There was another thread where someone took his "butterscotch" Fender to a tanning salon to artificially age the finish and get rid of the gloss. He seemed to think he got good results.

I got a 51 P last month and it shore is yaller! I put LaBella nylon-tape wounds on it and that made it look like a Black&Decker bass. I'm wondering if I want to eventually invest in a Warmoth back-routed body with an aged maple toner. For now I'm just enjoying playing it.

**Chef** · #4 06-06-2006, 08:24 AM

I've not touched mine yet with the steel wool or anything else. I have LaBella 760FL flats on it, and it really sounds and plays great...

lpdeluxe · #5 06-06-2006, 10:07 AM

I'm about to change out the bridge for an American Deluxe item I bought. I have heard they are a direct replacement...I was a little taken aback when I opened the package and found 5 wood screws, but apparently they are math challenged, since there are the same 3 holes for the screws as on the 2-piece (along with 4 more for the string-through).

This time it'll get a set of Brite Flats. I have been playing it with the nylon-tape wounds, and they have a great, snappy action, but the sound is too dead to suit me. My other solid bodies all have BFs on them, and I'm used to the sound and the feel.

Maybe next month I'll get a Quarter Pound for it. I installed one on a beater Squier II P (conventional, split-coil model) and I love the sound. 62bass says it's killer with TI Jazz Flats, but I'm a little reluctant to put $40 strings on a $100 bass!