Help me (un)mod this 73P

OnePocket · #1 01-15-2010, 10:25 AM

OK, so I got this for Xmas and now I have to figure out what to do with it. The body has been sanded, probably a couple of times, and currently measures 37 mm. The p/u and pots are replacement(II-A). Bridge, don't know. Neck is original with a ? sanded G edge that doesn't effect playing at all. Dead straight.

Pic is of neck with the ?Mexican body that it was on.More picks at photobucket.

Sooo, what do I do with it? Paint the orig(any way to tell orig color? Sell it ? Leave it on the Mex body?

P/U suggestions to get closer to orig tone?

Thanks,
Steve

http://s886.photobucket.com/albums/a...73%20P%20Bass/

OnePocket · #2 01-15-2010, 10:47 AM

Pics to large in orig

walterw · #3 01-15-2010, 11:49 AM

the path of most tone for least resistance is to get a nice vintage-style P pickup (fralin, duncan, nordstrand) and slap it in the mexican body.

that'll give you something to play while you contemplate getting the original body repainted.

JTE · #4 01-15-2010, 12:14 PM

IF it were mine, I'd put it together the way it is, and play it for a while. Find out how it sounds modded, how the body sounds, etc. Then I'd decide on what changes I'd make. I don't see any point in trying to return it to 1973 condition just to have it be like it was originally. But then, I was a Fender dealer in the '70s and don't have any great reverence for them.

So, I'd play it and decide if the PUPs need to be warmer, or brighter, or more edgy, whatever for me, and make the PUP decision based on that. If I wanted to make it authentic to what it may have been in '73 I'd go for a set of Duncan P bass coils, a new Fender vintage style bridge (sure, it's gonna have the threaded saddles, unless you can get a bridge for a '75 reissue), and stock pots. If you're going to go with a high-mass bridge, you might as well do the whole '70s mod and put a set of DiMarzio Model P, a brass nut, and a BA-II.

John

OnePocket · #5 01-15-2010, 12:51 PM

I have been playing it with the Mex body. Had some Flats with a deep royal blue thread, and I decided to put Thomastik Jass flats on to see it that affected the tone. It has an edgier G string than I like. My Aerodyne with P only has more of an upright sound with the Thomastiks, so I thought I would try that first. When I got the strings off, I thought why not take it apart and photograph it. May put it together with the other body and see what that sounds like.

The nut is brass, so I guess that somebody started the mod. I was going to make an ivory bridge(have some scraps around) to see if it warmed. I would expect the brass to be brighter.Are the DiMarzio's brighter too?

OnePocket · #6 01-15-2010, 12:52 PM

Ivory nut, not bridge. BTW, what difference should the lighter body and the heavier BAII respectively have on the tone?

JTE · #7 01-15-2010, 01:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OnePocket

BTW, what difference should the lighter body and the heavier BAII respectively have on the tone?

Crapshoot. Too many other variables in the ultimate sound of an electric bass. In my experience, the BA tends to negate the impact of the body wood, leaving the ultimate sound to be more the sound of the neck and the electronics. Probably why I don't like high-mass bridges...

John

OnePocket · #8 01-17-2010, 08:17 PM

Well Thanks to everybody for all the comments. I put the neck back on the Mex body, put on a set of Thomastiks , and it sounds pretty good. I think I will just play it and leave the old body alone for a while til I figure out whether it is worth rehabbing with 1/8" gone off each side.

As Lee Trevino supposedly said to an amatuer when asked how to hit a particular putt,
"Keep it Low"

Steve