Fender AV 57 P Bass VS. Fender AV '62 P Bass

nitsuj · #1 06-27-2010, 04:25 PM

What do you like about these basses, and which would you rather have (this is about YOUR opinion; not about me going to the shop and a/b ing them and picking my fav.).

Buster Brown · #2 06-27-2010, 05:10 PM

I have both and while both are great players.....IMO the 62 beats out the 57 by a tad.....

I LOVE the neck on the 62!!

Johnny Alien · #3 06-27-2010, 05:14 PM

I like rosewood fretboards so I vote for the 62. These days the neck profiles are the same and the electronics are very similar. Because of this the best bet is to just go for the one that is visually more appealing to you.

JTE · #4 06-27-2010, 05:18 PM

It's not about specs at all. they're both great so for me it'd come down to specific individual instruments. I have my '62 I bought brand new in April 1983 because it sounded perfect. The '57 that came into our store the same day was exquisite, but the '62 just spoke to me.

After all these 33 years playing bass and 11 years selling, modding, and repairing guitars and basses, I'm not convinced of the "maple is always brighter than rosewood" idea so that isn( a deciding factor. The '57 has a pronounced "V" shape and the '62 is very shallow front-to-back so that might be an issue for some, but I can adapt so it wouldn't be a factor for me either. So my choice would be based on what specific chunks of wood and metal sound like to me.

BTW, my discussion of the neck shapes is based on the CBS (Fullerton plant) Vintage Series basses. The very few post '85 VS basses I've played have had different necks.

John

Aspidites · #5 06-27-2010, 05:33 PM

I have never liked the look of rosewood and I don't like 3ts so I have to with the 57.

A-Step-Towards · #6 06-27-2010, 05:51 PM

I have ha a 62 and 57, sold the 62 and am selling the 57 now. I heavily perfer the 57's neck .

Zerstorte Zelle · #7 06-28-2010, 05:50 AM

I own an '82 62 RI Jazz, an '86 62 RI P and a '09 57 RI P. They are all incredible instruments and I'd have a tough time parting with any of them. That being said I can offer you the following.

The 57P is definitely brighter. The neck is rounder than the 86 62 P but I'm told the necks are similar now. The 57RI is way lighter. It's a featherweight compared to either of the 80s basses. It also has a hotter output.

The 86 62RI P has a wide flat neck profile. It's sound is slightly smoother. The bass is the heaviest of the three. It sounds wonderful with D'addario Chromes. I would haven't played a modern 62RI but I can't say enough about this instrument.

The Jazz is awesome also but we aren't talking about J basses.

If the modern manufactured models all have similar dimentions/weight/electronics it all comes down to a matter of looks. I haven't played many of the new AmVintage basses but the 57RI I wound up with is a monster.

I couldn't really pick one although either would be a pretty safe bet in my book

Johnny Alien · #8 06-28-2010, 07:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JTE

BTW, my discussion of the neck shapes is based on the CBS (Fullerton plant) Vintage Series basses. The very few post '85 VS basses I've played have had different necks.

John

All of the recent ones I have played have had the same neck profile on the 57 and 62. At one point I sent an email about it and Fender confirmed it is the same neck. I have never played a 57 with a pronounced V so I assume it was exclusive to the very early ones.

StuartV · #9 12-22-2010, 01:02 PM

So, other than the pickguard (which I can see in the pictures is different), and the fretboard, what is actually different about the CURRENT models of the AV57 and the AV62 P?

The specs for for the '62 says "Vintage Precision Bass® Split Single-Coil Pickup" and the '57 says "'57 Precision Bass® Split Single-Coil Pickup". Are those actually different or is that just Marketese for "we don't want to tell you the '62 has the '57 pickup in it"?

cripula · #10 12-22-2010, 01:17 PM

I couldn't say about the most current models, but a few years back at least, the 57 pickups had raised A poles. Didn't care for them.

lpdeluxe · #11 12-22-2010, 02:16 PM

I love maple fingerboards so I went for the '57. Wonderful bass.

And the raised pole pieces can easily be pushed down even with the others.

Mastermold · #12 12-22-2010, 05:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by StuartV

So, other than the pickguard (which I can see in the pictures is different), and the fretboard, what is actually different about the CURRENT models of the AV57 and the AV62 P?

The specs for for the '62 says "Vintage Precision Bass® Split Single-Coil Pickup" and the '57 says "'57 Precision Bass® Split Single-Coil Pickup". Are those actually different or is that just Marketese for "we don't want to tell you the '62 has the '57 pickup in it"?

The pickups are indeed different, the 57 RI has raised poles under the A string, the 62 does not.

Also, the 62 has an alder body only, but the 57 has both alder or ash options (alder on sunburst and ash on white).

Jeff K · #13 12-22-2010, 09:59 PM

I don't own either one right now, but have owned both in the past. I loved the '62 (sunburst). She was my go-to for about 5 or 6 years.

I fell in lust over the White Blonde '57, and bought one off of ebay about 8 years ago. As beautiful as it was, I didn't keep it very long. It was probably the brightest sounding P I've ever owned. TOO bright for my tastes, even with flats and the tone knob rolled back pretty far. I much preferred the tone of the '62. I also didn't care for the raised pole-piece under the A string of the '57. I'm sure a lot of folks will think this is blasphemy, but I honestly believe that my MIM Classic '50's P sounds better than the '57 did. I probably just got one that wasn't as good as most of the others, because most people love the '57s. But personally, I preferred the '62.

Energy · #14 12-22-2010, 10:41 PM

I prefer the 62. Very woody, smooth sound. The 57 sounds more edgy. Depends on what you like.