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1953 Precision Bass

#44
I think these old single-coil axes are way cool. Thanks for sharing those great pix!

The saddles on the earliest Fender Precisions were made from the same materials that the pickguards were made from. IIRC, the US government restrictions during the Korean War made it difficult to get whatever metal Leo was looking for, so he improvised. Problem is that the old phenolic saddles tend to crack, warp and finally break over time. You can get similar material now and shape your own saddles, as somebody obviously did for this bass. Fender switched to metal in 54, I think, and people would also swap out their old broken phenolic saddles with the newer metal ones.

At the request of some cats who post at another forum, I did a little experiment. I played a 53P with reproduction phenolic saddles and recorded two feeds -- one from an Avalon DI and one from a mic'd Ampeg B-100. Then, I switched the saddles to a set of metal ones like they used after 54, and recorded basically the same line.

I posted the clips here: http://www.soundclick.com/bands/default.cfm?bandID=901072

Can you tell which is which?
(Just to be clear, Amp1 and DI1 are the same, just different points in the signal chain...same with Amp2 and DI2.)
 
#46
mccartneyman said:
Don't know how you could beat up a bass that badly and have it not hide from you somewhere before the gig. I guess those who beat up their basses also drive clunkers with massive body damage and haven't changed the oil since day 1.
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My, aren't *we* judgmental .... oh, and wrong. Plenty of players with money have played their instruments to "near death". Please don't assign "your personal belief" to others. Not everyone feels the need to meticulously polish their instrument every time they play.



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Jaco didn't have money, but he did play his bass to oblivion -


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#47
Rattman said:
Yeah, really... I mean seriously, what IS the big deal? This thing is trashed pretty badly.. How could seemingly intelligent people be so careless as to allow this poor old Pbass look like its been used to stir cornbread batter in one of those huge mixing bowls.. :smug:
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+2. The poor thing looks like it was stored out-of-case next to an old-fashioned heater for years. On top of that, someone would pay half their savings for that thing. Look at it like this: if you were looking for a car for a restoration project, and found one that was barely running that was not even all original, would you pay 10 times its original sticker? Me neither. :rollno:
 
#48
MonetBass said:
+2. The poor thing looks like it was stored out-of-case next to an old-fashioned heater for years. On top of that, someone would pay half their savings for that thing. Look at it like this: if you were looking for a car for a restoration project, and found one that was barely running that was not even all original, would you pay 10 times its original sticker? Me neither. :rollno:
Click to expand...


Now think about this: you buy a new mattress, do you not sleep every night on it, make love on it, etc? do you tell your woman to be carefull and not move a lot while you're doing it?
The bass was played a lot, that's all!!! why do you assume its previous owner had no respect for it?
 
#49
My car - (though I recently sold it)

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My main live bass -

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It's astonishing how close-minded and judgmental some people are. Making assumptions about people because their instrument of choice isn't kept in pristine condition.

As far as ...

if you were looking for a car for a restoration project, and found one that was barely running that was not even all original, would you pay 10 times its original sticker? Me neither.
Click to expand...

Clearly you know nothing about vintage automobiles. People ROUTINELY pay 10x the original sticker price of a rare auto for a non-running car, and sometimes "just a shell". Look at a 1971 Hemi Cuda, for example

As I said earlier in the thread - go out and find a *pristine* 1953 Precision Bass. There are only a few available, and ween't many built in the first place.

Here's a 52 for $19,500 ...but it is hardly "pristine".
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Chicago Music Exchange has a nice condition 1953 (albeit with bridge cover installed backward, so there is probably a weird "tan line" from it), but they don't tell the price.


Oh, and Guitar Broker has a 53 with a repaired Jazz Bass route and non original pickup for $11,500

That's pretty much it. a couple 1953's on the market. One or two 1952's. To "discount" the importance of this particular 53 because it wasn't "stored under a bed" is ridiculous.
 
#51
GlennW said:
That's a clean '69, nice bass too.
Click to expand...


Actually, it's a 68 SS - it's hard to see the rear fenders in the pic- the "bulge" of the 69 is the main difference.

Here's the problem with the 68 SS, and why I sold it... it was too valuable. I couldn't drive it anywhere for fear that it would get stolen or scratched. Even a scratch would greatly damage the value.

My brother had a 71 Cuda with the extremely rare overhead console option... someone rear ended the car while he was getting off the freeway.

It sucks when you have something beautiful but can't use it appropriately for fear of devaluing it.


Anyway, I have a studio gig...gotta run. You guys have fun.
 
#53
I get a big kick out of how many here are making the assumption that this thing was "played, not abused", when you have no idea what the history of this istrument is. You seem to see an old instrument and squeal "mojo!!" with delight.

I hate to disappoint, but this bass was not used by some grizzled old man in the last remaining true, unspoiled, undiscovered delta blues band. More likely this bass was used as a baseball bat/car jack by 2 generations of bratty kids and then left in a damp cellar next to the boiler for 20 years.
 
#54
duke12 said:
I think these old single-coil axes are way cool. Thanks for sharing those great pix!

The saddles on the earliest Fender Precisions were made from the same materials that the pickguards were made from. IIRC, the US government restrictions during the Korean War made it difficult to get whatever metal Leo was looking for, so he improvised. Problem is that the old phenolic saddles tend to crack, warp and finally break over time. You can get similar material now and shape your own saddles, as somebody obviously did for this bass. Fender switched to metal in 54, I think, and people would also swap out their old broken phenolic saddles with the newer metal ones.

At the request of some cats who post at another forum, I did a little experiment. I played a 53P with reproduction phenolic saddles and recorded two feeds -- one from an Avalon DI and one from a mic'd Ampeg B-100. Then, I switched the saddles to a set of metal ones like they used after 54, and recorded basically the same line.

I posted the clips here: http://www.soundclick.com/bands/default.cfm?bandID=901072

Can you tell which is which?
(Just to be clear, Amp1 and DI1 are the same, just different points in the signal chain...same with Amp2 and DI2.)
Click to expand...

Wow... you truly ROCK, bro!! :) Way to answer my (vintage nut noob) question and then some.

Those clips sound outrageously good to me. I think 1 sounds fatter & bigger but slightly vague, 2 sounds thinner but more focused. I'm going to guess that 1 is with the phenolic saddles?

TFS! This thread is a major WIN.
 
#55
smcd said:
I get a big kick out of how many here are making the assumption that this thing was "played, not abused", when you have no idea what the history of this istrument is. You seem to see an old instrument and squeal "mojo!!" with delight.

I hate to disappoint, but this bass was not used by some grizzled old man in the last remaining true, unspoiled, undiscovered delta blues band. More likely this bass was used as a baseball bat/car jack by 2 generations of bratty kids and then left in a damp cellar next to the boiler for 20 years.
Click to expand...

Unless you know the history of the instrument, your assumption is as good as anyone's.
 
#58
Tsk, tsk, tsk... All you nay-sayers..

I got the opportunity to play this bass yesterday, and even though it looks like someone took a heat gun to it, this bass is a treasure. I don't like anything without a bridge pickup (I don't even really like Fenders a whole lot), but this sucker was magic.

I've never played a single coil Precision this old before, but now that I have, I completely understand what Leo was going for with his original design. I've never heard an electric bass sound so much like an upright. It sounds very woody, percussive, and more "hollow" than the other P's I've played. It's very very warm, and actually has pretty decent output. Although I absolutely loathe the word "mojo" (as it seems to be terminology reserved solely for Fenders which look like they've been dragged behind a truck), this bass was absolutely dripping with it. It takes a lot to get me worked up about a bass, and whatever "it" is, this one had it in spades.

That said, I couldn't play the damn thing to save my life...

Mainly, it was because there were a lot of people around me at the time, and I tend to get a severe case of MSSF ("Music Store Stage Fright"). But also, the neck on this thing was chunky! Very rounded kind of shape, and deep...

If I had the money, I probably wouldn't buy it (I think it was 13K+), but it was a unique opportunity to experience a rare piece of history. And that's invaluable to me. :)
 
#60
Sweeeeeeeet wood! I bet that thing plays amazingly.

IMO, the beat-basses PLAY the BEST. There's a reason that pristine vintage gear remains pristine - it usually isn't worked in

Here's a shot of my close-buddy's 66 jazz to add some fuel to the worn-out basses fire...I'm always looking for the most beat up vintage gear because you know it has been well-used, and I'm a player, not a collector.

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