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1959 Precision Bass' guts replacement

#21
REV said:
What good is having a great bass if you don't play it? That bass didn't get to be in the condition it is in because nobody played it. In fact I'm always a little suspicious of older "mint" basses. They're mint because they didn't get played. They didn't get played because they didn't sound good or play well.
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Totally agreed. I have owned several -very- old basses, and the best playing/sounding ones were always very very far from mint. Also, the refins almost always play better than the minty ones, since they probably looked terrible before the new finish was applied. And I do play this bass, I am just a bit scared of it being damaged, as it represents a big investment for me. I enjoy playing it a lot, but let's say I would like to preserve its "purity" as it has been preserved for 50+ years. She deserves some respect in her old age. :)
 
#22
chris_b said:
Some basses end up in perfect condition because they were brought by a guy who wanted a hobby and who then moved on to another interest and just didn't get around to selling it.

It doesn't follow at all that these basses didn't get played because they sound bad.
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True, "minty" does not mean it is a bad instrument. But "heavily played" normally DOES mean it plays amazing, IMHO.
 
#23
Did you buy this bass as an investment or to be played? If it is an investment, leave it home and get something else. If it is a player, play it! If something fails, fix it. Like somebody said above, this bass looks like it does because it was played. A 50 + year old bass with no wear and no dings is very suspicious, indeed. Nice bass, by the way.
 
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#26
Yeah, definitely don't break the solder joints. If the jack were to wear out, replace it with anther vintage jack if you can (should be able to get one for around $25-50 at the most). Even if you had to replace it with a new jack (and kept the old on in the case), that wouldn't hardly even make a dent in the value of that bass.
 
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#27
REV said:
What good is having a great bass if you don't play it? That bass didn't get to be in the condition it is in because nobody played it. In fact I'm always a little suspicious of older "mint" basses. They're mint because they didn't get played. They didn't get played because they didn't sound good or play well.
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I'm with the REV, take that puppy out for a walk. I was taught a long time ago, that the more you play an instrument the better it sounds. My instructor' s name was Tom Evans and he played an ancient Precision and found my '77 that I still have. One day he says, " You know why my bass sounds better than yours? Because it's been played for thousands of hours. And all those vibrations have subtlety altered the wood on a molecular level and projecting it's unique resonance. In 10-20 years your (nee my brand new '77) bass will start to have it's own voice."

I have never doubted that man. While I don't have any scientific evidence supporting this theory, most of us accept it as a fact. Playing an old bass in front of others is almost mandatory. That way you'll keep it's mojo fully charged. With a 50+ year old bass there is a need for caution, but I've seen some work horses that were tougher than newbies.

Maybe Tom was just trying to get me to practice more.:bassist:
 
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#28
jjmuckluckjr said:
I'm with the REV, take that puppy out for a walk. I was taught a long time ago, that the more you play an instrument the better it sounds. My instructor' s name was Tom Evans and he played an ancient Precision and found my '77 that I still have. One day he says, " You know why my bass sounds better than yours? Because it's been played for thousands of hours. And all those vibrations have subtlety altered the wood on a molecular level and projecting it's unique resonance. In 10-20 years your (nee my brand new '77) bass will start to have it's own voice."

I have never doubted that man. While I don't have any scientific evidence supporting this theory, most of us accept it as a fact. Playing an old bass in front of others is almost mandatory. That way you'll keep it's mojo fully charged. With a 50+ year old bass there is a need for caution, but I've seen some work horses that were tougher than newbies.

Maybe Tom was just trying to get me to practice more.:bassist:
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I totally agree. Something happens to an instrument when it gets played. The more it gets played the better it gets. Instruments need to be played. They've never been able to totally replicate the sound of a Stradivarius violin because the new ones haven't been played for 200 years.
 
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#30
The electronics in a P bass are stupid simple. So long as you
Don't spill beer in it, they'll be fine. With a vintage bass, if be more concerned about theft or falling off a stand or something than if be worried about the guys
 
#31
Lovely bass.
Glad you have decided not to pull out the electrics. Just be careful of it when you play it out. Take a spare bass to gigs, I always do anyway.
The only other thing I would suggest, if you haven't already done it, is string it with flats to help conserve the frets.
I don't really like flats but run a set of TIs on my 100% original 56 purely for that reason. It sounds a 100% better to me with rounds but the frets are great for it's age and I want to keep them that way, if possible.
 
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#33
veebass said:
Lovely bass.
Glad you have decided not to pull out the electrics. Just be careful of it when you play it out. Take a spare bass to gigs, I always do anyway.
The only other thing I would suggest, if you haven't already done it, is string it with flats to help conserve the frets.
I don't really like flats but run a set of TIs on my 100% original 56 purely for that reason. It sounds a 100% better to me with rounds but the frets are great for it's age and I want to keep them that way, if possible.
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Good advice, thanks. It came strung with the oldest set of rounds I've seen, and they sound great, but just by complete coincidence I just ordered a set of Labella flats. I will preserve the old rounds and fit it with the flats. Frets on this one are great too. Another pic, just for the sake of it... Vintage Fender lovers out there, have a look at the insane (and quite unique I think) birdseye maple on the neck ;)
yuv.JPG
 

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#39
drums1977 said:
I know it is hard to believe, but it plays better than it looks...
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I believe you. I played a 58 and 59 at the time when I bought my 56. The guy has some very cool basses. I won't mention the Jazzes.
Of the two split coil Ps- the 59 was easily the peach to play and soundwise- like yours but with an anodised guard and most of the finish missing off the front of the bass.
 
#40
Honestly, I wouldn't mind hearing that 50+ old P bass with a whole new pickguard setup....just for comparison sakes.

That's the great thing about a P bass....you just pull the whole pickguard out with what, 1 wire left at the bridge?

I wouldn't mind hearing the whole vintage P bass pickguard on another bass as well.

I TRULY think most of the tone is in the neck on any guitar....next is the body.

Ive been around many vintage Fender & Gibsons in my life and own a few....many times neck have been swapped on all kinds of Fenders by pro players!!

There is a reason for this folks.

I once met a guy from Oklahoma who bought and sold 100's of vintage Fenders....his main guitar was an early 60's Strat neck on a japan Tokai body with a mix of pickups....he thought the neck and pickups were the most important part, though some bodies are just plain dead......the decent bodies don't vary as much as decent necks.

But I digress!
 

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