'51 P project

[Rumblin' Man]

Thanks again.

I agree about the simplicity.

Yes, the finish is Minwax Natural stain, many coats. I used an EMG SA Strat pickup on that one.

 

[lpdeluxe]

There's considerable charm in the utilitarian shapes of the 1st generation P. Leo Fender couldn't make something pretty if you held a gun to his head, but he could make 'em hell for functional. Much as I love my split-coil Ps with their Freddie Tavares style, the original has a lot of appeal. They wear Fender's solutions to the essential conceptual problems on the outside.

I have a '51 RI and a couple of split-coils.

 

[GlennW]

It's funny how tastes change. I used to think Fenders were ugly. The pickguards reminded me amoebas (sp) from Jr High science class, the headstocks weren't symetrical, solid colors...no real evidence of craftsmanship, looked sort of home made. But then they grew on me. They're like cars from the '50s; you can have 10 of the same model, but with the right color combinations and chrome parts they can each have their own individual appeal and look very different while being pretty much the same below the surface.

 

[lpdeluxe]

Yeah, the '51-57 pickguard is popularly known as the "amoeba" shape. It's been said that Fender's early instruments looked like they'd been built in a high school shop class.

It's interesting you use the '50s automobiles as a comparison -- unlike Fender, they were "styled" by highly paid professionals.

Thus the Edsel.