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'66 dot/bound J tribute

#41
Awsome! Your pictures show up embedded again in full. Very glad to see that!
When I play with my fingers I actually prefer to have the pickup cover on so I can rest them somewhere.
(I started doing this to emulate Jamerson(because I only played with a pick), but then it became comfortable, so now I do the hook and play with the pup covers on.)
 
#42
IvanMunoz said:
Awsome! Your pictures show up embedded again in full. Very glad to see that!
When I play with my fingers I actually prefer to have the pickup cover on so I can rest them somewhere.
(I started doing this to emulate Jamerson(because I only played with a pick), but then it became comfortable, so now I do the hook and play with the pup covers on.)
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The world is wonderfully big enough and all personal styles/techniques of playing are welcomed! ;) I play mostly w/fingers but really love using a pick and try to mix up the two during any given session. I somehow managed to hold onto a red felt pick that I bought in the late 70's (!) and it is also always in my mix!

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The type of pick I usually use is the larger tri-corner (most likely a medium) but also like a Fender thin on occasion.
 
#43
Well, a watched pot never boils or something like that.., Fed Ex didn't make it today for whatever reason so it's a Monday delivery for the neck.

In the meantime I acquired two 1966 pennies! (from our drummers penny stash after rehearsal)

I installed a 2013 penny and on top of it the 1966 (a whole lot cheaper than a vintage '66 neck plate!) to commemorate the originals introduction and the actual introduction/assembled year of this bass. Runways clear - ready for landing! :bassist:

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#44
Slight hick-up with the '66 neck finish this week but it will in fact be here by next week (for sure this time)

I reassembled my P/J Jaguar with a (cheap but decent) Mighty Mite (Fender authorized) P-neck and some cool (also cheap) tuners. Now that I've got the Jazz bases covered, I decided to favor it as a P-bass. This was the bass that started me on the whole '66 trajectory - a real instigator this one! (figures it's a P!) I'm not particularly a loyalist in terms of the P or J camps, I like them both for exactly the reasons they are different.

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#45
Did you have to do any fretwork on that Mighty Might neck. In my experience they are absolutely fantastic necks, but the fretwork leaves a lot to be desired. After a simple fret job they are rock solid.
 
#46
Hopkins said:
Did you have to do any fretwork on that Mighty Might neck. In my experience they are absolutely fantastic necks, but the fretwork leaves a lot to be desired. After a simple fret job they are rock solid.
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Hey Hopkins - This is my first MM neck and for the money ($107 - vintage tint/gloss) it has no fret issues. I was able to set it up the way I like it and it's all good. My only concern was that I had to tighten the truss-rod pretty tight to get the correct bow/level. It's holding but I wonder if the maple is softer (or harder?) than a pricier neck. I get worried when I have to torque it that tight. (no fudge-room left) Any insights there?
 
#47
JIO said:
Hey Hopkins - This is my first MM neck and for the money ($107 - vintage tint/gloss) it has no fret issues. I was able to set it up the way I like it and it's all good. My only concern was that I had to tighten the truss-rod pretty tight to get the correct bow/level. It's holding but I wonder if the maple is softer (or harder?) than a pricier neck. I get worried when I have to torque it that tight. (no fudge-room left) Any insights there?
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I've never had any truss rod issues with them. I have used quite a few of them, and only have had to do fret work.
 
#48
Great job all around. Thanks for all the details and pictures. Yes, Dan Ransom is a truly nice guy and have admired his work over the years(living in SF). So are Ben and Chris up front at Real Guitars. Looking at the work he did on your Jazz neck inspires me to Jazzify the neck on a Fender MIJ '51 RI. I realize it will require refretting but a jazz profile neck will make me play it more. Yes I do understand your plight in tort pickguards as well. I still want to find someone who can do a real yellowish/brown ( like real tortoise shell). I actually saw some that someone in Europe had made some years back but he did it as a limited edition for an acoustic guitar maker. Picguardian did a nice tort on A jazz for me a while back. Any pics of the final jazz put together?
 
#49
copacetic said:
Great job all around. Thanks for all the details and pictures. Yes, Dan Ransom is a truly nice guy and have admired his work over the years(living in SF). So are Ben and Chris up front at Real Guitars. Looking at the work he did on your Jazz neck inspires me to Jazzify the neck on a Fender MIJ '51 RI. I realize it will require refretting but a jazz profile neck will make me play it more. Yes I do understand your plight in tort pickguards as well. I still want to find someone who can do a real yellowish/brown ( like real tortoise shell). I actually saw some that someone in Europe had made some years back but he did it as a limited edition for an acoustic guitar maker. Picguardian did a nice tort on A jazz for me a while back. Any pics of the final jazz put together?
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Thanks copacetic (always loved that term - so beat!) Are you going to keep the maple '51 RI neck looking more or less like the original? If it doesn't matter, it may be a good opportunity to do binding as long as it's going to be de-fretted, shaved down and re-fretted. Just a thought...
Have you seen Woody Allen's newest movie? They shot a scene at Real Guitars at Gary's counter area. "...is this what it's come down to - working in a small shop selling second-hand instruments?" <(line from the movie) Glad to hear I'm not the only one to fuss over details such as period correct tort pg's. The '66 will come together next week and many pics will be posted. It'll be interesting to hear it because if it sounds anything like it will look - it will sound awesome! I've been lucky so far to create and assemble some really great sounding basses and this one has all that's needed to follow that trend.
 
#50
I,ve been meaning to see that movie. I remember when they filmed some of it in West Portal near where I live. Now I got to see it that Gary's was in it. Funny he never mentioned it to me. His shop has done a ton of repairs on my stuff. Actually Chris lives in Pacifica. Regarding the neck...Well I want to keep that '51 headstock profile. Never though of binding on that maple neck...hmm. I did replace the white pickguard for a black one which looks much cooler to me...maybe black binding! Also the single coil pickup is noisy when the tone is full so I want to work on that, maybe a noiseless Lindy Fralin'. I've recently fallen back in love with my Jazz Road Worn. Jazz Basses just cover so much area tonally and the necks fit my hands just right.
 
#51
copacetic said:
I,ve been meaning to see that movie. I remember when they filmed some of it in West Portal near where I live. Now I got to see it that Gary's was in it. Funny he never mentioned it to me. His shop has done a ton of repairs on my stuff. Actually Chris lives in Pacifica. Regarding the neck...Well I want to keep that '51 headstock profile. Never though of binding on that maple neck...hmm. I did replace the white pickguard for a black one which looks much cooler to me...maybe black binding! Also the single coil pickup is noisy when the tone is full so I want to work on that, maybe a noiseless Lindy Fralin'. I've recently fallen back in love with my Jazz Road Worn. Jazz Basses just cover so much area tonally and the necks fit my hands just right.
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The shot starts w/the front door and their name plate is great advertising for them! They did a lot of rearranging inside and it's barely recognizable as the same place - very low light like it's after hours of something.

I like the tone but I'm not a big single coil buzz person either. Years ago, I converted my '06 '51 RI P pretty dramatically -

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As you can tell, I dig Jazzes too! I've heard the road-worn basses are universally praised but have never played one. One thought about your neck - you might want to weigh out making the kind of mods on your P-neck as it may start to bump up to the cost of a making new one. I'd be curious to hear what price you're quoted to convert your P into a J.
 
#52
That is a radical modification. However by the looks of it, you had some pretty specific ideas you wanted to execute. I'll ask Dan. I did think of that cost as well but wanted to keep the original neck. I know i can get a jazz profile with the '51 headstock, probaly for around $200. from Warmoth. If I did that then I would go ahead with some other modifications li e Gotoh resolites, the Lindy Fralin noiseless single coils and wet sand the shiny lacquer. etc.. The Road Worns are contenders.
 
#54
Got the neck from Pat Wilkins today after a long day of work and pulled out some reserve energy to get started on prepping it. As is his MO - Pats work is consistently superb!

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The vintage tint is the perfect 'aged' colour - not too amber, not too light or dark - just right!

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I softened the fret-board edges, emery-clothed the mahogany, nourished the fb w/Gerliz Guitar Honey and positioned the bone nut (from Hornys Guitar Parts, UK) gotta luv it!

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installed the tuner ferrules

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back of headstock gloss - neck satin (super feel)

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lollypops installed

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back view

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gestalt du jour

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now sleep -
 
#58
kevin_lindsay said:
Looking good! Where did you get your lollipop tuners from?
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Years ago (before Hipshot's lollypop version came out) there was a guy on ebay who would take the '70 style Fender large paddle clover-leafs like on the Getty Lee model (which are the same footprint as lollypops), hone-off the top bump and burnished the edges to a glassy smoothness - top-notch modifying. All that's missing is the Fender stamp. I bought two sets of the GL clovers and sent them to him to convert. If one had metal-shop skills I imagine it could still be done.
 
#59
Now that I have some daylight, I want to post a couple more neck pics. I initially had Dan Ransom do slightly off-white/soft cream binding on the neck instead of white. I then had Pat do the neck w/a vintage tint, and in result the binding does this cool visual flip-flop. From one angle it nearly disappears into the maple, and when the light catches the woods fibers from another angle - it pops out! The fb edge remains a score of soft cream (now looking white in comparison) and there ends up to be a 3 part harmony/transition of neck visual differentiations. When similar valued colours and/or wood fibers do this visual trick, it makes an inanimate object come alive!

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The Olympic white hs face being now slightly amber also works well as a nod to aging as most Fender's from this time
were sprayed over the decals which then aged slightly more than the bodies colour over time. Lovely.

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