black & blond P makeover (etc)

[BassHappy]

Hey JIO

As always, outrageous and interesting stuff....

I was quite taken by your photo of the '52 and it was interesting to me how the "yellowish" of the color and vibe of that bass had such an impact on you. The '51 bass on the right had a huge impact on me - I was really intrigued with how the body had not just yellowed - but had kinda "oranged".

Definitely my inspiration, although not many of them seemed to have turned the orangish color - but at least one of them seemed to.

I think the point is - who knew that the ingenuity and experimentation going down in that era with woods and finishes could have had such a diverse and direct impact on what we are thinking about today. Who knew they would "yellow" like that and who knew at least one would "orange"? Pretty remarkable - and then you think of the fine art students who are intensely studying art which was created over the course of centuries ago.

 

[Lowbrow]

Your bass looks fantastic, Jio.

 

[JIO]

Hey JIO

As always, outrageous and interesting stuff....

I was quite taken by your photo of the '52 and it was interesting to me how the "yellowish" of the color and vibe of that bass had such an impact on you. The '51 bass on the right had a huge impact on me - I was really intrigued with how the body had not just yellowed - but had kinda "oranged".

View attachment 497394

Definitely my inspiration, although not many of them seemed to have turned the orangish color - but at least one of them seemed to.

View attachment 497395

I think the point is - who knew that the ingenuity and experimentation going down in that era with woods and finishes could have had such a diverse and direct impact on what we are thinking about today. Who knew they would "yellow" like that and who knew at least one would "orange"? Pretty remarkable - and then you think of the fine art students who are intensely studying art which was created over the course of centuries ago.

Exactly - We are the product of what rolls before our eyes at any given point. An impression is made, an indelible stamp in our individual catalogue of visual/emotional references. We then respond to that focus accordingly. Depending on when that moment happens, it shapes our focus and creates that familiar reference which we thereafter respond to. So in saying that, as we all move though time - when one era or style keeps being referenced, it has less to do with a specific nostalgic reference of a personal era and is more an acknowledgement of it's power/greatness. Like a classic Led Zeppelin song or some other 1970 gem - it bridges generations because it touched a universal nerve. I've found the years 69-70-71 to be incredibly powerful as a creative period in pop music - an era that continues to thrive today, far greater than anyone could have projected.

Your bass looks fantastic, Jio.

Thank you Lowbrow - it's a life process and if you are engaged long enough - you'll get closer to the romantic ideal over time.

 

[BassHappy]

Exactly - We are the product of what rolls before our eyes at any given point. An impression is made, an indelible stamp in our individual catalogue of visual/emotional references. We then respond to that focus accordingly. Depending on when that moment happens, it shapes our focus and creates that familiar reference which we thereafter respond to. So in saying that, as we all move though time - when one era or style keeps being referenced, it has less to do with a specific nostalgic reference of a personal era and is more an acknowledgement of it's power/greatness. Like a classic Led Zeppelin song or some other 1970 gem - it bridges generations because it touched a universal nerve. I've found the years 69-70-71 to be incredibly powerful as a creative period in pop music - an era that continues to thrive today, far greater than anyone could have projected.



Thank you Lowbrow - it's a life process and if you are engaged long enough - you'll get closer to the romantic ideal over time.

A very eloquent way to put it!

 

[JIO]

ok then… this arrived earlier. I found it at at thestatosphere on ebay - a new "blemished" Fiesta Red J body from WD. I looked up what a new/stock WD cost ($330 + shipping) and thought, for 1/2 price of that I'll take a chance the "blemish" won't be too bad. Well, I was pleasantly surprised to find it spotless and the only surface imperfection is a few very small upper horn top-side indentures.(!) I mean, it was really difficult to get a picture showing it so needless to say - score! So on to what it's going to be.

I've been attracted to Fiesta Red for a while, and have considered the Road Worn basses in that colour. (but don't need another bass) Unlike the RW basses, this WD alder body is not light (5lbs)- at least not as light as I would have liked. (for the price… that would have been a bonus) It's more or less the same as my Signature J body pre-routing. It's devoid of any drilled holes other than the neck attachment holes. I originally considered putting on a pg, but w/o holes I'm leaning towards pg-less. Also, of the 3 pg's I have in my stock (brown tort/red tort/black) - I don't like any of them w/that red. It's very red, sort of a dominate killer-tomato red, so I figure let it rule! I also had these creme covers, which I'm liking.

To start with, the neck heel sides need to be sanded a bit (which allows a nice tight fit), holes need to be drilled for the bridge, strap-buttons, control plate, and I need a neck pu. I found that this is one of the both same-size bridge pu routed bodies. I didn't know they were still doing that other than on Squiers. Since I'm going no pg, my only option is to get another split-coil bridge pu & creme cover.

 

[JIO]

Just bought this DiMarzio Ultra Jazz pu; it's hum-canceling and comes with a creme cover - sorted!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/141426280220

 

[JIO]

Red Boner vs Killer Tomato

 

[ICM]

I could tell you play that neck alot, looks great. I think a superJ with fiesta red and a mint super J guard would be really cool. Same bass in everything but the body.

 

[JIO]

I could tell you play that neck alot, looks great. I think a superJ with fiesta red and a mint super J guard would be really cool. Same bass in everything but the body.

Yes, the neck is a favorite of mine. All of it's life so far with (GHS) flats, so the frets are still in good shape. Mint or creme pearl would be the only options other than no pg. I set the (ex) Supernova creme pearl pg on it and it looks good w/the red and creme covers. I'd have to cut a custom pg for it as a standard J won't fit. I'm not sure what model this WD J body is supposed to mimic with both pu's bridge width - but everything else is standard J.

I sanded the neck heel and attached it to the body. Had to drill/plug the holes in the heal and start fresh. Installed the bridge, strap buttons and control plate, drilled the pu wire holes larger (to fit the cloth covered wires), sealed the cavities w/carbon sealer paint and will use copper tape on the floor of each cavity to solder a ground wire to. I coat the carbon paint with alkyd clear sealer so it doesn't rub off everywhere when installing parts. Fussy, but as the battery needs replacing every now and then, it prevents all the rub-off on fingers/cloths. I had to modify the old body so the battery fit but this one has sufficient space as is in the control cavity. Three screws and it's there to replace - I prefer seamless to a black plastic battery box. Since the body weighs pretty much the same and is made of alder, I suspect it will sound pretty much the same as before. But you never know until you hear it.

shielding paint still drying

 

[rodl2005]

Warmoth 51P

74 TELE

 

[JIO]

Warmoth 51P

Kudo's on the the large string ferrules and single-slot screws like the original but it must be a capped maple fb w/no skunk stripe. Also, I didn't realize the 70's Tele basses still used the 2 saddle bridge. They 'modernized' the pu/pg but that was it I guess.

 

[ICM]

What's the neck from?

 

[JIO]

What's the neck from?

It's an Allparts Fender Authorized neck. I've bought a few Allparts FA necks in the past and they are all of superior quality. The top criteria is feel of course, but also how true a neck stays over time. We don't have the extreme temperature swings here in CA, but a neck that stays put once set-up is a keeper in my book. I put on early 70's Fender decals because I like the bold font during those years and don't own an early 70's Fender bass. I've long ago gave up caring about it being an actual Fender neck or not so it just comes down to what I like. I have a feeling the folks at Fender could care less about what I do.

Coated the shielded cavities with alkyd sanding sealer. For base-coating/sealing w/clear, it's a favorite - and if white, I use the spray alkyd Zinsser Cover Stain. Both go on even, dry fast and sand out nice. I should buy up a stock of each as here in CA, products such as this are being 'phased out' /not sold by the day. (reminder to buy a stock of each soon)

 

[JIO]

Whilst waiting for the pu, I star-grounded the cavities. (bridge plate/bridge pu cavity base/neck pu cavity base to ground wire on preamp) Once the pu arrives it's a 10 minute hook-up and ready for strings and set-up. I've been looking at it every day imagining playing such a RED bass. My A/S J is red, but it looks staid next to this one. I started looking for Fiesta Red basses in my various Fender reference books to familiarize myself with it's history. Fiesta Red was used on the '56 Ford Thunderbird, but was discontinued the next year. Fender started using this colour in 1960 (thru '69) and in one book there is a picture of a FR/mint pg '64 J right next to my favorite pic of a '65 Firemist Gold Metallic J. Interesting how one year apart and the '64 pg turned mint over time and the '65 white pg still looks white. Must have changed plastic over that time period. Also note it must be a late '65 because it has the lollypop tuners. Hank Marvin (The Shadows) played one of the first strats made in FR in 1960 and requests for guitars in that colour went through the roof! The other most famous player to rock one was Pino Palladino (P bass) resulting in the FCS model. If anyone knows of other famous players who played Fiesta Red Fender guitars or basses, please feel free to post pics here. It will help me get in the world of FIESTA RED!

 

[ICM]

I think Bruce Thomas (Elvis Costello's bassist) had a fiesta red P.

 

[JIO]

I think Bruce Thomas (Elvis Costello's bassist) had a fiesta red P.

You are correct sir! His being the paler salmon version.

 

[JIO]

and another famous Fiesta Red bass...

Who bassist John Entwistle (1944-2002) played a lot of basses in his career, but few if any of them were as unusual as his infamous “Frankenstein” Precision Bass, which was his main stage and studio instrument from mid 1967 to 1971—a period that encompassed classic Who material including Tommy, Live at Leeds and Who’s Next. So when you hear quintessential Who tracks such as “Pinball Wizard” and “Won’t Get Fooled Again,” you’re hearing Frankenstein.

Entwistle assembled the monster himself in San Francisco on a day off during the Who’s summer 1967 U.S. tour. Consisting of the remains of several basses, it had a 1965 Precision body in three-color sunburst, a maple neck and pickups/circuitry from two “dead” 1966 “slab” Precisions (special limited-edition versions with no body contours sent to England in 1966), a pickguard from yet another Precision, tuners from two other Precisions, and a chrome pickup cover from a Jazz Bass.

“I used this baby from 1967 onwards through Tommy and all the tours up to Quadrophenia,” Entwistle once said in an interview. “Two hours with a Phillips screwdriver and a soldering iron and I was ranting around my hotel room screaming, “It’s alive, it’s alive!”

Entwistle retired Frankenstein from onstage work in the mid 1970s, at which point he had it refinished from sunburst to the salmon pink hue often referred to in the U.K. as Fiesta Red (although this differed notably from Fender’s U.S. Fiesta Red finish). Nonetheless, he noted in an April 1994 interview, “I have about 35 Precisions, all with different colors and from different eras, but I always go back to Frankenstein.”

Frankenstein went on the block at Sotheby’s in London in May 2003. Auction estimates ranged from £5,000 to £7,000 (up to $11,300 at the time), but the bass sold for a staggering £62,400 ($100,400)—nearly ten times its expected price—to an anonymous U.S. bidder.

 

[PortlandBass77]

I bought a CIJ '51 RI P-bass new in '06 (8 yrs ago already!) It was the overly mustard colour that didn't really look like a 50's P IMO. I liked it at first but decided to mod it for more tone variety (and no single-coil hum). The mustard was removed (not fun) and routing was done. G&L L-2000 MFD pu's & 9v pre-amp, Hipshot string-thru bridge and custom-cut parchment pearl pg. I also did a belly-bevel on the back. Awesome player, tones that cover every need - love it. I did the trans leather-brown nitro finish myself. Looked good, but being my 1st nitro finish, it had issues over time.

View attachment 442337

That first photo is one of the coolest basses I have ever seen! If only Fender made one with that configuration...

 

[JIO]

That first photo is one of the coolest basses I have ever seen! If only Fender made one with that configuration...

Thanks - it's the best of Leo's worlds for me. Not exactly this blend, but both Fender and Gibson are doing some tag-you're-it shape-shifting lately. The Dimension bass looks like a Gibson, with one or two (puffy) humbuckers, and the 2015 T-birds have G&L looking buckers w/exposed poles. Fender also does the Blacktop Jazz w/2 buckers in essentially the G&L/MM position. What's next, mahogany P's and J's and alder & ash T-birds? Over time there have been a few rare mahogany and walnut Fenders but like the single-coils vs hb's that defined those two brands they are the exception. And although there are bolt-on neck Gibson's, I don't think there will ever be a neck-thru P-bass. It's against the stated philosophy of Leo Fender to sell a bass that can be cheaply maintained/repaired with easily replaceable parts.

 

[JIO]

I found this comprehensive information on Fiesta Red. As with most all Fender colours from original to re-creations/versions today, variations abound. Especially with Fiesta Red it seems. Examples range from dusty salmon pink to saturated rose red/orange. So I'll assume that this colour (like mine) is closer to the original used on the '56 T-bird than the faded salmon version. Although the most illustrative pic (below) in this article is of the 3 Strats side by side. Mine is probably closest to the Squier. I took this pic next to something definitively orange to clearly segregate the two and it brings out the rosey hue.

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Original fiesta red (left), the refinished Strat in the middle is similar to hot rod red, the fiesta red Squier (right) is more towards an orange-red.