+1. Hi Jim, I read the entire thread, -maybe I missed your reply to this post. How does it sound?
What a beauty!
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Did I just find a '66 P-bass?
- Thread starter Jim Carr
- Start date
+1. Hi Jim, I read the entire thread, -maybe I missed your reply to this post. How does it sound?
What a beauty!
No offense but PooPoo on that!!! I have played MANY MANY P-Basses, one thing I have learned is, there is something special about 1966 P-Basses. It is not just my opinion, this comes to me from several luthiers and pro-players that I know. They all search for 1966 P's in particular.
Do you own a '66 P-bass? I do. It's nice and all. Plays and sounds great. But there really isn't anything all that special about it. A few years back, I sold a '71 P-bass that I actually thought was a better instrument.
Believe me, as I have one, there's nothing I'd like more than to think that a '66 is something special. But it's just not the case.
That there is one mans opinion.
There are lot's of others who would disagree with that.
How many have you played? It's possible you have a "dog" . No era is immune to "dogs"
I have found on average, that the early CBS era stuff tends to be really good...on average, in my experience.
Personaly, one of the best Precisions I ever played was a maple board (unusual for a 66) C neck Precision. Total SMOKE SHOW, and I'd rank that one right up with my own 64 on the Smoke O Meter.
On the other hand , I've played some real "doggy" pre CBS ones too, proving that the vintage or era isn't the only ingredient in the mix.
No I don't A 1966 P-Bass I own TWO...there is a reason for it, they are the best of the era.
- Jan 21, 2006
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- fEARful Kool-Aid dispensing liberal academic card-carrying union member Musicians Local 72-147
Hi Arthur-
Ooops, sorry. I played the bass on New Years eve shortly after changing the strings from some unidentified round wounds to La Bella 760 flats.
In the process, I reset the action and tweaked the truss rod about 1/10th of a turn tighter hoping to improve the action. As the evening wore on, I noticed it choked a little in the higher frets, so when I got home I backed off on the truss relief about to where it was when I got it.
The choking is gone, though the slight (and typical) hump/ski jump starting at about the 14th or 15th fret makes low action problematic. Later, I dialed-in a good compromise, which until the neck is de-humped is probably about as good as it will get, though I go for good tone before low action. If the action is set too low, it hurts both the attack and sustain of the upper frets a bit.
The tone is good and typical, I think, of split coil P-basses. It is not as bright as the newer instruments, and it would be nice to A/B it with my '71, but that newer instrument is not in New York.
I like the tones this bass makes, and found the LaBellas good, though when new (twangy), they took a little getting used to. There is a small intermittent ground issue, which disappeared after the neck was put back on, so we will wait and see about that.
It I were to try and pinpoint what makes this bass different from newer P-basses in terms of tone, I would be inventing things, or lapsing into poety. About as far as I will go is to say with the right rig, this instrument has serious booty and an intense low mid core to the sound.
Sadly, I've never owned or played a '66 P-bass, but my brother was born that year and he turned out OK. Eventually.
If there isn't anything that special about it, why not sell it, and get an MIM Fender or an SX... because functionaly they are the same...
+1 I've ran into a few pre-CBS Fenders that didn't wow me, but I played many that were freakin' awesome. -I've played a few CBS-era Fenders that smoked, but I've played far more that were just blah, -namely mid 70's and up models.
Now on the other hand, one of the absolute best P-Basses I've ever played was a early 80's US-made '57 Reissue. -The only bass I've ever regretted selling.
Just my 2 cents and IMO
If there isn't anything that special about it, why not sell it, and get an MIM Fender or an SX... because functionaly they are the same...
+1000
+1 I've ran into a few pre-CBS Fenders that didn't wow me, but I played many that were freakin' awesome. -I've played a few CBS-era Fenders that smoked, but I've played far more that were just blah, -namely mid 70's and up models.
Now on the other hand, one of the absolute best P-Basses I've ever played was a early 80's US-made '57 Reissue. -The only bass I've ever regretted selling.
Just my 2 cents and IMO
As has been often discussed, Fender production was pretty inconsistent back then - but the general statement "Pre-CBS is better than the CBS years" is held to be an agreed upon truth... But I can see some exceptions. I buddy of mine had a '57 strat that was a real piece of junk - just poorly made (but very valuable). He then got a '64 that was the bees-freakin'-knees. Why? Who knows.
Me, I've never owned a pre-CBS fender an likely never will. I had plenty of chances back when I had more money and the collectors hadn't gone crazy (I recall having a few grand and walking around Voltage music in Hollywood and playing several Pre-CBS J-basses - none called to me, and they were all between $1500 and $2500 (meaning I could have afforded one). Sigh... I miss the '80s!
True, and functionaly speaking my SX is the same as my 64 Fender, but they aren't the same.
A C neck has a very different feel than a B neck.
A 72 has a fairly good likelyhood of being Ash. A 66 is more than likely Alder. That is certainly different.
There are differences in the pickups. There are differences between a 72 and a 2008 too, but they are both Fender split coils. They do however all LOOK pretty much the same. For that matter a mid 90's MIM split coil is still a Fender split coil too, but not the same.
Rosewood is Roswood? Better check again. Brazillian Rosewood, is different than Indian Rosewood.
The bridge is the same design (and so is my SX bridge) but there are differences in the saddles, so no, not the same.
The tuners work in completely different directions, so no, not the same.
Nitro vs. Poly has been debated at lenght. Regardless of personal opinions on the subject, you can't say they are the same. They are by design different.
Yup, lots of small differences.
So yes, functionaly speaking a 59, 66, 72, 79, 09, and and SX SPB 62 are basicly the same.
That said, my SX does sound remarkably like 64 Precision.
No no. A "c" neck is a "c" neck, which is the typical P-bass neck. Unless you're claiming that '66 and '72 models were typically fitted with "c" and "b" necks, respectively. If you are, you're wrong.
Sunburst/rosewood basses were predominately alder, right into the 70's. The use of alder was a cost saving move in the 50's. Either way, alder does not necessarily sound better than ash. Many feel the opposite is true.
The Fender-built P-bass pickups were for all practical purposes EXACTLY the same in the mid-60's through the 70's.
Nitro finishes look nicer than poly finishes. For a period of time. But there is NO difference in sound between basses finished in nitro and poly. That is pure myth.
A '66 P-bass and a '72 P-bass both have Indian rosewood boards. Regardless, there is absolutely positively unquestionably NO difference in tone between Brazilian and Indian rosewood on an electric bass. None. The difference between those 2 woods is the Brazilian rosewood looks nicer.
The bridges are the same. The saddles are different. There is no difference in sound. None. If anything, the '66 saddles are inferior.
The tuners turning in different directions don't affect sound or playability. I certainly hope you're not claiming they do.
Again - the differences you point out between a '66 and a '72 P-bass make no difference in the functional playability and sound of those basses. They're just little things collectors obsess over.
And an SX - though it's a nice enough bass - is an inferior instrument to any Fender made prior to '72.
I've played maybe a dozen '66 P-basses over the years. The bass I own, in my opinion, is among the best I've played. Of course, I could have played a dozen dogs, but I doubt that.
Especially if the SX has the Ursa headstock, which is one of those things really poor collectors obsess over.
No I don't A 1966 P-Bass I own TWO...there is a reason for it, they are the best of the era.
I've read several books on Fender. Your claim that 66's are the best basses of the era is the first time I've heard this. Could you direct me to any site or publication that could go into more detail about this?
Some are good, some aren't.
You are right that "functionally" a 66 is the same as a 72, much like a 70 Dodge Challenger is "functionally" the same as a 1978 Dodge Challenger. They both will get you from place to place....but there ARE many differences.
- Jan 21, 2006
- 16,223
- 7,614
- 76
- Disclosures
- fEARful Kool-Aid dispensing liberal academic card-carrying union member Musicians Local 72-147
IME, as the CBS era unfolded, the B neck became the most common nut width, but I must admit that is just my personal "random sample."
If there isn't anything that special about it, why not sell it, and get an MIM Fender or an SX... because functionaly they are the same...
I dunno. If someone offered me big bucks for it, I'd suppose consider it. But as it is, I'm a collector, and I'd have some trouble letting go of something I'd never again spend the money to replace.
