Yeah that explains alot. I was going by the new reissues. From my understanding the olde Fullerton reissues have more accurate necks. I have never been fortunate to play or own one though.
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Fender 57' or 62' P bass?? Whats the difference??
- Thread starter richkidsonlsd
- Start date
Yeah that explains alot. I was going by the new reissues. From my understanding the olde Fullerton reissues have more accurate necks. I have never been fortunate to play or own one though.
I particularly like the 57 RI in black, but I only know of one for sale in the US, not counting eBay or Craigslist. Its a sweet player but I can't justify the expense of it.
Just because its a Fullerton doesn't mean its good. I had an 83 62 RI Jazz bass and sold it. I thought it was a hunk of junk.
Its my first bass, and I never thought it was anything special until I came to TB.
I paid $400 (well $200, my dad paid half) when I was a little kid almost a decade ago. Its got a sweet neck.
Ric5
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- Jan 29, 2008
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- I like 5, 8, 10, and 12 string basses
I owned a Fullerton '57 reissue, and it was the best P-Bass I've owned. My 2002 St P-Bass with a Nordstrand NP4 pickup is very close tone-wise, but I prefer the 1.75" "C" style neck on the reissue basses. If I ever decide to buy another P-Bass I'll buy either a '57 or '62 reissue model.
I also don't think that the 57 and 62 teissues had different pickups either. They both had American Vintage Precision bass pickups in them.
The major differences were the maple fretboard on the 57 vs rosewood on the 62, the anodized aluminum pickguard on the 57 vs the tortoise on the 62. The 57 is also available with an ash body in blonde finish, all other finishes are alder, the 62 just has an alder body.
The major differences were the maple fretboard on the 57 vs rosewood on the 62, the anodized aluminum pickguard on the 57 vs the tortoise on the 62. The 57 is also available with an ash body in blonde finish, all other finishes are alder, the 62 just has an alder body.
The original (ca. 1982-83) Vintage Series '57 P Bass had raised pole pieces for the A string, and a pronounce "V" shape on the back of the neck compared to the '62. Otherwise the only differences were the obvious ones- the '57 had a one-piece maple neck, an anodized 'guard, and the 'burst came is a 2-tone. The '62 has the slab rosewood board, all pole pieces the same size, and the sunburst ones are three-tone.
My 1983 VS '62 (Lake Placid Blue, BTW) has a very wide neck that's a full 1.75" at the nut, and it's very shallow front-to-back. It's my favorite neck ever. The '57 the store I managed got the same day the '62 came in had a the same width nut, but the neck was a bit chunkier front-to-back and had the "V" contour. After they closed the Fullerton factory in 1985, I have no idea what varies between them as no Fender dealer in the area has had a VS '57 P since 1983 around here.
jte
My 1983 VS '62 (Lake Placid Blue, BTW) has a very wide neck that's a full 1.75" at the nut, and it's very shallow front-to-back. It's my favorite neck ever. The '57 the store I managed got the same day the '62 came in had a the same width nut, but the neck was a bit chunkier front-to-back and had the "V" contour. After they closed the Fullerton factory in 1985, I have no idea what varies between them as no Fender dealer in the area has had a VS '57 P since 1983 around here.
jte
Well I have an '01 AV '57 Precision on the way. It is Dakota red. Mrs. 9mmMike got it for me for Christmas. Stoked am I!
Is there a "club" for the AV's?
Is there a "club" for the AV's?
I use a Squier JV Fender Precision 1982 S/N starts JV1**** with a class 'A' neck. This bass is a 57 precision in everyway.
The class A is the thinest neck (from back to front ) that was produced by Fender back then and was discontinued because it was un-stable as the technology of the time could not sustain the neck shape. The truss rod was inserted from the back and a piece of hard wood was fitted in slot to help give the neck a bit more strength and the familiar 'skunk look'. The main problem was the truss rod design, it just could not keep the slim neck stable, which is not a problem with todays technology. The slim class 'A' neck was replaced with a new rounder, fatter neck and the truss rod was inserted from the front and the fretboard put over it to hide the build. The 57 truss rod was inserted from behind with frets cut straight on to the neck which was designed to be the fretboard as well.
It has been my main bass for the last 30 years and every year it has its neck ajusted to keep it in line. it also has a hard flight case as gig bags do not give it the protection it needs. So for me the main difference is how much care is needed in looking after a 57 to keep it in gigging condition as opposed to the 62.
The class A is the thinest neck (from back to front ) that was produced by Fender back then and was discontinued because it was un-stable as the technology of the time could not sustain the neck shape. The truss rod was inserted from the back and a piece of hard wood was fitted in slot to help give the neck a bit more strength and the familiar 'skunk look'. The main problem was the truss rod design, it just could not keep the slim neck stable, which is not a problem with todays technology. The slim class 'A' neck was replaced with a new rounder, fatter neck and the truss rod was inserted from the front and the fretboard put over it to hide the build. The 57 truss rod was inserted from behind with frets cut straight on to the neck which was designed to be the fretboard as well.
It has been my main bass for the last 30 years and every year it has its neck ajusted to keep it in line. it also has a hard flight case as gig bags do not give it the protection it needs. So for me the main difference is how much care is needed in looking after a 57 to keep it in gigging condition as opposed to the 62.
does anyone know the tonal differences between the two? because according to the specifications, they do have different pickups. Also do the different fingerboards make much difference in tone? I would be playing mine with a pick mostly for rock and punk if that helps. thanks
I only own a 57 but I've heard the tonal difference is the 62 is a little more bassy, whereas the 57 a little more middy due to the raised A-poles. Again this is what I've heard about the 62, not from personal experience. The 57 reissue is an amazing bass, and has perhaps the best playing neck of any P-bass I've owned.
I also only own the '57 model but I wanted to add that not all the '57 AV RI's have the raised poles. No idea how Fender did this but my '01 has the raised poles but my '97 does not.
The current replacement pups (according to Fender) are called "Original" and they also do not have the raised poles.
I started a thread for the AV's if anyone wants to post up stuff about them (especially pics!), please do.
I love the '57 AV's. The necks are perfect (for me) and they just sound "right" (to me).
http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=523621
That's interesting about the pickup. I bought my AV 57 in late 2007 online from GC, so I've assumed it's a 2007 model year but never removed the neck to verify. Anyway mine has the raised A-poles.
To follow up, just looked at the new 57 currently on TPB's website and it doesn't appear to have the raised A-poles:
http://www.theperfectbass.com/explo...103193101&W=STORE&P=N&S=1001081&U=1&SS=1&CR=Y
http://www.theperfectbass.com/explo...103193101&W=STORE&P=N&S=1001081&U=1&SS=1&CR=Y
Hey all,Just been wondering if anyone knows the entire truth on the Fender "fullertons" I've been looking on different forums to see how many people own a Fender "Fullerton" '57 reissue that has a V shaped neck (which is what would be period correct). I'm even curious about the Strats too because to be period correct they would have a V shaped neck. I have owned a couple Fullerton '57 reissue P basses, one from 1982 and the other from early 1983 and both were said to have had V necks but when I recieved them they definately were not even a soft V in my oppinion....they both were definately C profile to me. Maybe some people have a different oppinion of neck profiles? IDK I also see some people sell them that say they are C and on a website right now theres an '83 for sale that says it has a V profile neck. If they trully exist I would love to find one because I happen to Love V profile necks, theres nothing like them. I was lucky enough to play a real '57 before and it was the sweetest most comfortable I've ever played in my life! I'd appreciate any input anybody has on their experiences with these things. They do seem to be beautiful basses and have great craftmanship but I'm curious about the necks. I even compared both of mine when I owned them to my classic '50s P bass & Road Worn and they were similiar especially the nut width of approx 1.75 (I think my "Fullerton" was about 1.77) but the classic '50s was actually deeper front to back of neck. Usually a V neck is a little thinnner at nut but deeper front to back and feels chunky front to back but skinnier the other way because of the V contour. Real '50s V necks are usually about 1&5/8 at nut. I've played the newer Corona '57 reissues and the neck looks very similiar to the "Fullertons" and the Road Worn and Classic '50s...all C necks to me. I recently saw a Fender "Fullerton" '62 reissue for sale being advertised to have a V profile neck which has to be false. I've been reading as much info I can find about the early '80s Fullertons and I cant seem to find any legitimate source to back up the theory that Fender hired the original guys from the Pre-CBS days to make these reissues and even used the original jigs and tools and that they were made by hand like the old days and not on CNC machines. I have a bunch of Fender bass books and I can never find that much info...i'm just curious to know the truth about them. In the last edition of Guitarist magazine (Dec 2012) Theres a cool little article about the "Fullertons" in there and it was only a couple pages. According to Dan Smith they did research on the old guitars and went to a vintage music store and purchased particular models to help guide them because technical drawings were not available for pre-CBS guitars and basses. He didnt mention anything about hiring the old Pre-CBS guys and he also didnt mention anything about acquiring the original jigs and tooling. It dont mean it didnt happen, but if it did it just wasnt mentioned in that article. I wish they did a longer article. Smith also was quoted as saying that he made the decision to NOT do V necks on any of the reissues after talking to different guitarists. That was the main modern concession he made because he felt more people prefer a C neck and it may detract some people from buying them with a V. I'm just curious if they were hand made and necks hand shaped like old days, if any of them were given a V anyway by some of the Old Fender Guys? I'm curious if there are variations in each of the necks as it should be if they were made like the old days? I'd love to hear all your info and experiences with these things. Happy New Year!
