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Fender 60th Anniversary Precision Bass

#601
I really like the way the tint looks with the burst. Great idea.

My Blackguard Blonde 60th resides on a stand in the living room, where it gets a few hours of sunlight every day. The lacquer on both the neck and body has started to yellow a bit, so mine is not quite as tinted as yours but its catching up slowly.

I've also got some checking in the lacquer on the neck thanks to a too-cold outdoor show last month. That, plus the dings and wear on the body, and I'm starting to get a nice looking relic!!

ImageUploadedByTalkBass1369650659.350902.jpgImageUploadedByTalkBass1369650700.026770.jpg
 
#602
Lobster11 said:
10. I definitely need to get one in my hands and check it out, along with any other P's available for comparison. If I fall in love immediately, buy. If not, don't.

Anyone have anything to add?
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Can't you buy it on sale and return to try it out at home, like some of the guys have suggested?

Edit: d'oh, hadn't realised the thread went on...for another ~50 pages!
 
#603
Jeff K said:
Thanks Dom. YOU'RE the reason I got another one! :D No, just kidding. But I did have seller's remorse after selling you mine. Every time I'd see one, I'd think, "WHY did I sell mine?!" Then this one popped up used, so I snagged it. But the whitish maple board bothered me, so I got it tinted. I do like it a lot, but I love those Blackguard Blondes too...
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Lol i am quite flattered ;) But yeah they are just fantastic instruments and that tint on the neck and fretboard is just awesome Jeff. Very well done.
 
#604
kiat said:
Can't you buy it on sale and return to try it out at home, like some of the guys have suggested?

Edit: d'oh, hadn't realised the thread went on...for another ~50 pages!
Click to expand...

Ha! Yeah, that was a long time ago. If you don't want to read the subsequent ~50 pages to find out how the story turns out: I did eventually buy it on sale, loved it, and kept it. And they (we) lived happily ever after.
 
#606
Fletz said:
Then read the story of the boy who let one get away. :)

However, I did just pick up a 1983 Fullerton Fender P. Came with flats and boy do I love it. Gonna put a black pickguard on it and live vicariously through you all ... But boy is this 30 year old bass amazing.

View attachment 340164
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Hey Pete, when I picked up my Classic '50s used, she was wearing a tort guard. The color of the bass is similar to your Fullerton. You might want to consider tort, although I like the white on yours as well.

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#608
I (sorta) joined the 60th Anniversary P club about six months ago. I picked up a stripped tobacco sunburst 60th Anniversary P body cheap off of eBay. I was surprised I was able to get it for $250 as it was lightweight and had the most gorgeous swamp ash grain pattern underneath that super cool nitro finish which looks almost like a three color 'burst with a slight strip of red between the the black/brown and yellow/amber. Nobody else bid on it?!?!?! I happened to have a Fender "Original" '62 reissue Precision pickup and a vintage correct pre-CBS style wiring harness on hand ... both of which were just waiting for a home as well as a Fender high mass bridge that I got used off TalkBass. It took a while to find a USA made control plate with holes big enough for the larger shafts on USA made 250K CTS pots as most of the ones available are for Japanese reissue '51 and Sting Ps and only fit the smaller pot shafts that those basses employ. The real trick was finding a pickguard as the 60th Anniversary P uses a '51 P/TeleBass style one only shaped for a rounded neck pocket. I tried to get one directly from Fender and went as far as to talk to someone from Fender who gave me a verbal OK that they'd sell me one, but I guess he got overruled or something. I then sent out some inquiries to various parts makers on the 'net and got mostly responses of NO or send us a template for what I wanted and they'd make me a custom one for a small fortune. I would've opted to just go without a pickguard as it has one of the nicest grain/finish combinations I've ever seen if it weren't for that stupid CNC rout. Lucky for me, Jeannie Pickguards had a template for the 60th Anniversary P pickguard so I had them make me a three ply white/black/white one (which I thought would look better than the stock black) and am happy with the results of that decision. I was originally going to put a very chunky, 50's style V contour maple/rosewood USA Custom Guitars Tele headstock P neck on it until I ran into a great eBay deal on a killer 2008 Fender American Standard maple/maple P neck (just like what would come stock on it ... short of that little A string retainer do-hicky/thing-a-ma-jig) for $325. And, of course, I had to put a vintage style thumb rest on it just cuz. It's a hack job FrankenFender like many of my basses, but a real winner ... me likey.
 
#609
Sounds like you put together a pretty cool bass, pbassnut.

The thing that's funny about this, I think, is that the 60th Anniversary is already kind of a Frankenbass (which is exactly why a lot of people didn't like it, but some of us loved it). So if you created a Frankenbass modeled after a Frankenbass, you have a.... metaFrankenbass?
 
#610
I play my 60th annivarsary P now for a little more than a year. The thing that bothers my a bit is that the action is good. But if I wanted to lower it I can't cause the string saddles are very close to the bridge plate. How was your Anniversary P-Bass set up? Good low action? Still room the get a little lower if wanted? Also the screws are sticking out. On other American Standard Bass pictures I never see "oldschool-style" screws sticking out.
Great bass though, my number one right now.
 
#611
It depends on what strings I use how low my action will go.

I find that I can get a LOT lower with flats, but right now mine is wearing rounds. Still very low and requires a lighter touch. Yes, the screws on the bridge saddles are sticking out, but I still have a little room left before I would need to shim the neck.

I would expect that you may need to adjust your truss rod.
 
#617
Thanks a lot.
Okay, your saddles are setup almost the same. E a bit higher, or is it the angle.
Are those flatwound strings?
I also thought about tapered strings, where the E-string is thin above the E-saddle. That might help to get my E-string setup lower without getting to the bottom.

My bass tec of choice says that I don't have a factory shim, he could shim but he doesn't see the need to shim. Up to me both is possible. Most people say shim it. But I don't want so far.
 
#618
fendersurfer said:
Thanks a lot.
Okay, your saddles are setup almost the same. E a bit higher, or is it the angle.
Are those flatwound strings?
I also thought about tapered strings, where the E-string is thin above the E-saddle. That might help to get my E-string setup lower without getting to the bottom.

My bass tec of choice says that I don't have a factory shim, he could shim but he doesn't see the need to shim. Up to me both is possible. Most people say shim it. But I don't want so far.
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I'm currently using D'Addario XL Rounds. Tapered strings may work for you, but as far as shimming, with CNC being used these days, few basses really need shimmed (IMO) due to the accuracy at which the neck pocket is routed. Very little room for error since its all done by machine. The neck angle is normally done by the CNC machine. I may be wrong on this but I haven't seen the need to shim a neck except on cheaper models in many years.

I wouldn't shim. I would try flats first and see if the increased tension gets you low enough.
 
#619
Fletz said:
Then read the story of the boy who let one get away. :)

However, I did just pick up a 1983 Fullerton Fender P. Came with flats and boy do I love it. Gonna put a black pickguard on it and live vicariously through you all ... But boy is this 30 year old bass amazing.

View attachment 340164
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I just jumped off the Jazz bandwagon and bought a Fender Select P. I removed the parchment guard with a black one and put on some TI flats. This thing is now pretty much idiot proof........ha ha ha
 

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#620
As I thought might happen, the used market supply for our beloved 60th Anniversary P Bass has dried up and they are selling higher and higher. This used one just went for $1,275 on eBay.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/230997686560?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

I'm thinking people have realized they missed the boat on these special basses and don't mind paying up to get one. That and a couple of dudes talked their wives into a Father's Day gift for themselves and went into a bidding war. LOL
 
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