ive got a 63 reissue with flats and its one of if not the best p bass ive played/owned. just got a 58 reissue as a brother to it and also a good one. that one has rounds. they give my moollon P a run for its money.
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Fender American Vintage '63 Precision Bass Appreciation Thread
- Thread starter Warpeg
- Start date
They have become incredibly hard to find. Being that they were only made for about four years and they have a reputation for being amazing basses, my guess is that the few people out there that own them (myself included) will hold onto them forever.
Since mine is the rarer Olympic White, I'll certainly never part with it. Well….until going prices start getting astronomically high anyway
Been searching for an AVRI '63 for a couple years now and always missed out at the last moment.. had a couple lines here on TB only for the sellers to either ghost me or tell me it already sold while we were still discussing the terms of the sale.... anyhu, just scored a sonic blue one from a true gentleman here on TB and also found an Olympic White at GC. The wait sure paid off!
actually it's an Orlando. Probably paid too much for it but wanted the "Orlando" name since I've only ever seen 3. Funny enough I found an Apollo (exact same as the Orlando, and aria basses) for $200 yesterday in town and graciously let a friend buy it instead of me.
I have an AO in Sunburst but damn I wish I had an AV63 in Sonic Blue. The AO is a fine bass - more than fine actually - but that Sonic Blue kills me.
I did put a Badass II on my AO and even though I didn't do the cleanest job notching the saddles myself it does seem to have added some punch and sustain.
I did put a Badass II on my AO and even though I didn't do the cleanest job notching the saddles myself it does seem to have added some punch and sustain.
Not the greatest picture but here's my Faded Sonic Blue AV63. Only mods I've done were to remove all the stuff that was in the way of actually playing it. And also bumping the G string tuner into a wall, bending it just a bit. Got it when CME was clearing them out in early 2018. Would still say this is my favorite bass, and it has some really stiff competition. Doesn't have anywhere near the wear the OP's has but maybe someday it will get there.
Nice basses! I might be the outlier here but I definitely prefer the '58. Not that I don't appreciate the '63 though!
"Faded sonic blue" looks white under incandescents.
"Faded sonic blue" looks white under incandescents.
i know a few people who prefer the 58. One session guy I know in Nashville sold his vintage fenders and bought close to 15 of them, in order to pick his favorite 2 or 3.
I call them AVRI for short. My AVRI 63 P is my favorite bass, and I have some very good basses. Yes, the clay dots are harder to see. I think this means we should stop looking at the neck.
Besides the great-sounding pickup, I also like the small frets. And I wonder why Fender ever moved away from those thread-rod bridge saddles.
Besides the great-sounding pickup, I also like the small frets. And I wonder why Fender ever moved away from those thread-rod bridge saddles.
Pardon my shameless plug, but I am selling a '63 look-alike in sonic blue that I put together here in the classifieds. While it's not a spot-on replica, it does cop the look, it's made of quality parts, plus it's light weight.
For Sale - '63-style Fender P Clone, Quality Parts, Light Weight.
For Sale - '63-style Fender P Clone, Quality Parts, Light Weight.
After finances forced me to sell a Custom Shop P that had a 1.75" neck that I had only briefly owned but fallen in love with, I started researching (in other words, scanning TB) for the best Fender with a 1.75" nut. Obviously, I discovered that tons of people, here on TB and elsewhere, were calling the AVRI '63 the best production P-Bass Fender ever made. So, I resolved to get one, and I started scanning the classifieds and Reverb obsessively. A few popped up, but I always hesitated to pull the trigger because I LOVE red basses, and don't currently own a good one. So, I decided to hold out for the rare Seminole Red. Well, one popped up on Reverb and I immediately snagged it, probably paying too much (though I've seen them go higher!) within three hours of it being posted. It arrives tomorrow! Can't wait.
Here's a pic from the listing:
You're going to love it!
On a related note, I believe I saw an Olympic White for sale in the TB classifieds. Those are pretty rare. Someone should jump on it (if it hasn't already sold)!
It took awhile, but I finally found a decently-priced old cellulose nitrate tort pickguard with the 1960's reds and yellows I was looking for.
I'm not a fan of Fender's modern tort pickguards; they are too brown and look nothing like the pickguards from the 1960's. This one is exactly the tort I think of when I see pictures of 1960's basses.
I'm not a fan of Fender's modern tort pickguards; they are too brown and look nothing like the pickguards from the 1960's. This one is exactly the tort I think of when I see pictures of 1960's basses.
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was able to snag a sonic blue 63 that was a little beat up for a steal (just like my sunburst). can't wait to get it tomorrow or friday to check it out
Is this used off another bass or new but made out of old material? If new do you have a link?
Thanks
Great question. It is used from another bass. The seller told me it came off an early 1970's P-bass. There is no way I could confirm it, but the asking price was less than half of other "vintage" pickguards out there. I made sure that it was the real deal when I got it by doing the "scratch and sniff test" - cellulose nitrate gives off a slight chemical smell when rubbed. It is also a tad bit shrunken compared to my stock pickguard, which is another indication of cellulose nitrate. The only odd thing I've noticed is that the edges have not yellowed one bit, but the rest of the pickguard has obvious play wear all over it.
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The AV sounds great with flats. Compared to my teacher's original 65 P though I regret to say that I think it's got more of a modern than a classic tone.
