The matching headstocks for some reason were not common on the precision basses. After the jazzmaster came out, Leo came out with the jazz bass to augment the bass line. No pun intended. This is pure speculation on my part, but my suspicion is the matching headstocks were saved for the jazz bass as it was the more expensive upgrade to their product line. Same with bound block necks, which never appeared on the precision until recent hybrids.
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The matching headstocks for some reason were not common on the precision basses. After the jazzmaster came out, Leo came out with the jazz bass to augment the bass line. No pun intended. This is pure speculation on my part, but my suspicion is the matching headstocks were saved for the jazz bass as it was the more expensive upgrade to their product line. Same with bound block necks, which never appeared on the precision until recent hybrids.
Haven't posted this in a while, so why not again!?
2014 custom shop 64' P bass in aged daphne blue. Although the floor traveller says the neck is spec'd to 59'. Purchased in 2018.
She has become the one I grab the most to play.
2014 custom shop 64' P bass in aged daphne blue. Although the floor traveller says the neck is spec'd to 59'. Purchased in 2018.
She has become the one I grab the most to play.
I know it’s trivial, but it’s been bothering me. I’ve been looking for a ‘60s Jazz with a 7.25-inch radius and for whatever reason, most of them seem to be 9.5”. I finally found one, but in the pictures the fretboard dots looked much whiter than other custom shops. Well, this one has “Micarta White” dots while most custom shops have “vintage clay.” What’s the difference? Which one is actually period correct for a 1960 J bass? Thanks.
The vintage clay dots are period correct for a 1960 Jazz, but trust me, you'll have a difficult time seeing those side dots if your playing in a darker environment. I prefer the micarta dots.
For what it's worth, you can clean the yellow off of the nut. In my opinion, the Fender Custom Shop doesn't have the most realistic aging/relicing. They add too much rust to the screws, bridge saddles, etc. They even rust the theads of the screws. Also, I've never seen the back of a vintage neck age the way the Fender Custom Shop ages them. I bought a new '63 Jazz Journeyman Relic about a month ago, and I'm in the process of de-relicing. I was going to send it back, but I got a fantastic deal, and when I switch out the tuners to Gotoh Res-O-Lite, it will weigh only 8lbs 4oz. I wish my bass had come with Micarta dots
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I put the Gotoh X Nickel Res-O-lites on my two CS Jazzes. They were already light, but now they're 8.1 and 8.2. The dull finish really looks right at home!
Just came across this thread! Guess I don’t check the general bass forum as often as I should.
I love my ‘58 P. Just feels and sounds so right. These pics are from when I first got her and I’ve since taken the ash trays off. I like the bridge cover aesthetically but it pushes my hand too close to the pickup when I’m palm muting.
I might have another entry to the thread soon as I have my eye on a CS jazz in the classifieds.
I love my ‘58 P. Just feels and sounds so right. These pics are from when I first got her and I’ve since taken the ash trays off. I like the bridge cover aesthetically but it pushes my hand too close to the pickup when I’m palm muting.
I might have another entry to the thread soon as I have my eye on a CS jazz in the classifieds.
Nice. I have the NOS version, but the CS calls mine a '59. I don't think there were any changes from '58 to '59 back then.
Playing the heck out of my two '57's...
So, I'm thinking about replacing the tuners on my 2 '57 P's. Mostly because the relicing crud that's on them is really is not helpful. Now, I could just get them cleaned and "de-relic'd", but then there's the reverse-ness that no matter how long I have them, I don't get used to. The reverse tuners are certainly not deal-breakers in any way. So I want to think about options.
Are there tuners that would be same-looking and new functioning AND non reverse that would use the same holes?
Are there tuners that would be same-looking and new functioning AND non reverse that would use the same holes?
Yes, Gotoh GB640N tuners are drop-in replacements and about .4lbs lighter than the stock reverse tuners. Make sure you get the GB640N (N for Nickel) which are the non-reverse version. (The reverse version of these are GBR640N)
I have changed the stock tuners on a couple of my CS basses to this Gotoh series, although I kept the same reverse-wind config. Just keep the original tuners so you have them in case you sell the bass down the road.
Important tip: Use the original screws that came with your stock tuners to install the new Gotoh replacements. (The Gotoh screws are a bit bigger and you will have to make the holes a touch larger for these which will also make it difficult to go back to the original screws if you reinstall the original tuners.)
Edit @E Buzz: If you have a right-handed bass, this is the version/model number to look for:
GB640-N-4L
GOTOH GB640 Res-o-lite Bass Tuning Machines Tuners - Preconfigured Sets
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Thank you very much, I appreciate the quick reply. It appears they are not very available. UGH
I checked that link and the "sets" of the model you want seems to be out, but you can buy the very same thing as 4 "individual" tuners for the same price, at the same link.
Edit: oops, I realized after posting a link they were the reverse-wind version.
I'm still looking
I put myself on their "notify me" list, which'll give me some more time to think about it...even though I prolly woulda bought 'em if they were in stock lol
I can't find them anywhere in the U.S. in stock. Happens once in a while but Gotoh usually will have them replenished fairly quickly into the normal channels. Arkansas Music Works, Philly Luthier, and others.
