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Fender Custom Shop Club

#3,242
Hi Everyone! I got a question for the hive mind here. I am the second owner of a '59 FCS Precision that I bought last year and absolutely love. It's got the HW '62 pickups and a '60s P Bass Oval C neck (1.75" width and 9.5" radius) with a maple board. It might be the most resonant bass I've ever played; possibly besting my vintage '68 Precision.

Everyone who plays this FCS '59 has the same response- "This is amazing. And, wow... this neck is huge." It is probably the biggest neck I've ever come across. The depth measures at:

1st Fret - .890
5th Fret - .940
12th Fret - .990

Is it normal for a '60s P Bass Oval C to measure this deep around the first fret? It can become quite a workout playing it for a couple hours in the first position area. I know that the specs show .790 for the 1st fret, but these vary cause they are done by hand.

I played a FCS '58 (I think) with a '60s P Bass Oval C neck that I measured at .810 on the 1st fret and felt pretty dramatically different. That being said, it also did not resonate the same way my bass with the giant neck does. It sounds crazy good, but it is a beast to play.

Any thoughts or feedback would be greatly appreciated.
 
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#3,243
Hi Mike,

I have just bought a FCS 59 P Bass NOS with a rosewood fingerboard. It is my first CS Bass and I absolutely love it. It has got a 60 P-Bass oval "C" neck. It measures .790 at the 1st fret and .990 at the 12th fret according to the shop floor traveller. This neck is really comfortable to play and the bass sounds huge, bigger than all the other Fender P Basses I have had before.
 
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#3,244
point_departure said:
Hi Everyone! I got a question for the hive mind here. I am the second owner of a '59 FCS Precision that I bought last year and absolutely love. It's got the HW '62 pickups and a '60s P Bass Oval C neck (1.75" width and 9.5" radius) with a maple board. It might be the most resonant bass I've ever played; possibly besting my vintage '68 Precision.

Everyone who plays this FCS '59 has the same response- "This is amazing. And, wow... this neck is huge." It is probably the biggest neck I've ever come across. The depth measures at:

1st Fret - .890
5th Fret - .940
12th Fret - .990

Is it normal for a '60s P Bass Oval C to measure this deep around the first fret? It can become quite a workout playing it for a couple hours in the first position area. I know that the specs show .790 for the 1st fret, but these vary cause they are done by hand.

I played a FCS '58 (I think) with a '60s P Bass Oval C neck that I measured at .810 on the 1st fret and felt pretty dramatically different. That being said, it also did not resonate the same way my bass with the giant neck does. It sounds crazy good, but it is a beast to play.

Any thoughts or feedback would be greatly appreciated.
Click to expand...


First step is to have a good setup performed.
 
#3,245
Hey Mike,

When it comes to the fcs 60 profile yeah it is a tad thicker. It’s a good feel though, I had a 1960 nos p bass with that profile and it played beautifully.

However, compared to my real 1960 p bass, the neck was a lot thicker. My 1960 p had a VERY slim front to back profile with a wide nut.
 
#3,247
Bass4ThePublic said:
Hey Mike,

When it comes to the fcs 60 profile yeah it is a tad thicker. It’s a good feel though, I had a 1960 nos p bass with that profile and it played beautifully.

However, compared to my real 1960 p bass, the neck was a lot thicker. My 1960 p had a VERY slim front to back profile with a wide nut.
Click to expand...

Thank you for the info! Really appreciate it.

And yeah... most of the vintage early 60s Ps I've played were all pretty slim. (I dare might even say a bit too slim for my preference.)
 
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#3,248
point_departure said:
Hi Everyone! I got a question for the hive mind here. I am the second owner of a '59 FCS Precision that I bought last year and absolutely love. It's got the HW '62 pickups and a '60s P Bass Oval C neck (1.75" width and 9.5" radius) with a maple board. It might be the most resonant bass I've ever played; possibly besting my vintage '68 Precision.

Everyone who plays this FCS '59 has the same response- "This is amazing. And, wow... this neck is huge." It is probably the biggest neck I've ever come across. The depth measures at:

1st Fret - .890
5th Fret - .940
12th Fret - .990

Is it normal for a '60s P Bass Oval C to measure this deep around the first fret? It can become quite a workout playing it for a couple hours in the first position area. I know that the specs show .790 for the 1st fret, but these vary cause they are done by hand.

I played a FCS '58 (I think) with a '60s P Bass Oval C neck that I measured at .810 on the 1st fret and felt pretty dramatically different. That being said, it also did not resonate the same way my bass with the giant neck does. It sounds crazy good, but it is a beast to play.

Any thoughts or feedback would be greatly appreciated.
Click to expand...
I'm surprised at the .890 depth at the 1st fret. That's a long way from the listed spec of .790. I've only had non CS versions of the 1.75 necks, but they felt nice and flat/thin.
 
#3,249
uva said:
Hi Mike,

I have just bought a FCS 59 P Bass NOS with a rosewood fingerboard. It is my first CS Bass and I absolutely love it. It has got a 60 P-Bass oval "C" neck. It measures .790 at the 1st fret and .990 at the 12th fret according to the shop floor traveller. This neck is really comfortable to play and the bass sounds huge, bigger than all the other Fender P Basses I have had before.
Click to expand...

Nice! Congrats on the purchase and thanks for letting me know.

My Floor Traveller shows that same specs, but my neck is a bit larger. But they do sound awesome, eh?
 
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#3,250
Fender has unveiled the 2024 Custom Collection from the Fender Custom Shop:

-P-Jazz Bass Relic
-The Time Machine Bass VI DLX Closet Classic
-The Time Machine 1961 Jazz Bass Heavy Relic
-The Artisan Maple Burl Jazz Bass NOS
-The Time Machine 1954 Precision Bass Journeyman Relic
-The Time Machine 1958 Precision Bass Relic
-The Time Machine 1966 Precision Bass Journeyman Relic
2024 CS Bass.jpg
 
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#3,252
davidak said:
NBD, classic of all classics, OW Jazz. Heavy relic, matching headstock. Surprisingly light, esp with Gotoh Resolite tuners, at 8,06lb. I strung it with TI flats now and it's vintage JB heaven..
View attachment 5355151 View attachment 5355152 View attachment 5355153 View attachment 5355154 View attachment 5355155 View attachment 5355156 View attachment 5355157 View attachment 5355158 View attachment 5355159 View attachment 5355160 View attachment 5355161 View attachment 5355162 View attachment 5355163
Click to expand...

Yes lawd!
 
#3,253
davidak said:
NBD, classic of all classics, OW Jazz. Heavy relic, matching headstock. Surprisingly light, esp with Gotoh Resolite tuners, at 8,06lb. I strung it with TI flats now and it's vintage JB heaven..
View attachment 5355151 View attachment 5355152 View attachment 5355153 View attachment 5355154 View attachment 5355155 View attachment 5355156 View attachment 5355157 View attachment 5355158 View attachment 5355159 View attachment 5355160 View attachment 5355161 View attachment 5355162 View attachment 5355163
Click to expand...
Are those the X-lite Gotoh's? I have them on my 8.1 LB CS jazz also, perfect.
 
#3,254
davidak said:
NBD, classic of all classics, OW Jazz. Heavy relic, matching headstock. Surprisingly light, esp with Gotoh Resolite tuners, at 8,06lb. I strung it with TI flats now and it's vintage JB heaven..
View attachment 5355151 View attachment 5355152 View attachment 5355153 View attachment 5355154 View attachment 5355155 View attachment 5355156 View attachment 5355157 View attachment 5355158 View attachment 5355159 View attachment 5355160 View attachment 5355161 View attachment 5355162 View attachment 5355163
Click to expand...
Very nice! The CS does the best/most realistic relic jobs.
 
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#3,255
porterbass said:
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
Click to expand...

Thanks a lot for this very useful advice. I have just purchased a 59 P Bass NOS (see my avatar). It is my first CS Bass. It is a wonderful instrument but the tuners are dreadful i.e. sticky and hard to fine-tune . I replaced them with the recommended Gotoh GB640N tuner. What a difference. They run smooth like a dream and allow much better for fine-tuning. I am very thankful for your advice. You made my day!
 
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#3,257
Bass4ThePublic said:
I keep looking at stores online for the 66 P to drop. Im pretty curious on how the 65-70 pickup compares to real mid 60’s p basses I’ve had

If the price isnt SUPER expensive ($5k+) I may have to pick one up. Otherwise I might do some kind of mjt P build
Click to expand...

The LTD Precision Bass Special were using that pickup, so you can find examples of it online to listen.
 
#3,258
uva said:
Thanks a lot for this very useful advice. I have just purchased a 59 P Bass NOS (see my avatar). It is my first CS Bass. It is a wonderful instrument but the tuners are dreadful i.e. sticky and hard to fine-tune . I replaced them with the recommended Gotoh GB640N tuner. What a difference. They run smooth like a dream and allow much better for fine-tuning. I am very thankful for your advice. You made my day!
Click to expand...

all important has been said, just one proof from my side :)

IMG_0609.jpeg
 
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#3,259
 
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#3,260
Hi all-

This might hurt a lot of people's feelings, but I really hope not!

I have a Jaco tribute fretless bass, and a Fender American Original 60s Jazz Bass (made in 2020)

I have a need to be playing a 4 string J bass and thought swapping the necks from the 62 Jazz to the Jaco custom shop body would be "cool", I searched reverb and eBay for a fretted neck to throw on Jaco but thought I've got this other J in a case that doesn't get touched, so...why not.

Of course your answers will be to just go do it and see if you like it.

Any reason why this isn't a good idea?
 
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