I have a P bass with a rosewood neck and it’s wonderful. Definitely my #1. I have another brand with a roasted maple neck and it’s really nice too. Which would I prefer... hmmmm. I like the rosewood the best, but I don’t think one could go wrong with either.
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I have a P bass with a rosewood neck and it’s wonderful. Definitely my #1. I have another brand with a roasted maple neck and it’s really nice too. Which would I prefer... hmmmm. I like the rosewood the best, but I don’t think one could go wrong with either.
I don't have a roasted neck on a P-Bass, but I do have the recent all-rosewood neck limited edition American Pro. The rosewood neck really gives the bass a warm, mellow tone, even with roundwounds. But I think the roasted maple neck on my StingRay Special has more or less the same effect.
I had an MTD with a wenge neck\fingerboard...i know its a completely different monster but if the actual feel is similar, I'd be very pleased no doubt...this will be for a vintage J clone so i'm interested in takes on the slap tone as well...I'd love something that trended in the direction of a dark, warm slap tone...
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Well everything is extremely preliminary at this point and the build may not even get started until the end of summer with things being the way they are....Information, please.
I was spec-ing a ‘69 J clone build...I really want to pull out all the stops on this one as a ‘60s vibe J tends to become my number one in whatever bass lineup I end up with most of the time... here’s what I’ve been thinking:
-‘69 Fender FCS Jazz
-Roasted Alder Body
-Solid One Piece Rosewood neck and board with Blocks and Binding and a matching headstock
- Heavy Relic Dakota Red over 3TSB
-Handwound ‘60s pickups
-Aged Eggshell pickguard
-Lollipop Tuners
-Micarta Nut, standard vintage bridge, nut width, radius and fret wire.
The only thing is the price I was quoted is astronomical.! I mean it’s up there...this is what I don’t get about FCS...for instance, I was talking to a dealer about the build and he sent an itemized list of the options and what the would cost...Blocks and Binding are basically $1k....that’s absolutely insane to pay for B&B, I’m sorry...the color over color is a pricey luxury option that I’ll probably ditch as well...but the thing that actually got me a little pissed is the quote for the all Rosewood neck...a several hundred dollar upgrade if not “significantly more“.....WHY....!?
I told the guy you can a get an all Rosewood neck made on a mod shop bass and the bass still comes in under $2k total...I really don’t understand this...I believe I’ll go do some serious “dealer shopping” because perhaps I just have the wrong one... all in, I got a price quoted at over $6.5k....as passionate as I am about this project, I will never pay that much for a bass guitar, no where nearly as much for that matter...those days are probably all gone...
So I’m contemplating turning it to a ‘66 clone and dumping the Blocks ($600 quote), keeping the binding for that CBS traditional look and getting regular pickups instead of the Josephinas...that saves over $1k right there...If I can’t get a decent price on the rosewood neck though, this build will probably not happen...that’s a must for me at this point (I may sleep on it a few nights and feel otherwise, but this is an option I strongly favor).. I’ve seen FCS basses with B&B and there’s no way they added $1k to the cost of the bass when the bass was selling for a little over $4k..heavy relic and all, and I know they charge at $500 alone for that..I saw an FCS with a rosewood neck for less than $4k...like I said, I think I’ll try to find another dealer because the quote I received was very discouraging...
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Just got a quote for the rosewood neck....not nearly as bad as i thought....still in play...also contemplating Dakota/Cimarron Red over Black Sparkle 
..looking more and more like a '66 J clone with a twist ATM...
..looking more and more like a '66 J clone with a twist ATM...
Ya thats a crazy price - new dealer may be the way too go. Sounds like full retail os what they quoted ya - i know Dingwall has an MSRP and a "street price" - significantly different. Good luck man.
yeah it was a retail price for sure, but that still brings it in well over $5k and i'd like to bring that down quite a bit...
Give Greg Golden a try at Bizarre Guitar. It has been a while but he was extremely competitive on pricing.
No, the price is way, way too high.
Other than that, lovely overall specs! Personally, I prefer the dots and binding over blocks and binding; it is a more rare look, too.
How much does the upgrade to handwound pickups costs? You can switch to regular ones as you say and upgrade to handwounds from a non-Fender boutique builder later, like I did.
And a huge +1 on trying different dealers.
Yeah Im price comparing with three different dealers now......the retail price of Handwounds are $400 from what i was quoted, so maybe two and change after the all in discount...?
i definitely love the look of a '66... i had an Alleva Copollo 5 string that was a '66 clone....badass bass...love the binding and dots look...I can always do Blocks on a '73 J clone build I have in mind for the future.....
I would leave the handwound option aside, $400 is a lot of cash. My O.C. Duffs were around $220, and they were custom-voiced to my preferences.
Yes, you can definitely leave the blocks for a '73 build.
Also, you can save some more if not opting for a heavy relic finish.
Yes, you can definitely leave the blocks for a '73 build.
Also, you can save some more if not opting for a heavy relic finish.
I wouldn’t mind a heavier Relic this time around, but it’s not a must...I would leave the handwound option aside, $400 is a lot of cash. My O.C. Duffs were around $220, and they were custom-voiced to my preferences.
Yes, you can definitely leave the blocks for a '73 build.
Also, you can save some more if not opting for a heavy relic finish.
I would prefer roasted maple. Reasons?
- it should has lower density than rosewood - lighter bass, less neck dive tendency
- roasted maple is less sensitive to humidity changes
- love the look of yellow/brown tinted baked wood, especially QS with some nice flaming
- all rosewood neck reminds me basses like Warwick, which does not belong to my favourite basses at all
I would also reconsider binding. I am in love with the look of binding, but strongly prefer non-binding necks in terms of feel. Wood fretboard edges (when is is nicely rounded, reliced, good fret edges job etc) feels so much more natural and fast for playing.
And as others say - pickup is component where you can save a lot. I would personally don't know how to specify winding on a pickup for the bass I have never heard. Better use stock pickup, hear the bass and then say what do you miss in the sound and let Mr Fralin or Nordstrand or whoever know what do you need.
All my humble personal opinions
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I would prefer roasted maple. Reasons?
- it should has lower density than rosewood - lighter bass, less neck dive tendency
- roasted maple is less sensitive to humidity changes
- love the look of yellow/brown tinted baked wood, especially QS with some nice flaming
- all rosewood neck reminds me basses like Warwick, which does not belong to my favourite basses at all
I would also reconsider binding. I am in love with the look of binding, but strongly prefer non-binding necks in terms of feel. Wood fretboard edges (when is is nicely rounded, reliced, good fret edges job etc) feels so much more natural and fast for playing.
And as others say - pickup is component where you can save a lot. I would personally don't know how to specify winding on a pickup for the bass I have never heard. Better use stock pickup, hear the bass and then say what do you miss in the sound and let Mr Fralin or Nordstrand or whoever know what do you need.
All my humble personal opinions
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Good stuff...I’m definitely starting to rethink the rosewood neck...a couple of the dealers think it’s a Masterbuilt option only and , of course can’t get in touch with anyone at Fender now...I’m sure I’d be ok with a roasted neck...definitely love binding though..this will be my third or fourth bass with binding...I’m quite used to playing with it... I’m also good with the stock pickups that come in the ‘60s Js...I had them in my ‘64 FCs J and they were some of the best I’ve ever heard...I was gonna do the upgrade more as a cool factor thing, to be honest, but I’m not that pressed to have them and would be fine leaving the stock pickups alone..
