I've heard that about the 60s models but am wondering about the accuracy of the body contouring on the '57s. Would anyone (like @WoodyJ ) who has had access to both an original and a Fullerton reissue '57 care to weigh in on this?
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Fender Fullerton Reissue club
- Thread starter mrpackerguy
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Hey all -
I'd like an opinion or two (or three or four ) about Fender master built basses.
Here's one by Jason Smith - he's the son of Dan Smith apparently (of CBS fame?)
Any reviews of his work?
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
I'm going to go play this one - just for the heck to it.
Thanks and Cheers!
RBJ
I'd like an opinion or two (or three or four ) about Fender master built basses.
Here's one by Jason Smith - he's the son of Dan Smith apparently (of CBS fame?)
Any reviews of his work?
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
I'm going to go play this one - just for the heck to it.
Thanks and Cheers!
RBJ
OK - I had real learning today!
First off, I played a master built '59 P bass by Jason Smith and it was really nice - but after 1/2 hr it felt like my left hand was going to fall off!
So whatever neck profile that has, it is not for me. Loved the bass and the p/u's were amazing, but there's no way I could play a 2 hr set with it.
So I need a more comfortable neck profile - like the one on my 60's P Bass. So here's my question:
Do the Fullerton 50's reissues have the same neck profile as this master built? [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
If so, they are definitely not for me.
Happier news - it was NBD today! 1983 J Bass - Sienna Red.
Thanks Bud ! She is exquisite !
She will be set up next week and I will have more photos. I took her to Emerald City Guitars in Seattle and Jay (owner) was SO nice and helpful.
That being said, I brought my P-Bass with me out of curiosity - since I barely know what I am talking about when it comes to old Fenders
Quick bio - I have been playing music since I was 5 yrs old - classical piano until a teen. Picked up a bass at 15 yrs old and never looked back.
.
So I only know when a bass "feels and sounds" right to me - that's about it. Reading /playing music is my forte.
But I am a dummy when it comes to the worth ($) of a bass.
Anyway, FenderOil was correct - that is a veneer on my P Bass. Mike Lull was mistaken I guess - I wonder why he said that.
Granted it was 12 yrs ago, but still........
Mike was also wrong about the year - Jay said either 68 or 69....not a "66. it's really light and sounds awesome - pre boat anchor I guess.
Jay told me that after '62, Fender was using veneers exclusively - that was new information for me.
So anyway, I just thought I would share what I learned today. I could sure use some help on how to identify neck profiles without playing them.
I obviously have to be sure about a P-bass neck profile before I purchase one. I love P's, but I can only play certain necks profiles.
I'm not a collector and I play everything I own, so this is really important to me.
Thanks to all of you for your patience and information - and Thanks TB!
Cheers -
RBJ
First off, I played a master built '59 P bass by Jason Smith and it was really nice - but after 1/2 hr it felt like my left hand was going to fall off!
So whatever neck profile that has, it is not for me. Loved the bass and the p/u's were amazing, but there's no way I could play a 2 hr set with it.
So I need a more comfortable neck profile - like the one on my 60's P Bass. So here's my question:
Do the Fullerton 50's reissues have the same neck profile as this master built? [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
If so, they are definitely not for me.
Happier news - it was NBD today! 1983 J Bass - Sienna Red.
Thanks Bud ! She is exquisite !
She will be set up next week and I will have more photos. I took her to Emerald City Guitars in Seattle and Jay (owner) was SO nice and helpful.
That being said, I brought my P-Bass with me out of curiosity - since I barely know what I am talking about when it comes to old Fenders
Quick bio - I have been playing music since I was 5 yrs old - classical piano until a teen. Picked up a bass at 15 yrs old and never looked back.
.
So I only know when a bass "feels and sounds" right to me - that's about it. Reading /playing music is my forte.
But I am a dummy when it comes to the worth ($) of a bass.
Anyway, FenderOil was correct - that is a veneer on my P Bass. Mike Lull was mistaken I guess - I wonder why he said that.
Granted it was 12 yrs ago, but still........
Mike was also wrong about the year - Jay said either 68 or 69....not a "66. it's really light and sounds awesome - pre boat anchor I guess.
Jay told me that after '62, Fender was using veneers exclusively - that was new information for me.
So anyway, I just thought I would share what I learned today. I could sure use some help on how to identify neck profiles without playing them.
I obviously have to be sure about a P-bass neck profile before I purchase one. I love P's, but I can only play certain necks profiles.
I'm not a collector and I play everything I own, so this is really important to me.
Thanks to all of you for your patience and information - and Thanks TB!
Cheers -
RBJ
Thanks narud. So I'm wondering why I can play a EBMM or FBass 5'er with a 1 3/4 nut and it feels great.
But that '59 P Bass with a 1 3/4 was so uncomfortable? Is it strictly the neck profile difference?
Thanks
because its 4 strings spread across that same width. i cant play C neck widths on a 4 string, prefer 1.75 for 5 strings and full spaced 5 string neck widths (1.875) feel enormous.
I know ! My hand starts to hurt when I even look at a 1 7/8 nut width 5 string.
1.5" feels great to me for a 4 stringer. Is that standard width for a J?
How wide is a "modern" P nut width? Or, again, is it more the neck profile?
Thanks for the info!
the letters are the width and dont have anything to do with the profile. A=1.5,B=1.625,C=1.75.
C and D and V are commonly used to describe neck profile shape, but arent an official designation like the neck width stamps that were on fenders. any of those 3 back profiles could have different depths.
OK - I'm starting to get it. I'm reading about neck radius now. The lower number of the radius means more of a curved fretboard. Higher radius is a flatter fretboard. I think that's right?
You're correct narud - I'm thinking I prefer a B width with a rounder fretboard for a P Bass. They are saying that from early 70's onward, Fender was using B width standard on P's.
ya fender used the 7.25 radius on all the basses until late 80's or early 90's? the b width neck on p's coincided with the tv logo so 68ish.
The pickguard is darker than most fullerton pepperoni guards but it's original and the rest of the bass looks to be as well (can't see inside of it of course). It's definitely a Fullerton as it has all of the clear signs and at least one cover is included. The price is a premium for a sunburst BUT it's not horrible for a "guitar store" price. It doesn't say if the case that comes with it is original but if so it's not a bad buy. I would try to get a couple hundred off. It's not uncommon at all for a Fullerton to have the obvious multi-piece body like that but not everyone likes that look.
If you are looking for a Precision sound but don't get along with the wide neck you for sure want to stay away from a Fullerton. The necks are full P width but they are very skinny from the front to back. Going to a jazz makes sense from a neck perspective but again for that price there is no reason you couldn't score an equally good more modern bass with a Precision body and jazz neck. Or get the Precision and get used to the profile.
If you are looking for a Precision sound but don't get along with the wide neck you for sure want to stay away from a Fullerton. The necks are full P width but they are very skinny from the front to back. Going to a jazz makes sense from a neck perspective but again for that price there is no reason you couldn't score an equally good more modern bass with a Precision body and jazz neck. Or get the Precision and get used to the profile.
So all of the Fullertons have C neck profiles? Dang! After reading what narud said (thanks BTW) I think I like a B profile neck on a P with a smaller radius.
Is there a post 70's era for Fender P Basses that are generally lighter weight with quality construction / pickups? Or is it largely hit and miss?
I see what you mean about the multi-piece body. Cool that you spotted that right away. Does that have any effect on tone or quality of construction?
I really need a comfy giggable P Bass.
Do you have an opinion on 70's P basses? Looking at a few and it seems they weigh a ton. One was almost 12 lbs !
Thanks again for pointing me in the right direction - you all rock.
Cheers
RBJ
I don't feel there is any negative aspects of a multi-piece body like that beyond the look of it and honestly I have always liked them a little bit. I am probably the minority though.
Pretty much every Precision from the late 60's to the early 80's had a B width neck but the depth and profiles changed a bit. I find that most Fenders up to the very early 70's are pretty consistent and decent but then from that point to like 81-ish they get to be a bit iffy. Not saying there aren't great ones but I would suggest only buying one that you can play. Sloppy quality and heaviness are just frequent in that era but there are still killer players there.
If you just want a solid and great Precision anything 2008 and after has been pretty amazing and all have B width necks. If you want a step up then I would look at something like Sadowsky or Lakland. The higher end Fender stuff that is based on older models are almost always built to vintage specs and will have a C width neck. There might be models that I am not thinking of though.
One of the reasons I like the Lakland is that it sounds and feels like an old Fender, the neck profile is very Fullerton IMO but it give a 10" fretboard radius, which I prefer, and you can get your choice of neck width so there are jazz width necks on many Glaubs out there.
But as far as a vintage Fender you would be looking at anything between the late 60's and very early 80's and as far as their reissues go I am not aware of any USA reissues from the Fullerton era on that has a B width neck or jazz neck option.
Pretty much every Precision from the late 60's to the early 80's had a B width neck but the depth and profiles changed a bit. I find that most Fenders up to the very early 70's are pretty consistent and decent but then from that point to like 81-ish they get to be a bit iffy. Not saying there aren't great ones but I would suggest only buying one that you can play. Sloppy quality and heaviness are just frequent in that era but there are still killer players there.
If you just want a solid and great Precision anything 2008 and after has been pretty amazing and all have B width necks. If you want a step up then I would look at something like Sadowsky or Lakland. The higher end Fender stuff that is based on older models are almost always built to vintage specs and will have a C width neck. There might be models that I am not thinking of though.
One of the reasons I like the Lakland is that it sounds and feels like an old Fender, the neck profile is very Fullerton IMO but it give a 10" fretboard radius, which I prefer, and you can get your choice of neck width so there are jazz width necks on many Glaubs out there.
But as far as a vintage Fender you would be looking at anything between the late 60's and very early 80's and as far as their reissues go I am not aware of any USA reissues from the Fullerton era on that has a B width neck or jazz neck option.
I bought my '73 S/B J from Umanov, I paid a few hundred over market price at the time (they are a bit pricey but very reputable) but I didn't mind because it was a fabulous light example that played and sounded fantastic).
I doubt they'll budge on the price.
For that money I'd buy a used '59 Custom Shop Fender Relic any day of the week.
Wow - that is awesome information JA and it really helps me to make an informed, or relatively in my case, decision.
As far as early 70's P's go, maybe up to 1972 - i sh? That really helps to narrow my search.
I'll have to be on the lookout for a passive Lakland P with a narrower (B-ish) neck profile.
I had a CAR 44-14, but I really didn't like the sound of the active proprietary acpickups. They sounded kind of EBMM-ish to me. But maybe a passive P with different pickups might do the trick?
Thanks again JA for taking the time to post your info.
Cheers!
RBJ
