Yeah, I figured it would be best to not use rosewood and just dye the walnut like Rubis did here Day of birth '64 P bass build . I'd actually like to leave the country on tour with my bass! lol
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Fender pre-CBS Club: pics mandatory!
- Thread starter Mastermold
- Start date
Soon: 2 Very early pre-CBS basses in my home. Probably thursday...
I don’t own a pre-CBS Fender. Likely never will unless by some miracle I stumble upon a great deal but I’ve gone through this thread front to back and back to front looking at all the gorgeous basses. Awesome stuff.
Don't give up hope. I never thought I would either until I happened to come across my '61 Jazz at an estate sale two years ago for $600. I really had to do my homework to make sure it indeed was a '61 as most of the outward clues had been modified or removed.
Until then I’ll keep looking at the pics in this thread!
Just keep your pre-cbs radar constantly on. Eventually you will I’ll come across an opportunity. Really educate yourself on identifying pre-cbs. There are player grade / butchered examples out there for reasonable prices. I never thought in a million years I’d own a pre-cbs Bass now I have three (1952, 1954, 1963). And I have a pre-cbs guitar too. The vibe, mojo, feel of rock ‘n roll history in your hands is so damn cool.
I appreciate the words of encouragement, fellas. I’m on the lookout, as I always am for a deal of any sort.
A bit late to the party, but here are my two babies:
The '64 Jazz, which was a bit of a restoration project. I bought in 1995 for $700 from Cowtown Guitars in Columbus, OH while on the road. The body had been stripped and some kind of horrible clear urethane was slapped on, it was missing the headlock decal, one pickup needed to be rewound and it cried out for general TLC. It was refretted at some point before I got it with jumbo frets, which I actually like a lot. I did the black nitro refin myself, and after getting this guy in playing shape it turned out to be one of the best Pre-CBS Jazzes I've ever played, with great growl and a nice solid neck. 8 lbs, 4 oz. I have the original bridge, but I chose to throw a Badass on it for the time being - sacrilege to some, but I am playing this bass, not hanging it in a museum.
'62 P, bought out of the Recycler (pre-Craigslist days) in 2001 or so. All original except for a refret. It's currently sporting a Spitfire pickguard (I have the original, but it has the typical cracks from shrinkage and is stowed away). This instrument is magical - it has a beautifully complex sound, it always leads me to places I didn't expect and it works in any setting that I choose to use it in. It, like the Jazz, is a "pry it from my cold dead hands" bass.
The '64 Jazz, which was a bit of a restoration project. I bought in 1995 for $700 from Cowtown Guitars in Columbus, OH while on the road. The body had been stripped and some kind of horrible clear urethane was slapped on, it was missing the headlock decal, one pickup needed to be rewound and it cried out for general TLC. It was refretted at some point before I got it with jumbo frets, which I actually like a lot. I did the black nitro refin myself, and after getting this guy in playing shape it turned out to be one of the best Pre-CBS Jazzes I've ever played, with great growl and a nice solid neck. 8 lbs, 4 oz. I have the original bridge, but I chose to throw a Badass on it for the time being - sacrilege to some, but I am playing this bass, not hanging it in a museum.
'62 P, bought out of the Recycler (pre-Craigslist days) in 2001 or so. All original except for a refret. It's currently sporting a Spitfire pickguard (I have the original, but it has the typical cracks from shrinkage and is stowed away). This instrument is magical - it has a beautifully complex sound, it always leads me to places I didn't expect and it works in any setting that I choose to use it in. It, like the Jazz, is a "pry it from my cold dead hands" bass.
Last edited:
Both beautiful! Hey what strings are on your Jazz? Looks like different silks on the G.
Yeah, the D, A and E are GHS Brite Flats, which that bass speaks really well with, and the G is a GHS flatwound. I found the Brite Flat G to be a bit too bright compared to the other strings in the set, hence the substitution. .45 - .106 gauges.
Lovin' that '62 P!
I've noticed the same "beautifully complex tone" out of my '62-1/2, also. Every little tweak of hand position or tone dialing completely changes it while still remaining "P".
I've noticed the same "beautifully complex tone" out of my '62-1/2, also. Every little tweak of hand position or tone dialing completely changes it while still remaining "P".
I have a ‘63 and it is becoming my “go-to” Bass. It is so comfortable to play and always sounds great.
Some people really like Thomastik Infeld Jazz Flats. They are at the extreme end of the spectrum in terms of low tension, and they have a bit of a midrange bump in my experience. I don't like them at all on Fenders, but they work great on my short scale hollow body basses. They are pricey, too.
Pyramid flatwounds are supposedly in the same category as the TI's (low tension), but I haven't tried them so I can't offer an opinion.
My faves are GHS Precision Flatwounds, which I'd describe as medium tension.
DR flats are medium tension as well, and just a hair brighter than GHS.
D'Addario Chromes have maybe a hair less tension than the GHS flats, but they are noticeably brighter, which I personally don't like.
I haven't tried La Bella low tension flats, but that's another possibility.
I've never had a issue with string tension on my old P-basses ('52, '54, '63). I mostly play Rotosound 77LD.
I use TI's on my P's but I do have a "Sting edition" that wears these Roto 77's. This has that crappy two-saddle bridge and, for whatever reason, only the Roto's would "intonate" on this bass.
Today I bought 2 early Precision basses from Detlef Schmidt in Germany. Both are in his book!
The black one is a 1953 not very original, the natural is a 1952 and pretty much original. Tomorrow I bring the 52 to a luthier for a refin in nitro blonde.
Both sound absolutely stunning!
Huge congrats! I have a ‘52 and a ‘54. Very special basses. Gig the s**t out of them!!
