• 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.

Finally ... NBD.

el murdoque

el murdoque

Mar 10, 2013
12,037
25,357
Germany
thedirtjounal.com
#1
After a massive amount of overthinking and several threads here on TB, today a brown clad man carried a brown box from a brown truck into my house, which is not brown, sorry.

IMG_20210329_183326.jpg

IMG_20210329_183352.jpg



...the box contained the end of my search. This P bass, in the colors I was looking for - SFG/Maple. It's the Mexican Vintera 50's P - I had it upgraded with an Aguilar 4P 60's Pickup and an Orange Drop capacitor. The original strings are gone and D'addario Chromes are installed. The action is set as low as it goes, which is quite low, and it's playing mightily fine.
I've had it on the amp for half an hour now and I can't complain.
P basses are, IMHO, about utility and not about a sparkling bedroom sound.
However, I plugged this into my pedalboard, flipped the switch on the amp and did not touch a single dial anywhere. The output is a bit hotter than on my main bass, so the compressor engages earlier, but my ears liked a lot what they were hearing. The Chromes are fresh, so I wiped them down with fast fret and had a lot of dirt in the cloth, and they need some breaking in to loose their zing, but I dig it already.
The simplicity of a four string P bass. I'm finally old enough to appreciate it.
This is my first ever Fender product (apart from a cable).
 
  • Like
Reactions: MYLOWFREQ, jeff7bass, TrevorG and 72 others
#5
Bassclef46 said:
Did you ever find out the value of the cap he installed? What happened to the thumb rest?

Glad you finally got your dream bass. It looks great! Congratulations
Click to expand...

I did not, but I'll ask.
The thumb rest came with the bass, but not mounted. I decided to toy around with the position with double sided tape before committing with a drill. Also, I'm undecided about getting a pearl white pickguard. This was the plan, but the gold looks gorgeous. The only thing is that the anodized metal is cold to the touch and my fingers have a weird kind of friction when brushing against it. If I get the pickguard replaced, I'll not drill holes into the original one. I'd rather not modify what can't be undone.

Now I'm off to play Iron Maiden songs until the strings dull down and sound like flats.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Wolfhound32, J_Bass, filler83 and 1 other person
#6
thisheregiraffe said:
Very nice, congrats on the NBD! I enjoyed reading all of the contributions to your thread about finding the right P bass :thumbsup:
Click to expand...

Well, yes. It was quite the journey.
I'm very glad how it turned out. Due to lockdowns, I had to leave two things to chance:
1. The neck profile. It was described to me as the fat 50's neck, but with a bit taken off from the top, so it's wide (as in the distance from the E to the G string) but not so deep (as in the distance from your finger to your thumb when fretting a note). It sounded good to me, but you'll only know when you lay your hands on it. I've actually never played 50's or 60's P basses (the only vintage P I ever played had a vintage J neck) so this was just guessing. Turned out I like that very much. It's comfortable to play and my hand is used to wide necks, given that a 6 string is my main bass.

2. The weight. I know that varies a lot and I'm not aware of a European shop that will list the weight of their stock items like Sweetwater does. I asked for a light one, but was told they all are between 9 and 9,5 lbs.
Well, mine turned up here, weighing in at exactly 8 1/3 lbs. I'm very happy with that.

It was quite a gamble, since I had it modified directly in the shop before shipping, so I kinda voided my return rights - but I did not want to do it myself and I did not want to order it stock, try it out and then return it for the mods, trusting its fragile composition into the rough hands of big and hefty parcel handlers three times more than absolutely necessary.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Wolfhound32, bbh, Ricky Rioli and 1 other person
#7
el murdoque said:
I did not, but I'll ask.
The thumb rest came with the bass, but not mounted. I decided to toy around with the position with double sided tape before committing with a drill. Also, I'm undecided about getting a pearl white pickguard. This was the plan, but the gold looks gorgeous. The only thing is that the anodized metal is cold to the touch and my fingers have a weird kind of friction when brushing against it. If I get the pickguard replaced, I'll not drill holes into the original one. I'd rather not modify what can't be undone.

Now I'm off to play Iron Maiden songs until the strings dull down and sound like flats.
Click to expand...

if you switch from gold you might have to ground the cable jack. On my American Original 50 p with the gold pickguard the pickguard acts as the ground for the cable jack. Just something to consider if you are not skilled at soldering
 
  • Like
Reactions: el murdoque
#11
el murdoque said:
After a massive amount of overthinking and several threads here on TB, today a brown clad man carried a brown box from a brown truck into my house, which is not brown, sorry.

View attachment 4220487
View attachment 4220486


...the box contained the end of my search. This P bass, in the colors I was looking for - SFG/Maple. It's the Mexican Vintera 50's P - I had it upgraded with an Aguilar 4P 60's Pickup and an Orange Drop capacitor. The original strings are gone and D'addario Chromes are installed. The action is set as low as it goes, which is quite low, and it's playing mightily fine.
I've had it on the amp for half an hour now and I can't complain.
P basses are, IMHO, about utility and not about a sparkling bedroom sound.
However, I plugged this into my pedalboard, flipped the switch on the amp and did not touch a single dial anywhere. The output is a bit hotter than on my main bass, so the compressor engages earlier, but my ears liked a lot what they were hearing. The Chromes are fresh, so I wiped them down with fast fret and had a lot of dirt in the cloth, and they need some breaking in to loose their zing, but I dig it already.
The simplicity of a four string P bass. I'm finally old enough to appreciate it.
This is my first ever Fender product (apart from a cable).
Click to expand...
Awesome Bass!
 
#13
el murdoque said:
After a massive amount of overthinking and several threads here on TB, today a brown clad man carried a brown box from a brown truck into my house, which is not brown, sorry.

View attachment 4220487
View attachment 4220486


...the box contained the end of my search. This P bass, in the colors I was looking for - SFG/Maple. It's the Mexican Vintera 50's P - I had it upgraded with an Aguilar 4P 60's Pickup and an Orange Drop capacitor. The original strings are gone and D'addario Chromes are installed. The action is set as low as it goes, which is quite low, and it's playing mightily fine.
I've had it on the amp for half an hour now and I can't complain.
P basses are, IMHO, about utility and not about a sparkling bedroom sound.
However, I plugged this into my pedalboard, flipped the switch on the amp and did not touch a single dial anywhere. The output is a bit hotter than on my main bass, so the compressor engages earlier, but my ears liked a lot what they were hearing. The Chromes are fresh, so I wiped them down with fast fret and had a lot of dirt in the cloth, and they need some breaking in to loose their zing, but I dig it already.
The simplicity of a four string P bass. I'm finally old enough to appreciate it.
This is my first ever Fender product (apart from a cable).
Click to expand...
Gem!
 
  • Like
Reactions: el murdoque
#15
el murdoque said:
I did not, but I'll ask.
The thumb rest came with the bass, but not mounted. I decided to toy around with the position with double sided tape before committing with a drill. Also, I'm undecided about getting a pearl white pickguard. This was the plan, but the gold looks gorgeous. The only thing is that the anodized metal is cold to the touch and my fingers have a weird kind of friction when brushing against it. If I get the pickguard replaced, I'll not drill holes into the original one. I'd rather not modify what can't be undone.

Now I'm off to play Iron Maiden songs until the strings dull down and sound like flats.
Click to expand...
The pickguard's gold? It looks white, or cream. I guess it's the lighting. But, yes. I would do a white pearl guard. It would look awesome on that blue.
 
  • Like
Reactions: el murdoque
#18
Relayer71 said:
25125397[/URL], member: 148673"]Everyone used flats in 1950.
Click to expand...

All the bass players did. It’s not because rounds were not yet invented (guitars, pianos, harpsichords, etc. had used them for quite a while). Flats were there because Leo was trying to replace uprights, and flats got closer to that sound. He also put a mute on all the strings, so it wouldn’t sustain a lot longer than an upright.

Round wound strings and basses without mutes weren’t really innovations; they were just players and string makers who disagreed with Leo’s choices.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back