Help me pick a 54 precision re-issue!

[jrodriguez]

Would love some help deciding between a couple of fender 54 precision re-issues if anyone out there has had the pleasure of being able to compare them!
The first bass is a used AVRI II 54 precision for $1800.
The second is an early 90’s k serial number OPB-54 MIJ at fugijen for $1150.
Both are in excellent condition from the looks and description but I won’t have the opportunity to play them ahead of time.
I’m sure they’re both great basses and well made so I guess my real question is should I spend the extra $650 for the newer American made model.
I know a financial question like that is all relative so I will say I could swing the funds for either but would rather not spend the extra if there’s no need.
Maybe the early nineties MIJ is even superior in some ways?
On another note this would be a “just for fun bass” for now, meaning I’m not getting it with any specific gig or recording project in mind just for the arsenal and because I’ve always wanted one.

 

[jrodriguez]

The necks on these are some of the nicest Fender necks I’ve ever played.

Yeah, the Stinglay, and the yellowish finish isn’t my cup of tea, but man, that’s such a nice feeling neck.

I am looking into the Sting sig as well. Quite a few mentions of them being great in this thread and @pbassnut was kind enough to even link one on ebay. Do you know is it a completely different neck carve to the regular opb series re-issues? Curious as to what the differences are, looks like nut width is the same.

 

[ToddB1963]

Just so you know, shielding will do nothing for single coil hum. It will only get rid of the other noise you hear, the one that goes away when you touch the strings, bridge or any metal part that is grounded.
The onyl way to eliminate single coil hum is to have another active coil that is wound in reverse, so either a humbucker, another signle coil or a dummy coil.

Thanks for the clarification. It's the 'other' noise that I'm really seeking to reduce.

 

[Starduck1476]

I have the AV II ‘54 RI and I had the CIJ ‘51 and the early classic vibe model (the blue one)! Based on my experience and this thread I don’t think you can go wrong with any of the Japanese models, the ‘54 RI, or the early classic vibe models. They are all great and capture the essence of the early single coil bass!

My only suggestion is try out the neck on the ‘54, it is a big thick neck, and is less similar than ‘51 or CV. I really liked the neck on the ‘51, however I sold it to fund a hofner, and when I tried the ‘54 at a local store, I was taken back in how different the neck of the ‘54 was to the CIJ ‘51!

Good luck on your hunt and have fun !

 

[MrRobert]

I can’t help you decide, but Guitar Center in Lake Forest, CA has a new AVII ‘54 precision for $1699. I’m sure if you called them directly they’d be happy to sell you the bass and ship it to wherever you are. No, I’m not affiliated with them in any way, I just noticed this great price and want to pass on the info to any TBers who might be interested.

 

[ArteK]

I am looking into the Sting sig as well. Quite a few mentions of them being great in this thread and @pbassnut was kind enough to even link one on ebay. Do you know is it a completely different neck carve to the regular opb series re-issues? Curious as to what the differences are, looks like nut width is the same.

My OBP-54 has a V-shaped neck profile. I assumed it was modified by one of the previous owners.

I love the feel of it, but that doesn’t tell me anything about a comparison to the Sting bass. I don’t know what the OBP-54 curvature was like originally.

 

[jrodriguez]

Thanks again to everyone for all of the help deciding on this.
I pulled the trigger and the opb-54 is en route. I did some more digging and the “k” serial number dating to 90’/91’ is pretty rare. They don’t appear at all in the Japanese fender catalogue. According to some back and forth with Gemini, there weren’t very many made and even less imported to the states. They also do not make opb-54-53 version of this bass like they did for all the other precisions for this year. These started with the -75 and -110 versions only. One thing that has had me hold off on MIJ purchases in the past is they make multiple tiers of the exact same bass and it’s difficult to know which you’re getting.
All of this is to say I’m stoked and I’ll report back here with pics and comments when it arrives!

 

[MrRobert]

I can’t help you decide, but Guitar Center in Lake Forest, CA has a new AVII ‘54 precision for $1699. I’m sure if you called them directly they’d be happy to sell you the bass and ship it to wherever you are. No, I’m not affiliated with them in any way, I just noticed this great price and want to pass on the info to any TBers who might be interested.

Replying to my own post here to say I wish I was in the market for one of these. I just had another play of this one and it’s KILLER. I’d say it’s in the mid 7lb range and sounds phenomenal with the stock fender flats it’s wearing. Somebody snap this up before I make a poor decision

 

[jrodriguez]

Replying to my own post here to say I wish I was in the market for one of these. I just had another play of this one and it’s KILLER. I’d say it’s in the mid 7lb range and sounds phenomenal with the stock fender flats it’s wearing. Somebody snap this up before I make a poor decision

I still just might! The one I ordered was also from guitar center and if once it arrives if I feel the upgrade to an AVRI is worth it I might return this one and go straight to that one! An ash body in the mid 7 pound range is super tempting. Will report back once the MIJ I ordered arrives later this week.

 

[MrRobert]

I still just might! The one I ordered was also from guitar center and if once it arrives if I feel the upgrade to an AVRI is worth it I might return this one and go straight to that one! An ash body in the mid 7 pound range is super tempting. Will report back once the MIJ I ordered arrives later this week.

Congrats! I hope you dig that badboy

 

[CrimsonGhost]

Another vote for the squire classic vibe. Fantastic for the price. Just throw some vintage reverse winds, new pots (even the stock pickup sounds great believe it or not.) and your all set and all with an excellent B width neck. Not a big old C neck with razor sharp edges.

 

[jrodriguez]

So I have some bad news. I received the bass and it was stunning, near mint condition. I restrung it and played around for a while and it was sounding great but the action was too high and the neck had way too much relief. I went to adjust the truss rod and after about 2/3 of a turn it was maxed. I slammed the saddles all the way down on the e & g and the action is still higher than I would like. It's definitely better and playable but not as low as I would normally do my set-ups. Unfortunately with the amount of neck relief it still has and the truss rod being maxed, this one is going back to GC. Really sad because for a 1990/91 it's in immaculate shape and sounds great. I don't think with the $1150 I spent on it, it's worth the money to have the truss rod fixed. Bummer. I hope it ends up in the hands of a collector who wants to spend the funds to fix it.....

 

[MrRobert]

So I have some bad news. I received the bass and it was stunning, near mint condition. I restrung it and played around for a while and it was sounding great but the action was too high and the neck had way too much relief. I went to adjust the truss rod and after about 2/3 of a turn it was maxed. I slammed the saddles all the way down on the e & g and the action is still higher than I would like. It's definitely better and playable but not as low as I would normally do my set-ups. Unfortunately with the amount of neck relief it still has and the truss rod being maxed, this one is going back to GC. Really sad because for a 1990/91 it's in immaculate shape and sounds great. I don't think with the $1150 I spent on it, it's worth the money to have the truss rod fixed. Bummer. I hope it ends up in the hands of a collector who wants to spend the funds to fix it.....

Ah man, that’s a bummer. A shim in the neck would help get the action sorted, but the maxxed out truss rod is definitely a deal breaker. I’m sorry you were so close to getting your dream bass! Luckily you can easily return it and start the hunt again without losing money!