Is there anything else like a 60s pbass?

[Ricky Caboverde]

My title might be a bit unclear, so I'll explain. I recently bought my first pbass—a 1980 Fernandes. It feels great and sounds fantastic. When I went to pick it up from my tech's house after he set it up, he let me play his wife's late-60s Fender precision. And now I can't get that neck out of my mind!

There's no way I can swing a true 60s pbass, so my question is are there any models released by Fender that accurately capture those necks? Or any other mfg for that matter.

 

[Michael Jewels]

I don't know which models Fender or any other manufacturer might offer that are similar to a 60s Precision bass, but I had a friend in the 70s & 80s who, in about 1974 bought a 1965 P-bass, and it is the sound by which I judge all basses.

I had to have played it 50 times in 10 years, and I consider myself very lucky that I was young and was able to play it when I did.

 

[57pbass]

I believe that Fender made the AVRI 63 and 62 or 64 P Basses that get lots of praise here on TalkBass. Others will more helpful but I have a 63 and it's a really nice instrument.

 

[Moving Pictures]

The Fender American Vintage II 60s Precision is a great option. That neck is great and even more importantly it sounds fantastic.

 

[waynobass]

Lakland 44-64 is based on Bob Glaub's 1964 Precision. Wonderful neck!

 

[Gervais Cote]

The Fender Sean Hurley signature precision bass is one :

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Or you can buy some parts from Warmoth. Alder body, quarter sawn maple neck with steel reinforcements, slab type dark rosewood fretboard and a set of Lindy Fralins pickups.

A friend of mine built one with these parts and it sounds extremely close to his original '62 p bass……….for a fraction of the price.

 

[Ricky Caboverde]

The Fender Sean Hurley signature precision bass is one :

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Or you can buy some parts from Warmoth. Alder body, quarter sawn maple neck with steel reinforcements, slab type dark rosewood fretboard and a set of Lindy Fralins pickups.

A friend of mine built one with these parts and it sounds extremely close to his original '62 p bass……….for a fraction of the price.

Thanks for the reply. I'll look into the Hurley P.

To clarify, what stood out to me was not the tone, it was the neck that floored me. Something about the solidity, thickness, feel of the profile, smaller frets, etc. Furthermore, the neck was wonky and had odd buzzing here and there, but it still left an impression

 

[Pilgrim]

Any P with a '63 P pickup and dead flats will get you very, very close in sound. Necks? Swap as needed, including for a Jazz neck if you want.

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I have a 1963 P and it's not magic. Its biggest advantage is that the body is lighter than any other P I've used. But sound-wise, you can get there with a pickup and dead flats.

 

[Killing Floor]

Yeah, any P bass. If your eyes are closed they haven't really tinkered with the design in 60 years.

Get one that feels good and you can always swap pickup.

 

[Ricky Caboverde]

Any P with a '63 P pickup and dead flats will get you very, very close in sound. Necks? Swap as needed, including for a Jazz neck if you want.

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I have a 1963 P and it's not magic. Its biggest advantage is that the body is lighter than any other P I've used. But sound-wise, you can get there with a pickup and dead flats.

It's not magic?!

I'm new to pbasses; so maybe most others have a similar neck to that 60s P compared to my thin but wide Fernandes P.

 

[Cadillac_Mike]

Are the necks on a late 60's P-bass any different from a 70's P-bass (both being CBS)??

 

[Hundred proof]

I had a 1968 P bass for 25 years and it was a great bass. Kinda wish that I hadn't sold it. Later bought a Squier 60s and it was a nice bass but not with the aged feel. In my experience the P bass is more consistent to find a "good one" than the Jazz Bass.

 

[Lo-E]

I've played some genuine '60s P-basses that were fantastic and some that were…. okay. Furthermore, the necks on '60s P-basses vary so I think your question might be better phrased "Is there anything else like my friend's 60s P-bass?"

I'm honestly not trying to be a smartypants; it's just kind of a moving target because not every 60s P is the same. FWIW, I think Fender's Roadworn series had very comfortable, broken-in feeling necks. I'm not usually a fan of relic'ing but those were nice necks. I've played a number of Nash P-basses that also felt nicely broken in. I'm not familiar enough with Fender's current product line to help - they have a billion similar models and I lost patience trying to keep up with them.

 

[spiritbass]

I found the neck on my uncle's 63 precision to be very comfy when he was teaching me how to 'walk' on it. As nice as it was, I prefer the neck profile on my Dingwall Super P. Nothing on earth is perfect, but it is SO close.

 

[chris_b]

Labella flatwound strings will do it.

 

[badinage]

I've owned at least six Pre-CBS Precisions. I kept and still have two. I also still have/once had a bunch of Ps from more recent decades also.

My 1964 P is my favorite P that I've ever played in both feel and sound.

What's almost identical in feel (and actually quite close in sound) are my 2021 and 2022 CV 60s Squier Precisions.

They were Pandemic whim purchases when the kids were back home, quarantined out from school.

The flogging may begin.

 

[davelowell2]

Fullerton Reissue?

 

[facetsquared]

Thanks for the reply. I'll look into the Hurley P.

To clarify, what stood out to me was not the tone, it was the neck that floored me. Something about the solidity, thickness, feel of the profile, smaller frets, etc. Furthermore, the neck was wonky and had odd buzzing here and there, but it still left an impression

Some older Fender Custom Shop basses carry the 45085 fret wire, the thinnest 'vintage' fret wire the Fender Custom shop offers. I have two CS basses with that fretwire and they play really well. My P bass in particular has an amazing neck.

I have found that the majority of FCS basses with 45085 fretwire are Jazzes, but you may find a P if you keep your eyes peeled.

 

[Matt O]

My title might be a bit unclear, so I'll explain. I recently bought my first pbass—a 1980 Fernandes. It feels great and sounds fantastic. When I went to pick it up from my tech's house after he set it up, he let me play his wife's late-60s Fender precision. And now I can't get that neck out of my mind!

There's no way I can swing a true 60s pbass, so my question is are there any models released by Fender that accurately capture those necks? Or any other mfg for that matter.

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The necks in the 60s varied, so:
Do you know what year exactly? What is the nut width of your Fernandes?

Edit: the answer to your OP question is yes there are some reissues that get pretty close to a 60s neck, but the necks vary by which year the reissue is modeled after.

 

[GretschWretch]

Are the necks on a late 60's P-bass any different from a 70's P-bass (both being CBS)??

I have a 1969 and 1971 P -- and a 1976 P fretless. On all three the necks are quite narrow at the nut, taper nicely toward the heel, and are thin. Quite comfortable actually, and I have small hands.