Does anyone know if a standard Fender pickguard will fit a Memphis P-bass? I'm tempted to pick up a fixer-upper.
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It would help to have a picture of the bass. Memphis had a production hiatus, and the more recent ones spec out quite differently than the originals. What works for one set of basses may not work for the other.
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As it's not in my possession yet, this is the best I can provide. Seller says it's from the '70s.
As it's not in my possession yet, this is the best I can provide. Seller says it's from the '70s.
Short answer? No. Longer answer... The heel on the neck is more squared off (like a Telecaster) than a Precision Bass is.
Nope, not do-able; I just checked. With the pickup route on the 'guard directly over the pickups, the screw holes on the pickguard horns are almost off the bass entirely. With the horns where they should be on the face of the bass, the pickup cutout is too far south.
Your Memphis is from the original issue, and its pickguard should have a recess at the heel of the neck to permit access to the truss rod. Since the bass is black, I would just scratch build a mini-guard to cover the control cavity.
Your Memphis is from the original issue, and its pickguard should have a recess at the heel of the neck to permit access to the truss rod. Since the bass is black, I would just scratch build a mini-guard to cover the control cavity.
@GretschWretch thanks for taking the time to research this!
I've read one review where the player stated that the neck was thinner than a standard P, but bigger than a standard J. Any comment on neck size and profile?
Yeesh! This gets us into the glories of Japanese jobber manufacturing for U.S. distributor house brands. I have a black Memphis P with the Maxon pickup and large cloverleaf tuners. Its neck is quite chunky. Just . . . chunky. I also have a sunburst Memphis P with the split pickup and somewhat downsized, down quality tuners. Its neck is a bit narrower than the black P's, but has a distinct v profile on the back.
Making broad generalizations about first-generation 70s Memphis P basses is going to require a larger sample size than two.
Thanks for the perspective. Neither "chunky" nor "V profile" are desirable characteristics for me. I'll probably pass on it.
