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Nate Mendel P Body vs. the Usual P Body?

Gbass75

Gbass75

May 20, 2009
1,343
948
Berkeley, California
#1
Hello T.B. Fam!

I've no doubt this may have been discussed elsewhere; and so, you masters of the quick-draw, please do show us the link to the thread(s) on this topic.

That said, here's my question...

I'm putting together a parts P-Bass...

I want a nitro finished CAR body...

I've found a Nate Mendel body available... looks pretty good...

Here's what I'm wondering about... I know the tummy contour is deeper than your typical P... can anyone share their thoughts and experiences with that? How does it feel? Better? Worse? No difference?

I think the arm contour is also a bit more severe, no? Any opinions on that?

Any and all thoughts or opinions are most welcome!

Much obliged to y'all!

Thanks so much!

~G.
 
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#4
Awesome... thank you so much for the input!

Here's a sub-question...

Would there be any big problem trying to use one of these pick guards on a Nate Mendel P body? ...and, I'm okay with drilling new holes...

Celluloid 4 Ply WIDE BEVEL Tortoiseshell Pickguard for '62-'64 Precision Bass | Gary's Guitar Shop | Reverb
Celluloid Tortoiseshell WIDE BEVEL Pickguard for CBS Era Precision Bass | Gary's Guitar Shop | Reverb

I was thinking that the second option should be a pretty accurate fit; since it's made for a CBS era '78.

Thoughts?

Thanks again!!!

~G.
 
#10
Gbass75 said:
I've found a Nate Mendel body available... looks pretty good...
Click to expand...

I did exactly this... turned a CAR Mendel P bass into maybe the rockingest PJ ever conceived: USA Geddy Lee neck, Dominger Thumper at the neck, Tom Brantley Geddy at the bridge (in the 70s position). 920d dual stack-knobs serial/parallel control joint with a pup select switch added, Hipshot detuner, Dunlop straplocks. That thing screams.... and it feels and looks great, too. It's fast on its way to becoming my #1 stage bass. So yeah, I highly recommend the CAR Mendel body for a custom build.
 
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#11
2112 said:
I did exactly this... turned a CAR Mendel P bass into maybe the rockingest PJ ever conceived: USA Geddy Lee neck, Dominger Thumper at the neck, Tom Brantley Geddy at the bridge (in the 70s position). 920d dual stack-knobs serial/parallel control joint with a pup select switch added, Hipshot detuner, Dunlop straplocks. That thing screams.... and it feels and looks great, too. It's fast on its way to becoming my #1 stage bass. So yeah, I highly recommend the CAR Mendel body for a custom build.
Click to expand...
Nice! But uh you do know that this bass you speak of doesn't actually exist without pics though, right? :smug:
 
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#12
Gbass75 said:
Awesome... thank you so much for the input!

Here's a sub-question...

Would there be any big problem trying to use one of these pick guards on a Nate Mendel P body? ...and, I'm okay with drilling new holes...

Celluloid 4 Ply WIDE BEVEL Tortoiseshell Pickguard for '62-'64 Precision Bass | Gary's Guitar Shop | Reverb
Celluloid Tortoiseshell WIDE BEVEL Pickguard for CBS Era Precision Bass | Gary's Guitar Shop | Reverb

I was thinking that the second option should be a pretty accurate fit; since it's made for a CBS era '78.

Thoughts?

Thanks again!!!

~G.
Click to expand...

The NM pickguard has one additional screw in the middle of the pickguard below the g-string. No need to use that extra screw IMO. Other than that it looks like a standard p-bass pickguard to me. I eye-balled mine with another pickguard that i've used on a -77 and some random MIM p-basses. It seems like the rest of the screws would line up just fine. Can't say for sure about the pickguards in your links though.
 
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#13
Yes, that looks a bit roomier ...
25421774663_3d4bf9b2b7_b.jpg
 
#18
The Mendel bodies are simply contoured a lil more overall, which is great because they are cozy. Also they are made of Ash and not the usual Alder or whatever. Mine was super light to the point of having the slightest bit of neck dive which was remedied by replacing the stock 70s style tuners with the appropriate Hipshot replacements (which weigh ever so slightly less.)
 
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#19
onestone said:
The NM pickguard has one additional screw in the middle of the pickguard below the g-string. No need to use that extra screw IMO. Other than that it looks like a standard p-bass pickguard to me. I eye-balled mine with another pickguard that i've used on a -77 and some random MIM p-basses. It seems like the rest of the screws would line up just fine. Can't say for sure about the pickguards in your links though.
Click to expand...

It just so happens that I stumbled upon a listing over on REVERB by a lovely fellow in Boise, ID... he happened to have a brand new, custom guard made by WD Custom Pickguards; tooled from a mid-70's CBS era model... looks like it's going to fit just right.

jk_bass said:
as far as i know, it's only the back that's different. if you look at the back pics side by side, nate's bass has a more extended cut out
Click to expand...

cataract said:
The Mendel bodies are simply contoured a lil more overall, which is great because they are cozy. Also they are made of Ash and not the usual Alder or whatever. Mine was super light to the point of having the slightest bit of neck dive which was remedied by replacing the stock 70s style tuners with the appropriate Hipshot replacements (which weigh ever so slightly less.)
Click to expand...

Yes, the back obviously has that deep belly cut... everyone seems to agree that it's extremely comfortable... we shall see! :bassist:

I also read the the forearm contour on the front is at less of an angle; and is a bit flatter... I'm cool with that; seeing as how my other P-Bass has a slab body.

I missed out on buying a NM body that was somewhere around 5 lbs 6 oz... instead, I picked up my second choice; which weighs in at 6 lbs 12 oz! Yikes! A bit heavier that I was hoping for, but not a deal breaker. I think that weight comes in with the high mass bridge already installed; coming in at 8-9 oz. I'm going to replace it with a vintage style bridge, so that'll knock off a few ounces!

I'm going to put a neck from a '63 P Bass on the NM body... so, as far as balance goes... fingers crossed!!!

It's going to be a while before this is all set up and ready... I have the body, neck, and replacement guard... now I need to get the rest of the hardware and pups, and then get it over to my luthier for assembly and fine-tuning. However, I'm going to have to sell off a few items to finance stage 2 of this bass build! :(
 
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#20
Gbass75 said:
It's going to be a while before this is all set up and ready... I have the body, neck, and replacement guard... now I need to get the rest of the hardware and pups, and then get it over to my luthier for assembly and fine-tuning. However, I'm going to have to sell off a few items to finance stage 2 of this bass build! :(
Click to expand...

Just remember, it is not ready nor does it exist until we see some pics right here :roflmao: Jokes aside, i'd love to see a few pics when it's done.
 
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