Thanks!
I did some of the relic job on the other bass (the Sting signature one), but my friend did most of it. That's the only previous relic work I'd done. This is the first time I've done a whole instrument. My first build too.
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NBD - '57 Precision Bass (single coil) build...
- Thread starter petermwright
- Start date
Thanks!
I did some of the relic job on the other bass (the Sting signature one), but my friend did most of it. That's the only previous relic work I'd done. This is the first time I've done a whole instrument. My first build too.
And you did just that Peter
Congratulations on a job well done
Thanks, and thanks for your help
Excellent results, mate! Nice attention to detail. And it's all about the little details.
Nice attention to detail. And it's all about the little details.
Smooth_bass88
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- Oct 31, 2006
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Perhaps NBD isn't the right term, as it's a build I've just finished, but anyway...
It's a replica of Sting's trademark '57 P, which I've built for my Sting tribute act. Until now we've been using one of the Sting signature MIJ reissues, which is all well and good, but when you take the scratchplate off it has holes in the body which the original doesn't (and it has that signature inlay at the 12th fret). So, I thought I'd have a go at building a better one.
I couldn't find an authentic bridge anywhere, so in the end I did as @kodiakblair suggested, and got a stainless steel rod, got some help from my father in law to tap some screw holes and cut it to length, and there it is.
Not the final pickup just yet. I'm waiting for an SD '51 P Bass Stack, but the Seymour Duncan custom shop is running behind schedule, so for the moment I've got an SCPB-2 in there, which is ultimately destined for the other bass.
Anyway, I'm really pleased with how it has turned out. Given the homemade-ness of the nut (started with a blank, sanded the radius and cut the slots - I've never even filed slots in an existing nut before) and the bridge saddles, I'm totally amazed by how well in tune it plays. Happy days
PS, yes it does have a Fender decal on there (so it looks authentic), but it also has an engraving on the back of the headstock that makes it very clear it's not a Fender. I have no intention of selling it in any case.
looks really nice!
That's pretty good for a DIY '57. The front relic looks great, the back is so/so but that's just me being picky (also I've never seen what the back of Sting's actual one looks like). No one really sees the back anyways. I agree that finding replica/replacement bridges for early 50's Precision's is on the difficult side. I saw a few on eBay a while back but they are few and far between being reasonably listed usually. Good call on the custom SD stack PU. I'd go that way as well. Enjoy that beauty!
For anyone doing a '51-'56 build...here is info I've posted before re bridge possibilities:
I put this Gotoh/Wilkinson bridge on my Fender MIJ Blue Flower '54 reissue and am using one on the new '54 build I'm doing. It retains the vintage 2-saddle look but you can adjust the saddle angle for better intonation:
Wilkinson vintage 2 saddle 51 P-bass bridge nickel + screws BB-WBBV
There is also this saddle made by a company in Europe, but they are difficult to find. It is a combo of a '51/'54 style string-through saddle and a newer style traditional Fender bass saddle:
Fully compensatable bass bridge for 51 Precision string thru, brass or chrome saddles, 19mm spacing (through, compensated) | Retrovibe
Retrovibe® Fully compensatable bass bridge for 51 Precision string thru, brass saddle, 19mm spacing | Reverb
I put this Gotoh/Wilkinson bridge on my Fender MIJ Blue Flower '54 reissue and am using one on the new '54 build I'm doing. It retains the vintage 2-saddle look but you can adjust the saddle angle for better intonation:
Wilkinson vintage 2 saddle 51 P-bass bridge nickel + screws BB-WBBV
There is also this saddle made by a company in Europe, but they are difficult to find. It is a combo of a '51/'54 style string-through saddle and a newer style traditional Fender bass saddle:
Fully compensatable bass bridge for 51 Precision string thru, brass or chrome saddles, 19mm spacing (through, compensated) | Retrovibe
Retrovibe® Fully compensatable bass bridge for 51 Precision string thru, brass saddle, 19mm spacing | Reverb
Thank you very much
I'm actually doing the new '54 build around the SD '51 Stack pickup. I love that pickup. I have a Fender Custom Shop Precision bass that came stock with a pair of the SD '51 Stack pickups, one in the standard position and one in the bridge position. It is a fantastic-sounding bass!
I recently purchased an alder MJT 2-tone SB body for this '54 build. He really does a fantastic job on those bodies at a great price point. I have a split-P body from him in 3TSB that comes so close to my Fullerton P sunburst, it's crazy.
I'm curious about the Musikraft neck. Have you used a Musikraft neck before? I like the idea of the soft V profile. I have a Fender MIJ '51 Reissue neck for this build but I think I want something a little beefier and the vintage soft V is interesting. Wow...I just looked on their website and the pricing is very reasonable for one of these.
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Yes, two made-to-order Musikraft necks so far. Top-notch. They have their own house profiles and recently they started offering clones of Fender Custom Shop profiles.
I think their own soft V profile around the money portion of the neck is closer to an accurate or correct representation of pre-CBS mid-late '50s Fender P basses than FCS's '57 soft V. I think 0.88" at the 1st fret is closer to vintage correct than FCS's 0.925" based on reviewing listed dimensions across multiple instances of '57 and '58 P basses.
Compared to retail prices for Fender replacement necks, even B-stock discounts from Stratosphere or used, Musikraft custom necks are a much better deal for the money and they have far and away the most desirable options for specifications; much more than Warmoth. I have no affiliation with Musikraft other than as a customer and user of their necks.
Perhaps NBD isn't the right term, as it's a build I've just finished, but anyway...
It's a replica of Sting's trademark '57 P, which I've built for my Sting tribute act. Until now we've been using one of the Sting signature MIJ reissues, which is all well and good, but when you take the scratchplate off it has holes in the body which the original doesn't (and it has that signature inlay at the 12th fret). So, I thought I'd have a go at building a better one.
I couldn't find an authentic bridge anywhere, so in the end I did as @kodiakblair suggested, and got a stainless steel rod, got some help from my father in law to tap some screw holes and cut it to length, and there it is.
Not the final pickup just yet. I'm waiting for an SD '51 P Bass Stack, but the Seymour Duncan custom shop is running behind schedule, so for the moment I've got an SCPB-2 in there, which is ultimately destined for the other bass.
Anyway, I'm really pleased with how it has turned out. Given the homemade-ness of the nut (started with a blank, sanded the radius and cut the slots - I've never even filed slots in an existing nut before) and the bridge saddles, I'm totally amazed by how well in tune it plays. Happy days
PS, yes it does have a Fender decal on there (so it looks authentic), but it also has an engraving on the back of the headstock that makes it very clear it's not a Fender. I have no intention of selling it in any case.
Looks really cool
Me likey.......MUCHO!!!!!!!
The SCPBs are what bass is all about! (Got 5 of them, 2 MIJs, 2 builds and a real 1953.)
Great build job! I bow before you!
LOVE YOUR BASS!!!!!!!
The SCPBs are what bass is all about! (Got 5 of them, 2 MIJs, 2 builds and a real 1953.)
Great build job! I bow before you!
LOVE YOUR BASS!!!!!!!
As far as I can tell, that is what the back of Sting's looks like, pretty much. It's much harder to find pictures of the back, obviously, but from what I've seen, it's fairly close to this. All the detailing around the neck plate area in particular, is from pictures of Sting's (see photo).
Attachments
Really nice and quartersawn to boot! Thanks for the additional info on the MK vs Fender CS neck profiles and thicknesses. I think the MK profile is more of what I'm looking for.
Could you share your Relic process?Perhaps NBD isn't the right term, as it's a build I've just finished, but anyway...
It's a replica of Sting's trademark '57 P, which I've built for my Sting tribute act. Until now we've been using one of the Sting signature MIJ reissues, which is all well and good, but when you take the scratchplate off it has holes in the body which the original doesn't (and it has that signature inlay at the 12th fret). So, I thought I'd have a go at building a better one.
I couldn't find an authentic bridge anywhere, so in the end I did as @kodiakblair suggested, and got a stainless steel rod, got some help from my father in law to tap some screw holes and cut it to length, and there it is.
Not the final pickup just yet. I'm waiting for an SD '51 P Bass Stack, but the Seymour Duncan custom shop is running behind schedule, so for the moment I've got an SCPB-2 in there, which is ultimately destined for the other bass.
Anyway, I'm really pleased with how it has turned out. Given the homemade-ness of the nut (started with a blank, sanded the radius and cut the slots - I've never even filed slots in an existing nut before) and the bridge saddles, I'm totally amazed by how well in tune it plays. Happy days
PS, yes it does have a Fender decal on there (so it looks authentic), but it also has an engraving on the back of the headstock that makes it very clear it's not a Fender. I have no intention of selling it in any case.
It looks amazing...and looks like Stings old bass!
Great job, very well executed!
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