• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

NBD Fender ‘58 AVRI

#21
Mastermold said:
All the poles were raised on my CS '59 reissue, which I didn't like so I swapped that pickup out for a Fralin with the poles flush with the cover. Just preference.
Click to expand...

Just cut few strips from name card and shim under the pickups cover until the magnet piece flush, easy than swap pickups. To my ears, CS59 pup sound different compare to Fralin pup, CS59 pup has BITE !
 
  • Like
Reactions: Matt Dean
#22
Matt Dean said:
Really New Bass Week… This bass guitar arrived on Tuesday, but I haven't had much time to spend with it. I did take it to a rehearsal Tuesday night - straight out of the box (just tuned it and raised the action a little) and then spent more time with it today. I've had a few Fender Precisions… in the 1970s I had a '70 and a '73 and again a '73 in the 2000s. I had a sweet 1983 '57 AVRI and now this 2013 '58 AVRI.

This one is for the most part all I thought it would/should be. It sounds great with quality tones and end to end of the tone knob. The neck is BUTTERY… really one of the best I've played. And I've had more than a few basses with exceptional necks. According to what I've read, the '58 supposedly has a thick neck… bordering on baseball bat. But this '58 has a neck I think of as having a sweet badonkadonk; fits my hand very nicely and the edges of the neck are comfortably rounded.

Aside from some dings, which I don't mind - I actually like my basses pre-dinged. There only weird thing is how the pickup is set up (see pics). My other P bass pickups all were more or less parallel to the strings and top surface of the guitar. This guitar's pickups are set at a jaunty angle slanting downward from E to G. The sound level seems very even from E to G, so I don't think this is really a problem - just weird to me.

Question to the TB community… has anyone seen this before on a '58 P (or other P)?

Thanks!

View attachment 4885224
View attachment 4885225
View attachment 4885227
View attachment 4885226
Click to expand...
beautiful, perfect. i would love to own it!

what does AVRI. American Vintage re-issue?
 
  • Like
Reactions: Matt Dean and Spidey2112
#23
BF70DC03-8FB3-46A3-9C1F-ED61E5C65F5D.jpeg
Nice! A 1993, 57 AVRI P (all honest wear) has been my main bass for the last 26 years. I swapped the period RI p/u so the raised poles are under the G string, to compensate for a slightly weaker output.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Shawn Luckman, Juice Box, God's Favorite Bass and 2 others
#27
JMarkD said:
For that pick up, with the raised A magnet, that set up is correct. The "follow the radius of the fretboard" thing is not always the best way. Use your ears, not your eyes. It is a great sounding pick up. Do NOT attempt to push the A magnet down. There are plenty of replacement pickups if your eyes can't take it!
Click to expand...
Yes to all of this.
Great bass BTW!!
 
  • Like
Reactions: Matt Dean
#28
Matt Dean said:
Really New Bass Week… This bass guitar arrived on Tuesday, but I haven't had much time to spend with it. I did take it to a rehearsal Tuesday night - straight out of the box (just tuned it and raised the action a little) and then spent more time with it today. I've had a few Fender Precisions… in the 1970s I had a '70 and a '73 and again a '73 in the 2000s. I had a sweet 1983 '57 AVRI and now this 2013 '58 AVRI.

This one is for the most part all I thought it would/should be. It sounds great with quality tones and end to end of the tone knob. The neck is BUTTERY… really one of the best I've played. And I've had more than a few basses with exceptional necks. According to what I've read, the '58 supposedly has a thick neck… bordering on baseball bat. But this '58 has a neck I think of as having a sweet badonkadonk; fits my hand very nicely and the edges of the neck are comfortably rounded.

Aside from some dings, which I don't mind - I actually like my basses pre-dinged. There only weird thing is how the pickup is set up (see pics). My other P bass pickups all were more or less parallel to the strings and top surface of the guitar. This guitar's pickups are set at a jaunty angle slanting downward from E to G. The sound level seems very even from E to G, so I don't think this is really a problem - just weird to me.

Question to the TB community… has anyone seen this before on a '58 P (or other P)?

Thanks!

View attachment 4885224
View attachment 4885225
View attachment 4885227
View attachment 4885226
Click to expand...
Awesome!
 
  • Like
Reactions: Matt Dean
#29
StayLow said:
Thanks. Done it before. All good.

Hard to tell from the pics, but even with the "A" poles protruding I doubt I'd end up wth it slanting upward on the E side. I typically have my A string highest and E string lower than the A, so even with that pickup I'd expect to have it flat or slanted a bit downward on the E side just not as much as "normal".

Point being it's totally individual, with a lot of variables and options. Even something as simple as a tapered E string vs. non-tapered light gauge would be a potentially significant factor. So too staggered poles.
Click to expand...


Gee whiz, I've been wonder for the last 35 years what these screws are for. You want to teach me how to set up my '58 pickups or push down the poles? I might be doing it wrong. :roflmao:

0


SD Antiquity with flush poles would be one suitable alternative, they make it/offer it both ways; raised A poles or all flush.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Matt Dean
#30
Mastermold said:
All the poles were raised on my CS '59 reissue, which I didn't like so I swapped that pickup out for a Fralin with the poles flush with the cover. Just preference.
Click to expand...

As opposed to trying push the poles down through the bobbins on the original pickups the bass came with; yes, that makes sense.

The cheapest, quickest and noninvasive option for that situation would be to cut out two thin pieces of plastic or cardboard to function as spacers between the inner or undersides of the pickup covers and the top sides of the bobbins to raise the covers a fraction to flush with the pole pieces.

BTW, I'm wondering, do you still have the CS '59 pickups? Can I buy them off you? (joking, sort of... maybe... maybe not) :woot:
 
Last edited:
#32
I've got a 2013 AVRI 58' it's one of the best basses I've ever played, and I have a hard time not playing out even though I've got a Serek Midwestern II that's been getting most of the work lately. The angling of the pickups on mine is very similar as that raised A pole piece does have quite the volume bump if set flat. My pickups were actually rewound by Lindy Fralin a few years back; he loved the feel of this bass as well and offered to wind a new set 58 spec without the raised A; but I like the sound so much I couldn't take him up on the offer. Congrats on a cool bass!
 
  • Like
Reactions: Matt Dean
#35
The pickup angles are perfectly normal. I have an American Original 50s Precision bass and it also has the raised pole pieces for the A string. Therefore, the A side of the pickup should be lower than the E side. Initially when I played this bass, my fingers came into contact with the magnets for the A string. After a little while, I adapted and that was no longer an issue.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Matt Dean and BassGreaser
#37
tsl said:
My '58 CS Precision has the pick-up with the raised A pole piece, and the pickup is adjusted exactly as the picture. So, I will re-iterate that the set up is correct for that pickup.
Click to expand...

chiphaleonbass said:
I've got a 2013 AVRI 58' it's one of the best basses I've ever played, and I have a hard time not playing out even though I've got a Serek Midwestern II that's been getting most of the work lately. The angling of the pickups on mine is very similar as that raised A pole piece does have quite the volume bump if set flat. My pickups were actually rewound by Lindy Fralin a few years back; he loved the feel of this bass as well and offered to wind a new set 58 spec without the raised A; but I like the sound so much I couldn't take him up on the offer. Congrats on a cool bass!
Click to expand...

Crackle said:
The pickup angles are perfectly normal. I have an American Original 50s Precision bass and it also has the raised pole pieces for the A string. Therefore, the A side of the pickup should be lower than the E side. Initially when I played this bass, my fingers came into contact with the magnets for the A string. After a little while, I adapted and that was no longer an issue.
Click to expand...

I don't have a problem with the looks… The sound level are pretty even across the strings; the tone is killer. So, I'm great getting convinced that this is unique and in fact desirable feature, not a bug.
 
  • Like
Reactions: chiphaleonbass and Sam Dingle
#40
Matt Dean said:
Question to the TB community… has anyone seen this before on a '58 P (or other P)?
Click to expand...

Yes thats exactly the way it's supposed to be. Set it up like a typical P without raised A poles and that string will significantly overpower the others.

Nice bass! I don't love chunky necks so I got rid of mine but it was the best sounding P bass I've ever had. I had the popular AV '63 at the same time and liked the '58 much better.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back