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NBD - Fender AV ‘63 Precision!

#61
Lowbrow said:
Yeah ... but I just go at it using a StewMac Tele trussrod crank and let the pickguard be damned!
IME a gouged pickguard on heel-adjust PBasses is as authentic a vintage detail as any. Never saw a pre-CBS without!
(Honestly, tho, I do try to avoid it but have never had the good luck or self control)

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I don’t use anything .. I lifted the neck three times in 2/3 weeks in order to find the right amount of relief having changed three sets of strings on the bass, looking for the best strings/pickup pairing.
After that all happiness .. if you buy a vintage-repro Fender instrument you know what you shall do ..
 
#65
Lowbrow said:
Agreed. Wondering what info the poster is basing that statement on. The AO necks are totally unique among Fender production basses.
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I know nothing about American Originals, but the '63 AVRI Precision certainly has very different neck. 1.75" nut width for starters. Curved ("slab"?) fretboard. Manufacture of those necks would have been expensive for Fender.
 
#67
Lowbrow said:
Wondering which current production Fender bass has the same neck as the American Original '60s Precision?
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That was wrong, the necks are not the same, but like Gianni wrote they have the same fretboard radius (9,5" vs. 7.25") and I estimated that this is a way for Fender to streamline production.
The AVS instruments were > 2.000,-, the AOs are 200-300,- cheaper on average here in Germany.
 
#68
DirkP said:
But be aware of these dots on dark stages... Nearly ruined one song at one gig for me. I was never aware that I use these dots to kind of orient myself on the fretboard, but I kind of do it or am confused if I can't see them.
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I use these, make confetti out of them and stick them on top of the dots on the upper side of the neck.
Read about a pro player that returned his bass for a standard US one because of the dots. Pro's are pragmatic...
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I played a used G&L many years ago that had dots embedded into the neck that were about the size of the inlays on the front of the fretboard. At the time I thought it might have been from the factory that way because it was under the finish. In hindsight, probably just refinished. Anyways, the big rosewood dots on maple were very easy to see. I probably should have bought it.
 
#71
Old Fart said:
I know nothing about American Originals, but the '63 AVRI Precision certainly has very different neck. 1.75" nut width for starters. Curved ("slab"?) fretboard. Manufacture of those necks would have been expensive for Fender.
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Nut width of AV and AO P-basses is exactly the same (please check the specs).
Concerning round-lam vs. slab rosewood boards, Fender started transitioning towards round-lam boards in 1962, so the AV ‘63 P-bass is period-correct in this regard, but the AO ‘60s as well, if we want to be picky, since there’s no specific year of reference in the instrument’s name.
With regard to the relevant manufacturing costs, this is an old, useless and almost trolling topic that’s been dealt with many times without any conclusions.
In general, what Leo Fender did during his years at Fender, was to find ways to simplify and making the instruments’ manufacturing process the least expensive as his declared aim was to produce good quality tools for the largest amount of people.
In the case of the transition from slab to round-lam boards, however, there were users’ reports about lack of adherence between the rosewood board and the maple of the neck, which, sometimes, also prevented the truss-rod adjustment.
Fender thought that reducing the rosewood’s thickness could help in increasing the strain compatibility between the two kinds of wood; however, the first reduction step made necks more expensive as it wasn’t so significant, whereas the cost of carving the board to the desired radius was to be added.
Fender reduced the board to a veneer with a second step of the rosewood thickness reduction, which is what should characterise also the AV ‘63 P-basses.
This solution was continued for all rosewood-board Fender instrument’s up to 1983.
We can surely say than the AV ‘63 is P-bass is definitely a period-correct instrument, especially with regard to the fretboard radius.
Fender probably found that two different lines of fretboard preparation and manufacturing were now too expensive for non-Custom Shop instruments and likely decided to streamline its production processes.
As stated, however, it should be noted that in the ‘60s and ‘70s, all rosewood boards were round-lam, hence the production costs where to be spread over the whole production; this likely helped in keeping the cost down to acceptable levels in view of the company’s margin targets.
So keep your AV in good shape as they are true vintage-reproduction P-basses under all aspects.
I couldn’t buy one and went for the currently made line (AO ‘60s); frankly speaking I would have loved a board with a 7.25” radius but I couldn’t care less whether it is made of a thick slab or not in terms of bass tone or playability, even if I like the idea of having a largest reserve of noble wood in its neck as I saw round-lam vintage instruments where the board was almost completely gone.
 
#76
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Got my self one two! Pun intended ; Can’t put it down 。。。especially the 63 and I have the real 63 vintage , all original even the frets but AVRI are lighter and this is gonna sound funny but I love the AVRI 63 better
 
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