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P-Bass Opinions

#143
bassbully said:
Best sounding P bass? That's a crapshoot and a matter of personal taste. I have owned from early 70's Fenders to ones made since 2000. It's all up to you and your ears. I prefer Fenders but have played other brands of P basses that were great.
Today my best all time best playing and sounding P bass is a E series Squier modded and tweaked by me using Fender parts and Duncan pups. I have less than 300 bucks in her and it's a dream P bass.
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+1. Ive played many types of P over the yrs but I recently needed cash and after selling a couple bought a very cheap Chinese Squire with a wide flat neck.

Its probably the best P Ive ever played. $160 out the door.
 
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#145
Jeff K said:
I agree that the 60th Anniversary P is an awesome bass. But it's out of the price range that the OP is looking to spend - even used. As for pickups, those you mentioned are great. My personal favorite for a vintage P tone is the Duncan SPB-1. Love those things!

Here's my 60th Anniv. P in Sunburst with a vintage tint added to the neck/board:
IMG_0036_zps4ac4252a.jpg
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How did you tint the neck? I have MIM P with a maple neck I'd love to darken up a bit
 
#146
Ok, I just checked back to the OP--he/she is looking for sustain from a P Bass form factor. There has been a some love shown in this thread for old Yamaha BB's. How about the neck-thru versions such as the BB 1000, 1200, 2000 or 3000 some of which have J pups in the bridge position and reverse P pups in the neck position. They should have more sustain than the typical bolt-on, yet retain the classic P tone, although I haven't tried many of them to really know. You can find these on the used market, so they might be worth checking out.
 
#148
The reason the Classic 50's P is so great is because Fender uses B stock AVRI parts on it. For example, the neck on mine is perfectly straight with super low action (if desired). The only reason it is B stock is because the maple board has some dark wood swirls in it. Which I personally love the look of.

The Alder body had a few extra holes in the neck pocket that I noticed when I set it up. Has no effect on playability.

The pickup is the older American Standard pickup before they switched to custom shops for standards and the vintage for AVRI. I do like this pickup a lot, but I may throw a Dimarzio in there to get a little different flavor. No pickup replacement is actually needed though, IMO.

The tuners are not as precise as the AVRI, but still are old school reverse tuners. If I was super anal, I'd buy replacements, but the bass holds a tune just fine so I don't care.

If you prefer the feel and sound of old school P's, the classic 50's is a complete steal. Especially if you buy the lacquer one on sale. You can get them for under $600. I honestly do not believe there is a better deal than that. I have been using the heck out of mine. For reference, I also have a Moollon J5 and an AVRI '63. All new basses bought new.
 
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#150
I have a MIM P bass that's great. But I should have bought a new bass on Black Friday. One place online (Moore Music Guitars) had a 25% off coupon for anything, plus free shipping. A new American P Bass would have been $1149 with 25% off, or just under $900. Had one in my cart but didn't pull the trigger. Dammit.
 
#152
I played a 1962 P bass a long time ago. That was pretty sweet! That said, I think it's better to buy a new bass than a vintage bass if your intention is to use it. I have a 2015 Standard American Precision. There are some subtle design differences between American and Mexican and I liked the American one more. They sounded pretty much the same. What I have found, though, is that I am taken more seriously as a professional musician for having a high quality brand named gear... even though everybody knows that isn't the most important thing.
 
#154
outoftune said:
How did you tint the neck? I have MIM P with a maple neck I'd love to darken up a bit
Click to expand...
I have a friend who is a local tech here in Memphis. He knew of another guy who does things like this. I don't even know the name of the guy who actually did it, but he did a great job. So unfortunately, I can't give you any guidance for a DIY project. But I'll bet the guys over in the "Hardware, Setup, And Repair" section could give you some step-by-step instructions. Feel free to use my photo if you ask them.
 
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#159
Q: for the Classic 59s crew.

I love the look and idea of these, and don't really get the whole 'Road Worn' schtick on the RW cousin. Just me.

The width at nut I'm not concerned about as my Tbird Goth is the same width. But... I am a bit concerned about the fretboard radius. My other basses are all 12deg.
Is the change likely to be off putting? I assume it will be noticable.
For further info - I did try a 2009 Standard mim and loved the neck on that. Should have bought it.
But a lot more 12deg practice has happened since then.
 

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