P Bass Revelation

[jdwinva]

I had owned and played a lot of basses. I currently own a Sadowsky NYC Will Lee and a Stingray Special 5H. Love them both. Never really bonded with a P Bass until now. I think it is important to have the right P Bass. I bought a used Fender American Vintage 63 Precision Bass. W O W !! Now I get it. Plays great, sits in the mix, fun to play. I'm a beleiever now.

 

[bholder]

Yeah, nothing like finding a bass that just feels right and speaks to you.

 

[pickups]

I had owned and played a lot of basses. I currently own a Sadowsky NYC Will Lee and a Stingray Special 5H. Love them both. Never really bonded with a P Bass until now. I think it is important to have the right P Bass. I bought a used Fender American Vintage 63 Precision Bass. W O W !! Now I get it. Plays great, sits in the mix, fun to play. I'm a beleiever now.


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Nice bass! Is this what they call the Fender American Original 60's Precision?

 

[Jazzdogg]

Yeah, no two P-basses are the same.

 

[SLO Surfer]

I think it is important to have the right P Bass. I bought a used Fender American Vintage 63 Precision Bass. W O W !! Now I get it. Plays great, sits in the mix, fun to play. I'm a beleiever now.

Nice! I played active basses for almost 30 years before liking the look, sound, or feel of a P bass. Upright bass became my main instrument for nearly 20 years, while still playing electric regularly. But upright effected my playing style, especially the dynamics and attack of my plucking hand. This kind of led me towards wanting something different in an electric.

You’re right that you need to find the right P. It’s amazing how different P basses from the same year, make, and model can sound/feel/play from each other! With no music stores around, I bought and sold 5 or 6 P basses to find the right one (well, the right two; one with flats, one with rounds). Now they’re my interchangeable main axe.

 

[bwildt]

I am a contrarian at heart, and am generally suspicious of anything that even hints at establishment or corporate hype. I started playing bass around 1972, and played cheap not-Fender instruments because I didn't want to fall for hype. Besides that, I couldn't afford a Fender anyway. In 1979, I went with a Peavey T-40. my first really decent bass, and my only for 20 years.

Around 1999, I was playing with a church worship team. A touring team visited our church and I was just floored by the bassists sound. Clear, deep and as punchy as all get out. He was playing an old Pbass with flats. That was the end of my irrational bias against Fenders. In a month, I had a nice shiny Hot-Rod Precision. I like the variety of different bass configurations, but I keep coming back to the P.

 

[DWBass]

A good playing and sounding P is key.

 

[Mantis Tobaggan]

Nice bass. I used to have the same one and it was also my first Precision bass. I eventually sold it to buy a Fender Custom Shop 62

 

[Geri O]

My Lull P5 fills the P bass spot in my life very nicely.

 

[kobass]

Congrats! The 63AVRI P's are quite special. I have one in Faded Sonic Blue and it's an absolute keeper!

 

[Gianni "Orlandez" Orlati]

I am a contrarian at heart, and am generally suspicious of anything that even hints at establishment or corporate hype. I started playing bass around 1972, and played cheap not-Fender instruments because I didn't want to fall for hype. Besides that, I couldn't afford a Fender anyway. In 1979, I went with a Peavey T-40. my first really decent bass, and my only for 20 years.

Around 1999, I was playing with a church worship team. A touring team visited our church and I was just floored by the bassists sound. Clear, deep and as punchy as all get out. He was playing an old Pbass with flats. That was the end of my irrational bias against Fenders. In a month, I had a nice shiny Hot-Rod Precision. I like the variety of different bass configurations, but I keep coming back to the P.

Finally you’ve seen the light my friend !

 

[Axtman]

 

[juggahnaught]

I had owned and played a lot of basses. I currently own a Sadowsky NYC Will Lee and a Stingray Special 5H. Love them both. Never really bonded with a P Bass until now. I think it is important to have the right P Bass. I bought a used Fender American Vintage 63 Precision Bass. W O W !! Now I get it. Plays great, sits in the mix, fun to play. I'm a beleiever now.


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Your string spacing looks weird in that picture. Is it set up that way or is that just a trick of the eye? It looks like there's more space between the middle strings than the others.

 

[GreatRandini]

fully agree… I built a Frankenstein P Bass from a 90s MIM body and Allparts neck. I had no idea how much I’d love this bass! I had played others and hadn’t had the same reaction so its all about finding the right fit for you

 

[Axtman]

....and it has a tortoiseshell pickguard! But does it have flats?

 

[Warpeg]

Congrats on finding such a rare bird! I have an AV '63 P-Bass as well (2013 Olympic White). It is hands down the finest P-Bass I've played in my 30+ year time as a bass player....and that is why it has been played to death.

 

[pbass2]

Nice lookin' P. Funny, I have been playing my USA Glaub, Oly white, tort, old flats (the best Pbass I've ever owned) almost exclusively now for 10+ years. Records like a dream---producers, engineers--they often want to rent it. But in the last couple months I've been having a Jazzbass revelation! Maybe because I finally put flats on it. Now I just need the tort.

 

[HardNHeavy]

ahhh you finally seen the light!...Sweet looking bass with that tort

 

[jdwinva]

Nice bass! Is this what they call the Fender American Original 60's Precision?

This is not the Fender American Original. It is actually the Fender American Vintage 63. Different neck and pickups. More true to an actual 63 P bass.

 

[jdwinva]

....and it has a tortoiseshell pickguard! But does it have flats?

I did two changes, added the tort pickguard and added TI flats. Amazing!