Perfect configuration for a Fender bass?

[Nick303]

As the thread implies, what is your ideal spec for a Fender bass?
Is it a pure stock Precision or a Mish mash of parts and concepts?

Go into as much detail as you like and don't bother writing anything negative. Have fun.

 

[FaithNoMan]

Hard Maple body, shaved down to a similar thickness as a Ric's or a Gibson Ripper's. Aggressive, cutting pickup and no-load tone and no volume control.

w/Maple neck.

 

[jnewmark]

I play Jazz basses, and have pretty much stuck to MIA, stock, 4 stringers. Dabbled around for a bit with different mods, necks, etc, but always found myself coming back to a '90's era MIA passive Jazz, with a rosewood fretboard. The only exception has been a RW Jazz, which really surprised me as being the closest thing to an authentic '64 I have ever played.

 

[Mastermold]

All my Fender basses are stock. But I've recently been toying with pickup swapping just for fun.

 

[hdracer]

AVRI 63 P

Doesn't get any better than that.

 

[Fawkesguy]

Fralin P/J set with 5% overwound J, volume/volume wiring, maple fretboard, chromed brass Hipshot A bridge, bar string retainer, GHS Precision Flats, Hipshot D-tuner, Schaller strap locks. That's how I like 'em.

 

[acebase62]

Neck: 4 string J, maple with rosewood fret board, 21 frets, steel or graphite reinforced

Body: alder P

Pickups: Dimarzio Area J Jazz pickups - 60s spacing

Hardware: Gotoh vintage reverse tuners nickel, Gotoh 203 bridge nickel, standard J knobs

Controls: (2) 500k volume pots, Fender TBX tone (V-V-T), rear access control cavity, side mount jack

Strings: D'addario EXL 170 nickel wound, 45-100

 

[steve_rolfeca]

I'd like to see a 5-string version of the AVRI '62 or '63 P-bass. The only non-AVRI part I would want, is a set of Hipshot Ultralights, to avoid neck dive. No high-mass bridge, no graphite, no "modern" pickup voicings.

Sunburst/tort for me, maybe Fiesta Red for the sunburst haters.

That would actually cause me to reach for my wallet.

 

[2cooltoolz]

I built mine:
'57 AVRI Precision Body: Ash, White Blond Transparent
50s Road Worn Maple Neck w/ Pre-CBS style reverse tuning machines
Pre-CBS style hardware; Bridge, pickguard, Knobs, CTS pots, Switchcraft, cloth pushback wiring
SD SPB-1 pickup (might go with Fralin later, I love his pickups, but I already had the Duncan)
For now, Chrome Flats, but I'm new to flats and haven't tried many yet.

 

[DWBass]

Jazz with Bartolini pups and pre or EMG pups and pre. Recess the bridge slightly. Shave a bit of wood off the back as mentioned above. No more than 9lbs.

 

[buldog5151bass]

swamp ash J body, maple P neck with maple neck, better (Badass II bridge), Hipshot Dtuner (see photo <-----)

 

[OldDirtyBassist]

Ash Precision body, Jazz neck w/vintage tuners(rosewood fingerboard), P and J pickups w/2 volumes(no tone pot), BAII bridge

 

[Kmonk]

I have several MIA Fender Jazz and Precision basses ranging in years from the early 1970s to 2011. I like them stock but recently replaced the pickups in my 2011 MIA Jazz with Lindy Fralins and removed the active electronics to make it entirely passive.

 

[Apolicious]

Swamp ash body, maple neck, unlined ebony board w/sidelines, Aguilar or Nordstrand P/J pickups with a passive V/B/T setup, Hipshot ultralites & string retainer, side-mount jack, and some kind of high-mass top-loading bridge. Oh, and the weirdest thing (just because it's a pet peeve of mine); a three-ply pickguard where the bevel gradually decreases as you approach the control plate, so there's no little metal corner sticking out. It just looks sloppy.

And it has to be available as a six-string (with nobody's name on it so I can afford it.)

 

[Nick303]

Translucent black alder Precision body.
Tort / parch / black / parch plate.
Jazz bass pickups, V V T controls.
Hi mass bridge, through-strung.
Maple neck with dark rosewood fingerboard, bound with dots. Heel adjust.
1 / 3/4" width nut, no skunk stripe.
Bar retainer, lollipop tuners.

 

[timobee4]

Any rosewood fretboard neck as long as the truss rod is at the heel! Sunburst or Olympic White body tastefully relicked or aged naturally with loads of battle scars! All passive with USA CTS pots, .5uf capacitor, strictly twisted cloth wires but better swap out for shielded single core pickup wires, copper shielded pickup covers even in case of split pups but for sure with single coils. Lindy Fralin or Aguilar split coil pickups, no pickguard. Reverse tuners, bone nut, preferably 7.25 radius board, if fretted only very thin like mandolin frets if fretless I like epoxy on the neck with block inlays and natural with dot inlays. Recently discovered GHS Bright Flats (6 months ago) they feel little weird at first but after a week they stay in tune, feel and sound unbelievable, truly addictive. So for me 60's Fender Jazz with no mods ( they are perfect ) or any Japanese Jazz Bass with loads of modifications (anything that's not made of wood worthless) USA jazz bass 70's upward worth nothing in my eyes so I rather pimp out 2 MIJ jazz for the same price. Oh yeah I don't mind natural color bass and only in that case I love the look of tortoise shell reddish brown pick guard, and always use silver knobs unless it's a 60's baby!

 

[lowphatbass]

For me it's all about the neck. You can't have a really great bass unless you have a really great neck..... period.

 

[JimmyM]

Precision body, black with black pickguard, standard Fender bridge, Jazz sized maple neck with dots and late 70's Precision Bass logo, both made as light as possible, those little Hipshot tuners, poly finish because it's more durable and I don't think it matters a lick to the sound, silver hardware, and EMG Geezer Butler PJ's with 3 knobs, though I could be talked into a set of the upcoming passive J's they have coming soon based on my experience with the Geezers. Always loved Jazz basses and used to have one, but they're almost always too heavy for me, whereas I can handle most Precisions. And I'd do 60's spacing.

 

[wild4oldcars]

PJ, gloss P neck, dark matte mahogany body, vintage stain maple neck/fb, HMV string-thru bridge in gold, no pg, gold dome knobs vvt, top jack, dimarzio pups, probably SIT or Dunlop NPS rounds. Oh, and dark mahogany headstock veneer with 70s precision logo.

 

[RaniBrandt]

I Frankensteined mine, The "Tractor" P-Bass:

Maple neck
Rosewood fretboard
Alder(?) body
Natural, satin finish
Tort pickguard
Darkstar in P position
Double Jazz at bridge with push/push tone pot to turn one Jazz p.u. on/off
3-way switch
D'Addario Chrome Flatwound strings

One bass, so many sounds!