• 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.

Played a 51 RI today.....

#21
Just bought one a few weeks ago. Fine bass.

Everyone seems to want to put flats on it and pretend it's 1951. Fair enough. However, do yourself a favor and put some steel rounds on there. What a sound; bright, full-range, it's all there. Really unlike any other passive bass I have played.

I think people think it will be "like a P Bass". It's not.
 
#22
A single coil P will not meet your expectations if you have Split P in your head.

I had stainless rounds on my 51 RIP with the SD SCPB3 in it, and dang, it was *baaad.* "Bark Bark!! Grind Grind!!"

I put the flats in it to calm it down!
 
#24
jasper383 said:
Just bought one a few weeks ago. Fine bass.

Everyone seems to want to put flats on it and pretend it's 1951. Fair enough. However, do yourself a favor and put some steel rounds on there. What a sound; bright, full-range, it's all there. Really unlike any other passive bass I have played.

I think people think it will be "like a P Bass". It's not.
Click to expand...

+2 Heartily agree with both of those points. It really is its own machine
 
#25
Zigmundfloyd said:
I really want a single coil tele so I went to GC (which I avoid whenever possible) and played a 51 RI P today.

I expected a heavy bass with a chunky neck, it was neither. I have a 78 P with a chunkier neck. The vintage mandolin frets were a bit weird, might take some getting used to. Seems like wider frets are easier to fret accurately?

Given all I have heard about MIJ quality I was a bit surprised. The jack plate (disc) was falling out, (because it was hanging in GC it could have been some bozo tripping over or yanking out the cable, or maybe not), and there was huge gap, 3/16" between the pickguard and the body right below the 1st string. It's as if it wasn't located properly before being attached. Hmmmmmmm.......

The pocket was straight and tight, it played well, felt pretty good, and I left thinking "maybe."

Anyone have one of these, or played one? Any other options? Gotta be single coil, and not say "Sting" on it.

Thanks
Click to expand...


Unless you happened to be in the California GC, they had the same MIJ P bass witht the same exact problem. (Pickguard bubbled 3/16 above the bass) It's hard to get any help out of those flakey musicians that work there. (I'm sure there arn't any of those on this sitr.)
 
#26
Nah, this one is in Colorado........So I went to a different GC and tried out another one. Jackplate was slightly loose in the body but the pickguard was fine. Salesman was saying "great bass, I've played that one, sounds killer", so I asked why the strings were so loose and floppy........I assume they are shipped detuned, apparently GC slaps on the price tag and hangs them up without bothering to bring them to pitch.

Anyway, I had a feeling about the first bass, went back, looked a little closer, showed the manager the problems, and walked out with it for $470. It appears the neck cutout on the pickguard is not deep enough, causing it to buldge up. I either need to sand, file, or cut the pickguard a bit to make it fit properly. No new holes. The jackplate is nothing, prob a bit of glue will fix it right up.

Oh....MIJs don't ship with cases??:confused: :rolleyes:
 
#28
$470 new, that's a nice discount! I've played a few '51 RIs in-store, and agree with most of what's been posted here. I love the somewhat-aggressive tone of the single coil, and the neck profile suits me fine. The jack plate was loose on one of them, and the tuners have typically been kind of dodgy (which I've also found to be the case on the Geddys I've tried--common trait of recent MIJ Fenders, maybe?), but those are certainly fixable issues. I can't get past the schoolbus yellow, but if I find a 'burst model, I'll be sorely tempted.
 
#30
No, they don't. Mine arrived in a cardboard box, but it made it all the way from Japan like that.:eyebrow:

I bought a Fender vintage tweed case for mine. Deep red plush inside, looks nice on the outside...


...BUT the cotton tweed retains the smell of tobacco smoke from the clubs we play in.:rollno: I have a "fake tweed" case that has a vinyl tweed-texture covering and it doesn't share that problem.
 
#32
IMO the problem with slapping the '51 RI bass is that if you get going too fast and furious, the string is likely to hit the pickup, resulting in that dreadful, speaker killing, fart sound. The '51 RI sems more prone to doing that than other basses I have played -- YMMV.
 
#33
jsamans said:
IMO the problem with slapping the '51 RI bass is that if you get going too fast and furious, the string is likely to hit the pickup, resulting in that dreadful, speaker killing, fart sound. The '51 RI sems more prone to doing that than other basses I have played -- YMMV.
Click to expand...

Yes, I think that's right on. My slapping is really just popping: pulling on the D or G string to do a hammer-on as an accent here and there. It is true, thumbing on this bass needs to be gentle or you get exactly what you describe above.
 
#36
lpdeluxe said:
To repeat what may be common knowledge: the Fender American Deluxe four saddle bridge drops right in. There's one in my '51.
Click to expand...

+1, that was the path I took with mine. (2 tone burst)
Played it this morning at service and last Friday at Singles Bible Study.... I love mine for all of the reasons being quoted again on this post. I am playing Sadowsky Nickle rounds on mine which cut through oh so nice!!! Workmanship on mine that got on Ebay from a guy who was needing to fund a Nordy was outstanding as my 2 previous CIJ instruments (Sting '53 re-issue and 62Fretless Jazz re-issue)
Mine is nice light weight (about 8 1/2 lbs) with great balance. Anyone on the fence on these should GO FOR IT!
 
#37
I'm tempted to put some TI Jazz Flats on mine. I now have them on a '50s P and a Jazz Standard fretless, and really like their feel.

I've had LaBella nylon tape-wounds (snappy sound, but felt floppy, an odd combination) and, currently, Brite Flats.

All these basses have Seymour Duncans, by the way: Quarter Pound on the Ps and Antiquity II on the J.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back