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Played a '75 Precision

#41
MichiBass said:
Ok, but isn't it true that vintage basses have THAT something ? ? ?
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No. It's more a theory than a law. A great bass is a great bass, but not every old bass is a great bass and not every great bass is an old bass. Personally, there are a long line of new basses I'd go for before I'd put the house on a 70's Fender and I say this as someone who has a 77 Fender Jazz in the other room here.

If you really dig the bass in question, go for it, but just make sure you remove the rose-tinted vintage glasses and you're not just believing it's a great bass because it's old.

Remember, mankind has continually evolved and improved and, despite what you may have been told, that includes the ability to make instruments :hiding:
 
#42
My second bass was about a '73 fretless Precision, bought new, which I proceded to play the snot out of. Warped the neck and all beat up, I traded it for a Les Paul Triumph bass, bought new too! Tore the tarnation out of the Paul, including dropping it as the stupid strap button on Pauls would not hold a strap on it. Traded it for a Rickenbacker, which I loved.
If I could only go back in time and tell my stupid young teenage self to hang on to all the guitars and basses I had, I could retire!
 
#46
MichiBass said:
The reason why I started this topic is following:
I never intend to sell my bass, because I love it. It sounds very nice to me, but a little bit rough. After I played the '75 P it doesn't sound anymore so good to me :( I really love it, i bought it new and it gets mojo every day...
But that '75 P was just awesome... It makes me go vintage. But I have no money now to pay 2000 + for a seventies Jazz. But that '75 sounded so piano-like...
I don't know, I'm kinda sad, because my bass does not sound like a vintage Fender...
I have some questions :

1. Does anybody feel like me?
2. Will my bass sound like a vintage Fender in 20 + years? If yes, I'll keep it, because it does the job...
3. Does the American Vintage line from Fender sound like a vintage Fender?
4. Should I sell my HWY1 to buy a Vintage?
5. Should I jump in front of the train?

Thank you!

Michi
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if you can only have one bass the question is which bass you'd rather have in terms of sound and playability- a P or a Jazz?

if you're still a Jazz bass person then I'd suggest replacing the pickups with something better.
I switched to Nordies on my Geddy Lee jazz and frankly I don't recommend them unless you want a Marcus Miller tone.
they are too Hi-fi for me and stand out too much in the mix.

I would go here:
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I got a P pickup from Curtis and it sounded better than other pups I previously put in one of my Ps including the Lollar which is supposed to do the "vintage" thing pretty well.
if his Js are anything like the P pickup I have you can be pretty sure it would upgrade your tone to a whole different league from the stock Fender pups.

also worth checking is string type on the Pbass you tried.
traditionally a P goes well with flatwounds and if the one you tried has them it probably contributed to the completely different feel and sound of that bass.
 
#47
hi,

i recently aquired this one:

http://img171.imageshack.us/my.php?image=cimg5057wn2.jpg

it is a ´73 fender precision in very good shape. i you haven´t heard it you won´t believe how wonderful it sounds. without badass II but with that crappy fender bridge where the saddels move, no new pickups or whatever. just as it was made in ´73. it has a neck like a baseball-club but plays very comfortably though. i weighs 3,9kg.

i love it to death! my skyline bob glaub which i liked very much before will leave me soon ...

best regards,

sandmann
 
#48
Thanks for the tip air_leech !
The problem is not that I don't know if I should buy a P or a J. I'm a Jazz guy, and I don't want a P. I only gave the example with the '75 P that blew my mind, but in terms of vintage, not in terms of P vs. J, if you know what I mean. A P would be nice as a second bass (I want to buy one of those Squier VM P soon), but the J is my favourite bass in looks, sound and feeling.
After reading all your posts guys, I realised two things:

1. Not every vintage bass is MY bass, I have to search deep and PLAY every bass, before buying it, so I won't go ebay in order to buy a vintage bass. And I won't look ONLY on vintage Fenders, I'll also check the newer ones, or every year.
2. The only solution to improve my tone is upgrading my pickups to better ones. I allready put a BadAss II grooved on my bass. But what pickups? I mean every pickup has a different sound, and I need to find my sound... That means a lot of experimenting...
 
#49
MichiBass said:
2. The only solution to improve my tone is upgrading my pickups to better ones. I allready put a BadAss II grooved on my bass. But what pickups? I mean every pickup has a different sound, and I need to find my sound... That means a lot of experimenting...
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For starters, if you're going for a quasi-vintage tone, the Badass ain't gonna help there. Matter of fact I'd stick with the vintage bent-plate bridge. As far as pickups, the Nordstrand NJ4's would be a good bet, and then just play the heck out of it and don't change your strings, let them die!
 
#50
needmoney said:
For starters, if you're going for a quasi-vintage tone, the Badass ain't gonna help there. Matter of fact I'd stick with the vintage bent-plate bridge. As far as pickups, the Nordstrand NP4 would be a good bet, and then just play the heck out of it and don't change your strings, let them die!
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NeedMoney,
he doesnt have a P so no NP4 there.
I second the BadAssII suggestion - it wont help get that buttery old school sound.

Michi,
you are right - if you decide to change pickups you will have to experiment thus spending money on stuff without knowing if its the best pickup for you.

cons:
1. costs lotsa money

pros:
1. cheaper than getting another bass
2. if you already like the way your bass plays its still the better option
3. you can sell the pups you dont like at a minor loss

as you can see the pros outweigh the cons and a new set of PUs is still the cheapest way to completely change your sound.
If you decide to venture down that path I strongly suggest that you read the J pickup shootout and as many reviews as you can find. still no one can predict how your bass will sound after the modification but at least you'll have a starting point and maybe you'll find what you want on first try.

one more tip - the cheap way is the expensive way! buy exactly what you want, if you settle on a set because its cheaper and you think it may do the job you'll more than likely end up buying the expensive set too later on.
good luck!
 
#53
MichiBass said:
but the saddles stay there and don't slip around, and my strings are aligned...
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I know what you mean. I hate that. One solution is a Hipshot Vintage bridge, which is basically a typical bent-plate bridge with one saddle groove on either end, and quick-release string slots.

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Me personally, I don't really like the back section of that bridge, which is why I went for one of these Gotoh replacements instead, though they do require two extra screws, no problem if you don't plan on taking it off again.

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#54
Jeff K said:
It's hit or miss. I have a '75 P that I love. But I'm not naive enough to think that all of them are good; or that all CBS era basses are garbage. If you find one that sounds great, and you have the funds to get it, then go ahead. But don't buy one just because it's a '75 (or '62, '73, etc.). Make sure it's one of the "good ones" before buying it.
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+1

I own a '76 P that I bought without putting my hands on it first and I got lucky.....I wouldn't have taken the risk but the price was just too good.
 
#55
Juniorkimbrough said:
+1

I own a '76 P that I bought without putting my hands on it first and I got lucky.....I wouldn't have taken the risk but the price was just too good.
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Ditto ...

I have a '79 fretless P with the Jamerson Flats on it. It was a great deal that couldn't be passed up. I figured even if it sucked I could sell it back for what I bought it for. Well ... as soon as I got it home ... it was killer.
 

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