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Reversing P-J Mod???

#81
BigOldHarry said:
Why would you want to "reverse" it? Once you cut the wood up, it's no longer stock... I'd just leave it in there and actually USE it. I absolutely LOVE the PJ sound...
Click to expand...

I did it for The Challenge, and it seemed to deserve it after all the fine years of service. I did the strip and Poly (which was getting quite beat up) and the J rout. Restoring had been on my mind for a long long time and the internet finally gave me the resources to do it.

If you look back at the pics of the hack job someone did before I got it... I knew it looked like that under the pickguard and it made me need to do it.

Rational decision... perhaps/perhaps not : Emotional decision... absolutely! Am I trying to fool anyone? Hardly, with all the documentation on this bass!

All told, I'm so happy I did it! (and I'm a happy kind of guy ;) )

And I am a P-J kind of guy too - I just completed my dream P-J - my Fendowsky - so I've got the best of both (on the cheap)

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#82
ExaltBass said:
I did it for The Challenge, and it seemed to deserve it after all the fine years of service. I did the strip and Poly (which was getting quite beat up) and the J rout. Restoring had been on my mind for a long long time and the internet finally gave me the resources to do it.

If you look back at the pics of the hack job someone did before I got it... I knew it looked like that under the pickguard and it made me need to do it.

Rational decision... perhaps/perhaps not : Emotional decision... absolutely! Am I trying to fool anyone? Hardly, with all the documentation on this bass!

All told, I'm so happy I did it! (and I'm a happy kind of guy ;) )

And I am a P-J kind of guy too - I just completed my dream P-J - my Fendowsky - so I've got the best of both (on the cheap)

DSC00491.jpg
Click to expand...

Why did you do this? I'm so upset that you mutilated this poor piece of fine craftsmanship. It makes me so mad when people modify their own instrument. I could seriously punch a sleeping baby in the face right now.

"Oh, I did it for the challenge." What kind of pompous answer is that! No one wants to see creativity in this forum. We don't have the need for you and your, "Hey mom, look at what I did", mentality. I don't know what your problem is, but I'm seriously insulted at what has taken place with your bass. So what if I don't own this instrument. The polite thing to do would've been to ask me if it was okay to rout a J cavity in your bass. Yeah it was back in the 1970s; so what? Yeah I was a toddler; who cares! Listen, mister! You better stop with this modding and relicing nonsense. Everyone knows that altering a bass is inhuman and an atrocity to all of humanity. May the Lord have mercy on your soul.
;)
 
#83
bassgod76 said:
Why did you do this? I'm so upset that you mutilated this poor piece of fine craftsmanship. It makes me so mad when people modify their own instrument. I could seriously punch a sleeping baby in the face right now.

"Oh, I did it for the challenge." What kind of pompous answer is that! No one wants to see creativity in this forum. We don't have the need for you and your, "Hey mom, look at what I did", mentality. I don't know what your problem is, but I'm seriously insulted at what has taken place with your bass. So what if I don't own this instrument. The polite thing to do would've been to ask me if it was okay to rout a J cavity in your bass. Yeah it was back in the 1970s; so what? Yeah I was a toddler; who cares! Listen, mister! You better stop with this modding and relicing nonsense. Everyone knows that altering a bass is inhuman and an atrocity to all of humanity. May the Lord have mercy on your soul.
;)
Click to expand...

Thanks, I needed that! :D

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#84
I will be mounting this shortly! :hyper: The pictures don't do justice to the aged patina, tint of the finish and the overall sense of 'being right'

This headstock is JUST SO RIGHT! Old nickel parts, if this is a fake... nah, it's not!
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No button hole + No divots under the tuners... looking really good!
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Someone knew where the money's made!
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There's a little evidence of Lake Placid Blue there!
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Look at THAT GRUNGE! yuk! Neck cleaning = next project
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NO idea... what the heck! ???
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#86
You know I love your basses man, but that Fendowsky is a dream of mine.. You should PM me details, cost, etc. I mean.. Friends??


;) :D


I plan on doing something like that this summer, and yours is just perfect. I love this '59 necked prophecy too, but that Fendowsky is staring holes into my heart!
 
#92
walterw said:
decades of sitting in a rubber-coated stand, which would have eaten the nitro.
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....or leaning against an amp at countless gigs! That's easy enough to fix, though, even without affecting the original finiah (if it is original). A little French Polish would even out the feel on the whole neck back, and can be removed with plain alcohol if the need ever arises.
 
#93
ExaltBass said:
I did it in the mid 70's and it wasn't vintage then :( (note the 70s spacing). I was thinking that if I could use the pickup as a guide I could get a block to fill it... it might work. Has anyone here done it?
Click to expand...

Went this way on my 70 P. After extensive mods, I realized it what it was and refilled a number of routs I had done front and back. It was difficult to match the type of wood,but after much trimming and fitting?, it would take a trained eye and the right lighting to see that it had ever been done.
It was the 70's is definitely the reason. I had 2 DiMarzio P sets on mine, reverse staggered on the bridge one. an EQ circuit, boost and it was wired stereo to run to two rigs,clean and distorted. Now it's factory blond,with the all the covers tuners knobs etc (original, found them all!!) And I use what I learned to build or mod other basses.
 
#94
RED5 said:
Went this way on my 70 P. After extensive mods, I realized it what it was and refilled a number of routs I had done front and back. It was difficult to match the type of wood,but after much trimming and fitting?, it would take a trained eye and the right lighting to see that it had ever been done.
It was the 70's is definitely the reason. I had 2 DiMarzio P sets on mine, reverse staggered on the bridge one. an EQ circuit, boost and it was wired stereo to run to two rigs,clean and distorted. Now it's factory blond,with the all the covers tuners knobs etc (original, found them all!!) And I use what I learned to build or mod other basses.
Click to expand...

Alder is a very repair friendly wood, it routs very cleanly and easily, has even color and grain patterns that are easy to match (if you have a few boards to choose from!) any competent craftsman should be able to accomplish a good plug that would hide forever under paint. Ash is another story, though still possible. Your old P body looks to have been done very professionally, Dave. I'm sure you will have no issues with it down the road.
IMHO, part of the charm of old Fenders is the story they can tell about the periods they represent. Very cool!
 
#95
I've had the neck looked at by a Vintage expert today http://www.solidbodyguitar.com (and saw an awesome '63 P-Bass in Surf Green and a KILLER '56 in sunburst at 8 lbs 5 oz. a customer's in for repair). He said that the frets on my neck are original, but they've been dressed to the point of needing refretting. The nut slots have also been cut low to work with the frets and are too low to work with new frets. I'll get an aged bone nut.

The nut is a white plastic and the installation wasn't done that well. He gave me the contact info for the guy he uses for jobs on vintage instruments and I'll be touching base with him sometime soon.

The next month is going to be nuts with our daughter's wedding, and our son and his wife will be having our first grandchild in the next week (Denver road trip). SO, it will be mid-to-late June before much else happens on this project. I am expecting the tuners next week, so I'll post pics of them at that time.
 
#100
It's back from Ben Lindsey and he did a great job! Joinercape is coming to visit this weekend and we're going to do some final setup and nut work. Then I'll load Sadowsky (.045-.105) Flats on it.

What he did:
  • Removed and repaired damaged nut and fixed bad repair previously done.
  • Refretted the neck (vintage frets) - releveled, etc.
  • Touched up bad and bad areas on the back of the neck.

Probably more (perhaps he'll chime in and be more complete)

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Repaired nut area

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Refretted

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Nicely dressed frets

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Backs of the '73 & '59 necks (note the nice repair on the back of the neck...smooth) Post 84 ha before pics

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Front shots

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Notice that the '59 headstock is smaller on the tuner side

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Thinner too! (thinnest Fender neck I've ever felt) :bassist:

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Installed - final work to be done this weekend :hyper:

It's been worth it! :)
 

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