Telecaster vs. Precision Bass

[WillyW]

 

[bassclef112]

Every single Tele Bass I've ever played/owned had a "C" neck and was as chunky as humanly imaginable. I've read reports that other "flavours" exist but haven't come across one of those personally.

My $0.02 only...

My first "real" bass was a 1970 SC Tele that I bought brand new fresh from the factory. I knew nothing about it being a reissue and SC vs split coil was not on my radar. My friend had just bought a brand new '69 Tele guitar and we were on our way to our first band. I was drawn to the finish because it seemed everywhere I looked was sunburst.
The neck on mine is more of a D shape and is definitely not as chunky front to back as my '76 P. I still find it very comfortable.

I used up the body by an overabundance of various pickup routes and after 12 years remounted the neck on a one piece koa J body I got from Rudy's made by DiMarzio who were taking a stab at Schecter's parts market.

A number of years there and I finally bought a loaded Warmoth Tele body. The neck was finally back where it started. After several tastes I am using an SD 70's SC similar to what I originally had. A lot of miles and a lot of notes will keep that neck with me forever. I need a better pic, but the tuners and covers are off my original. It still sings.

 

[ajkula66]

The neck on mine is more of a D shape and is definitely not as chunky front to back as my '76 P. I still find it very comfortable.

We are referring to two different things. When I wrote "C" I was referring to the nut width, not the neck shape. My apologies for being imprecise.

 

[bassclef112]

We are referring to two different things. When I wrote "C" I was referring to the nut width, not the neck shape. My apologies for being imprecise.

Aha. No apology necessary for providing clarity. My bass is a B, 1 5/8" .
A C nut is too much for me. I had an amazing '62 RI that was a C and first position took its toll on my small(er) hands during a gig. Had to flip an otherwise excellent bass.
The B width with the flatter profile makes mine feel almost slick. I was lucky to buy it right out of the gate. I knew nothing as far as comparisons to either a P or a J. My eyes were full of nothing but Tele!

 

[David Currie]

The single coils have a lot more attack and less low mids going on, they sound great with a bright flatwound string like Chromes, Roto 77s, or Sadowskys. Personally I prefer the split coil but the single coil is still a great sound.

I was reading a book about Keith Ferguson (RIP), one of my favorite bass players (Fabulous Thunderbirds etc.), said he used GHS bride flats on his early 1950's Precision basses exclusively, would sometimes use a heavy set and tune down to B, so it was like a 5-string bass with 4 strings, so he could "romp around" on the low notes, like a elephant trunk swinging under the band's sound" (I think that was the quote). He played a right-handed bass lefty, but restrung normally - low strings on the bottom, and used the strap button on the larger horn, which was flipped to the bottom, and that made the bass balance perfectly. I'm thinking of buying a Chinese copy of an early P-bass for $300, it's a lefty, so I can flip it to play like Keith did, get a Duncan hot pickup like he used. There are scads of pictures of him online if you're interested, he was a fascinating and tragic character. This is a fascinating glimpse into his life shortly before he died (I'm going to reread it): Beautiful Loser
The book about him called: "Keith Ferguson, Texas Blues Bass"