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Telecaster vs. Precision Bass

#61
cnltb said:
Thanks!
Do you also know why rosewood replaced solid maple and why alder was added as a body wood option?

So alder bodies and rosewood boards were never used on singe coil equipped P's, right?
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I think rosewood might have replaced maple because some players were not happy with the way the finished maple necks were wearing- in those days there was zero charm in the idea of a worn bass, it was just considered dirty looking, especially the way the bare wood darkens on a maple neck, I guess.

But I am certain that alder was introduced to make it easier and cheaper to finish the bodies- alder took less sealer than ash did, and I guess the solid finishes covered up a bass that was sealed less heavily. This is the explanation George Fullerton gave, there was no consideration for tone woods then at all.

In the '50s alder and rosewood never appeared together on a SCPB, though there were some sunbursts in alder with maple necks.

I have heard the SD QP SC PUP (how's that for an acronymic mouthful?), and it's a great sounding PUP on these basses. I'm not a fan of the QP split coil but I really like the single-coil one.
 
#63
Kirkowitz said:
Those of you saying that a single coil P can't cut in in the mix might need to go back and listen to some old live ZZ top- Dusty Hill, The Meters- George Porter Jr, Bill Withers- with Melvin Dunlap. The single coil pickup sounds different than the split P, but it is not inferior in any way- it just depends on what tone you're looking for.
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Bass players across the planet for the last 1/2 century have pretty much declared that the sound of the single coil Precision pickup IS inferior to the sound delivered by the split coil Precision pickup. Sales-wise, the split coil design has outsold the single coil design by absolutely staggering numbers. And the reason is that almost everyone prefers the tone of the split coil over the single coil.

The single coil P doesn't sound bad. It sounds fine. But in comparison to the spit coil P, it pales. All of the single coil P basses available today are being marketed as a retro novelty. Again, nothing wrong with that. But let's face reality here - the market has declared that the split P is a better sounding pickup.
 
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#64
Interesting point.

However, there just ain't a lot of diff b/t a single coil P, and a J-bass with the neck pup solo'd, eh?

So, I'd argue "single coil tone is still pretty dang valid" by J-bass sales numbers.
 
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#72
OK...
I guess you could route a body to do that.
I've never seen it done, and pole pieces would be hanging out past the strings as would the pickup bodies, but, if that's what floats your boat, then make it so...


cnltb said:
If one prefers the look , for instance, or the feel under ones hand.
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#73
It was stripped long ago, before I ever saw it.

Even the owner, who has had it since 1973, said that it was stripped, when he bought it. but I believe he was told it was a "burst" of one of the colors that were available in 1957.

He was about 18, when he put a thick coat of poly over the whole thing, which is not a bad thing (actually preserved it), but that's getting stripped and nitro is being re-applied.


mckendrick said:
I've heard of that.

What was the original paint colour?
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#74
Chef said:
OK...
I guess you could route a body to do that.
I've never seen it done, and pole pieces would be hanging out past the strings as would the pickup bodies, but, if that's what floats your boat, then make it so...
Click to expand...

...or possibly wind a split coil P/U to fit the rout that already exists properly...that doesn't sound all to complicated... I'm wondering if some have done that, would be surprised if no one had...:)
 
#76
Well, of course.
I thought I already said that Nordstrand, Lollar, Fralin and SD will all wind you a split coil on the 51 bobbin; and there are probably others I don't know of.

cnltb said:
...or possibly wind a split coil P/U to fit the rout that already exists properly...that doesn't sound all to complicated... I'm wondering if some have done that, would be surprised if no one had...:)
Click to expand...
 
#78
Chef said:
Well, of course.
I thought I already said that Nordstrand, Lollar, Fralin and SD will all wind you a split coil on the 51 bobbin; and there are probably others I don't know of.
Click to expand...

Sure, finding someone to do it is no problem whatsoever.
..and for good measure-Bassculrure , and Haeussel wold probably do it too if asked :-).
Do you or anyone here know of a specific instrument that employs such a pickup on an otherwise '51P bass and possibly even one that has an alder body and rosewood board whilst keeping the body shape etc like it is found on a '51?

That's what I'd really like to see/hear. :)
 
#80
I own both splitcoil and singlecoil Fenders. And all the Telecaster Fender basses variatons there are.

(68 Tele, 71 Tele, 51 P RI, '64 P, '83 P, La Cabronita and the humbucking '78)

I like them all a lot, but they do sound different. The splitcoils sound more compressed. The single coils are extremely dynamic and open sounding. A lot of highs and lows.

Since I have a certain sound in my head, I make sure that whenever I play I make my bass sound like I want. I tweak my amp, a little more mids, less highs and the single coil sounds great (and I vary with the tone knob for different sounds between songs).

I use 60 and 70's Ampegs (SVT, V4 and B15). These amps compress a lot because of the tubes. Come to think of it... I think I understand why lot's of bassist don't like the single coils: they sound thin on transistor amps. The very clean sound of a transistor combines better with the already compressing splitcoils.

The humbucker Tele is too much for my tube amps... I actually like that one better on a transistor amp.
 
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