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Updating a Fender 51 Precision Reissue

#41
Hi all - I'm also a J guy who has a couple of Ps on the side - one is a MIJ '51 P reissue. I didn't like the stock pickup - too much hum for me - so I had a Seymour Duncan single coil put in, one of these guys:

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so excuse the bad photos, but now it looks like this:

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it sounds and plays great.
 
#49
Nice job, Chef. Is that an American Deluxe bridge? That's what I put on my '06 RI. The cover is a cool touch, with the additional advantage of hiding the four saddles (for those who are obsessive about appearance).

I also installed an Electrosocket and an QP along with TI Jazz Flats. Right after I finished it I took it a friend's house (he and I have been playing together for about 30 years) and he played it for about an hour before he'd give it back. I just wish it wasn't school bus yellow...but it sure used to show up great against my red shirt at gigs.:D
 
#51
lpdeluxe said:
Nice job, Chef. Is that an American Deluxe bridge? That's what I put on my '06 RI. The cover is a cool touch, with the additional advantage of hiding the four saddles (for those who are obsessive about appearance).

I also installed an Electrosocket and an QP along with TI Jazz Flats. Right after I finished it I took it a friend's house (he and I have been playing together for about 30 years) and he played it for about an hour before he'd give it back. I just wish it wasn't school bus yellow...but it sure used to show up great against my red shirt at gigs.:D
Click to expand...

Well the color can always be changed, a little work (or money) is all that's needed.
 
#52
Lazarus thread:

Just thought I'd post a pic. of my modified mexican/american 51 bass. I have the original 2 saddle bridge with compensated brass and phenolic saddles. I liked the fatness of the phenolic, but it killed a lot of the punch, the brass is cool, lots of sustain, but a bit muffled when I chord. So I threw on a hipshot aluminum, and really like what it did for the tone, clearer, bouncier too. For pickup I tried a Nordie, Muy Grande, and a Jess Loureiro split coil. It's sporting the nordie split coil. I liked the Loureiro a lot, but killed it when I tried to lift the pickup, I think the design is not as robust as the Nordie or the Muy Grande. Between the two, I liked the Nordie best because its hum cancelling. I have a custom pickup in the works which will have 1/4" staple magnets and will be sealed down to the screw holes like a strat pickup, this way I don't have to worry about damaging the pickup, and it will be 4 conductor, this way I won't lose volume when I do bends on the D/G strings. Will repost when I get it. By the way the Nordie sounds like a P pickup I don't think they were going for a single coil tone with this split design.


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#54
Hey Kirk,

Thanks! I am still putting finishing touches on it, I am changing all the screws to slot heads (anal I know), and aging the hardware. The bass is a mix of things, I bought the body off of MJT bodies. It's a nitro 4.5 lbs slab ash body, the neck is from my Mike Dirnt Road Worn Bass, Tuners are light weight Gotoh Vintage. It's a pet project. I also had a pickup completely redesigned from the ground up by some guy I forget his name but he makes Atlas pickups. I will put another shot of it up when I get it together.

As far as the amps behind it, the top one is an Alessandro Basset, and the bottom one is a Mesa Boogie D-180 it's an interesting mesa amp, channel 1 is guitar and channel 2 is bass.
 
#56
Here is an updated picture of my "51 p-bass" I ordered a musikraft neck with a v to c profile and 21 frets 1 5/8's neck light roast. The neck I currently have which is a dirnt road worn has a slight dead spot on the 9th fret of the G string that bothers me.
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