Bridgehouse Posted March 22, 2017 Author Share Posted March 22, 2017 [quote name='Sibob' timestamp='1490197167' post='3263152'] Interested in the dates you cited earlier, my '71 Precision definitely has a B neck as opposed to a C. In any case, it's not quite a 'cheap' alternative, but the '63 American Vintage fits the bill (if you're looking for it to 'be a Fender'), plus likely to be quite similar to your '64: [url="http://shop.fender.com/en-GB/electric-basses/precision-bass/american-vintage-%2763-precision-bass/0191010800.html#prefn1=refinement-body-shape&prefn2=series&prefv1=Precision+Bass&prefv2=American+Vintage&cgidx=electric-basses&start=1"]http://shop.fender.c...-basses&start=1[/url] If not, another vote for an appropriately spec'd JV Squier Si [/quote] Your '71 may well be a B - The B became standard in '73 (IIRC) but B necks would have been available before then.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
40hz Posted March 22, 2017 Share Posted March 22, 2017 Wide necked Precisions? As opposed to what? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bridgehouse Posted March 22, 2017 Author Share Posted March 22, 2017 [quote name='Sibob' timestamp='1490197167' post='3263152'] Interested in the dates you cited earlier, my '71 Precision definitely has a B neck as opposed to a C. In any case, it's not quite a 'cheap' alternative, but the '63 American Vintage fits the bill (if you're looking for it to 'be a Fender'), plus likely to be quite similar to your '64: [url="http://shop.fender.com/en-GB/electric-basses/precision-bass/american-vintage-%2763-precision-bass/0191010800.html#prefn1=refinement-body-shape&prefn2=series&prefv1=Precision+Bass&prefv2=American+Vintage&cgidx=electric-basses&start=1"]http://shop.fender.c...-basses&start=1[/url] If not, another vote for an appropriately spec'd JV Squier Si [/quote] Meant to say - the AV 63 would be a great choice - but quite *cough* steep at nearly 1900 notes new.. I'm being disciplined in not spending too much, as I don't want it to end up being another 'nice' bass that I molly coddle and wrap in blankets, only to not then take it out to those rainy, mud infested sleep under canvas beer-filled festivals! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fretmeister Posted March 22, 2017 Share Posted March 22, 2017 Get a used Pino signature model for a fraction of your proper old one! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sibob Posted March 22, 2017 Share Posted March 22, 2017 [quote name='Bridgehouse' timestamp='1490197502' post='3263159'] Your '71 may well be a B - The B became standard in '73 (IIRC) but B necks would have been available before then.. [/quote] I see what you mean, makes sense Si Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc S Posted March 22, 2017 Share Posted March 22, 2017 (edited) I was about to suggest a 2nd hand Steve Harris Sig - but of course, they're all maple board too. You could get Mark at Limelight to build one to your spec. The Limelights I've played have all been fab basses. But they wouldn't come under my definition of "cheap". A while back, I got a neck from a seller on ebay. It was described as a 70's style Fender neck, and when it came, it was indeed fairly chunky. Nice quality neck too. You could try putting one together yourself.... I did it on 2 basses, and if I can, I'm sure you can too. Worth a thought? The guy who'd alerted me to the ebay necks found he couldn't do a replacement job himself - so he sold me his neck cheap. I fitted it to an old Matsumoko 70's 80's P body - which made a rather nice, cheaply acquired, good quality gigging bass... Edited March 22, 2017 by Marc S Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fretmeister Posted March 22, 2017 Share Posted March 22, 2017 I've still never played a wide neck one. I find the concept a bit weird - my 5 string stingray is the same width as a wide P! I'd be worried my fingers would fall through the gaps!! I do like the look of the 50s Roadworns though. My local shop never seem to have any in stock to try though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bridgehouse Posted March 22, 2017 Author Share Posted March 22, 2017 All - thanks for the comments.. I'm actually in the middle of putting together a '52 style precision partsobass - it's a 41.3mm neck so it will be an interesting comparison - being single coil tho, I don't want to rely on it for gigging, but I might get the guy who made the bits to do a 44.5mm neck for it.. In truth, I wanted a ready made job so it's quick and easy. The wide neck is a little odd at first - but I just find it so easy to get about on it and the space is really liberating - my fingers don't fall down the gaps, rather it allows them a bit of movement, and you can bend/vibrato a lot easier. If I can track one down, I'd like to try a 50's Mex to see how it compares and stacks up. The Pino looks great, as does the Steve Harris - but again, both lots of ££! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fretmeister Posted March 22, 2017 Share Posted March 22, 2017 The Harris model weighs as much as an anchor too. Harris was my first real bass hero when I started playing in the 1980s and I'd love his sig model - but with some of them hitting 12lb. No chance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bridgehouse Posted March 22, 2017 Author Share Posted March 22, 2017 (edited) [quote name='fretmeister' timestamp='1490201092' post='3263201'] The Harris model weighs as much as an anchor too. Harris was my first real bass hero when I started playing in the 1980s and I'd love his sig model - but with some of them hitting 12lb. No chance. [/quote] Yeah, that would make my '64 P at 8lb 3oz feel like a hollow body... Gah. Reckon I will have to go maple neck. At least I'd spot which one is which when they are hung up on the wall!! Might put an ad in the WTB section.. will look a bit odd tho, asking for any Fender P of any description as long as it's cheap and has a 44.5mm neck Edited March 22, 2017 by Bridgehouse Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc S Posted March 22, 2017 Share Posted March 22, 2017 (edited) I used to think that I didn't like wider necks. However, I've played a couple that feel pretty comfortable. What I have noticed of late, is that it's not so much a wider neck I don't like - but one that's wide and very deep.... Each to their own, of course. I've got a Roadworn P and a Roadworn J and the necks on those basses are ideal for me. That said, I bought my RW P from Daveyboy on here, and he'd had a luthier slim the neck down - a rather nice, professional job and finish it is too. I'm glad I went for that particular bass, as the neck feels just right to me. I'd say I generally prefer a Jazz neck, but I've had a US Jazz with a chunkier than usual neck, and a US Jazz with a very slim, narrow neck - oddly, I really didn't like that, it just felt too slender, with too little space between strings at the bottom end of the neck.... Fussy so and so's aren't we? Edited March 22, 2017 by Marc S Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fretmeister Posted March 22, 2017 Share Posted March 22, 2017 Just strip the lacquer off the neck. It will be dark and filthy in no time then! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Painy Posted March 22, 2017 Share Posted March 22, 2017 [quote name='fretmeister' timestamp='1490200442' post='3263192'] I find the concept a bit weird - my 5 string stingray is the same width as a wide P! I'd be worried my fingers would fall through the gaps!! [/quote] There you go, just put a 5 string Stingray neck on it. There's a chap on eBay who specialises in modifications for people with big hands that could soon convert it to a 4 string for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bridgehouse Posted March 22, 2017 Author Share Posted March 22, 2017 You lot aren't helping now! I will need to try a 50's (roadworn or not), and a Squier JV, and possibly some of the other early 80's US ones as they too seem to have a 1.75" neck. Failing that, it's a limelight or get the friendly body and neck builder to do a standard P with a wide neck for me. Which means buying more cans of nitro.. I have about 20 in the garage waiting to dispose of already........ This is the latest project btw: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sibob Posted March 22, 2017 Share Posted March 22, 2017 These guys also do some nice stuff, similar to Limelight I think, but some interesting options like chambered bodies etc. Scott Devine has a Precision of theirs I believe: http://www.rocknrollrelics.net/project/vicious-model Si Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fretmeister Posted March 22, 2017 Share Posted March 22, 2017 [quote name='Painy' timestamp='1490201947' post='3263220'] There you go, just put a 5 string Stingray neck on it. There's a chap on eBay who specialises in modifications for people with big hands that could soon convert it to a 4 string for you. [/quote] That bloke's a nutter! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hooch Posted March 22, 2017 Share Posted March 22, 2017 Some thoughts on Lakland Bob Glaub sig may be useful there. Got a japanese Shoreline one, neck is wider than the C-shaped 66 Fender i had. 44mm for sure, maybe more, with a really comfy C shape, close to vintage Ps. I guess Skyline series may tick these boxes too, plus being easier to find and a tad cheaper. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bridgehouse Posted March 22, 2017 Author Share Posted March 22, 2017 [quote name='Hooch' timestamp='1490210470' post='3263314'] Some thoughts on Lakland Bob Glaub sig may be useful there. Got a japanese Shoreline one, neck is wider than the C-shaped 66 Fender i had. 44mm for sure, maybe more, with a really comfy C shape, close to vintage Ps. I guess Skyline series may tick these boxes too, plus being easier to find and a tad cheaper. [/quote] Thanks - I shall check them out Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bridgehouse Posted March 23, 2017 Author Share Posted March 23, 2017 I've been thinking this one through, and doing some playing to try to pin this wide nut thing down. Why do I like the 64P neck so much? Well, let's have a look at the other 2 basses I have. 74P - Nut width is 41.3mm, thin(ish) C shape, 70's frets (medium) and Maple. Stingray - Nut width is also 41.3mm, classic Stingray shape, the usual Stingray frets, and Maple. Both are strung with Chromes. 64P is 44.5mm nut width, thin profile, thin and skinny vintage frets and Rosewood. It's strung with Tis. I'm actually thinking it's a combination of factors. It's the 44.5mm nut, the thin neck, the rosewood, the frets and the TIs on it. Having a sniff around the internet tonight, I may just have to go out and try a bunch more basses and see what's out there. For instance - Bass Collection Power or Detroit - 43mm nut, rosewood board, medium frets, super-thin 60's profile. Now, that's actually pretty close for £325. I'd also like to try a Fender RW 50's, and the classic 50's as well, but at that kind of money there's an awful lot of used out there that might work.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sibob Posted March 23, 2017 Share Posted March 23, 2017 I'd also give another vote for a Lakland Skyline Bob Glaub (also known as the 44-64). Skylines vary in weight a little more than their US built counterparts, but find a good one and they're excellent! I have two (a DJ4 & and 55-01), and very impressed with them. The Bass Gallery currently has a 44-64 Skyline in stock I think, as does Guitar Guitar in a few of its stores. Si Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sratas Posted March 23, 2017 Share Posted March 23, 2017 To the OP. Ask adrian maruszczyk. I know I forgot how to spell his name and brand, but he can build the bass you want for a super fair price and top quality manufacturing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xroads Posted March 23, 2017 Share Posted March 23, 2017 [quote name='gareth' timestamp='1490197271' post='3263155'] r u sure I thought they were all 1 and 5/8ths [/quote] Mine is from 83 and certainely has a 1.75 inch nut width. In addition, the neck is pretty flat, similar to their vintage counterparts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc S Posted March 23, 2017 Share Posted March 23, 2017 Like the look of your latest project BTW Bridgehouse - nice colour too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bridgehouse Posted March 23, 2017 Author Share Posted March 23, 2017 [quote name='Marc S' timestamp='1490263005' post='3263658'] Like the look of your latest project BTW Bridgehouse - nice colour too [/quote] I'll do a thread on it when it's done Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GazWills Posted March 23, 2017 Share Posted March 23, 2017 (edited) [quote name='gareth' timestamp='1490197271' post='3263155'] r u sure I thought they were all 1 and 5/8ths [/quote] yep, I have owned two JV 62's and both were 1 & 5/8 also, same as my 2011 US P. Edited March 23, 2017 by GazWills Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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