MrFingers

Fixed?

... and player. Recycled a crisp set of LaBella Deep Talkin' 0.045 flatwounds (a mere 12 years old, so virtually new), ordered a set of full-length neckpocket shims, and spent the afternoon dialing the thing in. Pickguard shrinkage meant that the pickup sits VERY firm in the pickguard, but with some strong thumbwork, I managed to raise them a bit. I was kind of fearing it would have a "ski jump" at the heel of the neck, as notes chocked out above the 14th fret, but the shim and a gentle nip of the trussrod made that go away. It was already a good sounding bass, but with these minor interventions it became one of the best P-basses that I ever had. She demands hard work and perseverance for it though 😅.

You can, and there is nothing wrong. It is a good sounding bass, but not 1000's euro's better in sound than a modern instrument.

Don't get me wrong, the sound is there, directly on tap. It's a very lively sounding bass, and exactly what you would expect from this year (I have the impression that 1966 P-basses are a bit more punchy and aggressive compared to previous or later years). But it's not a sound worth 1000's of monies. I dare to say that with the amp-settings that I play at, my assembled mogrel with the Vintera II '60 pickup has a superior sound in terms of girt & dynamics.

The closest would be the 6150 (0.105 x 0.042) or the 6200. They are rather wide, and not that high. You can always take a vernius and ballpark the original frets in terms of size, and work from there. Anyway: here's mine. A 1966 P-bass that has been carefully played by the first owner (I'm the 2nd). Not babied, but you notice it came from someone who took care of it. 5MAY66C, pots from week 23 1966 (2nd week of June), and greybobbins from the 19th of September of that year. It's not the best sounding or playing P-bass that had the misfortune of being the subject of my grubby hands. It's very distinctly indistinct, as it's one of the thousands that were spewed out of Fullerton that year. It's not a bad instrument at all, but it's nothing mythical. I dare to argue my American Original '60 is, objectively spoken, the better instrument. The '66 has a thinner neck, which feels a bit more relaxed. But apart from that: It does exactly what you would expect from a P. Then why?!? Because I could. (and because it doesn't have a deadspot on the C#).

And a second pair with maple fretboards. And a fretless one. Maybe cram in a 5-string as well…

Works now?

Some things in life you know are bound to happen somewhere along the road, you just don't know where, or when. Today was that day for me. By sheer luck everything aligned: the instrument itself, locally for sale, within budget, generous tax return which sweetened the already more than fair deal, and a feeling of "If I don't do this, I'm going to regret it massively later". So, since today I became the proud 2nd owner guardian of a September 1966 P-bass. Fully original, including the case, except the missing bridge cover, and some filled holes where someone installed other tuners, but the ginormous Klusons 546's cover those up very nicely. In a very, very good condition (buckle-rash the size of a coin), frets at de-facto factory condition, slightly faded red, but still plenty present,... And that patina, that's something you can't fake (nor the smell). Rather lightweight, very resonant, a bit neckheavy due to those tuners and the very light body, it has that extremely pleasant 60's C-shape (wide, but thin). It has the newest additions that were introduced in 1966: Indian Rosewood fretboard, a 45° bevelled pickguard and the wide frets. Made by the same people that made the early 60's ones, using the same methods, and virtually identical materials... just under a different contract. It has seen some action, but it was also very well babied and cared for. And given it's a '66, it's an absolute growler. There's something about '66/'67 basses that gives them more raunchy punch compared to 1965 or 1968 onwards. And if it's good enough for James Jamerson, it's good enough for me! Going to install an old set of LaBella's tomorrow, see if I can reduce the action a bit. Also: going to thin out the heard a bit. Given I've now got "the original", the "American Original '60s" may leave the premises, my Jazz Bass as well, my 500/1 that hardly saw any use, maybe the EB3, although: that's so quirky I might just keep it. But with this, I kind of arrived at the end of the line.

They used to be worth that, when they were still built by G&G. Nowadays they use Chinese-made copies, which are noticeably less in quality… even for their flagship line, the American Vintage. still, better dan the new American Standard Classic of ~1600£, which comes with a gigbag.

I'm not into Fiesta Red... but damn.

Mwoa… those Vintera II pickups aren’t just “standard MiM” pickups. They’re a whole different beast, and built exactly like a blackbobbin. I even went as far as sourcing such a pickup for my latest P-assembly project, as it punches WELL above its weight. It even sounds better than the PV63 when it’s being used in a slightly overdriven setting.

Dismantle it, that way it can be classifieds of "bass parts", and thus circumvents the rule. In all seriousness, in this case: make an exception, and keep the 'Ray. You don't have to play it, you can lay it above a cupboard,... EDIT: adding to that. I did the same thing with a guitar I got from my (now late) father. Absolutely unremarkable instrument, modified quite a bit, unused for years, but it's still that guitar. So it lives in a thick gigbag on the (dry and insulated) attic. And now, I am glad that I preserved that instrument, eventhough I put it up for sale multiple times, pulling it a few days later.

Given they have the same neckpocket-interface, I tested it via a neck swap. That maple cap makes it way more raunchy, even on the warm PV-pickup.