Jonesy

About 20 years ago I almost bought a shell pink P with something like a 68p body and 69 maple J neck (can't remember the exact years) and I've had a longing for it ever since, so that was the inspiration for this (with a few added extras). I asked for the neck to be slightly more aged than the body and it looks fantastic!

So excited that I forgot to upload some pics! As well as the mute and decals, I also asked Mark if it was possible to supply an extra scratch plate that just covered the control cavity. He came back with the genius idea of cutting the regular scratch plate so all I have to do is undo a couple of screws and then the bulk of the plate will lift off. Will show what that looks like when it arrives!

Sooooooooo, I've just got some pics from Mark. It just needs a final setup and will be shipped on Monday. To say I'm excited is a massive understatement!

I saw CVC a few weeks back at Wilderness and will be going to see them in Camden at the back end of Sept, really looking forward to it! They're a fantastic band and the album is well worth checking out, it's full of really tasty bass playing and Ben is the first bass player in a while from a new band that plays anything interesting (imo)

Congrats on a really lovely p bass! The necks on these are pretty easy to get around, despite being a bit chunky, and those pups are thunderous! I played one of these and a pro 2 in a shop not so long ago and thought the pro 2 sounded bland in comparison.

You can't go wrong with a Japanese Fender, they're lovely basses! I had a PB70 US (Ash body, maple neck) and it was lovely, only really sold it because I wanted a different Fender Japan P bass. As others have said, don't worry about getting a MIJ over CIJ - I've played a load and can't hear or feel any difference. From what I hear, guitar production in Japan is quite collaborative and I've even heard people say the Boxer basses from the mid eighties were made by Tokai because Fujigen were at capacity. Don't know if that's internet folklore, but either way, Tokai are another factory capable of making great guitars. I wouldn't even be too picky over a US and non US model. The hardware and pups still do the job on the non US models (even watched a vid from a Japanese guitar specialist and he said they were made by Gotoh) and a pup is an easy change if you don't like it. Finding one in the finish/neck combo you prefer would be my main concern. Your other option is the MIM FSR that was released about 5 years ago. They don't pop up that often, but meet most of your criteria. For some reason they have a bound neck...

Sounds like you have it sorted - you can't go wrong with one of Ki0gon's looms. I have one of his looms with a push pull for series/parallel and tone bypass. Really well made and that'd be the first thing I'd look at if your pots aren't doing much. If you fancied upgrading the pups at some point I'd recommend the Fender Pure Vintage 74 J Pups. I have them in a G&L Tribute and they're glorious!

I've always been a greatest hits kind of Prince fan until the other day when I thought I'd check out more of his albums, so the timing of this thread is fantastic! Some great tunes already, thanks for sharing! So far my favourite tune that is new to me is Bambi, off of his 2nd album - Prince. Fantastic stuff. Especially considering he wrote, arranged, performed and produced everything on the album.

It'd be cool if they made a 70s P bass in the Vintera range.

According to internet folk lore the early Korean ones all contained some of Jack's DNA in the paintwork, so were naturally more resonant and sounded a lot better....... I had a Korean one and it was great. Since selling it I've had hankerings for another JC and all of the Chinese ones I've played in shops sound and feel just as good to me. Appreciate that's not an extensive test in laboratory conditions, but I hope it helps 😃 The JC is the top of the line when it comes to Epiphone basses. When they're contracting out the build they're going to set a certain quality level with it, no matter who builds it or where they're situated, so they're going to be fairly evenly matched.

I love this range of MIJ basses, they're among the best I've played - particularly the US versions. The necks, frets and pups are just great! As others have said, the larger tuners point to this being a US model. The other tell tale sign is the bridge - the US versions have spiral saddles like yours whereas the export models have barrels. If those pups are original then they'll be US too and there should be a stamp on the neck/body that confirms this. As well as Fender catalogues, this site is pretty handy.... https://japanfender.wordpress.com/products/about/precision/

Don't know how accurate this is......... https://equipboard.com/pros/georgia-south?gear=effects-pedals

I was looking at them when upgrading the pups in my G&L Tribute J and came to the same conclusion as @Baloney Balderdash after checking out loads of vids on YouTube. By all rights they're a great pickup, but they're not quite as snappy as regular J pups and lean more toward P bass territory to my ears. It's still a pup right up against the bridge, so there'll be some of that J bite there, but not as much as a regular single coil. Personally, I bought a J because I wanted it to sound like a J and have that bite, so I went with another pup. In the end I chose the Fender Pure Vintage 74 set because I thought they were the most middy and aggy sounding. I paired them with a @KiOgon loom that has a tone bypass push/pull and also a series/parallel push/pull. I'd defo recommend one of those, whacking it in series mode gives you a lot more grunt and gets you in the P bass ballpark.

Ah, will have to catch up on their set. Saw them support Skunk Anasie last year and was really impressed! I caught Shame's set earlier and really liked that too. Nice to see a bit of post punk. Has anyone seen The Hives set this year? Can't find it on iPlayer, but it was supposed to be good.

Nice! I had mates go see them in Margate the other day and said the same. Really want to see them in London, but hate the o2, so will see what happens. I love the gear Homme and Van Leeuwen use, most of its pretty cool and obscure looking. Shuman's basses have all sounded great too.

QOTSA on the other stage are worth a watch. They're flinging out great tunes, sound massive and seem to be in great form from all of the live footage I've seen from this tour. Love em!

You have to love the bassdirect website. When you click on one of the images of the Pro Go (or Progo), it takes you to the Andertons website 😂

The thomnan t'bird bag is 127cm, but you'll then likely have a gap where the wings would normally be. I have their fender shaped equivalent and it's served me well for 5+ years. Zips still work, handles aren't frayed and my bass is still in one piece. Having said that, I'd say it was just an ok gig bag and not exactly super padded. Does the job for the price though. https://www.thomann.de/gb/thomann_gigbag1_bass_heavy.htm I'd say the protection racket gear would be better. Our drummer swears by their stuff and he's put it through their paces. From what I've seen it's all good quality and would imagine their gig bags are just as good.

How about a thunderbird gig bag? That'd probably be long enough, just not so sure on the rest of the shape.

If you're looking at the lower end of the market then it's hard to beat Harley Benton in terms of quality and bang for your buck. I've had a 70s jazz bass that was pretty heavy and their 51 Pass that was average. If you had a bit more to spend then this is a lot of bass for the money too..... https://www.andertons.co.uk/brands/gl-guitars/sb-series-basses/g-l-tribute-sb-2-bass-surf-green-maple-fretboard It has the same pickups and bridge as the made in USA version and is essentially an angry precision. If you don't want to use the J pickup then just turn it down. Mine balances perfectly and is fairly light.

That looks great, really pleased for you!! I think the black scratch plate really suits that green better than the tort does on the P5. Maybe it's the rosewood board too.

Andertons online presence is great. Site navigation, range of stock and prices are spot on, their YouTube channel is one of the best of any e-commerce business around imo.

So, it'll be a medium relic P with a J neck - shell pink over white, tort guard, cream pup covers with a 70s overspray headstock. I love the evil dead so I'm thinking of having 'Boom Stick' with a decal of Ash rather than 'Precision Bass'...…. Mark is also installing and relicing a Jag mute for me. Fender make a shell pink case that I really want, but I don't know if A) it's worth it seeing as I generally prefer gig bags and B) it'll just scream 'nick me!' Fingers crossed it'll be with me mid August.

Ta for the info! I got in touch with Mark and he said that all of his necks were glossed, maybe he does something to them afterwards to take some of the sheen off? Anyway, after chatting to him and reading about how highly rated they are in here, I placed an order and should have something to contribute to this thread in the next month or so. The wait is killing me!!!!