My Black Beauty!!

[Old Horse Murphy]

This was too good an opportunity to pass up on...

Here is a 1974 Fender Precision I've just managed to get hold of. Overall condition is excellent, but the finish is starting to crack in places (see the lines in the paintwork in one of the close ups). They look like crazing in the laquer to me (a very common problem especially on black Fneders apparently), but other than that, there's no buckle rash at all and the bass is as solid as they day it was made (a few dings on some of the edges but I guess that's to be expected).

The frets and most of the metalwork is a bit tarnished, but again in great condition. I'm sure it will clean up well with a bit of elbow grease.

The neck is straight and the fingerboard is really comfortable. The pickup is fantastic and sounds classic P Bass.

Unfortunately, the pickup in my 1975 Mocha died, so I replaced it with a SD Quarterpounder. The Bob Glaub has a Lindy Fralin in it, so the 3 basses sound very different from each other.

It came with the original case which again is in excellent condition. The person I bought it off was the original owner who said basically it had been kept under a bed for the last 20 years!!

In addition to these 3, I've got 2 Stingrays and am waiting on a 5 string Precision from Jon Shuker which is some 5 months away. I'll probably move one of the Stingrays on, but other than that, I'm really happy with my collection now. It covers all the sounds I need and because the basses are so similar in shape and feel, swapping between them is a breeze.

Over 20 years of playing, countless basses (some good some bad) and I dread to think of how much money I've p*ssed away over the years. Where have I ended up? Right at the beginning again; a 1 volume 1 tone P Bass.

My Mother would be so proud...

Edited December 21, 2007 by Old Horse Murphy

[phsycoandy]

Nice i think we all may end up there in the end having spent the best part of a lot! Nice, congrats

[silverfoxnik]

Great find - congratulations!

[steve]

That's a good looking bass OHM (altho' I prefer black/black/maple like your lakky). Did you fit the bridge cover or was it already installed?

[stinson]

Very nice. I have one very similar which I had refinned aged oly white. It is a beast. Lovely collection you have.

[stingrayfan]

What happened to the Rickenbacker you recently bought?

[stinson]

Btw, how do the P's sound through your Markbass? I'm thinking of taking this route.

[Deep Thought]

Lovely bit of kit-I profess to be happy with my '07 P-bass, but if there's one thing I still hanker for it's a proper 70's P in black/black-preferably with a maple fingerboard but rosewood is nice too. Saw one (fretless) in Manson's the other day but they want £1300 for it.

[john_the_bass]

me and you are going to fall out.......

[Old Horse Murphy]

[quote name='john_the_bass' post='108175' date='Dec 22 2007, 03:02 PM']me and you are going to fall out.......[/quote]
I'm saving them for you John!

The Rickenbacker was with me for about a week but as I suspected, I just couldn't really get on with it. It's now with Greeneking and is part of his amazing Rickenbacker collection.

The Markbass head with the Precision is (to my cauliflowered ears) amazing. I tend to play it with the EQ relatively flat and use the vintage tone knob on the head to colour the sound. I'd highly recommend trying one out at weighing in at only 7 lbs or so, it's a breeze to transport.

As much as I like the look of a P Bass with a maple neck, I prefer the feel of the rosewood board. If the maple had the same finis on it as (say) the Lakky or the Stingray, then I'd definitely buy one.

Funnily enough, I was out with some mates yesterday and popped in to Macari's. They had a 78 Mocha Brown P Bass (exactly the same as mine) in excellent condition with a maple board. It cost £1,899 though

Even more startling was the Bass shop (Bass Place?) down Denmark Street. In the shop window, they had a MINT 1972 Jazz Bass in natural AND a MINT 72 Precision in Sunburst with a maple board- both were £2,500. I've never considered smash and grab before, but I came very close...

[Old Horse Murphy]

[quote name='steve' post='108040' date='Dec 22 2007, 11:07 AM']That's a good looking bass OHM (altho' I prefer black/black/maple like your lakky). Did you fit the bridge cover or was it already installed?[/quote]

Hi Steve.THanks for your kind words. THe Bridge cover was installed on both of the basses when I got them. I removed the pickup covers though as it didn't leave me any room to play!!

[martthebass]

Really nice collection there Nick. Yes you're mother would be proud.
So many basses......so little time.