pobrien_ie Posted August 13, 2012 Share Posted August 13, 2012 Ok, not a build project, but……. ……so here’s my take on a 1962 Fender Precision, or more accurately the ’62 AVRI. I know it’s technically a bitsa, but for me it’s my own custom bass! Recently I was very close to ordering a new ’62 AV P-Bass in 3tsb, but a used ’57 P-Bass came up locally that I just couldn’t say no to. That didn’t stop the urge for the ’62 though, but my favourite finish for a ’62 has to be Fiesta Red. So then I had the bright idea of assembling my own bass. My reasons for this are two fold; 1) I wanted to create something that was mine and hopefully a keeper, and 2) my wife seems to have no problem with lots of small packages arriving in the post, but a large bass-sized package would not have gone down well at all! Anyway on to the “project” itself…. After much research and soul searching, bit by bit I found the components I needed. I’ve been careful about sourcing only genuine Fender parts for this…right down to the pickguard screws, and the only used part was actually the neck (I'm not sure what condition you'd call the body). The parts used are as follows: [u]Body:[/u] The body is from an MIM Classic 50’s P-Bass – made from Alder and finished in Fiesta Red. This one was made in 2010 and was never used. A ’62 AVRI body was not feasible for me as they are incredibly rare in Fiesta Red (I read somewhere that the US ones were only produced in 1990) and a nitro refinish would have proven completely cost prohibitive given the cost of a 62 AVRI body on ebay. I also looked at the roadworn series Fiesta Red P basses (with nitro finish), but the relicing is a little too generic for my liking and also would have required all the other components to be aged too. The final alternative, the Squier CV in Fiesta Red, was definitely the most cost-effective option, but these are made from Basswood, and again this project was all about being anally period-correct….so it had to be Alder! Also, it might be my imagination but the Squier CV’s seem to be a glossier finish lacking the orange hue that my eyes see in fiesta red. [u]Neck:[/u] The neck is MIJ 62RI style. It’s not the normal 62PB, but I believe it’s one of the variations they made like the 62-55 P Bass which have the strap button on the rear of the headstock. For me, the only disadvantage of the MIJ neck is that the nut width is 1 6/8 inches and not the period-correct 1¾ inches. While that’s only 2 millimetres in the difference, that’ll always play on my mind!! …apart from this anomaly, the neck is somewhat period-correct with a rosewood fingerboard, truss rod adjustment at the heel and strap button on the back of the headstock. [u]Bridge:[/u] Fender American Vintage bridge with threaded saddles. [u]Pickups:[/u] Fender “Original 62” P-Bass pickups. [u]Pots:[/u] Fender USA CTS 250k audio taper pots with vintage cloth wiring and .1uf tone capacitor. [u]Pickguard:[/u] ’62 Mint/’62 P-Bass Tortoise Shell over period-correct pickguard shield (haven’t decided which will stay on long-term and may just swap them from time to time). Other hardware and components (all Fender USA): vintage reverse tuners, chrome pickup and bridge covers, barrel knobs, and tug bar/thumb rest. The technical side of things is not my forte, so I need to give a special thanks to John aka “Kiogan” for his great work on wiring the pickups and pots as per ’62 specifications. They sound great John, cheers! Overall, I’m just really happy with this bass. I’ve gigged it three times now and it cuts through the mix like nobody’s business! In time I might change the neck to a more period-correct Musikraft one, as per MrFingers’ expert advice, but for now I won’t fix what’s not broken! I like this bass so much I’ve since sold the ’57 AVRI with the intention of doing a ’57 project next! [attachment=115560:P1110822.JPG] [attachment=115561:P1110823.JPG] [attachment=115563:P1110824.JPG] [attachment=115564:P1110827.JPG] [attachment=115565:P1110828.JPG] [attachment=115566:P1110831.JPG] [attachment=115567:P1110836.JPG] [attachment=115568:P1110838.JPG] [attachment=115559:P1110840.JPG] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimBobTTD Posted August 13, 2012 Share Posted August 13, 2012 Looks [i]very [/i]nice indeed. Well done! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pobrien_ie Posted August 14, 2012 Author Share Posted August 14, 2012 Doing things a little bit backwards, but here are some pics of the assembly process.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyBob09 Posted August 14, 2012 Share Posted August 14, 2012 If you don't mind me asking, how much did this cost in total? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pobrien_ie Posted August 14, 2012 Author Share Posted August 14, 2012 [quote name='AndyBob09' timestamp='1344948205' post='1771473'] If you don't mind me asking, how much did this cost in total? [/quote] I've worked out that it cost me in the region of £550.... which I think is a bargain. I've seen the basic model MIJ 62 RI's in Fiesta Red go for a lot more than this. Not to sound too much like Trigger's brush here, but excluding the body (which is still alder) and the neck, everything thing else is as per the 62 AVRI. Bear in mind though that I did this quite slowly.....A lot of time was spent locating the right parts, watching items on ebay, waiting for favourable exchange rates etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrFingers Posted August 16, 2012 Share Posted August 16, 2012 Looks rad! Now add thick flatwounds and a piece of foam underneath the bridge cover, and since your so picky on details: get rid of the '62 pickup and get an Seymour Duncan Antiquity I. That one is vintage correct, the Fender '62 isn't (the polepieces are the wrong shape and material) and lose the earthwires between the pots & jack, and use a proper ceramic capacitor. Since it's a '62, the earthwire going to the bridge shouldn't be soldered to the casing of the tonepot, but it should be soldered to the sleeve of the jack. [IMG]http://i528.photobucket.com/albums/dd324/williamsanders127/7c89e05d.jpg[/IMG] (but with the earthwire to the jack instead of the tonepot) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KiOgon Posted August 16, 2012 Share Posted August 16, 2012 That looks great Paddy a job very well done I often lust after a Fiesta red P myself @ MrFingers - Cheerz, John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pobrien_ie Posted August 16, 2012 Author Share Posted August 16, 2012 [quote name='MrFingers' timestamp='1345109460' post='1773541'] Looks rad! Now add thick flatwounds and a piece of foam underneath the bridge cover, and since your so picky on details: get rid of the '62 pickup and get an Seymour Duncan Antiquity I. That one is vintage correct, the Fender '62 isn't (the polepieces are the wrong shape and material) and lose the earthwires between the pots & jack, and use a proper ceramic capacitor. Since it's a '62, the earthwire going to the bridge shouldn't be soldered to the casing of the tonepot, but it should be soldered to the sleeve of the jack. (but with the earthwire to the jack instead of the tonepot) [/quote] That's a bit of an information over-load for me there!! ..... I am picky, but not that picky! Maybe in time I'll make some changes to make it much more period-correct, but for now I'm happy for it to be based on the 62AVRI. Thanks for your advice throughout the process...although I didn't really heed it it was expert and something I'm sure I'll take on board again for the future, the Musikraft neck being something I think I'll definitely invest in. Thanks a lot for taking the time to post the above pic too. Wiring is defintely something I wouldn't be brave enough to touch..so will probably get Kiogan to do this sometime in the future. Again, I should say how happy I am with Kiogon's job on this...he did this to the spec of the 62AVRI as requested by me. I'm definitely going to stick in a foam mute and have gotten some good tips from fellow BC'ers on this. The strings are medium gauge flatwound Chromes. I had a new packet of them lying around so put them on, but yes I'll probably go for the Jamerson-style LaBellas. For now I'm really loving the chromes though, so I might throw them on my fretless jazz. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pobrien_ie Posted August 16, 2012 Author Share Posted August 16, 2012 [quote name='KiOgon' timestamp='1345110712' post='1773566'] That looks great Paddy a job very well done I often lust after a Fiesta red P myself @ MrFingers - Cheerz, John [/quote] Thanks John.... and again thanks for your help on this! Will definitley be getting you to do things for me again. Thinking of doing a '57AVRI and also might upgrade the pickups and pots on my fretless MIM jazz. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NJE Posted August 17, 2012 Share Posted August 17, 2012 This looks amazing!!! as far as I am concerned Fiesta Red is THE colour for P basses (closely followed by a nice aged white). I notice you havent got the tort guard loaded on the bass, let me know if youwould be interestd in selling it. I have a Squier Fiesta Red Precision and it superb but the tort guard isnt that great and I would like the guide holes to put the Chrome cover on as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pobrien_ie Posted August 17, 2012 Author Share Posted August 17, 2012 [quote name='NJE' timestamp='1345206941' post='1774969'] This looks amazing!!! as far as I am concerned Fiesta Red is THE colour for P basses (closely followed by a nice aged white). I notice you havent got the tort guard loaded on the bass, let me know if youwould be interestd in selling it. I have a Squier Fiesta Red Precision and it superb but the tort guard isnt that great and I would like the guide holes to put the Chrome cover on as well. [/quote] Thanks! I'm with you on the Fiesta Red look I'm undecided on which pickguard I like more, so will hold on to both and change occasionally This is where I bought the tort one.... [url="http://www.ebay.ie/itm/New-Genuine-FENDER-62-reissue-Tortoise-P-Bass-Pickguard-/290669563704?pt=Guitar_Accessories&hash=item43ad418f38"]http://www.ebay.ie/itm/New-Genuine-FENDER-62-reissue-Tortoise-P-Bass-Pickguard-/290669563704?pt=Guitar_Accessories&hash=item43ad418f38[/url] I'm not sure if that's a good price or not, but a bought a few bits from this place so I got some good shipping discounts! I seem to remember finding it hard to get one with the extra holes as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NJE Posted August 17, 2012 Share Posted August 17, 2012 [quote name='pobrien_ie' timestamp='1345213095' post='1775078'] Thanks! I'm with you on the Fiesta Red look I'm undecided on which pickguard I like more, so will hold on to both and change occasionally This is where I bought the tort one.... [url="http://www.ebay.ie/itm/New-Genuine-FENDER-62-reissue-Tortoise-P-Bass-Pickguard-/290669563704?pt=Guitar_Accessories&hash=item43ad418f38"]http://www.ebay.ie/i...=item43ad418f38[/url] I'm not sure if that's a good price or not, but a bought a few bits from this place so I got some good shipping discounts! I seem to remember finding it hard to get one with the extra holes as well. [/quote] Cheers for that, did a ebay search and didnt find anything. Brilliant might be worth a go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmz Posted September 3, 2012 Share Posted September 3, 2012 Very, very nice indeed ! I too would love to build one of these. Definitely one for the future......... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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