Precision advice - don't read if you hate P basses

[dmccombe7]

Sorry if you are not a Fender fan but i'm thinking of getting myself a decent P bass. I love my Geddy Jazz but with some amps it lacks a bit of depth. My deluxe Precison PJ is clsoe but i feel a standard basic P bass just sounds that bit better. The PJ mix seems to lack something altho i can't quite put my finger on what it is. It does sound better in passive mode on full P pick up. 

Glam Rock covers band and i want a bass from that era or loks like its from that 70's era.

There are so many variations i'm a little lost what ones are best to aim for.

I'm thinking maybe a max £1500, 2nd hand. 

i like a smooth edged neck (ie rounded at fret ends)

i also like my Geddy Jazz neck but i do have other basses with different necks.

Prefer maple necks as they seem to have a slight twang when playing. My PJ has a rosewood neck and it just doesn't sound as good as my Jazz maple neck.

Is there a better era to buy ie 70's or 80's basses.

There seems to be American CS, deluxe, player, professional, performer, elite, 50's Original, classic and maybe some others i've forgotten.

American, Mexican, MIJ, CIJ.

Ultimately i would try the bass out before buying. 

Any help, advice from the P bass owners would be nice

Dave

 

[TheGreek]

I think that Lozz may have owned a P bass....🤔🤔

[dmccombe7]

i would add that i'm a fingerstyle player rather than a pick if that makes any difference.

Sure there are a few P geeks on here that can offer words of wisdom. Lozz will be one of them hopefully

Dave

[Ricky 4000]

Some folks slag off comparison videos:

 

[knicknack]

I can't praise Limelight enough... he'll make you the most 70s thing you could ever want and it's well under budget!

https://classicandcoolguitars.co.uk/limelight-custom-builds/

 

[dmccombe7]

Based on tone i'd be going for the maple neck 77 bass.

What about the feel of the necks tho.

[dmccombe7]

8 minutes ago, knicknack said:

I can't praise Limelight enough... he'll make you the most 70s thing you could ever want and it's well under budget!

https://classicandcoolguitars.co.uk/limelight-custom-builds/

 

There's a guy selling a Nash PB-57 which i believe is some link to Limelight basses and its well below my budget too but its too far to travel for a try out.

Dave

[skidder652003]

15 minutes ago, Ricky 4000 said:

Some folks slag off comparison videos:

 

deffo the 77 or the Jap

[Stub Mandrel]

15 minutes ago, Ricky 4000 said:

Some folks slag off comparison videos:

I find it very hard to judge differneces, but the fugly brown one sounds like it could eat all the others for breakfast to me.

[Ricky 4000]

7 minutes ago, dmccombe7 said:

Based on tone i'd be going for the maple neck 77 bass.

What about the feel of the necks tho.

From what I've read, the neck shapes changed a lot over the decades.

Do you like the wider at the nut P neck, Dave? Otherwise you might be better off looking out for a P with a maple J neck already fitted?

[ezbass]

As a Maruszczyk fanboy, I have to park this here https://www.public-peace.de/bass-guitars/maruszczyk/jake-l/jak-l-4str/941-jake-l-4p-human-nature-classic160508

 

[ead]

This is my main gigging bass with the pub rock covers band I play in.  It's actually an American Std P bass from 2015 iirc.  Black/Black/Rosewood as you can see and looks pretty 70s to my eyes.

Approx 50% of your budget and nicely built.  Not an expert on 70s/80s Fenders by any means but the Am Stds are nicely bult basses.  Sounds great too

Edited March 18, 2019 by ead

[peteb]

If you are going for a Fender then I don't think that you can go wrong with an American Standard from about 2012 to a couple of years ago - CS p/ups and graphite rods in the neck, etc

Personally, I would avoid those made in the 80s and be very careful with 70s models - some great, some complete dogs (I've had one of each)! 

Edited March 18, 2019 by peteb

[Lozz196]

56 minutes ago, TheGreek said:

I think that Lozz may have owned a P bass....🤔🤔

There is a slight possibility of that Mick 🤣

My recommendation - providing you like a chunky neck @dmccombe7 - is for the US Standards 2012-15 Series. I’ve had Precisions from many ranges/decades/countries of manufacture  and these ones imo knock all the others out of the water. They play and sound amazing. Pick up a black or white one with a maple neck, stick a black scratch plate on and you have a vision of the 70s.

Dont know where you’re based but if it’s down south way you’re more than welcome to check my Precisions out.

[Cuzzie]

Any room to parts your own bass together?

You’ll defo get exactly what you want then, and if patient can get a mix of second hand and new to give you what you need.

I had no prior experience but managed to cobble a couple together that are just right for me. The natural finish one needed me to mend a crack and strip and oil it. Incredible fun.

White Bass - USA Fender string through body, status neck, Hipshot Ultralites, Fender HMV bridge, Seymour Duncan APB-1 pick up.

Natural Bass - Alder body (I think), cherry neck and Birdseye maple board, ESP bridge, Creamery ‘58 pick ups and Tonestyler pot.

Plus a massive bundle of change to spare from your budget even including buying some tools.

[Mykesbass]

At £1500 if you are looking for a fairly standard finish you may be in or close to Shuker pricing. I absolutely love mine (5 string fretless T style) and of course his most famous customer is JJ Burnel who has a signature P from Jon.

[chris_b]

2 hours ago, peteb said:

If you are going for a Fender then I don't think that you can go wrong with an American Standard from about 2012 to a couple of years ago - CS p/ups and graphite rods in the neck, etc

Exactly this.

[tedmanzie]

I’ve had 6 or 7 Precisions, you don’t need to spend £1500 but for that money you can get a lot of options. It’s not particularly helpful advice but you really need to just go and try a load out - the neck shape and the weight can vary a lot, fret size too (I like old school skinny frets) and not many have a thin neck comparable to your Geddy Lee - I mean NONE are as thin as that (I had a geddy at one point) but the 80s JV Squiers (the 62 models) i have owned have pretty small necks for Precisions, so I’m assuming current Fender 60s replica models may be similar? The 50s style neck is wider string spacing and chunkier from what I’ve tried. I think the current Nate Mendel signature model has a slimmer neck than standard but rosewood board (lots of good reports about that bass though, may be worth a try!).

I like older style p-basses, ones that have been kicked around a bit - my absolute favourite is my mid 80s Japanese Squire, cost £450

I’m quite a fan of those CS lightly reliced p’s, but some people think it’s daft.

hmmm rambling on here... 

Edited March 19, 2019 by tedmanzie

[Deedee]

18 minutes ago, tedmanzie said:

It’s not particularly helpful advice but you really need to just go and try a load out - the neck shape and the weight can vary a lot

I agree. Try them out first.

I’ve had several in various guises over the years. A 2010 that was sublime that I shouldn’t have got rid of, a couple of the 2012 onward CS pickup ones that were great, another that was not so good, plus a limelight that was probably the best of the bunch but just not right for me at that particular time.

Edited March 19, 2019 by Deedee

[tauzero]

10 hours ago, dmccombe7 said:

Based on tone i'd be going for the maple neck 77 bass.

What about the feel of the necks tho.

If you go for a genuine 70s P, you'll find a huge variation in necks. You need to try a few.

[dmccombe7]

So far the favoured ones to look at and a good starting point for me to try would be the 2012-15 models. 

The main reason for asking was i don't really want to spend several days going thru every single bass in Guitar Guitar to find one that might be ok. If i can get the starting point and work from there. If i find and try one of those first and its good and nice to play then i'll be happy with that.

I appreciate the suggestions on other basses but i quite like Fender basses. I had a fretless P back in the 80's and from memory it was pretty good. I traded it for a WAL fetless.

I'm not sure how the other basses actually sound compared to the Fender ones. Some Fender "copies" i've tried don't sound quite the same as a Fender. That might just be in my 

head of course but i've found they either sound too clean or too muddy. Altho you can hear the dfference between the 4 Fenders in the clip above and the 77 maple neck just nails the tone i like.

Don't want to go down the route of putting my own together.

Dave

 

[Dan Dare]

Putting your own together is really simple and you can build the P bass of your dreams for less than half your budget. There are about 40 screws and bolts to do up, plus a tiny bit of soldering (or buy a ready made wiring harness). Easily less than a days work, including set-up/tweaking.

[martthebass]

11 hours ago, ead said:

This is my main gigging bass with the pub rock covers band I play in.  It's actually an American Std P bass from 2015 iirc.  Black/Black/Rosewood as you can see and looks pretty 70s to my eyes.

Approx 50% of your budget and nicely built.  Not an expert on 70s/80s Fenders by any means but the Am Stds are nicely bult basses.  Sounds great too

Have to agree on this.  Recently had a 2015 MIA precision, custom shop pups, carbon rods, very lightweight (8.5lb).  I'm not a precision fan and sold it on fairly quickly but in terms of a precision it was one of the best I've played (and that includes 70s and a first edition JV 1982).  £800 is about the going rate for a good one. 

[dmccombe7]

37 minutes ago, Dan Dare said:

Putting your own together is really simple and you can build the P bass of your dreams for less than half your budget. There are about 40 screws and bolts to do up, plus a tiny bit of soldering (or buy a ready made wiring harness). Easily less than a days work, including set-up/tweaking.

Its things like getting the correct neck to fit the body to ensure the string height is still ok. The soldering isn't a rob for me (i'm an electrical / instrument engineer) Then there's getting it painted and lacquered ? It all just seems like a bit of a risk to get right first time. Maybe if i had tried it a couple of times and knew exactly what the pitfalls were i might give it a go but i don't have enough confidence to go down that route.

Dave

[dmccombe7]

12 hours ago, Ricky 4000 said:

From what I've read, the neck shapes changed a lot over the decades.

Do you like the wider at the nut P neck, Dave? Otherwise you might be better off looking out for a P with a maple J neck already fitted?

I do like my slim Geddy neck and my fav basses all have a slightly slimmer neck profile. I do have a few basses with thicker necks that i'm comfortable playing but there's something about a slim neck that i feel makes me lay better. I had a P bass in 80's and don't recall the meck being an issue.

The only bass i've ever played and thought the neck was too wide was a Stingray bass back in 80's which is odd as i believe they were similar to the P basses at that time ??

Dave