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1960s P-bass scratchplate replacement


Petey
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I have a 1961 P-bass and the original scratch plate is doing the usual shrink and crack thing that they do. I was wondering if anyone knew of a company that offers a replacement fit and made from the same material - thanks x

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2 hours ago, Petey said:

I have a 1961 P-bass and the original scratch plate is doing the usual shrink and crack thing that they do. I was wondering if anyone knew of a company that offers a replacement fit and made from the same material - thanks x

Personally, I’d leave it on, but with the screws loosened a little.

Reason being, if you took it off you’d need to screw it to some wood anyway or else it’ll seriously shrink, perhaps even overnight if you’re very unlucky.

So if it’s taking its natural course, I’d rather have it do that on the bass. 
Plus nothing else will have that vibe, those old guards are something else.

61 P Bass, eh? Lovely 😊 

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Thanks for your comments guys.

A friend of mine (recently deceased) had a '64 strat that the same thing happened to him. He purchased a replacement (same material) from a guy over in Canada some years ago, but I think that he has had to stop trading reasons - as mention above....and he had the luthier screw his original onto a piece of wood to stop shrinkage - again as mentioned above.

So, Spitfire seems the place to go - thanks again for your help and i'll contact them later this week

 

Pete x

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43 minutes ago, Petey said:

Thanks for your comments guys.

A friend of mine (recently deceased) had a '64 strat that the same thing happened to him. He purchased a replacement (same material) from a guy over in Canada some years ago, but I think that he has had to stop trading reasons - as mention above....and he had the luthier screw his original onto a piece of wood to stop shrinkage - again as mentioned above.

So, Spitfire seems the place to go - thanks again for your help and i'll contact them later this week

 

Pete x

Shame - I had a really nice tort p guard for sale - but is going to Germany tomorrow 🙄

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As above, Spitfire are the best I’ve seen and the closest to old tort that is currently available (as far asI know). I had a Spitfire plate on a J - it was staggeringly good. Very expensive but worth it for a ‘61 P

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  • 7 months later...

I forgot about this  thread - i'll take pics in the next few days and put up the 61-P with the Spitfire plate on and the original screwed down on a piece of wood - fitted but local luthier Dave Walsh (Eternal Guitars).

Edited by Petey
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  • 3 weeks later...
On 23/01/2021 at 13:38, Petey said:

I forgot about this  thread - i'll take pics in the next few days and put up the 61-P with the Spitfire plate on and the original screwed down on a piece of wood - fitted but local luthier Dave Walsh (Eternal Guitars).

I look forward to this - the Spitfire plate that I had was superb in every detail.  The price of a decent and playable modern bass but the closest to real old celluloid tort I've seen 

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2 hours ago, Petey said:

As you can see the top pic is the original s/p screwed to some wood to help stop the shrinkage( with the crack close to the input hole)

The second pic is with a Spitfire aged s/p 

First, what an absolutely lovely old Precision - I'm not really a Fender player but I can appreciate the vintage class here - stunning.  The Spitfire plate looks truly amazing too - particularly against the Oly White - I hope that you're pleased, I was certainly delighted with my Spitfire guard.  I'm not sure which I prefer but either the original or Spitfire is suitably beautiful to grace such a bass

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Thanks Three....to order one was a bit of a leap of faith ( price and quality of what I would get), but the images of the plates on his website is truly comprehensive and the feedback that I could track down was impressive. I was also told that he was once approached by Fender Custom Shop about being bought out. 

I've had the bass about 7 years now - it had a re-spray some years before I got it and once the original plate was removed there is evidence of it once being a 3-Tone Sunburst. 

Edited by Petey
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Lovely s/p and colour of blue....Have you been on the Spitfire website and had a look around his site - pictures and options he gives you? I was over the moon when it arrived last Summer - I think its worth the investment for an older instrument 

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On 23/01/2021 at 13:38, Petey said:

I forgot about this  thread - i'll take pics in the next few days and put up the 61-P with the Spitfire plate on and the original screwed down on a piece of wood - fitted but local luthier Dave Walsh (Eternal Guitars).

So glad you mentioned Dave, I worked with him in the early 90’s as a 15 year old, and had no idea about Eternal. Couldn’t of happened to a nicer guy. 

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9 hours ago, Petey said:

Dave is a top guy/luither and have used him for nearly 10 years now for various basses. He gives great advice and owns Eternal and Hot Rod pick-ups 

That’s great to hear, in better times I’d love to go visit and catch up with him. It’s amazing  how the years pass by...

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