Beedster Posted January 2, 2021 Share Posted January 2, 2021 (edited) Happy new year folks I bought this from Kelpie two months back. It's a lovely bass but the neck feels closer to a Jazz than a Precision to me and it's just not as comfortable to play as I'd hoped. It's exactly as it was when it was delivered by Kelpie, even down to the gloriously old sounding flatwounds that give it both a lovely retro/Motowny vibe but also bring a very contemporary funky feel as well. I'm asking what I paid for it, you can collect from Canterbury although we will have to observe strict social distancing, or I can post in a very heavy duty box, cost insured will be in the region of £40. I'm not looking for any trades thanks. The below text is copied from Kelpie's original listing which can be found at the link below where's there's also some lovely film of the bass itself, which is worth watching because it's such a feelgood performance! THE BODY The body is from an AVRI 58. It has yellowed slightly through the years (I've owned this for roughly 3 years). It was bought new from Guitar Guitar in Glasgow. It is finished in a very thin nitro that has worn in many places. It has many dings and scratches but it hasn't been mistreated. It's been my workhorse for the past 3 years and it shows. Some parts are getting darker due to friction (mostly where the arm rests). The paint has also cracked in the back and there is a bit of paint missing. There is also some less visible cracking that I haven't been able to show on camera. THE ELECTRONICS The middle pickup is an AVRI58 pickup with raised A pole pieces. The bridge pickup is a DiMarzio instead. The position of the bridge pup gives you a pj sound but a slightly fatter one plus it's great to use rest your thumb on it. Lifting the tone knob will result in a series/parallel switch, great if you need some extra meaty sound for pick playing or solos. THE HARDWARE The bridge is from the AVRI58 except for one screw that rusted and it had to be changed. The machine heads are original from the '78 neck. The 3 knobs are just aftermarket and the anodised guard is original from the AVRI58 as well. THE NECK Here's my favourite bit about this bass. It's an original neck from a '78 Fender pbass I used to own. I have owned this for about 10 years and I have played countless gigs on it! The neck is really worn in. The bit behind frets 3-8 has actually worn in slightly but it doesn't affect the feel. The neck also has the classic 70's cigarette burn. I added a tiny anchor in the back as a cute charm. The neck has also worn on the lower part and same for the top. I've had this refretted not too long a go and it has medium jumbo frets. I have also had the nut replaced and it's also now cut for bigger strings, perfect for BEAD tuning. The neck is chunky but not overly chunky and it's a kind of neck that I haven't seen before. It's between a jazz and a pbass but not as wide as a Nate Mendel feelwise. It measures between 40mm and 41mm, hard to give a precise measurement as I don't have a precise ruler. This feature alone makes me wish I could hang on to the bass. Edited February 9, 2021 by Beedster 12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oldman Posted January 2, 2021 Share Posted January 2, 2021 Phew, some Mojo there Chris, you’ve kept this one quiet! GLWTS 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beedster Posted January 4, 2021 Author Share Posted January 4, 2021 On 02/01/2021 at 20:50, Oldman said: Phew, some Mojo there Chris, you’ve kept this one quiet! GLWTS Hey Brian, it's a relatively recent purchase, so didn't really expect to sell it, but a combination of low cash and the neck being just a little too thin for me (it's slightly wider than a Jazz but not as wide as I'd like), means it's not going to get played as much as I'd like. The tone is absolutely amazing, funky and fat, and I've thought about switching necks, but as is so often been the case previously, I'll end up spending more time tinkering and modifying than I will playing, and I need to focus on the latter really (call it a new year's resolution of sorts). As per a previous thread about this particular bass, I own the original body as well, so I was tempted to restore that instrument, but that body works extremely well with a fat Warmoth FL neck and, as that's my number 1 bass, I really don't want to change it. I think that at the price it's a great bass for someone who wants vintage mojo (and for me the neck has always been the key to this, being the part of the instrument that you physically engage with the most), with some versatility provided by the P/J options (and the fact that the J-PUP is just a little closer to the P-PUP adds something to my ear). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grahamd Posted January 4, 2021 Share Posted January 4, 2021 Wow Chris, missed this first time around, what a beauty. The further forward J pup and series/parallel such a great solution, I always feel the tightness of standard Jazz position on a PJ to be slightly at odds with the P if you know what I mean GLWTS! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beedster Posted January 4, 2021 Author Share Posted January 4, 2021 24 minutes ago, grahamd said: Wow Chris, missed this first time around, what a beauty. The further forward J pup and series/parallel such a great solution, I always feel the tightness of standard Jazz position on a PJ to be slightly at odds with the P if you know what I mean GLWTS! Thanks Graham, yes the closer arrangement of the PUPs reminds me of an old Sadowsky P/J Precision I used to own, which worked really well. Whilst it perhaps doesn't give you the bark of the classic 70's position J-PUP, it makes both PUPs more of a team if you get my drift. The biggest problem with PJs, especially when the J-PUP is an aftermarket modification, is getting balance not just of volume, but of tone, with poorer examples often producing very weak tone from the back PUP. I had an old '73 PJ on which the J-PUP (very close to the bridge) had to be almost touching the strings with the P-PUP almost level with the pickguard to achieve any real balance. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
walshy Posted January 4, 2021 Share Posted January 4, 2021 Another corker mate, neck is lush!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beedster Posted January 4, 2021 Author Share Posted January 4, 2021 43 minutes ago, walshy said: Another corker mate, neck is lush!! Cheers mate, neck is rather lovely I have to admit (the board is a stunning aged dark rosewood, darker than in the photos). I don't have any scales as Mrs Beedster decided - for reasons I've not fully grasped - that they are no longer welcome in our bathroom, but it's a light bass, Kelpie the previous owner put it at 3.8kg which certainly feels about right to me. So, to summarise, a lightweight, vintage P/J Precision with a Jazz-like neck and gorgeous tone As ever with any bass from me, you buy it and you don't like it, I'm happy to refund, although you will need to return it, you can't just not like it and get a refund anyway!!! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beedster Posted January 6, 2021 Author Share Posted January 6, 2021 (edited) Not really interested in trades folks Edited January 11, 2021 by Beedster Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beedster Posted January 9, 2021 Author Share Posted January 9, 2021 Thought I'd post this rather splendid vid of the bass in action. Wish I could say I was the geezer playing it. Well I could say it, it just wouldn't be true This is such a feelgood track for these less than feelgood times. Great stuff Kelpie 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beedster Posted January 11, 2021 Author Share Posted January 11, 2021 Any offers before I put this on eBay? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oldman Posted January 11, 2021 Share Posted January 11, 2021 I'm loving that sound on the track. Good luck with the sale Chris. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverfoxnik Posted January 11, 2021 Share Posted January 11, 2021 Me too, the band sounds great and the bass is really fat sounding but has loads of definition as well... GLWTS Chris! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LukeFRC Posted January 11, 2021 Share Posted January 11, 2021 6 minutes ago, silverfoxnik said: Me too, the band sounds great and the bass is really fat sounding but has loads of definition as well... GLWTS Chris! a few more on that YT channel featuring that bass too 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
walshy Posted January 11, 2021 Share Posted January 11, 2021 Canny band Kris Barras. Lovely bass, but I’m covered heavily on the P bass front 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beedster Posted January 11, 2021 Author Share Posted January 11, 2021 Thanks guys, I'm gutted to be selling this to be honest, it's an outstanding bass on every level, but for whatever reason I like a Precision to not just sound like a Precision but feel like one, a big part of which for me is the neck width and profile. This neck is gorgeous, but feels more like a Jazz in my clumsy hands (although I think it's actually between 40-41mm so not quite as narrow as a Jazz). It's ironic really because for many players the narrower 70's Precision necks are highly sought after. If I could find a neck with this much mojo as this one, but with a 44mm nut (same profile as the one I sold Walshy recently), I would be a very happy man indeed. Having said that, I'm pretty much a one bass guy these days, my 70's P/J FL - with a wide and deep neck - is the only bass that gets picked up with any regularity, and I'm getting to the point that, especially with heavy flats, I don't really need frets for the stuff I play anyway. Might change when/if we start gigging again of course Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beedster Posted January 11, 2021 Author Share Posted January 11, 2021 15 minutes ago, walshy said: Canny band Kris Barras. Lovely bass, but I’m covered heavily on the P bass front An understatement if ever there was one 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LukeFRC Posted January 11, 2021 Share Posted January 11, 2021 47 minutes ago, walshy said: Lovely bass, but I’m covered heavily on the P bass front Who are you and what have you done to Walshy?! 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
walshy Posted January 11, 2021 Share Posted January 11, 2021 9 minutes ago, LukeFRC said: Who are you and what have you done to Walshy?! I’m trying to be strong in 2021😂 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beedster Posted January 11, 2021 Author Share Posted January 11, 2021 7 minutes ago, walshy said: I’m trying to be strong in 2021😂 flip that mate, be weak 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beedster Posted January 11, 2021 Author Share Posted January 11, 2021 29 minutes ago, LukeFRC said: Who are you and what have you done to Walshy?! Post of the year so far 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassfan Posted January 11, 2021 Share Posted January 11, 2021 (edited) 6 minutes ago, Beedster said: Post of the year so far I was about to write the same thing but I was to busy laughing. It’s got your name all over it @walshy 😃 If I was gigging then I’d be really very tempted myself. Edited January 11, 2021 by bassfan 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beedster Posted January 11, 2021 Author Share Posted January 11, 2021 12 minutes ago, bassfan said: It’s got your name all over it @walshy The old Walshy yes, not this new imposter 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beedster Posted January 11, 2021 Author Share Posted January 11, 2021 14 minutes ago, bassfan said: It’s got your name all over it @walshy The old Walshy yes, not this new imposter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
walshy Posted January 11, 2021 Share Posted January 11, 2021 Ah haway lads I’m proper trying 😂 PM Sent ( only joking, only joking ) 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beedster Posted January 11, 2021 Author Share Posted January 11, 2021 I've had a few PM's about the neck which has made me think. Below is the original body for the above neck, this is the bass I pick up and play pretty much every day purely for the pleasure, and it's a cracker. But I'm thinking of perhaps putting the '78 neck back on this body and selling it as a close to original '78 as possible (it's got a Jason Lollar P/J set and Kiogon circuit in there at present). Feels like the right thing to do to be honest. So, this evening I'm going to switch necks and see how each bass fares 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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