Custom shop precision info

[Reggaebass]

Hi all, im normally into late 60 early 70s fenders but a , CS 1960 precision has caught my eye , how close are these to the real thing , are they warm sounding or harsh or all different and what is the journeyman reference to, cheers 

[Lw.]

Journeyman is the level of relic - it's a kind of light to mid relic I'd say. Checking of the paint, a couple of dinks, tarnished metal work & maybe some wear on the fredboard - heavier than a closet classic, not as heavy as say a Sandberg hardcore aged.

 

I've got a CS '57 with flats on & think it's fair to say it does the warm/mellow type sound very well (despite the player), though I have also used it in a hardcore band! No idea how it compares to an original '57 as I've never played one but it's comparable to some later 60's P's I've played. 

[Reggaebass]

4 minutes ago, Lw. said:

Journeyman is the level of relic - it's a kind of light to mid relic I'd say. Checking of the paint, a couple of dinks, tarnished metal work & maybe some wear on the fredboard - heavier than a closet classic, not as heavy as say a Sandberg hardcore aged.

 

I've got a CS '57 with flats on & think it's fair to say it does the warm/mellow type sound very well (despite the player), though I have also used it in a hardcore band! No idea how it compares to an original '57 as I've never played one but it's comparable to some later 60's P's I've played. 

Excellent, thanks very much Lw, it is a light relic which I quite like 

[Reggaebass]

Anyone had any experience with the custom shop pino precision, I don’t particularly like pino but the bass looks quite nice, how do they sound, cheers 

[Misdee]

I haven't played a CS Pino, but reading your previous post about favouring late 60s/ early 70's P Basses( my favourite era too), I would draw your attention to the much wider nut width on the Pino, and earlier P Bass reissues in general.

 

If, like me, the primary reason you favour late 60s/ early 70s Precision Basses is because of the narrower nut widths Fender started to offer as an alternative to the 1 3/4 inch that was previously standard then you might well struggle with a bass with a wider nut. I don't  particularly enjoy playing 4 string basses with a 1 3/4 inch nut, and if you are the same then I would steer clear of any P Bass with that dimension.

 

If you're spending that kind of money make sure you get something you like, not something you have to adjust to, because you probably won't, if you see what I mean.

 

Most decent P Basses sound fairly similar, in my experience, ie like a  good P Bass. Boutique examples offer a better playing experience rather than a radically different tone to a fairly standard Fender. In terms of tone I have never heard a Custom Shop Fender that was incontrovertibly better than or particularly different to a regular USA- made Fender, so I wouldn't stress too much about the sound. Find a decent CS P Bass bass that suits you and chances are it will sound Ok.

 

[Reggaebass]

26 minutes ago, Misdee said:

I haven't played a CS Pino, but reading your previous post about favouring late 60s/ early 70's P Basses( my favourite era too), I would draw your attention to the much wider nut width on the Pino, and earlier P Bass reissues in general.

 

If, like me, the primary reason you favour late 60s/ early 70s Precision Basses is because of the narrower nut widths Fender started to offer as an alternative to the 1 3/4 inch that was previously standard then you might well struggle with a bass with a wider nut. I don't  particularly enjoy playing 4 string basses with a 1 3/4 inch nut, and if you are the same then I would steer clear of any P Bass with that dimension.

 

If you're spending that kind of money make sure you get something you like, not something you have to adjust to, because you probably won't, if you see what I mean.

 

Most decent P Basses sound fairly similar, in my experience, ie like a  good P Bass. Boutique examples offer a better playing experience rather than a radically different tone to a fairly standard Fender. In terms of tone I have never heard a Custom Shop Fender that was incontrovertibly better than or particularly different to a regular USA- made Fender, so I wouldn't stress too much about the sound. Find a decent CS P Bass bass that suits you and chances are it will sound Ok.

 

Many thanks misdee, some good advice there I’ll look into 👍

[Chiliwailer]

Hello mate, I presume one of the reasons this thread is bare with responses is that, as you likely know, even similar/same model basses are so variable, including vintage and CS. The great Clive Brown once told me he felt  “some neck and bodies just aren’t meant to be together, it’s like the tone is vibrating in conflicting directions”. 
 

Having owned and played a ton of 60s and CS basses, my feel is they all differ widely, and knowing which variable is the reason why is often guesswork… wood? Pick up winding amount especially on a vintage one? Amount it’s been played? Psychological? Etc. Strings are a factor too, but often the basses natural tone can vary widely beyond that.
 

For example, at one point I had 3 X 1966 P Basses in my living room and all were very different, even when strung the same.  Similar again when I bought a 64 P and compared it to 5 or 6 other similar aged basses in the shop. Also had same experiences with CS basses in shops and when comparing friends ones…

 

Played 2 Pinos I can remember, sounded like I’d expect a vintage vibed bass would sound, I liked them. 
 

I now have a CS 64 Jazz which is great. It feels so similar to a real 64 Jazz I used to own, and not all CS basses do feel similar to a vintage one in my experience. I even prefer it to my old Bravewood, so it must be good. Tonally it sounds like what I’d expect a good vintage J to sound like - perhaps just missing years of vibrations through the wood if it’s a player, and you believe that’s a factor, which some respected folk do. 
 

Anyway, that ramble is why I wouldn’t feel comfortable directly giving my thought/answer to the question 😊
 

Edit - forgot to say that for these reasons, I’ve always been open minded when comparing a CS to a vintage. 

Edited December 18, 2022 by Chiliwailer

[Reggaebass]

6 minutes ago, Chiliwailer said:

Played 2 Pinos I can remember, sounded like I’d expect a vintage vibed bass would sound, I liked them

Thanks very much Chili, great advice, the reason I asked about the pino is I was offered one at a good price, I’m not very familiar with the model but it sold before I got a chance to try it