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NBD: 1971 Precision... from Bermuda to Tyneside

wateroftyne

By wateroftyne,
in Bass Guitars

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wateroftyne Grand Master

wateroftyne

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Hey gang!

 

Short version: Got a '71 P. It's in amazing condition*. B neck, 8.8lbs, balanced, resonant. It's a stunner.

 

Long version: It's had one owner before me - an ex-pat Glaswegian, and professional bass player, who bought it new from a shop in Hamilton, Bermuda(!) in 1971. He was the resident bassist in the house band at the Princess Hotel on the island, and gigged it for decades. I suspect he may have used it to back some massive stars over the years, as it was a big venue on the circuit (no provenance of this, unfortunately).

 

He returned to Argyll in his twilight years where it remained in its case, until he sadly passed away last year at a ripe old age after living a remarkable life. His family decided to sell it on, and I'm the lucky recipient.

 

As you can see, it's incredibly clean. From talking to his family, it sounds like it never really left the hotel. Also in the case was a manual (with the purchase date, store name and price - $315 - handwritten on it), some REALLY old guitar cables, his strap and a back of old tortoiseshell picks.

 

There's a mark on the back of the neck from a guitar stand, which I think will come off. There's also a sticker on the back with the hotel details on it.. I think I might leave this on, but I'm not sure. One of the tuner screws has been replaced.

 

In addition to that, it looks like it may have had a refret at some point but I won't know for sure until I've taken it to be looked over by the legend that is Dave Wilson.

 

Dave will also be looking at the mystery of why the bridge appears to have been moved to the 'E' side very slightly - I really can't see a reason why. If there isn't one, I'll ask him to shift it back.

 

He's also going to pop the pickguard off to check the wiring, pots and pickups are original. It's been used so much, maybe something has been replaced, but hopefully nothing major.

 

All-in-all, I'm VERY happy with it. It's getting gigged tomorrow night before it goes to Dave's. 🙂

 

P4142975.thumb.jpg.4c42b8876edc6949d474aa4e83517205.jpg

 

P4142988.thumb.jpg.0fb5d66d353f674f5d7f4bbb70935ffa.jpg

 

IMG_0645.thumb.jpeg.07d995913f683cf31f44cb598a2e7b83.jpeg

 

IMG_0643.thumb.jpeg.8d71b86b4ee7683125444ec1632904de.jpeg

 

 

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wateroftyne Grand Master

wateroftyne

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11 hours ago, iconic said:

Lovely find.

 

Looks like the faded shadow outline of a bridge cover possibly....?

 

Please keep that hotel sticker, candy like that is irreplaceable😎

 

Cheers! The shadow is actually surface marks at the edge of where the bridge used to be. if you look closely you can see the old holes for the bridge cover adjacent to the new ones (the previous owner used the bridge cover with foam stuffed in it). I can't work out why it's been nudged, as it's actually offset the strings. It's still completely playable, but I'm scratching my head as to why.

 

42 minutes ago, vincbt said:

Wow, what a find and what a story behind it!

 

How does it feel compared to your other burst 71?

 

The neck and weight are almost identical to my other beloved '71, but the 'new' one is definitely more resonant, and brighter. Old one is darker and rounder.

Disclaimer: Can't say how that translates into the real world until I gig it.. which is tonight 🙂

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Twincam Proficient

Twincam

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Fantastic.

 

And it's great that you got the back story. 

I'm always thinking about what the back history is when I see an instrument. And more often than not its lost in time. Kinda romantic really. 

If you remove the sticker then maybe do it in a way it can be kept with the bass. Maybe mounted on card. So someone else in another 50 years knows the story. 

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sprocketflup Mentor

sprocketflup

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I'm not a P bass man by any means, even less so with sunburst, but that's awesome. Just the whole package, back story etc, the stuff that you can't buy (well, you know what I mean ;)) fair play to you


'71 is my YOB, and I don't seem to see many of them turn up. I know YOB basses are a rarity in themselves, but '71 does seem to be a sparse year even by those standards.

As for the bridge move......I cant think of a reason either, other than he liked to play high notes/solos and bend them a lot so was falling off the edge of the fretboard? But surely you'd bend them inwards/upwards rather than outwards/downwards? No idea

 

Anyway, enjoy that rather cracking opportunity you've been given there WOT, as already said, fair play to ya :)

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wateroftyne Grand Master

wateroftyne

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22 minutes ago, bassbiscuits said:

Lovely looking bass. I’m confused tho - the bridge doesn’t seem to have any screws attaching it to the body? Is it just glued on?


That’s part of the mystery - new holes have been drilled in the bridge, between the originals. I’ll find out more soon…

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