Changing some parts on a 78 Fender P bass.

[MNY]

Hello All,

 

I recently bought a 78 Fender P bass which seems like a nice instrument. As far as I can tell it’s pretty much original although the chrome is disappearing from the volume and tone controls and the electrics need looking at, nothing drastic just some buzzing which might indicate a loose connection of some sort. 

 

I have been mulling over changing a few things like the pots and wiring, possibly the black pick guard as I much prefer a tort one with a sunburst finish, and maybe even the pick ups. I appreciate that most people will buy an old instrument and keep it as close to original as possible, but I’m not that precious and would like the instrument to play and sound as good as it possibly can. Anything I change will be kept in case I decide to sell the bass on at some point and I suppose if it is ever sold then a new owner could reverse any changes that I might decide to make.
 

Any advice or thoughts please? 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited Friday at 21:06 by MNY

[Doctor J]

You own it. Do whatever it takes to make it the instrument you actually want. 

[Mrbigstuff]

As long as you keep the original parts it’s all reversible! The reason there are so many after market parts is down to people “upgrading”

[HeadlessBassist]

I'm sure some purists will be throwing rocks at their computer screens, shouting "Heretic!", but for me, an instrument is for playing. If your reversible mods make you like the playability/sound more, then go ahead and mod it and play the heck out of it!

[Lozz196]

Agree with the thoughts above, mod it, play and enjoy it, and def keep the original parts.

[MNY]

Thank you all, much appreciated. 👍

[Reggaebass]

Looking at the changes you want to make the only things that would alter it from being all original is the soldering would be disturbed which isn’t a big deal, definitely keep the parts, especially the pickups, pots and screws etc and bag them in your case or somewhere safe , you can refit them or include them if ever you wanted to sell it, just my opinion but it’s worth spending a bit more on a nice tort guard, it makes a big difference , good luck and it’s a lovely 78  

[MNY]

44 minutes ago, Reggaebass said:

Looking at the changes you want to make the only things that would alter it from being all original is the soldering would be disturbed which isn’t a big deal, definitely keep the parts, especially the pickups, pots and screws etc and bag them in your case or somewhere safe , you can refit them or include them if ever you wanted to sell it, just my opinion but it’s worth spending a bit more on a nice tort guard, it makes a big difference , good luck and it’s a lovely 78  

 Many thanks for your comments. Do you have a suggested source for the pickguard please? 

[Reggaebass]

5 minutes ago, MNY said:

 Many thanks for your comments. Do you have a suggested source for the pickguard please? 

Hi MNY, if you have a look at the Vintage fenders thread, I think it’s about page 146 onwards there’s some great suggestions, tort chat 😁

[MNY]

30 minutes ago, Reggaebass said:

Hi MNY, if you have a look at the Vintage fenders thread, I think it’s about page 146 onwards there’s some great suggestions, tort chat 😁

Thank you 👍

[lemmywinks]

Some people do care about non original solder joints. We don't talk to them but they do exist.

 

Would look miles better with tort IMO.

[MNY]

I agree entirely, I sometimes wonder why I care so much about aesthetics. I have a lovely custom bass which sounds ridiculously good  but I am conflicted because of the body shape. I tend to forget about the shape when I play it because it sounds incredible but afterwards I wish it was a tad more conventional 🙈

[Belka]

Personally I wouldn't change a thing on it unless it was necessary. Unless you fork out the money for a Spitfire or something the tort pickguard won't look right. Those S series sunburst finishes were quite bright, something like the target burst you used to see earlier,  and along with that S series logo a tort guard would just seem out of place - they just look better/more authentic with the black guard. As for changing the pickups, I suppose it depends what you want. If you want something like an EMG or Bartolini because you like their particular sound, then go for, as long as you keep the original. Personally though, I think the late '70s S series basses are some of the best sounding P basses - they have a lot more treble/upper-mid than '60s or early '70s basses.

 

Honestly, if you want a more vintage P, hold out for an early '70s one and sell this one on. You can find refinished ones for not much more than an original late '70s one (Andy Baxter sold a refinised 1970 with original tort guard for less than £2,300 recently). 

[HeadlessBassist]

1 hour ago, Belka said:

I think the late '70s S series basses are some of the best sounding P basses - they have a lot more treble/upper-mid than '60s or early '70s basses.

 

Well said   I've always liked the sound of those late seventies Precisions. Have a listen to Bill Stevenson's Precision on "Sugarfoot".

 

 

[Belka]

15 minutes ago, HeadlessBassist said:

 

Well said   I've always liked the sound of those late seventies Precisions. Have a listen to Bill Stevenson's Precision on "Sugarfoot".

 

 

Great sound, although the white pickguard would probably date that precision as an early '70s model - could well have been changed of course.

[Belka]

Fender Precision Bass comparison USA vs MIM vs JAPANhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgzD3vcrExE

 

Check out the '77 in this video - by far the most aggressive sound.

[MNY]

1 hour ago, Belka said:

Personally I wouldn't change a thing on it unless it was necessary. Unless you fork out the money for a Spitfire or something the tort pickguard won't look right. Those S series sunburst finishes were quite bright, something like the target burst you used to see earlier,  and along with that S series logo a tort guard would just seem out of place - they just look better/more authentic with the black guard. As for changing the pickups, I suppose it depends what you want. If you want something like an EMG or Bartolini because you like their particular sound, then go for, as long as you keep the original. Personally though, I think the late '70s S series basses are some of the best sounding P basses - they have a lot more treble/upper-mid than '60s or early '70s basses.

 

Honestly, if you want a more vintage P, hold out for an early '70s one and sell this one on. You can find refinished ones for not much more than an original late '70s one (Andy Baxter sold a refinised 1970 with original tort guard for less than £2,300 recently). 

Many thanks for taking the trouble to submit such a detailed response. 
 

cheers,

 

Mark.

[MNY]

18 hours ago, Belka said:

Fender Precision Bass comparison USA vs MIM vs JAPANhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgzD3vcrExE

 

Check out the '77 in this video - by far the most aggressive sound.

This is more of preferred tonal reference and also Freddie Washington’s p bass, which I believe has had a Baroloini pick up for the majority of its working life. I love listening to Herbie Hancock (Paul Jackson, Ready Freddie,Eddie Watkins, Byron Miller) George Duke with Byron Miller, Willie Weeks with Donny Hathaway and Larsen-Feiten band especially the album Full Moon, Chuck Rainey on virtually everything he’s done but a particular favourite which is rather obscure is the track Djinji by Hirth Martinez, from the album Hirth from Earth. 
 

 

[Reggaebass]

1 hour ago, MNY said:

Freddie Washington’s p bass, which I believe has had a Baroloini pick up for the majority of its working life

Yeah I looked into his P bass, it’s a 73 with Bartolini pickups and a badass bridge, he talks a bit about it at 7.15, great video to watch and such a great player 

 

[diskwave]

That looks like a minty fresh all original vintage P bass... why on earth would you want to mess with it. As soon as you de-solder it, its lost a ton of value. 

[FugaziBomb]

I'd say leave it alone.   late 70s P Basses have a vibe.  Give yourself time to appreciate it before making major changes. 

 

Also, tort is getting played out.  Black guard sunburst Fenders look classy (or 'smart' as you'd say on your side of the pond).

Edited 5 hours ago by FugaziBomb

[bassbiscuits]

Vintage basses can be quirky. While some have brilliant elements they also have their own characteristics, whether to their age, their life up to this point or the material/build quality of that particular era. 
 

So I would say; think closely about what you do like about this bass and what you don’t like. Decide whether those things could be better met by another bass before modding this one to try to achieve that. 
 

As others have said, a 78 P does a very good job of being a 78 P. If that’s not the sound/look etc you’re after, then there are other alternatives. 
 

FWIW I’ve owned a 1970 sunburst P for the last 30 years. I don’t love everything about how it plays or looks but it does what it does.
 

Personally I wouldn’t dream of swapping stuff on it unless it desperately needed fixing. 

I have other basses that cover other sonic and aesthetic ground and I leave the old P as it is. 
 

But that’s just my two cents worth.

 

 

[Burns-bass]

The value in an old Fender bass is its originality. They’re not prized for their weight, built quality or playability. 
 

That’s the vintage market distilled into two sentences.

 

If you want a vintage Precision, keep the lovely one you have. If you want a durable, versatile and lightweight bass that will perform for the long term, I’d buy a modern Fender Pro series bass.

 

If you start changing bits it’s not original and the value will lower, in some cases, significantly.

 

 

[MNY]

4 hours ago, diskwave said:

That looks like a minty fresh all original vintage P bass... why on earth would you want to mess with it. As soon as you de-solder it, its lost a ton of value. 

It’s not ‘minty fresh’ and does have some wear which gives it character. It’s fair to say that  I’m not too bothered about the value aspect, but I would like to cure the earthing issue and sort out the noisy pots. 

Edited 3 hours ago by MNY

[MNY]

11 minutes ago, Burns-bass said:

The value in an old Fender bass is its originality. They’re not prized for their weight, built quality or playability. 
 

That’s the vintage market distilled into two sentences.

 

If you want a vintage Precision, keep the lovely one you have. If you want a durable, versatile and lightweight bass that will perform for the long term, I’d buy a modern Fender Pro series bass.

 

If you start changing bits it’s not original and the value will lower, in some cases, significantly.

 

 

I bought it on a whim to be honest. I am not too bothered about it losing value as it’s no different in that regard than any other bass I have ever bought, there are some things that need addressing though which hopefully won’t compromise the originality. 
 

Cheers.