So, if you were having a custom precision made, what would you do differently to Leo.....?

[bigjohn]

I'd do as little with it as possible at first. Certainly no Jazz pup or funny electrickery until I knew what it sounded like.

First off I'd put a neck and electrics in that I already knew well so I could try gauge the wood. I'd make some recordings of the 1st bass and the new bass to compare & contrast.

I'd then decide where I'd want to take the sound and have the pups made to order.

The only thing I'd feel I had to decide before playing it would be whether I was going to fit a standard bridge and / or string through.

[Clarky]

[quote name='jonthebass' post='840753' date='May 18 2010, 12:36 PM']Hi Chris,

For me, on a P, would like to see:
Graphite reinforced neck,
Flatter 'board radius (9.5 - 10"),
Lighter weight modern tuners,
Easy truss rod access in the form of a bigger channel routed in the body (Lakland style),
Through body stringing bridge (Badass 3/Fender HMV),
Slightly hotter p'up,
Quality Passive electronics.

Cheers,
Jon[/quote]
Funnily enough Shuker's JJ Burnel ticks all those boxes bar one (through body stringing; instead it has a hevay duty Gotoh bridge IIRC)

I agree with this list but would add the earlier suggestion of a string tree covering the A string as well. An adjustable brass nut (a la Warwick/Alembic) would also be an interesting addition

[velvetkevorkian]

[quote name='BottomEndian' post='840725' date='May 18 2010, 12:18 PM']I much prefer the Music Man wheel-thing down at the heel. You can adjust the truss rod with pretty much anything, as long as it fits in the holes. No need to find the right Allen key![/quote]
+1!

[thepurpleblob]

passive MM pickup at the bridge.

[Shockwave]

I would say, make it neck thru, Musicman humbucker at the P position. Decent active electronics, Hipshot ultralite tuners, bound and blocked maple neck, matching ash headstock veneer. Keep it au naturele.

[LukeFRC]

[quote name='Shockwave' post='840817' date='May 18 2010, 01:26 PM']I would say, make it neck thru, Musicman humbucker at the P position. Decent active electronics, Hipshot ultralite tuners, bound and blocked maple neck, matching ash headstock veneer. Keep it au naturele.[/quote]

what a warwick?

[OutToPlayJazz]

All the nice bits, basically...

A John East P-Retro, through body stringing, nitro cellulose lacquer, buffed rosewood fingerboard, vintage reverse tuners, Nordstrand split coil & single J pickup at the bridge (for some added versatility) & either natural wood finish or the colour you like best. Also go for the neck thickness/width you like best. Precision type-B for a guess!

Edited May 18, 2010 by OutToPlayJazz

[Spoombung]

[quote name='Beedster' post='840577' date='May 18 2010, 10:05 AM']Somewhere in darkest north east England there is a very pretty piece of ash with my name on it. It's shaped, coincidentally enough, like a Precision bass. So, I have a blank Precision body, and although I'll be more than happy to let the builder in question do everything pretty much as Leo did 60 years ago, I'm considering a few minor deviations from the traditional. Anyone got any interesting ideas?

Chris[/quote]

You're strictly traditional in your tastes, aren't you? You don't seriously want 'new ideas', do you?

[chris_b]

Quarter sawn neck, Graphite bars, Strap locks, high mass bridge, string retainer for all strings, hipshot lightweight tuners, 5 strings (optional), 35" scale (optional), Bartolini pickups and electrics.

What?!? Hold on, that's a Lakland!!

[BigRedX]

Angled headstock so you don't have to mess about with winding stupid numbers of turns around the machine heads or bother with string retainers both things adversely impact on tuning.

24 fret neck with the whole neck/body joint redesigned so that there's not even a hint of the heel/joint before the 20th fret minimum.

[Stylon Pilson]

Torzal twist.

S.P.

[johnnylager]

Leave it as Leo intended bar a cream Dimarzio DP122. It's what he would have wanted.

[wateroftyne]

Keep it simple. The P works just fine as it is...

[Dr.Dave]

I'm repeating some of what others have said and make no apologies for doing so.

a) A truss rod adjustment you can get to - personally I like the Stingray approach

A second string guide to increase the break angle on the A string - I like 2 circular guides rather than a bar to cover 3 strings

c) a more solid bridge with grub screws that won't catch your flesh - my Beedster supplied Badass '1' with it's brass saddles is my favourite ever. In fact I regard Mr B as my personal Badass supplier !

d) oversize side dots - but that's just a combination of advancing years and comfort blanket

e) pups and M/C's - so many upgrades to choose from but there's not a lot wrong with the originals in my opinion. Mine sports Schaller M4S 'Gillette' types (ie. 'the best a man can get'!) and a Duncan QP

f) a small rubbish bin in which to place the holy trinity of chocolate fireguards - bridge cover , pup cover and thumb rest

g) 3ts/rosewood/tortoise shell/chrome. Def no knickers......sorry 'NICKEL' Tortiose shell inserts in the chrome knobs.

h) a 'Dr Dave sig. model' logo entitling me to a fiver for every one sold !!

[Baskesman]

Truss rod access and bridge as many already quoted. Also I'd love to see the P-pups move more towards the bridge and add a JB pup near the neck.

[dlloyd]

Laser beams instead of strings.

[BottomEndian]

[quote name='dlloyd' post='840979' date='May 18 2010, 03:33 PM']Laser beams instead of strings.[/quote]

[Low End Bee]

My perfect precision would be:

Neck - Fat 50s but with a rosewood board. Satin finished. Clay dots. Large print side markers. The lightweight clover leaf tuners as per my S1. Headstock with ADG string tree matched to the body colour. I have no problems adjusting the truss rod on my S1, The U shaped adjustment channel works fine for me.

Body - Ash with a string through BBoT. Painted CAR in nitro with three white competition stripes. Blk/W/Blk scratchplate with some 1mm triangular notches on the underside for wedging spare plectrums in.

Electrics - Wizard Thumper - vol & tone. I want it to sound like a beefy precision. Versatility be damned. No silly jazz or MM pups cluttering it up.

No covers or rests

That'd be just the ticket.

[Prosebass]

Attach the neck properly ! nothing else.

[Low End Bee]

[quote name='Prosebass' post='841032' date='May 18 2010, 04:08 PM']Attach the neck properly ! nothing else.[/quote]

Genuine question. What's wrong with the way it's on?

[MB1]

MB1.
...Get Status to make it!

[Lorne]

Rear body routing
Angled headstock
P+J pick ups
Thru Neck
Quality hardware
and headstock truss rod access


........................Seems I've just described my B.C.Rich

Edited May 18, 2010 by Lorne

[Cat Burrito]

I'm a real traditionalist so probably very little fine tuning from me - a fancy colour is probably about as far as I'd go or maybe if I was feeling all out wild I'd change the scratchplate.

I think I need to sit down after all that!

[xgsjx]

I think the one thing I would change is the top horn so it doesn't look like a butternut squash. It's the only thing that puts me right off Fenders.

[lojo]

Not sure what id change, Im a bit of a caveman and think that more than 2 knobs and the standard PUP and its not really P bass anymore (and i've never owned a high end P)

Anyway, sounds great, I hope you get more than what your after in your build