Alternatives to '62 reissue Precision?

[OldGit]

[quote name='hillbilly deluxe' post='847783' date='May 25 2010, 06:40 PM'][url="http://www.wdmusic.co.uk/product/Precision_Bass_U.S_Standard_-__Tortoise_Shell_PBA-405"]http://www.wdmusic.co.uk/product/Precision...e_Shell_PBA-405[/url]

4 ply brown tortoiseshell. Tortoise/vintage green/black/vintage green. Made from [b]real celluloid [/b]as used on vintage instruments. 2.5mm thick with 45 degree bevel edge.[/quote]


oooooooh That's nice.. Never noticed it was vintage green between those layers
Real Celluloid so it [b]will[/b] shrink and crack Perfect!

[wateroftyne]

I dunno... assuming the photo is representative, it's still not quite right. It still seems to suffer from Pepperoni-itis like they all do...

[ahpook]

[quote name='OldGit' post='847526' date='May 25 2010, 02:27 PM']and a kind of medium dark one too .
[/quote]

hmmmm....that's lovely.

is that one of the CIJ's as well.


i've been thinking about a p-bass recently.

Edited May 25, 2010 by ahpook

[tredders]

[quote name='ahpook' post='847796' date='May 25 2010, 06:55 PM']hmmmm....that's lovely.

is that one of the CIJ's as well.


i've been thinking about a p-bass recently.[/quote]

I think that's my old one. It was a CIJ and was lovely. Sold it last Sunday to a nice chap on here for £450, only because I'm in the process of buying a '73 P bass in the same colours.

I got it from OldGit - he has some nice stuff.

[The Bass Doc]

[quote name='OldGit' post='847789' date='May 25 2010, 06:45 PM']oooooooh That's nice.. Never noticed it was vintage green between those layers
Real Celluloid so it [b]will[/b] shrink and crack Perfect![/quote]

Hey OG, I've got an idea - if the original type material does shrink and crack, you could cut it into say 5 pieces and maybe start a trend.

Edited May 25, 2010 by The Bass Doc

[Musicman20]

I must admit, the 62' MIJ I had was good, but compared to the latest USA Precisions, the pickups and sheer grunt could not compete. The MIJ sounded great with new strings, but the USA instruments sound much more powerful, and they also feel a little more solid overall. Plus you get an amazing case and the other new upgrades, but there is a cost difference!

[OldGit]

[quote name='The Bass Doc' post='847845' date='May 25 2010, 07:41 PM']Hey OG, I've got an idea - if the original type material does shrink and crack, you could cut it into say 5 pieces and maybe start a trend. [/quote]

Now that would be a daft thing to do
[attachment=50557:My62Scratchplate.jpg]

[OldGit]

[quote name='tredders' post='847810' date='May 25 2010, 07:13 PM']I think that's my old one. It was a CIJ and was lovely. Sold it last Sunday to a nice chap on here for £450, only because I'm in the process of buying a '73 P bass in the same colours.[/quote]

Yeah that's the one. med red plate with fingerpull holes.
I think you put a fingerpull on, didn't you Mark?
Gets in the way a bit if you do any of that newfangled popping stuff but looks the business

[tredders]

[quote name='OldGit' post='848178' date='May 26 2010, 08:38 AM']Yeah that's the one. med red plate with fingerpull holes.
I think you put a fingerpull on, didn't you Mark?
Gets in the way a bit if you do any of that newfangled popping stuff but looks the business [/quote]

I just laughed at the thought of me playing pipping stuff! Roots & fifths, Si, roots & fifths!

[mazdah]

[quote name='tredders' post='847723' date='May 25 2010, 06:32 PM']That's not the case in my experience. The US 62 RI I had wasn't great... the neck and intonation were terrible when I received it, and my luthier said that it wasn't any better put together than regular Fenders. Conversely, the 2 CIJ models I've had have been great. Maybe I just had a bad one, or maybe it was down to expectation (I expected a £1500 bass to be quite special, whereas I've only ever been pleasantly surprised by the CIJ models).[/quote]

Well, unfortunatelly it's a common thing in american products like Fenders, Ampegs, Mustangs and Harleys. They sometimes DO have flaws that are just impossible to find in japanese or european products. Some cheap plastics, not great setup, parts don't fit.
And it's a normal thing, and nobody cares if the Harley is slow, loud or not keen on fast turns. It is still a great bike (or car, or amp or bass), there are better out there, but nobody makes better Harleys than Harley :]

And you just can't compare anything to japanese craftmanship. They were and they are simply amazing.

[quote name='tredders']The only real difference between the US and CIJ '62's I've owned were the finish - the US had a nitrous finish. and was a nicer lump of wood.[/quote]

Well, there were two versions of reissues made/crafted in japan. In my country majority of them have different body wood (basswood) and pickups (I think all of J RI have different pickups than US ones)
My friend has a '57 J RI, with basswood body it was a great bass but it was missing the "feel and the vibe".
Some people don't care about this, I do.

So, mij/cij are made better, but US Vintage are made from better parts. I prefer US Made.

And I just HATE Japan Reissues for vol/vol/tone knobs in '62 Reissue Jazz Bass! There should be stacked knobs arghh!

Edited May 26, 2010 by mazdah

[wateroftyne]

[quote name='mazdah' post='848183' date='May 26 2010, 08:55 AM']So, mij/cij are made better, but US Vintage are made from better parts. I prefer US Made.[/quote]
A bit too much of a generalisation re: quality of construction, I think.

The US stuff does have better hardware, though.

[Sibob]

[quote]And I just HATE Japan Reissues for vol/vol/tone knobs in '62 Reissue Jazz Bass! There should be stacked knobs arghh![/quote]

The changeover to 3 knobs from stacked was completed in '62, so perhaps the Jap RI's are a transition model

Si

[wateroftyne]

[quote name='mazdah' post='848183' date='May 26 2010, 08:55 AM']And I just HATE Japan Reissues for vol/vol/tone knobs in '62 Reissue Jazz Bass! There should be stacked knobs arghh![/quote]
MIJ 'reissues' aren't really reissues, though. They're just interpretations.

[Musicman20]

[quote name='wateroftyne' post='848212' date='May 26 2010, 09:24 AM']MIJ 'reissues' aren't really reissues, though. They're just interpretations.[/quote]

+1, the MIJ I owned seemed like this. It was based on a 62 but not to the detail of the USA models.

I do have a lot of time for the MIJ basses, and I wouldnt mind getting a brand new one and using it for another 14-15 years like my old one. But, as per above, there is a difference. Getting the US electronics version would bring it closer though.

[LukeFRC]

[quote name='mazdah' post='847713' date='May 25 2010, 05:24 PM']"Japs" are great, but you can't compare them to US Vintage series.
The difference between japan '62 and us vintage '62 is like difference between fender mexican standard and american standard, as I said - cheaper are great, but US are superior.

REMEMBER - You always get what you pay for![/quote]


I've played a '57 US vintage reissue P bass and owned '57 CIJ Reissue (us parts) P bass.

From playing them both:
the finish on the body of the USA felt nicer, not as thick. Conversly the Jap looked nicer.
The usa body wood was lighter (i think it may have ben ash rather than alder)
The neck on the Jap model was far far nicer and better finished than the USA one.
The hardwear did feel a wee bit more thought through. Things like raised pole pieces on the A string and the like. It was a more accurate vintage replica.
Sound wise they were both very similar with a more modern P bass tone.

In terms of picking them up and wondering which was the nicer bass I think the USA one would have won it. However in terms of buying a bass to play live I would have the Jap bass everytime. Once you put price in there too for 'playing' I would always go for CIJ, Actually even if they were the same price I would go CIJ.
(They are strongly built too, my old Jap bass toured scotland in a gig bag in the bottom of the megabus!)

My large fender logo JV Squier however is in another league and I'm slightly nervious as I lent it to a friend to take to a recording session...

[lojo]

[quote name='OldGit' post='848178' date='May 26 2010, 08:38 AM']Yeah that's the one. med red plate with fingerpull holes.
I think you put a fingerpull on, didn't you Mark?
Gets in the way a bit if you do any of that newfangled popping stuff but looks the business [/quote]

Yep, its my bass now, thanks to tredders

I jammed with band on monday, and I've 2 options to gig it this weekend

Back to thread topic, I brought this with a view to gigging it and not worrying to much about it, although I will be careful obviously

I did consider a US RI, but only saw very good condition ones for sale, no dings, and I can't be dealing with that in small gigs

I already have a mint Ric which can only come out to larger safe gigs, so no point in over a grands worth of mint USA 62 RI sitting at home also

So I am happy with the CIJ (and I also have a MIM which is perfect for me) any slight improvement an expensive US model would give me, would not really make any odds to what I do

Not saying I will never own one

[BB2000]

[quote name='wateroftyne' post='847745' date='May 25 2010, 05:59 PM']The pickguard thing is a moot point anyway, 'cos there's no-one out there makes them like they used to.[/quote]

Tony at pickguardian does nitro guards that are pretty damned close.

[OldGit]

[quote name='Romberg Bevel' post='847072' date='May 25 2010, 12:02 AM']I'm thinking of getting me a bass like this:


[url="http://www.fender.com/products/search.php?partno=0190116800"]Fender '62 Precision[/url]

but I'm not that keen on the price - I was thinking more like a third of what these retail at!

Are there any alternatives for a 'complete' P? I'm looking for one with the pickup/bridge covers and that, which would sit well with my MIA Jazz and Precision Deluxe - in other words, not crap.[/quote]


Oh and chrome bits and finger pulls are available on eBay for very little dosh.