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I know this won't be to everyone's taste, but I have noticed that 'generally' everyone likes a little bit of mojo in a bass, particularly older ones. I do too, and despite a lack of finances recently due to house moves and extensions costing the earth I have hankered after a 70s P bass with the TV logo. Sadly, I can't afford one, plus I don't play 4 string much so it wouldn't get a lot of use. So I bought a 2006 Squire VM P bass in Olympic white which has nicely yellowed and set about creating my own relic p bass. The one thing I wanted to do was to re-do the headstcok with a period correct logo (I'm not trying to fool anyone here and have kept photos of the bass in it's original state) and a look that harks back to the vintage, amber-y headstocks of that period. I'm not fussed about absolute period correctness, but have ordered a decal online which I like and set about sanding down the old decal. Man that was a pain! Anyway... What I wanted to share was a little tip which I kind of discovered by accident. I'm trying to aged the hardware as well and found online that Iron Sulphide works well to age nickel hardware. None of the parts I currently have are nickel but thought I would try it on Chrome but it does absolutely bugger all! Anyway... I thought, what about wood? I was trying different things to darken the fresh maple (tea and coffee) and this did very little. I was given quite a weak mixture of Iron Sulphide and using a cotton bud I dabbed it onto some bare wood and it instantly stained quite dark. Ooh! Quite cool but too much... however, after another lot of sanding i was quite please with how it looks! Very aged and I chucked on a quick bit of tinted amber nitro from NorthWest Guitars and I am really pleased with how it looks compared to where it started. It's only had a very thin coat of the nitro but I will add the decal and then add a few more layers of the nitro. It's never going to look like an authentic 70s bass but I don't think it will be far away without close inspection. I just thought I would share a little insight into something I discovered by accident. I'm experimenting quite a bit with different ideas but will post anything else I find plus some pics of the bass when it is finished, but if anyone wants to ad their own discoveries about relicing, it would be much appreciated. I know a homemade relic is not going to be close to a custom shop but where is the fun in that! Some pics of the original headstock and where I am currently at. Just waiting for the decal to arrive.

last sunday I did a band gig with QSC K10s and Ksubs instead of the K12s and subs sound man (keyboard player) said it sounded the same, it's a result as they're 4Kg lighter each Will be trying them on a duo gig (80s stuff, lots of keys and backing tracks) this weekend (the K10s) on the deep setting I'm really hoping they cut it because they have wider dispersion and are lighter

Please do, sir 👍 I echo this sentiment. However, I shall not be falling to my knees as they are knackered enough as it is.

it's a lovely surprise when they go together so easily I've done 2 recently and am amazed at how good they are

Sugar On My Tongue - Talking Heads

There's a few posts elsewhere relating to the history of this instrument, when I got it the bridge was missing a few bits, so I put a Hipshot Kickass on it. I doubt it makes the slightest bit of difference to the thing tonally, but to it's credit it's very comfortable as I tend to play with my palm very close or on the bridge.

That’s an impressively over-engineered bridge - it’s massive! Cool looking bass overall. Classic from afar, but with modern touches.

That looks great! Enjoy!

All done. All in, an hour or so to sort out (I needed to work inside the bass too). Neck pocket needed a little bit of sanding...there was a bit of finish gunk in there from 45 years ago. Fitted a new set of Wilkinson machine heads. Didn't need any real set up, intonation/action is fine. Noticeably Jazz Bass in profile (like my old Geddy. I may sand the back of the neck in a few months (it still smells very new). Genuinely surprised and impressed. Shipping was quick and I didn't pay anything on top. All in it was under £82.00. I've always liked a dark fingerboard with block inlays. My first bass (Columbus Jazz copy) had this and I suppose I've always had a soft spot for this set up. In closing, yes it was supplied with a late '60s, early '70s Fender logo on it. It's the first time I've ever had an instrument with a fake logo on it. If you don't like it go and have a coffee and relax.

Thank you to all who voted. I'll be happy to pick a photo, when do you need it by?

yes....just outside Newbury...practice at Studio 91 at Greenham Common.

I'm a big Fender fan and have and have had some killer basses over my time. I'm on the lookout for a backup to my Japanese Fender 60's Classic Precision and will probably buy the Harvest Green PJ. Green is my favorite colour and I adore the look of this bass, it is the perfect bass for me aesthetically so thank you Fender for making it. I'm not a fan of active basses though so I'll likely just use it in passive mode and I may even gut it and fit Barts to it.

You don't know what tedious means, do you.

I picked it up yesterday...the foam inside was knackered and smelt rank. Just seem to have boxes of bits all over the house and seemed a good idea to just put it in one trunk.

When i used to gig my Warwick Thumb i found it had a little neck dive and bought a strap with suede on the inside which worked really well. Dave

I think that's the guy out of Billy J Kramer and the Dakotas.

I bet someone sent him a telegram at the time slagging him off

Yep, a good sense of smell is a useful trait when inspecting a pre-CBS, especially if it's in acase, I've yet to play one that didn't have something of the whiff of 60 years of sweat, alcohol, nicotine, and no doubt a few other molecules......

even though I lurk in this thread - as lets face it vintage instruments look great sometimes - I'm really glad you, and a few others warned me away from the whole minefield when I was thinking of getting a P bass. The fact the refinished £4k '64 I was looking at popped up with another seller 6 months later as all original £17k says a lot...