skej21

I’ve been very close to buying the 8lber a few times this week from Peach, and this was the one big thing that puts me off (not gonna open a can of worms about why!). You’ve saved me £1400, so thanks 😂

I was lucky enough to play a lot of basses through my work in music retail over a long time, so I’m not fussy about adapting to different specs (I guess in the same a mechanic would jump in numerous cars per day and not think too much about biting points, break sensitivity etc) and I’m pretty good at being able to see those specs on paper and understand how it aligns to my preferences (so I don’t mind a punt online personally!). Like you say though, it can be a huge swing in terms of what feels right from player to player and if you’re more sensitive to those changes impacting your playing, it’s definitely worth try-before-buy.

Main differences between my 60s Am Original P and my 2003 62 AVRI P are probably in the neck to be honest. Obviously pickups etc are slightly different, but the thing that impacts the playability most when comparing them is the difference in neck specs. Am Original; 1963 C neck profile with a 9.5” radius, round-laminated rosewood fingerboard and clay dot inlays/side markers with vintage tall frets and a 1.73” nut width (bone nut). Neck depth feels bigger/more rounded. AVRI; C neck profile with a 7.25” radius, white dot inlays/side markers with vintage frets, a 1.75” nut width and a synthetic bone nut. Neck depth feels very thin/shallow. I would say too, that most of the AVRIs I’ve played over time have all been quite light (probably around 8.6-8.9lbs) but the Am Originals have been heavier.

The Am Original series basses are definitely marmite - Personally, I’m firmly in the fan club. The neck profile/radius in particular (and the clay dots) sold it for me. I have a 60s P and J from the Am Original series now and they’ll be the last ones out of the door. Got both for less than £1300 each second hand too, so not as steep as the AVRI. People who are considering buying should definitely try them out though. I have a 2003 AVRI Precision and it’s a wildly different feel to the Am Original!

Just be mindful that often a specific production year of Fender US standard for example, can be used to denote changes to specifications or to define “good” years when being referred to on forums etc. This can conflict with the actual model name/range of years produced stated by Fender. A good example of this, is that whilst the Fender US Standard Precision bass was produced between the years of 2008-2016, they made changes to the specification in 2012 and started referring to this with dealers (to help differntiate) as the ‘2012 US Standard’, even though it was produced between 2012-2016 with that spec (main improvement included a move to a Custom Shop ‘60s split coil pickup). As a result, a lot of people look for pre-2012 or post-2012 US Standards based on the spec they liked, and this often comes in the description of sales posts (despite the serial stating that a ‘2012 US Standard’ was produced in the years between 2012-2016, for example). This is also true of things like Custom Shop models, where specific production years may refer to a brand new, un-reliced model as ‘NOS (New Old Stock)’ or ‘Time Machine’ etc depending on what Fender categorized that level of relic at the time of production.

Personally, i take them out and use masking tape to affix them to the inside of the pickup cover, then put the covers back in the case/storage.

I would have gladly but the order went from “available in 2-5 days” to “in stock within 10-13 weeks”, so I’ve cancelled it. They also decreased the price as soon as they went out of stock. Seems like the dirty tactics are still rife almost ten years since I got out! I might order elsewhere at a later date, but for now I’ve just used my discount on an alternative set.

Got a set of the 43-108s on the way, which I’ll likely put on my ‘Ray. Not expecting them to set the world alight but curiosity (and some good discounts) got the better of me!

Agreed, that’s why my main two precisions are an American Original series and a 2003 AVRI. For me, the extra expense in some areas (like quarter sawn necks and better quality wood matching) and the labour/expertise needed to get the additional level of detail (relicing etc) of a Custom Shop model is a ‘nice to have’ but not my thing. My point originally was more pointed at the people who try and convince themselves that a Mexican standard P is ‘basically the same’ as a CS, which is far from true.

A few “huh!?!”s for the crappy Fender gig bag to cart it about in and a £10 guitar stand (which is precarious enough on the floor, let alone balanced on top of an amp and cab!)… it’s like buying a Bugatti and parking it under a tree full of pigeons on the edge of a cliff!