Rick's Fine '52

[quote name='Clarky' post='1374947' date='Sep 15 2011, 10:12 PM']I took delivery of this lovely bass yesterday. Put on some some retro standard gauge La Bella flats on it and - wow, what a beautiful sound. Absolutely essence of P bass! Love it. Thanks again Rick [/quote] Glad you're enjoying the bass, and pleased with your purchase. It is a fab sounding bass, served me well for almost 10 years, sounds like a bass should, with a lovely vibe, especially with flats, nice touch. A very cool bass guitar! Enjoy! Rick.

Just sold a '53 Relic P-Bass to Clarky, easy transaction, pleasure to deal/talk with. Spot on. From the feedback here, obviously a well respected member/contributor to teh forum. Rick

[quote name='Clarky' post='1374000' date='Sep 15 2011, 06:33 AM']As I know there are a few Stone Roses fans (eg, Rick's Fine '52) here is my old Rick 3000 which I owned about 5 years ago (long since eBayed). It was a fairly battered mapleglo colour and had butchered controls/scratchplate when I got it. I then had it custom painted by Martin Sims to a Fireglo finish for a Mani vibe and sourced original controls and scratchplate from the US. Huge, very Precision-like sound but sadly I couldn't get on with the short scale neck. Still, looked great IMHO [attachment=89477:clarky_basss_015.jpg][attachment=89478:clarky_basss_010.jpg][/quote] Can you get it back please, I want it!!

[quote name='Hobbayne' post='1373504' date='Sep 14 2011, 06:26 PM']I have been a bassist since 1983 and have nearly always played a Fender Precision, it has all the sounds I need. I have played other basses in 28 years, but when I pick up a Fender bass its just like putting on an old comfy pair of slippers [/quote] Nicely put. Everyone see's the light eventually, just some sooner than others!!

[quote name='Jean-Luc Pickguard' post='1368722' date='Sep 10 2011, 05:15 PM']I noticed that. Also the skunk stripe looks a bit pist on the pic of the heel.[/quote] Fender's infamous mid 70's poor QC i think, I've seen similar (And worse!) before.

[quote name='chrismuzz' post='1368128' date='Sep 9 2011, 09:58 PM']I don't know my Fenders but even I can see that's not an original Tele neck[/quote] I don't see anything wrong with this neck, everything else on the bass has 'issues', but the neck looks fine to me.

[quote] To me that's a bit like choosing between a kick in the nuts or smack in the face.... is there a cash alternative? [quote] Was thinking the same thing!

[quote name='tredders' post='1365787' date='Sep 7 2011, 09:25 PM']Did this get sold outside of eBay? I liked the look of that one...[/quote] I'm afraid it did, its a fab bass, sold to a fellow basschatter.

[quote name='bigbottomend' post='1349918' date='Aug 24 2011, 09:13 AM'][/quote] Very nice, is it a real one, or CS?

[quote name='Ou7shined' post='1362624' date='Sep 5 2011, 09:43 AM']Oh that's a shame. I wonder why he would do that? He may have actually devalued it a little now.... unless like basses "relic'ing" a pup adds value too. There is another way to tell though mate, the Antiquity should have a raised A pole, also you should be able to make out if the sleeving on the wires is waxed... it's hard to tell from the angle of your pic also there looks to be a bit of a shine on your black wire - could be wrong though. Also I believe the Antiquity II may have a lighter coloured lower bobbin - which yours clearly doesn't have so that would rule that particular one out. I have been through just about every one of these type of pups, and for my money if there's no identity sticker, no raised A pole and no waxed sleeving I'd suggest it's the original Fender pup.[/quote] Right, I have confirmed details on the pickup from the guy who put it in. It’s a Seymour Duncan Basslines SCPB-2 Single Coil. He said he sanded off the writing on the top, and I now recall that I sanded off some more of it, when it arrived, as some was still slightly visible. I have two more of these jap basses, including a Sting, and this pickup is far superior to those, so I knew it wasn’t a stock pickup. Hope this clarifies, here's a brochure pic of the pickup; [attachment=88765:scpb_2.jpg]

[quote name='Happy Jack' post='1362620' date='Sep 5 2011, 09:36 AM']I'm watching Rick, I'm watching. [/quote] Didn't you used to have the Crinson??, I've got that now, although its been through my 'upgrade system', I must give you some pics of what it now looks like! The finish on the Crinson is much better than this one, although that was far more expensive i'd imagine. Keep watching, lots of interest already!

[quote name='Ou7shined' post='1362624' date='Sep 5 2011, 09:43 AM']Oh that's a shame. I wonder why he would do that? He may have actually devalued it a little now.... unless like basses "relic'ing" a pup adds value too. There is another way to tell though mate, the Antiquity should have a raised A pole, also you should be able to make out if the sleeving on the wires is waxed... it's hard to tell from the angle of your pic also there looks to be a bit of a shine on your black wire - could be wrong though. Also I believe the Antiquity II may have a lighter coloured lower bobbin - which yours clearly doesn't have so that would rule that particular one out. I have been through just about every one of these type of pups, and for my money if there's no identity sticker, no raised A pole and no waxed sleeving I'd suggest it's the original Fender pup.[/quote] I'm going to email the original owner, and ask him, i still have contact. Watch this space....

[quote name='Ou7shined' post='1362475' date='Sep 5 2011, 12:14 AM']Good call opening at that price you should attract quite a few prospective buyers... rather than those who start off high and lose out. You say you have no way of verifying if it's a SD Antiquity pup. However, SD always put a sticker on the back of their pups to let you know the specific model, just whip it out and you'll know.[/quote] Any sticker was removed, the guy removed all traces of anything like that, so i am unable to verify. I'm sure he's right, and it is, but just want to be as transparent as possible. I try to be honest, and undersell if neccessary, to avoid any doubt or disappointment. I've bought too many things on eBay, often with poor descriptions, bad photo's, and less than helpful sellers, i try hard not to be like that.

Before you ask, yes, its mine, the only reason its not on the for sale section here, is because i don't know how much to sell for, no idea, and you need a price to post, so its here instead, have a look, and a bid if you fancy it. [url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/FENDER-PRECISION-1953-RELIC-Blonde-Blackguard-beauty-/220847112061?pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item336b837f7d"]http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/FENDER-PRECISION...=item336b837f7d[/url]

[quote name='Johnston' post='1362157' date='Sep 4 2011, 08:25 PM']Only thing is if the insurance is needed you'll have hard job getting refunded at proper value.[/quote] Word of warning if thinking of asking the seller to declare lower value, firstly, if the seller is genuine and honest, and the item gets lost/damaged, then you'll only get the insured value in compensation. Worse still, if you don't know the seller, as will often be the case, [i]this[/i] could happen (Assuming item is high value wihich is the majority of US purchases, cheaper items dont tend to be much different, certainly not worth the added risk of it flying half way round the world); Imagine you buy a bass for $4000, you ask the seller to declare it as a $500 bass. This save's you about a grand on fee's. The seller, puts an empty box in a carton, and sends it to you, you pay £50 charges and get the package home, open it, have a heart attack, then contact the seller, who says he packaged the instrument, you claim, and get $500. He gets your $4000, gets to keep the guitar he never sent, worth $4000, and pays nothing. Nice work fella!! You hear about this more and more in the vintage market, simple rule, dont risk it, if you want it, buy it, declare it legitimately. Or better still, fly yourself for £500, have a few nights in the US, carry it back, tell 'em its yours, spend all the potential duty fee's on more guitar gear!!

[quote name='EBS_freak' post='1359259' date='Sep 1 2011, 09:34 PM']Ted Weber does a leather dogbone handle. May be worth dropping him a line to see if the brackets match up - or if not, just use the leather bit with your existing brackets. Looks quite promising from the pic. [url="https://taweber.powweb.com/store/tolexord.htm"]https://taweber.powweb.com/store/tolexord.htm[/url] (handle-d) PS the failure rate on the traditional leather straps is high - thats why they were changed for the dog bones. Just looked at your sig. That's some collection.[/quote] Looks promising indeed, thanks for the info! Not worried about longevity, it doesnt get moved about too often, the plastic just doesnt look right now i've relic'd and amber tinted the tweed. Thanks again, and for the comments on the collection, house isnt big enough sadly, theyre all over the place, can't open a cupboard anywhere without a bass falling out....much to the good ladies annoyance!! Cheers, Rick

[quote name='Subthumper' post='1359244' date='Sep 1 2011, 09:12 PM']Hi.have a look on www.hotroxuk.com they've got quite a good selection of amp parts for fenders. They got lots of other goodie too so watch for gas. Cheers Just[/quote] Thanks so much, i'll have a gander. Rick

I have a '59 Tweed Bassman, that i am looking to replace the plastic dogbone handle with a leather handle. I've bought two of these now, after checking the details, and they hav eboth been wrong when they arrived. The issue is the fixing screw hole centres on the holding bracket (See pic below), I cant seem to find brackets with correct, wider, spacing. They must exist surely??? Anybody seen this before, or know where to get wider holding brackets? I obviously dont want to add extra holes to the top of the tweed casing. Thanks [attachment=88426:bassman_handle.JPG]

[quote name='TheGreek' post='1356793' date='Aug 30 2011, 08:24 PM']have a look..don't be falling off your chair though.. [url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1962-1966-VINTAGE-FENDER-PRECISION-BASS-PICKGUARD-USA-/370537236566?pt=Guitar_Accessories&hash=item5645bd8856"]http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1962-1966-VINTAG...=item5645bd8856[/url][/quote] I think you're being unfair.....he does offer free shipping!!!

Been watching this since it listed, surely it cant sell for £1200?? Arent these regularly fetching £3K?? [url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Alembic-Mark-King-Bass-/160641068020?pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item2566f42bf4"]http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Alembic-Mark-Kin...=item2566f42bf4[/url]

[quote]I think that sums it up nicely, and I suspect the author has some experience in the area [/quote] Thanks Beedster, I do have a bit. I used to be a player, who collects, as the years have passed, and i play less, my primary interest has changed and I've become a collector, who plays. I know the market as well as anyone, both vintage and otherwise. All my 'rare' basses are very playable, none of them are original, but not playable. In my experience, the ones with 'original' tyres, filters and oil, are as playable now as when they left the factory, thats the only difference between comparing vintage cars and guitars. Guitars dont have oil that becomes unuseable, tyres that get dry and break up, or have moving parts that need to be turned regularly to make them function. If you keep a guitar in a good environment, there is no reason why you cant store it for 30 years, and then find it in the same condition when you re-discover it 30 years later, and, unlike with a car stored for 30 years, you can just plug it in and play it, and it should work the same as when you left it. For the record, i take all my basses for a spin quite regularly!

[quote name='4-string-thing' post='1354265' date='Aug 28 2011, 12:44 PM']Agreed.... would you pay more for a vintage Ferrari if it still had the original oil and spark plugs in the engine? Of course not![/quote] I'm afraid this is not the case at all. The reality of the vintage market is simple, if an otherwise all original instrument has been re-fretted, then it is worth less....fact. Many collectors only buy 100% original instruments, especially the rarer ones, so a re-fretted instrument would probably lose 50% of its buyers market. If it already has originality issues, particularly regarding finish, then a re-fret will alter the value marginally, if at all though. To relate it to your post, if a vintage ferrari had original plugs, then it would certainly be worth more. If it had original tyres, then again, worth more, i think its an obvious no-brainer personally. Same logic applies to any antiques, which is what these instruments are. With any collectable antique, there are; well used examples; examples with originality issues; examples that comprise of parts from different items put together; there are restored examples, and there are fine condition, all original examples. Values are relative to all this, and will reflect every single permutation. If a bass is a refin'd player, and the owner wants to continue playing it, then it needs to be playable, whether thats re-fretting, new pickups or whatever. I would always advise keeping original components in the case, as it may help to re-sell, should that need arise.

[quote name='KiOgon' post='1353878' date='Aug 27 2011, 08:43 PM']To me - it's all part of a setup, especially after a bass has been in transit, who knows what sort of knocks it's had, nothing to do with being a P-bass, anything with a bolt on neck - it's adjustable.[/quote] I don't think being in transit would cause that level of problem (As in the fotoflame one i mean), unless during shipping from the states, it arrived by parachute! Youre right though, nowt to do with being a P-Bass, and they are pretty adjustable. If it was me, i'd just slip a shim between the top (or bottom, depending on the swing) of the edge of the neck heel where it fits the body, this would solve the issue. I still think it wouldnt happen on a factory Fender (Maybe Indoneisan issue?) though, or any other bass for that matter, it wouldnt pass through factory Q.C. surely? I think it would be an obviously common problem where necks are added to bodies though (As in parts not originally manufactured to match each other i mean).

[quote name='TheGreek' post='1353834' date='Aug 27 2011, 07:23 PM']Less than 24 hours to go... [url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1973-Fender-Precision-bass-guitar-Vintage-NO-RESERVE-/130565645003?pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item1e6651a2cb#ht_500wt_1156"]http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1973-Fender-Prec...b#ht_500wt_1156[/url][/quote] Looks like it was founda t the bottom of a swamp. Could be nice with some work, barely worth the start price though i think. I think he's put a high buy now, to try and entice buyers into thinking the start price is a bargain. If it plays nice though, could be a good player for someone at £800, worth a gamble though?, not sure, we'll see i guess?

[quote name='Immo' post='1353828' date='Aug 27 2011, 07:18 PM']I mean, the dot inlays are not right in the middle between A & D strings and the E string is farther from the edge of the neck than G is. Many fenders have the issue with neck tilting up and down. When I bought my P-Bass it had the neck tilted upwards and it looked like this: You can clearly see the E string being too close to the edge. The only benefit was the vibrato possibility for G string increased, but the string tension was not perfect and the PU's magnets were not underneath the strings. I set the neck properly and tightened it a bit and now it's OK. Your bass is really cool and because I was watching it so closely, I've noticed the same issue with it No hard feelings.[/quote] I must be honest, I've never seen this on a Precision before?, all mine are pre-70's though, and if it did need a tweek, then i'd just slide the string along the saddles until it was perfectly straight (Early 50's have 2 smooth saddles, and late 50's have threaded saddles, so easy to do). On the 70's, single slot saddles, it doesnt give you this option. I have 13 Fenders, and it isnt a problem on any of them. The example on the one in this thread looks to be camera angle though, as the strings are in the middle of the pickup poles. On your example though it looks really badly put together, like someone swapped the neck, or bridge, and wasnt too careful. Yours has a body finish i havent seen on a Fender, and non-Fender pickups, so maybe itsa bitsa, may explain your problem? Never seen it before personally, perhaps i've been lucky, although if i did see it, i wouldnt be buying it.