Jono Bolton

On 07/10/2023 at 16:28, Jono Bolton said:

A wee update on my bitsa P; I didn't get on with the Road Worn neck so when @Studio GC put his Classic 50s Precision neck up in the Marketplace earlier in the week, I snapped it up. I know I'm probably in the minority, but I prefer glossy necks to satin. It's also a better fit in the pocket than the Road Worn, so nice and snug now. The gold Fender anodised aluminium pickguard didn't quite fit round the heel so it's got my old JV pickguard on there as a temporary measure while I decide what to put on it, though I don't hate it as it is now. As ever, the true colour is hard to capture in photos, it's still much more pale than the pictures suggest  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

A slight update:

It's got a set of Gotoh Resolite Reverse Gear tuners on the way and that should be it done.

Finally got round to replacing the pickguard on my bitsa P Bass:

17 hours ago, Lord Summerisle said:

Maybe it’s because it looks like a P neck (with Precision Bass written on the headstock and dot inlays) but with the J dimensions. That’s noticeably different to putting to putting on a Jazz neck, isn’t it?

Do Jazz basses not normally have dot inlays?

I've got the Classic '58 in my bitsa P and the Classic '65 in my JV Precision. They're really good pickups, though I'm not the best at articulating what pickups sound like. I prefer the 65, it's a bit hotter to my ear.

Price dropped to £275

Genuine Fender Road Worn 50s Precision Bass neck, in excellent condition; as in, it's "worn" but all the wear is as it was from the factory, no new dings or scratches as far as I can tell. Made in Mexico and dated to February 2021.

I bought this a year ago for a P Bass build but swapped it last month for a Classic 50s Precision neck as I prefer gloss necks, and the worn-in satin finish on this one isn't to my taste. 

Pre-drilled for vintage style reverse gear tuners and screw holes in the heel; I've only added the screw hole in the front of the headstock for the string retainer.

Postage available at buyer's cost and will be well packaged. Any questions, just ask.

These are decent bridges; I have them on both of my P Basses

Being serious though, I've not tried any Fender-style short scales that didn't have a bit of neck dive. I'd probably look at swapping the tuners for lightweight ones to see if it helps balance things out

A stool is generally cheaper than a new bass

Good price on this, I was looking at these just last night and people are generally asking for a lot more for these models.

Squier JV reverse gear tuners in nickel/chrome. Bought from a fellow Basschatter about 6 months ago for my P Bass build, but I recently bought a new neck for it which came with tuners fitted, so these are no longer required. Solid, chunky tuners in good condition for being 40 years old. Will come with screws and ferrules but I can't be 100% sure that they're original, but they all fit together.

Price is £40 plus postage, which is the price I paid for them.

8 minutes ago, Linus27 said:

So, by all accounts, I've ended up modding all my basses, not from boredom but just because I can never get what I want.

 

So my oldest and most loved bass is a 1986 ESP 400 Series Jazz Bass that I bought from new in 1987. The best bass I have ever owned and I found out, came from the same factory that Fender Japan basses were made. It probably accounts for why Fender parts are interchangeable and has exactly the same headstock etc. Anyway, a year or two after owning it from new, I had a set of Bartolini's fitted which transformed the bass. I then about 12 years ago, had Jon Shuker make an amazing ebony fretless neck for it which is where it has remained. Its got 36 years of battle scares but its still amazing and gets played to this day.

 

Next is my Fender FSR 70's Mexican Precision that I bought new is 2018. Being a lover of 70's natural Fender Precision's and a huge Sting fan, I got Jon Shuker to make a high gloss fretless maple neck which again is where it has stayed and it has turned out to be the best sounding bass for recording.

 

Next is my Fender Japan 62RI Precision. An absolutely lovey bass to play but I felt there was more on offer if I changed the pickups. So as my Fender FSR 70's Precision as above came with Fender 62 Custom Shop pickups and sounded so good, I had a set of them fitted to it along with new pots and it sounds fabulous. I also changed the pickguard from Tort to Black.

 

 

Those Ps are fantastic 

2 hours ago, Rexel Matador said:

Also early in my bass journey I got an absolute gem of a MIM Fender P bass in Olympic white. Then decided I needed a Squier Matt Freeman in black as a backup. I bought a Seymour Duncan QP and an EMG GZR, tried both in both basses and ended up having to admit that the stock pickups were absolutely fine. The Fender in particular - that bog standard stock P pickup that came with it is one of the best I've ever heard.

The stock pickup in the Matt Freeman Precision is excellent. One of the Matt Freemans I owned came with a Quarter Pounder pickup fitted and I asked the seller to include the stock one too. He messaged me after he'd shipped the bass and said he'd forgotten to throw in the original, so I made sure he posted it to me separately so that it could fit it back in because I love that pickup, and I hate the sound of Quarter Pounders. It's partly the reason why I refer to such things as modifications rather than upgrades, as I find the term 'upgrade' to be entirely subjective.

1 hour ago, PaulThePlug said:

Then they are likely to want it returned.

If you didn't buy / pay for a damaged one, them you shouldn't put up with it... it will get to you and rob you of your enjoyment.

If on the other hand would of purchased the ding model for £100 discount - no sure of normal cost - then it could be 'Happy Days'...

These are 1100 quid new

7 hours ago, BillyBass said:

No, that's more than a £100 ding.   B stock stuff, if the dings are more than superficial, can be 20% off full price. 

Agreed. The compensation should be at least equal to the cost of repairing it, which would be more than a hundred quid.

Some pictures of it might help

On 24/05/2023 at 16:34, Jono Bolton said:

Sent my P Bass build away to David Wilson for a refinish. It was 3-tone sunburst, but is now sonic blue. The picture doesn't pick up the true colour, it's a fair bit lighter in real life. It's got a light relic finish, similar to the Fender Journeyman CS relics.

 

 

Specs are: a Fender MIJ 70s P body, Fender Road Worn 50s P neck, Creamery Classic '58 pickup, Fender anodised aluminium pickguard, ashtrays, knobs, and tugbar, Squier JV reverse gear tuners, Hosco threaded saddle bridge, and Gotoh strap buttons, string tree, and neck plate.

A wee update on my bitsa P; I didn't get on with the Road Worn neck so when @Studio GC put his Classic 50s Precision neck up in the Marketplace earlier in the week, I snapped it up. I know I'm probably in the minority, but I prefer glossy necks to satin. It's also a better fit in the pocket than the Road Worn, so nice and snug now. The gold Fender anodised aluminium pickguard didn't quite fit round the heel so it's got my old JV pickguard on there as a temporary measure while I decide what to put on it, though I don't hate it as it is now. As ever, the true colour is hard to capture in photos, it's still much more pale than the pictures suggest  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Bought a Fender Classic 50 P Bass neck from Gunnar. It was exactly as described and he sorted it all very quickly, even organising delivery so it was arrive on a day when there was going to be someone at home to receive it. Top man, fully recommended!

2 hours ago, NAS Bass said:

For anyone considering buying this, I've tried and owned EVO I, II, III and IV and for me its the II every time. Great amps, very even response across the whole range. 

I've had an EVO II 300 head, and currently have an EVO II 300 1x10 combo, and they were/are both great. I don't need this, but I'm still very tempted.

On 22/09/2023 at 19:49, Jackroadkill said:

I'm torn - I love the shape, SFG is my joint favourite Fender colour (along with CAR), and I love that this bass comes in a proper full scale.  I love the idea of a big chunky neck....  It looks beautiful.  I could even (probably) get used to the stupid reverse tuners.  The big problem for me is the sound.  Now, I like a big fat hairy bass tone, but I wonder if I'd feel constrained by only having that sound available...

 

I mean, potentially one could replace the tone cap and pot with ones that are likely to give a brighter sound, but I wouldn't want to do much more than that.  Certainly not mucking about changing pickups etc.  I guess I'll have to try one in the flesh - although where I might get to do that in rural mid-Wales I don't know!

I don't think it has reverse-gear tuners. It's a 70s-style bass, and Fender had done away with the reverse-gear tuners in the '60s.

20 hours ago, Highfox said:

He's a good salesman

I'm still on the fence.

I'd need to see the seafoam green in the flesh; it looks a lot more pastel in that video than it does in any pictures I've seen of it.

Given that the equivalent American-made Fender is double that, it seems reasonable

33 minutes ago, Cato said:

The green Telebass is gorgeous.

 

I'm interested in the Bass VIs too, but the colour choice of red or blue doesn't really thrill me.

I like the Fiesta Red, but the nut width looks the same as the Squiers and it really isn't manageable for me; needs to be wider. The Telebasses and the Jazzes look nice.

6 hours ago, Old Horse Murphy said:

Earlpilanz (Brian) on EBay. He's your man. He'll make custom ones. 

Correct answer 

Ooft

2 hours ago, BassAdder60 said:

Yep .. I’ve just ordered two of these for my Player Series PBass 

 

Are they decent ? 

As decent as a BBOT bridge can be, yes. Hosco stuff is generally pretty well made.