peteb

You consider 9 lbs 1 oz to be a "bit of a boat anchor"?? I would have thought that was pretty damn good for an old Fender.

Not me I'm afraid, mine is a late 70s P bass. It's a bit of a drive for me (although not as far as you), but for major jobs I do always like to go to Jon.

I get Jon Shuker to do any work like that on my basses - I'm sure that he compares very well with the Bass Gallery, as will several other of the top guys around the country.

I had a refret on my 70s m/n P bass at the beginning of the year. It's hard to say exactly what I paid, as I had a few other things done as well to another bass at the same time, but I think that you are looking at the best part of £300 or so to get it done properly (it would be a bit cheaper for a rosewood board).

The thing is that all of those songs (with the possible exception of Jimmy Buffet's back catalogue) were f***ing great the first time you heard them! Yes, you may be sick to the back teeth of them now, but you shouldn't underestimate how good they were until you got sick of them, because you heard them so many times. Of course, this is because people overplayed these songs because they were such brilliant tracks to begin with. I have to play Stairway regularly at gigs because I'm in A Zep tribute band. Although I roll my eyes every time I have to play it, it is worthwhile because of the reaction from punters who perhaps, haven't been as over-exposed to it as much as I have been. The same thing goes for SOTW, as Dunnery says, the simple chromatic bass run up and then playing straight 8s on the root as the riff and drums build moves people in a way that all the shredders playing unbelievable stuff on social media never will.

Just seen this from Francis Dunnery on Facebook that made me think of this thread "At 62 years old, so far as guitar playing is concerned, 'fast' has lost its relevance. I watch a hundred guitar players a day on social media playing utterly incredible licks and runs, stunning dexterity, outrageous acrobatics, tapping, arpeggios, faster and faster until it sounds like a pacman arcade game. But to be honest, at this stage of the game I'd rather listen to the acoustic guitar part in 'band on the run' or 'horse with no name'. That's what age does to you. Most of the people who look for attention performing on a stage are unconsciously trying to get their parents approval via an audience. 'look at me, look how special I am'. When you get older you don't need that. You have your own approval. You've accepted yourself for what and who you are. All of the showboat guitar playing is actually fantastic. It really is. But I still prefer the riff from 'smoke on the water' and that great moment when the bass comes in. It never really got any better than that for me."

Funnily enough, you are selling me a bit on 08-12 period basses - I quite like the idea of a P bass with a relatively flat / shallow neck! I do like the 98 jazz bass that I have (that I originally thought was a 09), so I wouldn't mind trying a same period P bass. I know that the 12-15 series are just well made, good basses - I remember playing a 2012 one once and it was great, a really well put together P bass, top notch. The thing is, I grew up on mid to late 70s Fenders and most of the best ones that I have played come from that period. Unfortunately, the worse ones I've ever come across come from that period as well! I know that this is an age thing as I am too young to get too misty eyed about vintage 60s ones (not that I could afford them), but a lot of the newer models just don't feel quite the same to me! I suppose that I would ideally like to find something with a bit of that feel about it, but with a more modern level of consistency / finish. I wouldn't rule out another 70s / early 80s P bass, but I would have to really try it out to be sure about it. The last time I got one for what seemed like a decent price, I ended up a bit disappointed and losing a fair amount of money on it.

TBF, the only Fender where I've ever kept the stock pickups is the 2015 American Standard Jazz that I use currently for the Zep tribute that I play in. Every other Fender I've had (four Precisions and three Jazzes - I'm not counting the Musicmaster that I had as a kid), I've swapped the pickups out! I'm more interested in the build and playability.

What I am trying to find out is how the 'standard' American P basses of the day varied from era to era, and what are the ones to look for / avoid. I can quite happily pay up to £3k for a Custom Shop or whatever, if something special comes up that takes my fancy. Alternatively, I have the option of getting a Japanese bass and save more than a couple of grand. Of course, I could get something in between those two price points, which is what I'm enquiring about. I did have a Japanese Jazz bass for a bit. I dropped some barts in it and used it on a gig and thought that it sounded great. Then I went down to Bass Direct to pick up some cabs and played an old American Standard that blew it out of the water. I still have that bass. TBF, directly before I got the Japanese JB, I had a 2005 USA standard that wasn't as good. I did have an AVRI 58 Precision for a while, which was a nice bass. I would have kept it, but unfortunately it had to go to pay for my old 78 P bass, when I had the opportunity to buy it back many years after I unfortunately sold it (something I always regretted).

I believe that there have been agreements put in place that have made easier than it was at first, but there are still issues that need looking at. As the OP alludes to, you may need to look at how things differ from country to country. I understand that in some countries it ma be easier to hire backline, etc out there. I would be interested to see what Loz reports back from people who have first hand experience of playing out there recently.

I've just noticed that I commented on the later American Standard Precision models from 2011 to about 2015 at the beginning of this thread a few years ago, so obviously I am aware of them. I supposed that I really want advice on the 90s models compared with those from the early and late'00s periods.

Looking for a bit of advice please if anyone here can help me. I am currently looking for a Precision with a rosewood board. Beyond that I'm not sure what to look for. I could spend £3k on a Custom Shop, as I nearly did a few months ago, or I could get a Japanese one for £850 or so. I might not even go for a Fender and get something like a Lakland, or a Lull or a Valenti, should something interesting come up. However, I may well go for an American Standard as a middle option and I'm wondering what is the best period to look for. I currently have an American Standard Jazz, which I originally played when I tried out some s/h cabs I had bought from Bass Direct and ended up buying as I liked it so much. For some reason, I thought it was a 2009 model, but when I checked the serial number recently, found that it was a 98. I did have a 2005 Am Std Jazz before, which was very heavy and nowhere near as good. So, I'm wondering what the consensus is on what was the best period(s) for Fender Am Std P basses?

Same here - all of my basses these days are FSOs, so the same strap works for all of them. I always make sure that I carry a decent spare, as well as a cheaper nylon one without straplocks for emergencies, loans, etc.

Is the B the 41mm one?

The Zep tribute played at the Nightrain in Bradford on Friday night, a hometown gig for 60% of the band these days and the only one we're playing anywhere near locally all year. We hadn't played (or rehearsed) together for a month, so it a bit rusty but a pretty good performance overall. A few people reckoned it was a bit loud at the start of the set, although a muso mate of mine who was near the back reckoned it sounded awesome! First gig since the drummer got his driving ban, so the logistics were a bit of a challenge! I think the reality of the situation has started to affect him and he even managed to forget his bass drum pedal! Fortunately, there was one there we could borrow, so no harm done. Same rig as normal (Fender Jazz / Handbox amp / Berg cab) and the new Vans pigskin hitops got an outing! Before and after show pics: