cameltoe Posted May 6, 2012 Share Posted May 6, 2012 Hi guys, Hoping someone can help me here. I've been tempted by a trade deal on an AV '57 Precision, a bass I've wanted for a while and considered a bit of a Grail bass. I have never played one of these, and that's partly the problem, but I love the look, and I love the vintage neck profile. The problem I have is it will mean parting with my Road Worn Precision- a bass I never ever thought I'd sell, a bass so comfortable and easy to play it almost plays itself, a bass I was bought by my girlfriend as a birthday present. I have only once fantasised about trading it- for a 2k Custom Shop '57 Precision that felt fantasic, was nicely worn and had a V-neck profile- but I did not have the adjustment in cash to spare. I consider my Road Worn to be a great instrument to play, however just looking at an AV '57 makes me go weak at the knees- plus I tell myself that this is basically the same instrument as the Road Worn, just made to the absolute highest standards, using the best materials, and without the wear. In theory, I should love this bass. However, I will not get a chance to play before I pull the trigger. Risky, I know. This bass will be gigged, as it would have to be my sole bass. Having £800 of already dinged Road Worn on a stand at a rowdy gig doesn't concern me. Having close to 2k's worth of mint AV goodness in a thin Nitro finish does, a bit. It will get dented, guaranteed. I'm also concerned about the finish of the neck- I love the worn-in feel of the Road Worn and have been freaked out by overly glossy necks before, however that was on Poly finishes as opposed to Nitro. Plus the weight- my RW is one of the lightest P basses I have played- so light I had to get ultralite tuners to combat neck dive. How do these compare? I don't want to buy it and be scared to take it out of it's case. It will either just feel 'right', and be dinged and road worn in time, by myself, or it will feel all awkward and sticky and new and I'll regret having let my RW go. As reference, and whether it makes a difference, I have an American Series P bass for sale on here, that I find myself barely using because I favour the RW. Please help Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schnozzalee Posted May 6, 2012 Share Posted May 6, 2012 The AV series has custom shop woods but without custom pickups and various modifications i.e. roller nuts/fret wire/relic'ing etc. I've owned the '62 tele and have a '57 strat and both were flawless and i like stock pickups and frets and so on because it sounds just like the records AND guitar techs love them which is a very good sign indeed!! Nitro finishes wear in after a year of bedroom playing whether thin skin or not but they're guitars for life if your not a Charvel Guitar Geek like moi. You won't regret it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LukeFRC Posted May 6, 2012 Share Posted May 6, 2012 you have a P bass you like. and that you enjoy playing live- as great as it is you have no idea if the AV will be as good for you. On paper yes it's a better bass but in practice if it doesn't quite fit you as well, or you end up feeling too precious about it then it's no good is it? If I were wanting a great quality '57RI P bass then I would be looking at the JV squier one for sale on here. My one is earlier so slightly different I rate far higher than the AV'57ri Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
73Jazz Posted May 6, 2012 Share Posted May 6, 2012 I owned 6 jv basses all 57p and if you allow my experience, though they are great basses, they cannot compare to the 57 av ri. All av 57 ri i played and the one i own are outstanding basses in tone, wood selection and playability.they are top notch and are in my oppinion custom shop quality basses. If your heart desires that much for the 57av ri, go for it..you will not be disappointed. Honestly, i think after you went familiar with the new bass, you will smile about the rw and you will be happy, That you have done that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cameltoe Posted May 6, 2012 Author Share Posted May 6, 2012 Certainly food for thought! If I could get a nicely worn-in version of the AV '57 I do believe it would be my ultimate bass. No, I'm not going to attempt to relic it myself! I do prefer the feeling of worn in frets though and actually had additional fret work carried out on my RW to replicate the Custom Shop I tried (and loved), I felt the RW frets were a bit unfinished initially. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gareth Posted May 6, 2012 Share Posted May 6, 2012 [i]watch the weight[/i] [i]some of the more recent av's are heavy[/i] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted May 6, 2012 Share Posted May 6, 2012 Will the purchase mean selling your RW as well as your US? If not, keep the RW and get the 57 as well. If however it means selling both, well that`s a difficult one, not helped by how darn good those RWs are - getting rid of the RW for an untried bass is risky, in my opinion - you may find that all you love about the RW is not present on the 57. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mckendrick Posted May 6, 2012 Share Posted May 6, 2012 What does the girlfriend think...? In the meantime... [quote name='Lozz196' timestamp='1336326572' post='1644089'] Will the purchase mean selling your RW as well as your US? If not, keep the RW and get the 57 as well. [/quote] ....is the correct answer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cameltoe Posted May 6, 2012 Author Share Posted May 6, 2012 Yes, I will essentially be getting rid of the RW in order to get the AV, which is something I'd only ever thought about doing once before with the Custom Shop. Having never played an AV I'm just guessing how good they might be, but my American P doesn't suit me like the RW- it's a very, very good instrument, but I prefer the earthy, woody feel of the RW, the comfort, the light weight, the broken in feel, and it feels softer, whereas the USA feels very solid. With all this in mind, what would those of you that have experience of an AV recommend? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
73Jazz Posted May 7, 2012 Share Posted May 7, 2012 Eat more beef! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimBobTTD Posted May 7, 2012 Share Posted May 7, 2012 Going on what you have written, keep the Road Worn. It seems to be your perfect bass. If you sell it, you will miss it and regret it dearly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cameltoe Posted May 7, 2012 Author Share Posted May 7, 2012 You're right. I'd even tried trading the US for a three tone sunburst RW (mines FR) just so I had a spare. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted May 7, 2012 Share Posted May 7, 2012 [quote name='JimBobTTD' timestamp='1336367619' post='1644481'] Going on what you have written, keep the Road Worn. It seems to be your perfect bass. If you sell it, you will miss it and regret it dearly. [/quote] +1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Truckstop Posted May 7, 2012 Share Posted May 7, 2012 +1 You have a bass you love already! Fight the GAS monster and maybe in a few years if you have enough disposable cash, buy the AV '57. In the meantime, I'm thinking you'd regret sellig on the RW. One day you'll go "oh, I think I'll have a go on the RW" and it won't be there Truckstop Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martin8708 Posted May 7, 2012 Share Posted May 7, 2012 I have owned a 57 Re-issue in black for the last 10 years , and 95% of my playing /gigging/ reheasals are done on this bass . This is also my "cheapest " bass as I have a few Custom Shop + Vintage P's at home , but I always pick up the 57 RI as it just seems to feel right . It is one of the early 80's re-issues , and once I got the action/neck sorted to how I like it , I rarely play anything else . The bass is now starting to feel very worn in and comfortable , I once did 3 gigs in a day with this bass , and the only thing that hurt was my feet . I think some basses are like wine , cheap ones go off with age , where a good one with good woods and nitro finish will improve the more it is played . If it is an early model with a nice light weight , I dont think you will be dissappointed , You will have to put the hours in setting it up and playing it in , but they do just get better + better . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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