The Last Bass Outpost

Gear Discussion Forums => Fender Basses => Topic started by: ilan on June 21, 2015, 06:08:59 AM

Title: 70's parts bass
Post by: ilan on June 21, 2015, 06:08:59 AM
So I have assembled this P bass and it turned out exceptionally well.

Light weight, good balance, neck plays like butter, I have the bridge cover with the mute underneath and I like it a lot.

Plays and sounds like a dream. Really. Can't put it down.

Basically ALL Fenders are parts guitars, right? It's not like they built a specific Strat neck to fit a specific Strat body.

Also it's my first Fender that did not need a neck shim.

Parts list:

'70-'71 alder body, stripped and refinished in natural. Pro job
'75 rosewood-board neck that I bought from a friend. Very dark rosewood
'78 (I think... not sure now but mid- to late-70s for sure) grey bottom pickup
F neck plate with '75 serial number that I had in my parts drawer
Old Fender strap buttons
New Fender tort guard, 70s style bridge, Tele barrel knobs
New CTS pots and Switchcraft jack
Wilkinson tuners
Ernie Ball Flats, 040
Vintage 70s chrome bridge cover w/rubber mute

Does anyone make new thumb rests in semi-transparent dark maroon, like vintage rests? All I find are either $5-6 new black ones or  $100-150 vintage maroon bars, and I'm not paying that.

(http://i287.photobucket.com/albums/ll127/ilanlukatch/P_nat.jpg)
Title: Re: 70's parts bass
Post by: nofi on June 21, 2015, 08:12:25 AM
nice job, you certainly  nailed the process. btw certain kramer p bass clones have parts that will fit a fender squier.
Title: Re: 70's parts bass
Post by: copacetic on June 21, 2015, 08:55:30 AM
Well done. I can imagine your joy and sense of accomplishment on this 'labor of love'. These days the attributes of light weight and 'buttery' necks, balance do not play second place to sound but with age and back issues defintly keep it on your shoulders or in your lap.
Title: Re: 70's parts bass
Post by: Pilgrim on June 21, 2015, 09:15:30 AM
Looks great, and I've always liked the accent of the bridge cover!
Title: Re: 70's parts bass
Post by: Lightyear on June 21, 2015, 09:41:14 AM
Nice!  Just a like mutt, or mongrel, dog can be the very best dog in the world a parts bass can be the best bass as well.
Title: Re: 70's parts bass
Post by: Highlander on June 21, 2015, 09:55:51 AM
Age... brand... provenance... makes no difference without playability...

A perfect marriage... a nice stroke of luck... 8)
Title: Re: 70's parts bass
Post by: patman on June 21, 2015, 02:50:04 PM
Exactly what a 4 string bass should look like. Perfect.
Title: Re: 70's parts bass
Post by: Dave W on June 21, 2015, 09:31:50 PM
Nice looker!
Title: Re: 70's parts bass
Post by: gearHed289 on June 22, 2015, 08:35:57 AM
Looks perfect! Nice one, enjoy.
Title: Re: 70's parts bass
Post by: ilan on November 01, 2015, 02:32:24 AM
She sounded so awesome at rehearsal, that yesterday I decided she deserved a special treat. So I pulled an early 60's tort guard (real one, not reissue, no broken tips or cracks, minimal shrinkage) out of the parts bin, where it was waiting for 15 years for the right moment...

(http://i287.photobucket.com/albums/ll127/ilanlukatch/image.jpeg)
Title: Re: 70's parts bass
Post by: Pilgrim on November 01, 2015, 12:45:46 PM
Looks just like a P-bass ought to!
Title: Re: 70's parts bass
Post by: hieronymous on November 01, 2015, 01:38:00 PM
Yeah, that's a real beauty! Love it!
Title: Re: 70's parts bass
Post by: Highlander on November 01, 2015, 01:56:10 PM
Ver' nice... ;)
Title: Re: 70's parts bass
Post by: Rob on November 01, 2015, 03:39:26 PM
NOW it's real!
Title: Re: 70's parts bass
Post by: godofthunder on November 05, 2015, 04:20:46 PM
Nice!
Title: Re: 70's parts bass
Post by: 4stringer77 on November 11, 2015, 11:45:14 AM
John Deacon and I approve. Is that the dark maroon thumb rest on the guard you were looking for?
Title: Re: 70's parts bass
Post by: ilan on November 11, 2015, 12:28:11 PM
I wanted a dark maroon but settled for a standard black one. Still looking for a reasonably priced black maroon tug bar.

And yes, it's very John Deacon-ish.
Title: Re: 70's parts bass
Post by: Pekka on November 22, 2015, 04:02:55 AM
Here's mine with also a '75 neck (the decal has been changed and the headstock refinished by the former owner). Body is by Hosco. I always wanted a P-bass that John Wetton played until he sprayed it white. :) Very lightweight and the neck is the best. A common feat among '75 rosewood boarded P-necks?:)

Your bass looks great, Ilan!

(https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/4322198/IMG_9739.JPG)
Title: Re: 70's parts bass
Post by: ilan on December 08, 2015, 05:56:24 AM
Beautiful bass, Pekka. What pickup do you have on it? My favorites are 70's grey-bottoms, best Fender pickups ever IMHO.
Title: Re: 70's parts bass
Post by: Alanko on December 09, 2015, 02:48:38 PM
I'm loving that Wetton bass! The only thing I can think of is that Wetton had some sort of weird knobs on his bass:

(http://www.jgarage.com/images/wetton1.jpg)

I prefer the look of Fender knobs personally! Just started listening to live material from the Cross/Fripp/Bruford/Wetton lineup of King Crimson again, so I'm especially pleased to see this bass!
Title: Re: 70's parts bass
Post by: Pekka on January 19, 2016, 11:30:15 AM
Beautiful bass, Pekka. What pickup do you have on it? My favorites are 70's grey-bottoms, best Fender pickups ever IMHO.

It has a Seymour Duncan SPB-1.
Title: Re: 70's parts bass
Post by: Pekka on January 19, 2016, 11:34:06 AM
I'm loving that Wetton bass! The only thing I can think of is that Wetton had some sort of weird knobs on his bass:

(http://www.jgarage.com/images/wetton1.jpg)

I prefer the look of Fender knobs personally! Just started listening to live material from the Cross/Fripp/Bruford/Wetton lineup of King Crimson again, so I'm especially pleased to see this bass!

Wetton changed the knobs to normal Fenders when he painted the bass in early '74. I love the livestuff from that era, so all the multi-CD boxed sets from "Larks'", "Starless" and "Red" where a gift from heavens. I used to think that the 4CD "The Great Deceiver" box would be enough. :D

(http://www.dgmlive.com/image.php?id=2238)
Title: Re: 70's parts bass
Post by: gearHed289 on January 20, 2016, 08:24:32 AM
Yup, better in white (like most basses). Disc 3 of the Great Deceiver is currently stuck in my dead CD player in the car.  :-\
Title: Re: 70's parts bass
Post by: ilan on January 22, 2016, 05:05:52 AM
It has a Seymour Duncan SPB-1.
That's Carol Kaye's favourite pickup.
Title: Re: 70's parts bass
Post by: Dave W on January 22, 2016, 03:48:45 PM
That's Carol Kaye's favourite pickup.

I thought she left Fender behind for Ibanez. Has she come back?
Title: Re: 70's parts bass
Post by: ilan on January 22, 2016, 05:26:44 PM
No, but when she still played Fenders, the P Lyte days, she swapped the P pickup for a SD.