The Last Bass Outpost
Gear Discussion Forums => Fender Basses => Topic started by: PhilT on September 17, 2010, 05:08:30 AM
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Not entirely sure why anyone would do this to a 51 RI P. Why not buy a Jazz?
(http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff24/philtrory/Basschat/51RIJazz.jpg)
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Fender-51-Precision-Bass-Butterscotch-MIJ-/140452289373?pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item20b39bdb5d (http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Fender-51-Precision-Bass-Butterscotch-MIJ-/140452289373?pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item20b39bdb5d)
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I agree. Seems relatively pointless. If they were going to do such a thing, why not get one of the Turser copies and modify a less expensive instrument??
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i hate that person.
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Sacrilege ! Ol' Leo's surely gonna haunt the owner of that travesty ............ I ......... I ......[heart attack mode]urrrrrrrb.......... gaaargl ..........[/heart attack mode]
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At least the guy now has one proper pup to put in his Jazzbass.
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Maybe he likes the J sound but the 51 P body and neck profile. And maybe he wanted a real Fender, not a Turser.
Nothing wrong with this mod. If he were famous, how many people would be doing the same thing?
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none i hope. reminds me of that abortion tractor bass. fenders always look like crap when someone 'customizes ' one. imo. the add said local luthier 'improved' it to get a 'wider range of sounds'. :rolleyes: no one buys a '51 p for a wide range of sounds, they one want only one sound out of it. thump.
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I've found those 51 RI's to be surprisingly versatile stock. The real deal sounds better, but is more the one trick-pony. Matter of fact, the reason I don't have a 51 RI is that they don't sound 'P-Bassy' enough for me.
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Gotta admit I always liked the sound Berry Oakley and Mel Schacher got out of their mod'd J's but then again I'm from Pagan stock... :P
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i stand by my heavily biased opinion. berry's bass sounded stock to me but mel's was a different story.
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Can't forget Verdine White's old Tele bass.
http://bassoutpost.com/index.php?topic=3625.0
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I had a Fender Custom Shop "Vintage Precision Custom Bass" model. It was loosely based on a 55 P -- i.e. 51 style shape with contours added, still had the 51 style pickguard and two-saddle bridge -- yet it came standard with a P/J setup and concentric knobs. It was a beauty and it sounded great, though I eventually sold it because the neck was just too big for me. But if I posted a pic without telling you what it was, some of you would rag on it just because it doesn't look exactly like the originals.
Doing something different doesn't make it bad. It's an instrument, not a work of art. If a different set of pickups give you the sound you want and your workmanship is good, I see no problem with modding.
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Matter of fact, the reason I don't have a 51 RI is that they don't sound 'P-Bassy' enough for me.
Just replace the stock-PUP with a Quarterpounder and the 2x2 bridge with a High-Mass Vintage and the P-bassy sounds ( with added lo-end ) will blow you away...
I had a Fender Custom Shop "Vintage Precision Custom Bass" model. It was loosely based on a 55 P -- i.e. 51 style shape with contours added, still had the 51 style pickguard and two-saddle bridge -- yet it came standard with a P/J setup and concentric knobs.
Doing something different doesn't make it bad. It's an instrument, not a work of art. If a different set of pickups give you the sound you want and your workmanship is good, I see no problem with modding.
Sounds nice but of course Robin built basses on that basic notion since the 80s .......... they didn't bother with the 2x2 bridge ( luckily ) or the concentric knobs ( pity ) though ..........
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Sounds nice but of course Robin built basses on that basic notion since the 80s
I always liked the look of those Robins. Never had one in my hands though.
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IIRC those Robin Ranger basses were 32 inch scale while the Fender was the standard 34 inch.
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From '89 on the Ranger has a 34" neck ......... (http://www.vguitar.com/features/brands/details.asp?AID=2626) and I've a got one in the ol' gun rack to prove it .....
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All Robins I've seen are nice but the brand never caught on with bassists, so Dave Wintz stopped making them and just concentrated on guitars.
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Obviously .......... I only knew one other owner in Holland and he sold it off years ago ..........
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I always liked the single pickup Freedom basses.
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I suppose the 51 RI / Jazz pickup mod solves the problem I have with Jazz basses, which is that the neck's too thin. I wonder how that compares with the more obvious solution - putting a P neck on a J body?
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the goofy headstock may be a reason for robin's bass failure. totally wrong imo.
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I suppose the 51 RI / Jazz pickup mod solves the problem I have with Jazz basses, which is that the neck's too thin. I wonder how that compares with the more obvious solution - putting a P neck on a J body?
I did that. Works extremely well, and the added mass didn't hurt the sometimes thin jazz bass sound, esp. w/ both pups on full ;)
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the goofy headstock may be a reason for robin's bass failure. totally wrong imo.
When the company started in the early 80s that look was in.
The current Ranger guitars have a conventional six in line headstock, but Robin still has a couple of models with goofy 80s style headstocks.
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The headstocks on the Ranger were "normalised" to non-rev in 1994 or so, two years before they stopped the production of bass guitars altogether. I don't find it any more attractive, in fact the rev headstock grew on me. These days I kinda love it and take as a salute to both Jimi and Gerald Johnson ;D
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Robins, at least way back, were decent basses.
The J mod to the 51 is kind of peculiar, but considering you could buy one tomorrow new, or pick up a like new original Japanese body off ebay, big whup.
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I've found those 51 RI's to be surprisingly versatile stock. The real deal sounds better, but is more the one trick-pony. Matter of fact, the reason I don't have a 51 RI is that they don't sound 'P-Bassy' enough for me.
I've had my 51 RI for about 5 years or so, and to me , they have a very Jazz like sound just the way they are. Not exactly like a Jazz but very smooth and Jazz like. To get more of a later year P sound, turning up the treble a couple of notches gets you pretty close but not exactly. Basicly they are pretty much born to thump and have a sound all their own.
I haven't been playing mine too much lately. My guitar player prefers the sound of my 70 P but I love them both. The one thing that I really like about the 51 is that it blends in to the mix incredibly well. Love em or hate em, it is an undeniable fact. They blend really well and the playback doesn't lie ;D.
Rick
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The old single coil Tele basses were great sounding instruments too. My old '68 sounded just like the bass Tom Hamilton used on "Walk This Way", nice and sproingy. :)
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i had a 68 tele. one of my faves among all the nice basses i no longer own. :rolleyes:
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I popped the neck off mine a couple of years ago to find it was a 69. It is the bass I have had the longest, and probably would be the last one I would hold on to. I think everyone should have one!
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Here's my '68 she's a keeper. (http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff133/muzikman7/TonytheTele2-1.jpg)
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Here's my '68 she's a keeper. (http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff133/muzikman7/TonytheTele2-1.jpg)
You better believe it!
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When I got it it had a fake pickguard the day after someone from NYC on e-bay had the second generation (With the pearloid on the back) pickguard I called and pleaded with him to pull the auction and told him I'd give him $85 and I'd drive down the city the next day and I did. It fit with no addditional holes later while looking through a parts box I found a pristine set of Fender oval tuners they are on the bass now also. I'm also glad that the color didn't change much.
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wow, you paid 85 bucks plus gas to the city for a pickguard. my '68 tele only cost 125.00 way back in the day. how times change. :sad:
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I bought my '68 at Ray's Heart Of Texas Music for $400 back in 1984.
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'55 bought in 1971 through an add in The Miami Herald for $200. Met the owner, a black preacher, on the Tamiami Trail to do the deal. Completely original with tweed case. Sold it in '77 to a Swede in L.A. for $400.
(http://i976.photobucket.com/albums/ae241/cata1d0/Chrome%20Soapbar/CHROMED/BASSBOY.jpg)
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Is that a Coliseum or a Concert head behind you?
The bridge pickup mod to a '51 style P or a Telebass was quite common in the seventies I think. Jimmy Bain, Charles Tumahai (Be-Bop Deluxe) and Chris Squire all had Teles with bridge pickups. Squire used his quite famously on "Lucky Seven" from his solo album.
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Weren't you the brave one letting those legs out... ;D
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Is that a Coliseum or a Concert head behind you?
Coliseum, got tired of the weight and heat output of my '70 SVT head (I weighed 40 pounds more than it did), traded it even at Metro Music in Atlanta.
Weren't you the brave one letting those legs out... ;D
Gainesville, Florida middle of July around 1PM on a flat bed trailer, too damn hot for jeans. If you got it, flaunt it. ;D
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I think I weigh quite a bit more than my Hiwatt... :o
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metro music! i lived five miles from that store. it was my second home. that and rhythm city. :o
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metro music! i lived five miles from that store. it was my second home. that and rhythm city. :o
Can't remember the guy's name who ran it but he was a blast! Loved his warantee, "3 feet or 3 seconds from the door, whichever comes first."