'73 Fender Precision on CL

[Denis]

Happy Monday, everyone! Thanks, I appreciate the comments! I believe I was able to leave almost all the original clear finish (laquer, I guess) on the body without stripping it, so I'm going to try and leave it as is. It looks like the body was actually in pretty good shape, THEN it was painted black, THEN it was beat to hell. When I stripped it, I found that the black paint was pounded down into the wood at the bottom of every dent and almost impossible to remove unless I used varnish remover and a sander and there was NO WAY I was going to do that to the old girl. If I have to clear coat it in the end to protect the wood though, I'll do it.

If I was ever going to paint it though, it would have been Mocha Brown like this one.
http://www.grouseguitars.com.au/fender74pbassbrown.htm

I bit the bullet and went with a '78 pickguard I found and whoo hoo!, all the holes lined up AND it came with all the little screws. Thinking about putting flatwounds on it, getting some weed and a paisley shirt next...

[Dave W]

Glad that pickguard worked out for you.

If you ever decide to refin it in Poo -- I mean, Mocha Brown, scroll down to the "Fender Telecaster Bass transformation" thread.

[Highlander]

So Denis, all's well that ends well...

Now, if you ever need advice on fancy, original, one-of-a-kind refins... 

Next, we need a gig report... 

[nofi]

turd burst.  you will learn grasshopper.

btw that picture looks way better than the real thing.

[Denis]

All finished!

All the electronics were fine and the shop was able to use all the original wiring, pots, etc. They put flatwounds on it for me and the old girl sounds friggin' terrific! It's got a nice boomy sound but with the maple neck doesn't sound muted in spite of that. The neck feels thick so I wonder which of the sizes it is. I'll measure the nut tonight and see.

After the Thunderbirds and the BaCHbird, the P-bass form feels strange but I can definitely see why they've pretty much dominated the bass market.

I'm happy as hell with it!

[Highlander]

EXCELLENT...!

[Dave W]

I'm glad it's working out for you.

The width at the nut doesn't tell the full story. Some of them aren't as wide as early Ps but they're thicker. As long as it's comfortable to you...

[Highlander]

Dave... is there anywhere I can use to check Precision neck profiles and dimensions...? anyone on the site that knows...? gonna repeat this question in my PC rebuild thread as it is something I have been wanting to find out for some years, but...

Denis... when you gonna gig her...?

[Denis]

Denis... when you gonna gig her...?

Haha, not for a while yet. I practice a lot and am still taking lessons but do have something in the works with an out-of-state buddy moving back here. Hey, I got a late start and have never been in a band. Let the tomato throwing begin! I'll be ducking though...

[Pilgrim]

Nice to see you have the "standard" of basses in hand.  Enjoy!

[Highlander]

Quit the lessons, play from the heart, Denis... best tip I could give anyone in our field...

At the start of the seventies I was placed on a stool and had the neck of an acoustic placed against my left shoulder in a music lesson... first and last time... in '75 I acquired my first bass with my own wages, a Grenn semi, a copy of an EB2, and I just played along with my favourite records: Alice Cooper, Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Allman Brothers Band, Marshall Tucker, Black Oak Arkansas, Grand Funk Railroad, Deep Purple, Free & Bad Co, Mountain, and so on... I learnt a lot that way, and from a few books, most notably a book on James Jamerson, and from just practicing what I thought sounded good... I moved onto a lot of Duane Allman's sessions, and into R&B, and played more and more...

I've been told I play pretty well, but I'm not a "shredder"; If I listed my main influences, they would have to be Dennis Dunaway, Berry Oakley, Mel Schacher and Felix... and I'm probably of the "less is more" school, with a hint of Lemmy... 

Quit the lessons, play from the heart...

Oh yeah, and get playing with other musos, if at all possible better than yourself; make yourself stretch... the rewards will be better...

[jmcgliss]

I really like stories like this...new player with a pride and joy P-bass.  That's a great start to the enjoyment of playing bass. Go forth and groove well.

[Chris P.]

I missed this thread a bit, but cool story!

[Denis]

Quit the lessons, play from the heart, Denis... best tip I could give anyone in our field...

At the start of the seventies I was placed on a stool and had the neck of an acoustic placed against my left shoulder in a music lesson... first and last time... in '75 I acquired my first bass with my own wages, a Grenn semi, a copy of an EB2, and I just played along with my favourite records: Alice Cooper, Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Allman Brothers Band, Marshall Tucker, Black Oak Arkansas, Grand Funk Railroad, Deep Purple, Free & Bad Co, Mountain, and so on... I learnt a lot that way, and from a few books, most notably a book on James Jamerson, and from just practicing what I thought sounded good... I moved onto a lot of Duane Allman's sessions, and into R&B, and played more and more...

I've been told I play pretty well, but I'm not a "shredder"; If I listed my main influences, they would have to be Dennis Dunaway, Berry Oakley, Mel Schacher and Felix... and I'm probably of the "less is more" school, with a hint of Lemmy... 

Quit the lessons, play from the heart...

Oh yeah, and get playing with other musos, if at all possible better than yourself; make yourself stretch... the rewards will be better...

Great story and inspiration! Thanks! And, uh, we must be about the same age. Heh.

[Highlander]

You're welcome, Denis, and guess the age (clues in the name, hit it in June, with Scott shortly after me, and Seattle Mark just a little ahead of us...)

A site like this is friendly, with no pressure; there are amateurs and pros; collectors who play and players who collect; those that build, and those that wish too... we are all just passing through, and if we make people smile along the way, all the better...