NBD: Bach Precision 51

[tore00]

I just had the possibility to buy at a very cheap price a Bach Precision 51 upgraded with a Seymour Duncan pickup and by sure I could not resist.
I am at my holiday house in Southern Italy a Ned the seller was only 40 km from here.
I am very attracted by Precision 51 and telecaster basses and this is my fifth, sixth if I include a Squier TB with the humbucker. Well I have also a Cabronita with fidelitron pickup, I was almost forgetting.
The baby is very nicely done , two pieces contoured body, I think it is alder, a very thin and wide neck, it looks that nut width is Precision size, while the thickness of the neck is more similar to a jazz bass. It features a 2 saddles bridge. Finishing of the body is fine, much better than the finished of their Bach I own, and is very difficult to notice the joint between the two pieces. The neck is in maple, at least if looks like maple, with a maple fretboard. I have not doubt about the fretboard, while the veneer of the neck give me some doubt. Strangely enough the neck has a binding, same color of the fretboard and back, but quite evident.
It plays very nice, much similar to my Fender jap Precision 51, with lot of growl and basses. This bass and my Fender are much quieter than my other 51 basses that are equipped by Badsonics overwound pickups done by myself however is very authoritative in my small bass cab that I have available here.
I will compare to other ones when I will be back to Milan and will post some picture of the telecaster family

[Basvarken]

Congrats.
Those are nice workhorses!

[Rob]

That looks great!

[Pilgrim]

Great bass - simple, made to do exactly what a bass needs to do.

[Dave W]

Very nice!

I tried the MIJ 51 P about 8-10  years ago, really disliked the neck contour and the pickup was nothing special.

[Highlander]

Got to admit that I did like the looks of that one... but the butterscotch one that Rob had for a while...

[Dave W]

I really don't like butterscotch. The candy  and the finish.

[Basvarken]

The very first BaCH that I had was a 50s P model with mahogany body and mahogany neck. Oiled not lacquered.
Nice bass. But very heavy.

The whole BaCH adventure started there. I asked them if they made any other bass models with mahogany body and neck. They said we can build anything if you order at least 25 copies. So I asked if there were any other idiots who would like a NR Tbird... You know the rest of that story 

[tore00]

Yeah and I am one of the happy owners of them. My Bach 51 is not heavy, but is heavier than my Fender 51. As I said the neck is thin and wide, very different from the typical 51 baseball bat contour. The Seymour Duncan pickup plays very well.
I have also the original Bach pickup, that was replaced by previous owner because too weak. It has a strange construction, since it has non magnetic poles and a very weak magnetic bar on the bottom of the poles. As soon as I am back home will test the resistance and maybe replace the magnet with a stronger neodymium one....maybe the start of a new project

[OldManC]

I'd love to try one of those. The 50s P/Telecaster bass look has really grown on me over the years.

[shadowcastaz]

I got one in maho(they said)  and I installed a Dark Star in place of the tele pup.

[shadowcastaz]

Here she is

[slinkp]

Wow, that's pretty.

[Rob]

I like that a lot!

[OldManC]

Beautiful!