Fender '66 slab P-basses

[tom grossheider]

Sorry, I messed up.

bwitte at zonet dot nl

Re-sent to corrected address. Let me know if you don't receive the attachments.

[Chris P.]

Guys,

A lot of books and magazines have written about the slab Ps. Everytime you see the famous Entwistle pic with his white slab body P, but no book or magazine ever questions the fact why he has three controls and a switch for one pick up. I asked this question beforem but no answer yet.

Anyone?

My guess:

Maybe volume, treble, bass like a Ricky 3001?

Could the switch be an early 'S1' switch, so switching the split P from parallel to series?
Kill Switch?
Bypass of pick up to output, without controls, like on Fender Esquire guitars and early Teles?

Anyone?

[Chris P.]

A business relation and friend of mine is bass player and he has quite an high job at Fender Europe. He sometimes asks me which artists need an endorsement or signature (in his opinion Fender has to do more with European and British artists and also younger people) and I willingly give him advice.

A couple of weeks ago he asked me about which bass Fender has to made, so I made a big long e-mail for him to mail to his colleagues in the US about the slab bodied P. I also enclosed the magazine scans Tom has sent us and I made a spec sheet about which Fender parts and neck dimensions the bas has to have. I hope they do something about it.

I adviced not to make a CS version (maybe also), but a MIM Classic model based on the neck, tuners and pick up of the '50s P. Vintage white, black guard.

[Dave W]

Good thinking. If a '51 P can be a success as an MIM model, so could a '66 slab bodied P.

[Highlander]

I was talking to a chap from the "dudepit" who looks in from time-to-time (Nigel) and used to own a '51 P (small world occurrence at a site I was working at) who agreed with me re the edges and "digging in" when commenting to him on my RD mods (yes, radical, but...)

[Dave W]

I guess if you're used to contoured bodies then you might be bothered by edges. I'm not. I no longer have any contour body basses or guitars.

[Chris P.]

Nothing against contours. My Ps have it, my '76 Bird hasn't. But I have my basses quite low on the body, so I won't need contours.

[Highlander]

My body's quite contoured these days, and my instruments...

[tom grossheider]

Gratuitous self-centered picture to follow:   

No more contours for me either, I still love this bass.....

[jmcgliss]

I never get tired of seeing that bass, Tom.

[Chris P.]

I haven't heard anything from Fende yet, but last night I mailed my contact again about the possible slab P.

[eb2]

Well, Chris P, you did something right.

Order yours today!
http://bass-guitars.musiciansfriend.com/product?sku=620948

[Chris P.]

Now a cheaper version ..

[Dave W]

At least they're paying tribute to it. I can't remember any official recognition of these before.

[Chris P.]

I emailed my contact to ask more:)