Interesting mod to a 51 RI P

[Droombolus]

From '89 on the Ranger has a 34" neck ......... and I've a got one in the ol' gun rack to prove it .....

[Dave W]

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.

[Droombolus]

Obviously .......... I only knew one other owner in Holland and he sold it off years ago ..........

[Hornisse]

I always liked the single pickup Freedom basses. 

[PhilT]

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?

[nofi]

the goofy headstock may be a reason for robin's bass failure. totally wrong imo.

[birdie]

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

[Dave W]

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.

[Droombolus]

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 

[eb2]

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.

[rahock]

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 .
Rick

[Hornisse]

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.   

[nofi]

i had a 68 tele. one of my faves among all the nice basses i no longer own.

[eb2]

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!

[Muzikman7]

Here's my '68 she's a keeper.