STUNNING P/J Necks

[mc2NY]

I just thought I'd share pics of these amazing necks...that are sort of Fender. Phil Kubicki made them in 1982/83 after leaving Fender and starting up his own Fender licensed repro workshop. I think he was the first Fender licensed, no?

Although most people know him from his headless Factor Basses, he did a small number of Fender necks and bodies and some other pieces in the early '80s before switching over almost exclusively to the Factors. He also made quite a few necks for other "builders" and later Fender copy parts companies that slapped their names on the headstocks.

I got these two necks separately over the last year. They were probably made for luthiers intending to use them in build projects that never were done, since they both do not have the Kubicki headstock decals. They do both have his ink stamp and SN#s on the heel end. Neither was ever mounted. I'm guessing that because each was so figured that builder were trying to get big bucks for them, so they never got used. I'll be using them both on PBass builds.

Beautiful necks, no? Phil build a number of Fender's '60s/70s custom orders and prototypes while he was there in his younger days. He was more or less the original Fender Custom Shop.

[ack1961]

Oh yeah, they're gorgeous.
They'll look great wherever they end up.
I'd love to get a hold of something like this for my next build (Walnut billet).

[eb2]

Kubicki necks and bodies were top notch stuff in the early 80s.  I heard that he had also gotten ahold of some old Fender Wildwood dye injected stuff and made bodies out of it.  I had planned on getting a Kubicki neck back then when they switched over to the Factor bass and stopped making parts.  Great amazing wood there.

[mc2NY]

You're right about that wildwood. I saw one of the guitars Phil made from that stash...a Tele he did for guitarist Arlen Roth. Beautiful axe.

Here's one of the mini travel guitars Phil made in the early '80s that I just picked up. Besides the mini Les Paul, he also did a mini V. Most all were maple neck-thru with mahogany wings. This one is rather unusual with all the flame. Plus it's SN#212, the area code to NYC here I was born. I also have Factor SN#212. Phil told me that he thinks he made this mini LP for Kerry Livgren of Kansas.

[jumbodbassman]

i have one of those necks on a franken  pbass.  BE maple with ebony.  great neck.  where's my camera....

[Denis]

Oh yeah, they're gorgeous.

x10! I love beautiful maple! Funny how it's almost metallic!

[Highlander]

Beautiful... truly beautiful...

Now I know that you are a serious collector and this is purely a hypothetical question... do you own a "FenderBird"?

Could be the perfect neck for a high-end build rather than a standard body...

Might be right up Carlo's street, considering the quality and price of his builds...

Just a pov...

[mc2NY]

No....don't own any Fenderbirds. Have several TBirds and PBasses but none mixed.

I actually have another pair of Kubicki PBasses that I play, although the necks are not as fancy as the two above. One's another maple/skunk stripe fretted and the other is an ebony 'boarded fretless. Both on actual Kubicki PBass bodies, which are very hard to find!

The third one in this photo (the natural one) had a Kubicki bound neck with an ebony fingerboard but was originally assembled/build by the late Rod Schoepfer of "Rod's Place" located on 48th St in NYC in the 70s and 80s. He'd built a number of axes for the famous and not so famous....also designed for Kramer and others. I sold it to a rather famous bassist last year who kept asking me for it. That one played and sounded great but it was heavier than I like and had a PUP selector toggle on the lower horn that tended to hit my left leg when I played it seated...would pop it out of position and was annoying.

[hieronymous]

Wow, those are cool! Both the necks in your original post and the complete basses in the most recent - I really like the finish on the one with the maple board. I didn't know about the Kubicki stuff other than the Factor basses - I used to lust after those for a long time, though I never actually played one!

[birdie]

I used to lust after a Factor, till I actually played one
But that earlier stuff looks beeyootiful!

[mc2NY]

I actually like the ExFactors. I still have my original one from 1985, plus some other early and rare ones. Even have one prototye that Fender offered to buy back that wasn't supposed to leave the factory.

Actually have Stu Hamm's with the Oakland Raiders graphic, plus an early prototype made for Neil Stubenhaus that he used on a lot of famous recordings & tours.

I found myself playing "funkier" when I used the Factors....more thumb and popping. But I almost always use them in the two passive settings, not active.

I'd played short-scale basses for the most part before getting the medium-scale ExFactor. That sort of led me into long-scales after getting used to the drop D longer scale range.

I also have one of Stu's non-drop D Factors. He told me he got that one because Joe Satriani kept bitching that the medium scale ExFactor E "wasn't fat enough."  He told me it was a Fender-made Kubicki but when I got it, it turned out to be a pre-Fender real neck that Fender had apparently build a body for and then attached one of their own "Fender Custom Shop" decals on the headstock!! Even odder....it was an orphanded spare neck from a VERY rare ExFactor set that came with a pair of interchangeable necks and matching dates/SN#s.....and I HAD the matching original bass with the other neck!!! Total coincidence. Probably would have searched in vain 100 years if I actually TRIED to reunite the set....did it by accident instead.

[Rhythm N. Bliss]

I actually like the ExFactors. I still have my original one from 1985, plus some other early and rare ones. Even have one prototye that Fender offered to buy back that wasn't supposed to leave the factory.

Actually have Stu Hamm's with the Oakland Raiders graphic, plus an early prototype made for Neil Stubenhaus that he used on a lot of famous recordings & tours.

I found myself playing "funkier" when I used the Factors....more thumb and popping. But I almost always use them in the two passive settings, not active.

I'd played short-scale basses for the most part before getting the medium-scale ExFactor. That sort of led me into long-scales after getting used to the drop D longer scale range.

I also have one of Stu's non-drop D Factors. He told me he got that one because Joe Satriani kept bitching that the medium scale ExFactor E "wasn't fat enough."  He told me it was a Fender-made Kubicki but when I got it, it turned out to be a pre-Fender real neck that Fender had apparently build a body for and then attached one of their own "Fender Custom Shop" decals on the headstock!! Even odder....it was an orphanded spare neck from a VERY rare ExFactor set that came with a pair of interchangeable necks and matching dates/SN#s.....and I HAD the matching original bass with the other neck!!! Total coincidence. Probably would have searched in vain 100 years if I actually TRIED to reunite the set....did it by accident instead.

Stunning necks indeed & very cool coincidence!! Congratulations

[shadowcastaz]

x10! I love beautiful maple! Funny how it's almost metallic!

I have seen people use black or charcoal color, sand back  & bring out a silvery tone to figured maple. Gorgeous if done correctly. I made a full size couch out of figured maple . What a  waste!