Members Preacher Posted December 17, 2012 Members Share Posted December 17, 2012 I'm pulling a couple posts out of the In The Shop thread with a little modification so please bear with me for a post or two...So I've got an older buddy who I jam with occasionally. Not too long ago I fixed a headstock crack on his old Yamaha SE. A few months ago (or so )he asked me to fix his early '70s P-bass as the electronics were really messed up. When I examined it I noted a couple things: 1) it had seen many mods, and 2) the finish was jacked. I suspect it started life as a sunburst but it looks like someone stripped it and then slathered a varnish on with a trowel. You can see hand prints on both the front and back as well as where somebody set it on some sort of rack while the finish was still wet. I gently mentioned it and he immediately asked me to refinish it; when I asked him what he wanted he told me to surprise him.The old finish:It's seen a lot of action and I didn't want to make it mint - I respect the life it's led up to this point. I planned some transtint and Tru-oil. I think he'll really like a more worn in feel and I think the oil finish will showcase the dings it's picked up over the last few decades.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Preacher Posted December 17, 2012 Author Members Share Posted December 17, 2012 As for the neck, it's sweet. It's a fretless maple from the factory. The headstock finish definitely looks original, nitro checking and all. That said, the rest of the finish (other than the fingerboard) was really glossy and not as yellowed, turned out to be poly...ok, so as the neck code turned out - "01" = Precision Bass; "10" = Maple Fretless; "40" = 40th week of "4" = 1974; "1" = Monday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Preacher Posted December 17, 2012 Author Members Share Posted December 17, 2012 As for the mods...It seems as though someone routed and added a neck pickup. They also added a DPDT switch for a pickup selector - as well as another for reversing the phase of the p-bass pickups. They also added a kill-switch. It took me awhile to figure this out as the wiring is...unorthodox, shall we say. Things are grounded, but there is no ground connection at the output jack. you might also notice the outbound signal wire is very tenuously connected to the lug...with a screw. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Preacher Posted December 17, 2012 Author Members Share Posted December 17, 2012 When I finally dated everything what I had assumed to be a complete 1970 p-bass was actually a partscaster; the neck plate was from a 1970 but the body looked to be from 1972 and the neck, as previously mentioned, from 1974. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Texas Noise Factory Posted December 17, 2012 Members Share Posted December 17, 2012 Sounds like it could be legit then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Preacher Posted December 17, 2012 Author Members Share Posted December 17, 2012 Originally Posted by Texas Noise Factory Sounds like it could be legit then. Yeah, it definitely seems to be original Fender other than the electronics (with the exception of the actual p-bass pickup). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members *BLEEP* Posted December 17, 2012 Members Share Posted December 17, 2012 A good "de-slathering" followed by a modest sanding job, then stain, and then finally Tru-oil job to seal the wood, will get it back to being the growling bass machine it is with a respectable look. Of course, the electronics (except the pickups) need a major overhaul -- wire, caps, pots -- all the way to and likely including the output jack. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members *BLEEP* Posted December 17, 2012 Members Share Posted December 17, 2012 Just saw the additional photos. Yoikes! Looks like it also needs a new red tortoiseshell pickguard (a.k.a. -- scratchplate) as that one has too many holes now from the modifications and is probably plenty yuck-o looking anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Preacher Posted December 17, 2012 Author Members Share Posted December 17, 2012 Originally Posted by Reality Check Just saw the additional photos. Yoikes! Looks like it also needs a new red tortoiseshell pickguard (a.k.a. -- scratchplate) as that one has too many holes now from the modifications and is probably plenty yuck-o looking anyway. Ha, yeah. I ended up getting all new pots 'n switches for it, but I dig the old hardware - including the funky pickguard and I want it to still look and feel like an old mojo'd friend when I'm done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Preacher Posted December 17, 2012 Author Members Share Posted December 17, 2012 So under the bridge - yup, looks like this guy was a sunburst in a past life... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Preacher Posted December 17, 2012 Author Members Share Posted December 17, 2012 Here's the body with the hardware removed... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jw10 Posted December 17, 2012 Members Share Posted December 17, 2012 If I was ur pal, I wouldve kept it the way it was. At least visually. That Screams experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members *BLEEP* Posted December 17, 2012 Members Share Posted December 17, 2012 Originally Posted by Preacher Ha, yeah. I ended up getting all new pots 'n switches for it, but I dig the old hardware - including the funky pickguard and I want it to still look and feel like an old mojo'd friend when I'm done. Eh... I missed the fact that the second pickup was still in the pickguard. In that case, the pickguard stays. You can buff the pickguard with automobile polishing compound to restore it somewhat so that it is at least smooth and pleasant feeling to the hand again and not gritty/scratchy feeling. Do you have a full image of the pickguard? I'm wondering about that neck pickup. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members *BLEEP* Posted December 17, 2012 Members Share Posted December 17, 2012 Originally Posted by jw10 If I was ur pal, I wouldve kept it the way it was. At least visually. That Screams experience. Afterwards, it will still, more or less, appear the way it does now -- battered a bit -- except it won't look like a sixth grader's project gone bad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Preacher Posted December 17, 2012 Author Members Share Posted December 17, 2012 Originally Posted by Reality Check Afterwards, it will still, more or less, appear the way it does now -- battered a bit -- except it won't look like a sixth grader's project gone bad. Word, 6th grader's project gone well is kind of what I'm going for here... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members gergbee Posted December 17, 2012 Members Share Posted December 17, 2012 Should be a fun project. Looking forward to the finished project. Have you decided on the finish yet? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members tim gueguen Posted December 17, 2012 Members Share Posted December 17, 2012 I don't think the fretmarkers are original. The fretless '70s P Basses I've seen, both in pics and in the "flesh," have al had unmarked fretboards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Preacher Posted December 17, 2012 Author Members Share Posted December 17, 2012 Originally Posted by gergbee Should be a fun project. Looking forward to the finished project. Have you decided on the finish yet? Why yes, I have. Upon seeing it had been a sunburst but not wanting to spray over all of the dings and marks I decided to do a subtle burst using dyes as nod to it's sunburst past - then tru-oil... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Preacher Posted December 17, 2012 Author Members Share Posted December 17, 2012 Originally Posted by tim gueguen I don't think the fretmarkers are original. The fretless '70s P Basses I've seen, both in pics and in the "flesh," have al had unmarked fretboards. hmm, muy interesante... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GreaserMatt Posted December 17, 2012 Members Share Posted December 17, 2012 Wowsers!!! While not a fan of altering original finishes on vintage instruments, there are exceptions, & that is def one of them, LOL... looks like a great project bass... I'm a huge p bass fan... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Flogger59 Posted December 17, 2012 Members Share Posted December 17, 2012 As for poly and nitro mixed on Fender necks of that era, that's how they did it. The neck was poly except for the headstock facing. The decals will only stick to nitro. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Preacher Posted December 17, 2012 Author Members Share Posted December 17, 2012 Wowsers!!! While not a fan of altering original finishes on vintage instruments, there are exceptions, & that is def one of them, LOL... looks like a great project bass... I'm a huge p bass fan... Right on, this was a little bit of an education for me as I wasn't really familiar with basses in general. I'm really starting to dig it though and realize how inept I am at playing bass - now I think I'm going to need to pick one up ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Preacher Posted December 17, 2012 Author Members Share Posted December 17, 2012 So back to the action... Applied citristrip to the body... ...and a junk stain job underneath...alder can be blotchy and this wood was no exception... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Preacher Posted December 17, 2012 Author Members Share Posted December 17, 2012 A little sanding was in order... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Preacher Posted December 17, 2012 Author Members Share Posted December 17, 2012 Cleaned up a bit...but you may note I didn't fill any holes or sand out the larger dings and "beauty marks"... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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