LeftyBassist.com

Funny that you posted this today. I was just in Chicago and I was ONE MILE from the store. I really, really tried to get in there, but I was with family and, well, it just didn't work out with the time I had. I was so bummed!!!! It would have been incredible to play some of these instruments even if I'm not in the market right now... Looks like a lot of great stuff all in one place!!!!

I see that they had one of those Union Jack Hofners at one point. Wasn't there some sort of hoo-hah about them not making any lefties of that model except for the one they gave Sir Paul?

That California VT-4 Blueburst has the pickups mounted upside-down. I guess this is to make running the pickup wires easier. I would think this isn't a big deal with the jazz pickup, but I would never do that with a humbucker, even if it makes running the wire easier.

What I am more curious about is the precision pickup. The lower coil is closer to the neck than the higher-coil. I would guess it doesn't make much difference in tone, but on a $2000+ bass I am surprised it isn't routed normally.

My Frankenbass has an upside down P-bass pickup up front, and it does indeed make a difference in sound. I did it purely so it can fit on the pick guard, but yeah, I'm also surprised that such an expensive instrument for sale to the general public would do that.

That's done on purpose. It tightens the lower strings and fattens the higher strings. Spector does their p pickups in reverse too.

Try playing over the imaginary (reversed P) pickup-spot. It should make a (little) difference. With the coil actually there, it makes a bit more of a difference.

It's what Andrew said, tightening the E & A and fattening the D & G. It makes the Precision PU less two-faced than it originally is (sounds more in-line like a Jazz PU). Not sure how it's done on the Sandberg California VT4, but there is also the option of leaving the lower-coil on the Fender-spot, and just move the higher-coil closer to the neck.

I have wondered why Fender didn't make the precision pickup like that from the very beginning, like how they slanted the bridge pickup on the Strat.

But.. the slanted bridge-pickup on a Strat (or Tele for that matter) is similar to how the standard P-pickup is, towards the neck on the low strings and towards the bridge on the high strings.



That's (just) one of the reasons why Jimi sounded like he sounded.

Derp! I should think before I speak.

However, I am certain the pickups on Warwick Thumbs are slanted with the pickup being closer to the bridge as the strings get lower in pitch.

My guess for the original "P" placement is that they wanted the lower strings to be low and bassy and the higher strings to gain a little edge to cut through.

From what I understand, mentality in regard to making lower notes tight and punchy was non-existent back then... bass played the bass role and, due to limitations in bass response from amps back then, anything you could do to help the low notes thump a little more was ideal.

Maybe I'm wrong, but it makes sense to me based on the history I know.

Rocco Pristia uses a Conklin bass with a reversed split coil pickup.