POLL: lefty '51P specs

[Rodent]

Hey there - time for another poll

Lefty modernized '51P 4-string

* Swamp Ash body finished in semi-transparent vintage white (custom brewed color that will only be available in a lefty )
* 60's/70's reddish Tort pickguard
* Nordstrand SCPB pickup
* Hipshot Ultralight tuners and vintage bent plate bridge (with cover if I can get one to fit)
* Maple/AAA Birdseye neck with zero-fret, dual graphite stiffening bars, nickel/silver frets (SS zero-fret), bone nut, side dots only, satin finish
* CTS 250K pots with Orange Drop .047uf cap
* Electrosocket tele style side jack
* chrome hardware
* trussrod adjustment slot in body (but not pickguard)

am I missing anything here? (future units can be made most any color in either opaque or semi-transparent)

I'm also 50/50 between utilizing a J or P contoured neck. I really like the feel of the J, but can easily do a P. Preferences anybody?

My intent here is to capture the general vibe and aesthetics of the early '51P styled basses, but to also add a few modern touches that make what I consider to be improvements in playability and overall usability. I am definitely not attemptig to make a reproduction of the original - why duplicate what Fender already did so long ago?

All comments appreciated. You will see this one completed (and available!) before the end of this year

all the best,

R

edit: ammended neck spec to disclose graphite stiffening bars

[bbl]

My preferences would be a Brazilian rosewood fretboard, with dots, a J neck, and a sonic blue nitro finish with white or mint pg.

[pjmuck]

I'm personally not a fan of a semi-transparent vintage white finish. I've seen several Fender Custom Shop P basses in that finish and with the wood grain visible through the finish it has a way of making the bass look pink. If you can make it look white and not pink, then I'd be in favor of it.

As much as I loved J necks, I would actually prefer a beefier P neck. Will you be shaping the headstock to replicate a Tele-style headstock?

[Rodent]

Rosewood is easily doable for future units, as are fretboard dots. I have also lined up a local source for Nitro finishes (they are more expensive and take about a month longer to complete than poly, but I do have access to the same breadth of available colors)

P - agreed that most of the Fender semi-transparents have a pink edge to them, and something specific that I have been working to make sure is not the case for this bass - I've actually contracted a custom color that will be right in between a white transparent and butterscotch blonde. it has that "well aged in a smoky bar" feel to it


the headstocks will not be a replica of the Tele style due to Fender copyright on the design. on those units where I use a P neck, it will be a precise shape replica (except for the headstock, of course) of my personal Jul 65 P-bass C-neck

all the best,

R

[LefThanDed]

Should look really good!
1. Body: slab or contour or hybrid?
2. What's up with the zero fret?
3. Metal control plate: Same shape as original '51, only lefty?

[AustinLeftyBass]

This is gonna sound really stupid but, where's the poll?

[Rodent]

ALB - you're right. in all of my edits prior to clicking submit I revised the real POLL portion right out of the content without noticing it

I guess the only remaining poll would be: is this an appealing configuration for a standard offering?

for those who would be generally interested but say 'no' due to certain specs, what would you need to see as options that would make this appealing?


I believe I'll be able to price this at $1595 + case/bag as spec'd, with a Brazilian Rosewood fretboard upgrade over AAA Birdseye coming in at $50. Pau Ferro or Ebony could also be a no charge option to the AAA Birdseye

all the best,

R

[Rodent]

Should look really good!
1. Body: slab or contour or hybrid?
2. What's up with the zero fret?
3. Metal control plate: Same shape as original '51, only lefty?

1) initial bodies will be slab, but my end goal is to also offer a '54P model (they had the arm and tummy contours)

2) I'm a real zero-fret enthusiast due to the added playability and tonal consistency it provides. when properly done, a zero-fret will outlast a typical nut

3) yes, metal control plate identical to the original but in lefty config. these will be a custom part I'm having made since I cannot find them available anywhere - righties are easy to find, but no lefties fyi - the initial estimate for a small batch of less than 100 pieces is roughly $35 each

all the best,

R

[Rodent]

update: a '54 style contoured body (same outline as a '51, but with arm and tummy contours as shown below) will only be a minimal upgrade charge over the '51 style slab for those who would prefer a more comfortable body

here's a good visual comparison between the two models (sorry, I don't have any lefty images from this era)





all the best,

R

[Lefty007]

1-I like the direction of the model. I dig the color choice, but I would also like to see it with a black pickguard instead of tortoise, especially if the tortoise is reddish (don't like those). And the pickguard should have a nice, precision-cut edge to it. . . I've seen some '51-P-Bass-inspired basses from Nash Guitars, for example, and the pickguards looks like they were cut by hand. . . not good.

2-I would go with a J neck, unless the P neck is the modern kind (thin front to back, no baseball bat). Wonder how the '65 P-bass you would use as a model is.

3-A contoured body is a must for me. I would not consider buying a slab-body bass at all.

4-Must be balanced and lightweight, under 9 lbs.; the lighter, the better.

5-Fretboard dots would be nice also, for traditionalism's sake.

6-I'm curious about the headstock shape. Should be something resembling the '51/'54/Tele look.

[Rodent]

n/p on a black pickguard. my current plan offers a beveled edge on the majority of the edges, with a square cut around the pickup itself. I can confirm that these are very well crafted pickguards, and not some hack job from an eBay sweat shop


my standard P-necks are .8" in thickness from the fretboard seam to the extreme of the rear contour curve - pretty thin by most anybody's standards. I use a 12"R fretboard as standard, so there is also a little less thickness when compared to the typical 9"R fretboard found on most 4-strings. I can easily accommodate most any fretboard radius preference between 6"R and 20"R, and also most any compound radius ... these would be a special order item, but offered at no additional charge

my personal '65P neck is the rather thick version. great for those who also need a weapon handy while loading up after a gig, but not something a typical J-bass player would instantly feel at home on. for those who have a fondness for thick necks, this one is pretty sweet


target weight for this bass model is 7.5 - 8.5 pounds, which is easily achievable. I believe I could even get it down to just under 7 pounds (maybe even in the mid 6's, but I'd need to do some additional testing) without any balance issues. for those who like a heavier 70's era body, I can easily accommodate with a heavier Ash body


fretboard dots can easily be included/omitted


thanks for all the thoughtful feedback so far. feel welcome to keep it coming

R

[Rodent]

thought I'd update this thread to confirm that I just secured a source for lefty '51P control plates. Since these will be custom made for me, I'm going to leave the source unnamed for now (I'd like to get a couple lefty '51 and '54 basses out the door before these plates flood the market, ya know )

I'll be working the headstock this weekend - hopefully I won't need to modify my 4-string headstock logo to accommodate the changes

all the best,

R

[pjmuck]

Rod, these are not the ones you quoted at $35 a piece earlier, are they?

[Rodent]

nope - that deal just kinda vaporized into nothing (friend of a friend's machinist coworker kinda deal). my current deal is going into production within the week.

all the best,

R

[Rodent]

6-I'm curious about the headstock shape. Should be something resembling the '51/'54/Tele look.

Finalized the headstock this weekend. it definitely captures the original Tele vibe, but it also is readily identifiable with my standard headstock design

I should have a 5-string version (5 in-line tuners) of the headstock ready in about three or four weeks. The 4-string is almost identical, but there's a slight adjustment due to the thinner nut width. The 4-string will be available in 1-1/2" and 1-5/8" nut widths, and the 5-string has a 1-7/8" nut. I'm going to make these available with and without a zero-fret. FWIW the first unit off the bench will have a zero-fret

for color I'm looking at a semi-transparent white with a vintage tinted clear as an attempt to capture the look of an older Nitro finish. definitely NOT going for the relic look

all the best,

R

[Rodent]

it's long overdue for me to update this thread ...

the lefty control plates are about ready to ship out! that said, here's where I'm at on this ...

Lefty modernized '54 styled 4-string

* 1-piece Swamp Ash body finished in semi-transparent 'vintaged' white (custom brewed color that will only be available in a lefty, and definitely NOT pinkish!)
* forearm and tummy contours, 3/8"R round over edges
* quartersawn Maple/Maple neck with 1-5/8" nut and modern P-styled profile, zero-fret, 6230 alloy frets, dual graphite stiffening bars, bone nut, black face/side dots, vintage tinted satin finish
* custom RGW 'Heritage Series' headstock for that vintage headstock vibe
* Nordstrand SCPB '54 style pickup with raised pole pieces
* Hipshot Ultralight tuners with clover keys
* Replica '54 Tele twin saddle bridge with thru-body stringing
* Black pickguard
* CTS 250K pots with Orange Drop .047uf cap
* Electrosocket tele style side jack
* chrome hardware
* trussrod adjustment slot in body (but not pickguard)

definitely a few changes from where I was originally headed at the beginning of the year, but all for the better I believe. and for anyone interested, I'm just about to begin a 5-string version that's near identical to this one as a custom lefty build.

There will be two versions of this 'Heritage Series' design - one that resembles the original '51, and another that incorporates the tummy/forearm contours introduced in '54/'55. Once I have parts rolling, I'll open a new thread dedicated to the first build of this series. I'm still hoping to keep my pricing in the $1595 US range (plus case and shipping) for this model, but I can't guarantee it just yet especially considering I'm building this initial one with a 1-piece ultralight Swamp Ash "clear finish grade" body

all the best,

R

[AustinLeftyBass]

OK, I'm interested.