What I'm gassin' for

[vinnybass]

Is a Fender American Standard P5 Lefty. Three-tone burst, tort guard, maple board. Does this make it a "Custom Shop" job? Considering they don't show this config on the Fender site I'm assuming it does. Does anyone know? Anyone have experience ordering custom shop basses?

[andrew]

Yes, that would be a custom shop order. I recently got a quote on a left handed P bass, in natural finish ash body, maple neck/board with black blocks/binding, essentially a bass they offered in Japan a few years back but not in left handed of course. The short of it is it wasn't an exotic bass by any stretch, and the price quote came back for $6600!!!!!!!!!!

Forget Fender, their CS is a very overpriced joke at this point. Beautiful basses, but certainly not worth that kind of money over a Sadowsky or a Lakland. I'm sure there are plenty of luthiers out there who could make you a 5 string P in that configuration for a lot less money.

[vinnybass]

Yes, that would be a custom shop order. I recently got a quote on a left handed P bass, in natural finish ash body, maple neck/board with black blocks/binding, essentially a bass they offered in Japan a few years back but not in left handed of course. The short of it is it wasn't an exotic bass by any stretch, and the price quote came back for $6600!!!!!!!!!!

Forget Fender, their CS is a very overpriced joke at this point. Beautiful basses, but certainly not worth that kind of money over a Sadowsky or a Lakland. I'm sure there are plenty of luthiers out there who could make you a 5 string P in that configuration for a lot less money.

$6600!!!??? Whoa, I guess I'll hafta' think Sadowsky or Lakland.

[andrew]

Yes, I could understand how the price might creep over $3500 if I asked for fancy woods, active preamp, special pickups, etc. , but other than the neck inlays it was a pretty vanilla bass.

For $6600 you could nearly get both a Lakland and a Sadowsky.

You might want to look at Lull basses too, I believe he has a P5 as well. It might also be worth talking to Rod (aka Rodent) on here from the Blueprinting and Bondo section. He's between shops at the moment, but I bet once he gets set up again he could make you a really nice P5 for a good price.

[Rodent]

do you know what string spacing you'd prefer at the bridge, body wood, fretboard wood, and colors?

I suspect you'll find a very interesting post in B&B before too long

all the best,

R

[vinnybass]

do you know what string spacing you'd prefer at the bridge, body wood, fretboard wood, and colors?

I suspect you'll find a very interesting post in B&B before too long

all the best,

R

Yeah, I'd like the spacing to match my '78 P, a body wood that'll give a good look with a three-tone burst finish (alder?), maple neck & board, & tort guard. Essentially I want my '78 P (B neck) reproduced in a fiver with a tort guard. Nothing complicated, it's just that it doesn't appear that Fender would even do the slightest variations to their "stock" American Standard P5 without going custom shop.

[Rodent]

very doable - I'll post more when I have something official to say

and it can be either Nitro or Poly for the body finish, and add oil to the choices for the neck finish (like a MM bass)

R

[Rodent]

do I have these right?

1.875" nut width
2.625" neck width at the 12th fret on a 34" scale
.125" gap between oouter edge of string and edge of neck

thanks for your thoughts!

R