Back to the Future - My Take on a P Bass

I've been a hardcore Fender bass [and guitar] player for my whole adult life. And, like a lot of us on this forum, I've owned my share of basses & guitars. Teles, Strats, Jazz basses & one P bass, which was the longest standing instrument as far as length of ownership. Pretty much every instrument that went thru my hands was [as in had to be] modded in some way. My first P Bass was a '73 that I had a whole $225 into brand new[w/OHSC]. Right from the beginning it was a real headache. Bad pots, sub-par pickup and a bridge that would allow the A-string to abandon you right in the middle of a gig. [One minute it was there and the next it was laying flat on the neck.] I played it pretty much for 11 years until I walked away from music to pursue another passion - photography.

Once I got back into playing & gigging I went thru a string of decent instruments but something was always lacking. Sterile, lifeless, great but not my thing. It wasn't until a few months ago that my lovely wife insisted on buying me "something special" for my 60th B-day. I told her it wasn't necessary. After all, we'd just spent several weeks in India celebrating the day at the Golden Temple in Amritsar but, she insisted. I went thru the current list of goodies: Fuji X10; iPad, etc.,etc. When it finally came down to just what I wanted it turned out to be a cross between my old P Bass and the myriad of Jazz basses I'd had over the years.

This is my personal take on a P bass realized by David Cirtin [www.certainbass.com]. Its special due to it's subtleties like an oil finish* - neck, body & maple pickguard. Jazz neck with a nice U contour [that just lays in your hand like it's been there forever] and an exquisitely cut nut + rolled edges with a very nice grain that fits into the tightest neck pocket I've ever seen. Alder body, standard bridge & tuners, CTS pots with a uniquely mounted output jack that has no contact with the pickguard itself. David & I went over a the important [to me] details and he rose above & beyond what I expected. Strung it up with a set of D'Addario ENR70's and it's good to go.

And the sound? It rocks! Old school able to rise to the occasion - if ever the occasion arises. Kinda like me

Photos? You got 'em:













*If you ever want to play a guitar that feels like it's been played for 40 years - go this route. There's nothing more pleasing IMHO than picking up this bass and feeling nothing but WOOD. What a concept . . .

 

Thanks.

 

My '73 P bass had a stripped finish on the body, which was cool, but the neck was coated in poly. The biggest difference here is the neck. Don't get me wrong. I've stripped my share of bodies because I just never understood the whole nitro/poly debate. Just don't use ANY paint is my opinion.

I'm not a big fan of pickguards either. David's suggestion to use a maple p/g seemed a bit over the top and a potential liability from my POV, but it turned out so well that it would be a shame not to have it. The point is: Its ALL of those pieces coming together thru the able skills of Mr. C that really makes for a special playing instrument IMHO.

Besides, the Squier 60's CV P bass in Fiesta Red is the coolest looking and best playing production Fender bass that I've tried in a long time and probably partly responsible for me going this route to some degree. That said, get the CV. Play it. Like it, love it or leave it but don't strip it. Especially, if you end up not wanting to keep it. You'll might just kill a potential classic and end up losing the resale value as well. Just my 2¢ . . .

 

Eddie Said It Best

If you can get thru the usual EVH dreck at about 1:10 he comments on the "unfinished" neck on his new line of guitars:

 

The above link is busted, try this one: www.certainbass.com

 

Thanks!

I get a lot of compliments about this bass. It plays and sounds even better than it looks.

 

I'm not a big fan of pickguards. I figure, if you're worried about slathering a bunch of poly all over your guitar why would you want a chunk of plastic on it? Being that its wood it pretty much nullifies that concern.

 

"Is that jack mounted to a clip like what's in the tele jack cup, or are the electronics all mounted through a cavity on the back and the pick guard is surrounding them for the clean pick guard look?" David came up with a way to mount the jack independent of the pick guard that's pretty simple but I'm supposed to keep it to myself for the time being as he's just informed me that he's coming out with a new line of basses based on this bass.

"...CertainBass may have joined my list". One thing I can tell you is David is a real stickler for detail. The nut, the neck/body fit and the finish are what sets this bass apart IMHO. I could have put this bass together from parts but it wouldn't have been anywhere near as good this.

"Really nice bass, unique. Thanks for the pics." Thanks.

"This is a bass after my own heart even though I am not a bass player. I went in a similar direction with my parts tele. I used "no finish required" woods, rosewood body, goncalo alves neck/ pau ferro fretboard, no plating on the metal work and a bit of rosewood oil to show the grain. Nothing like the feel of the wood." Wow! Love to see some pix of your guitar. You're right, there's just nothing like the feel of wood.