LeftyBassist.com

Well this gives hope to all of us out there searching for cool lefty stuff....they are still out there. Found this on craigs list NJ - original one owner 73 P with, get this, a maple A neck (1.5") that was original with the bass....don't know how rare exactly that is but it cant be too normal...the finish is checked but still has gloss and a few real dings here and there - no original case but it did come with both ash trays. The down side was it had some issues with the electronics - typical turn down the tone and the low end and volume get weaker so i pulled the entire setup, i'll have the pickups rewound if needed and figure out whether the issue is pots/cap/or wind....in the meantime dropped in a NP4 with a new switchcraft and cts harness - reversed the nut (hey - i wanna be like that picture above) and put labellas on it. BUTTER....with a comfy neck...

Wow badass! Great find

THAT IS ONE HELLUVA FIND!!! CONGRATS!!

Holy Cheezits!
That is a hell of a great score, congrats!

An A width maple neck on an early 70's lefty Fender is quite - i only slightly hesitate to say extremely - rare, more so on guitars than basses. Amazing find!

That's a beauty! What a great find!

DEWD.

So jealous!

Nice find, indeed!

What's the saying? How do you keep an idiot in suspense...I'll tell you later.

Nice score. So what did you end up paying for it?

It's incredible to me how '73 P-basses have resurfaced in the last year. In my 15 years or so of buying and selling instruments I don't ever recall seeing any '73 P-Basses, let alone with "A" necks. Well, about 6 months ago I bought one. Just incredible. The neck is to die for. See pics. Then about 2 months ago I got another one from eBay - see the last two picks. That one went back to the seller because in the description it said it was all original, but the pickups and pots were not original, and the bass had a refret, which wasn't described or disclosed even after asking. That one also had an "A" neck. And although it was a nice bass, it wasn't what I paid for.

And now one more? Incredible. I have to say, these P-Bass "A" neck are just so nice. They are not Jazz-bass necks - but much more rounded and a bit thicker, like a smaller, well, P-bass neck. Kinda like a EB/MM Sterling, if you've ever played one. I put a Dimarzio P pickup, and this thing it's a monster. The original pickup is microphonic and I guess one day I'll get it potted. I also pulled the Jazz bridge pickup and put a sticker to cover the hole.

I love '70s P-bass, but I can't handle the necks and the weight, so to find a lightweight '70s P with an "A" has truly been a dream come true. I'm crying because I'm so happy!

https://picasaweb.google.com/100692553321299919404/FenderPBass1973

@carlos.....you so nailed it with the description of a smaller p neck....it is certainly not a j neck even though it is 1.5 at the nut but being an upright player too, It was a lot easier to get used to a little more depth with a width trade off....the main factor I went through so many p basses....just had trouble getting used to that wider and thicker neck after decades of playing jazz style necks..so I think this here is a keeper. Dead on p bass sound (love the np4s in there) with an easier (forme) neck setup. Im finding all sorts of cool rock sounds with this like flats with a thick ass pick...love that! That's why I keep the ash tray over the bridge.....@pj...the kicker, less than a new American Standard P bass....sorry! On the listing the bass was lumped in with a tele, an acoustic, and some unknown parts basses...don't even think he knew it was anA neck....even asked him about it in an email...had no idea. He didn't care...weekend warrior with a good corporate gig... Moral of the story, sometimes gas can be good. My motto....one wife, many basses. Honey, do you really want that phrase reversed? Too bad Mitt's not a bass player...might work for him! Have a good one kids.

Awesome killer score! Might I suggest the LaBella Jamersons? Don't let the heavy gauge scare you. With a proper setup, they're perfectly playable and the tension's not terrible either. I've got them on my P bass. Classic fat thump.

I thought about shooting a low ball offer to the guy in the UK who's had a '73 P listed on ebay for a while now. He's only asking $4600. Knowing you can get one for under the price of an AM Std P now, I'll pitch him an offer somewhere in that ballpark. I really want a vintage rosewood P, but they don't come up very often.

Man that bass is beautiful. So are both those pickups DiMarzio? I'm loving the DiMarzio that's in my '78 P I just acquired.

@pj - I'll check out the jamersons next - wanted to start with the stock set of labellas -ive never really been a flats guy so going stock first -heard a bunch of great things about the jamerson set though - heavy gauge is fine - they are all lighter than upright strings...good luck with the euro p - 4k+ is just stooopid. (imo of course)

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Man that bass is beautiful. So are both those pickups DiMarzio? I'm loving the DiMarzio that's in my '78 P I just acquired.[/quote]


In those pics you can see the original neck pickup and the Jazz pickup looks like an older Fender pickup, probably from the '80s.

Here is how the bass is now without the Jazz pickup and a Dimarzio P.

Man that bass is beautiful. So are both those pickups DiMarzio? I'm loving the DiMarzio that's in my '78 P I just acquired.[/quote]


In those pics you can see the original neck pickup and the Jazz pickup looks like an older Fender pickup, probably from the '80s.

Here is how the bass is now without the Jazz pickup and a Dimarzio P.

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I've got a new money-making idea for you - put a "Your Ad Here" sticker over your bridge hole, and sell advertising! Every gig you play in, just change the sticker... I think I've just come up with my next million-dollar idea!

Nice looking bass by the way...