Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

What he's talking about is an early, Precision, pre-1957, if it's slab body it'd be a pre-1954 Precision. When the Precision first came out in 1951 it had the Telecaster headstock, and a slab body, with one single coil pickup.

It always had two cutaways, unlike the Telecaster guitar, and was called the "Precision" model because it had frets, and an adjustable bridge. Uprights never didn't have anything like that.

The guitar body was given contours in late '54 and got the more recognizable headstock and split coil pickup in 1957. During the late sixties the CBS reintroduced the earlier model as the Telecaster bass, for about 3-4 yrs, then putting a different pickup and pickguard after that.

Yeah, they put a big humbucker in it, ruining it in my opinion, I had one years ago.

Big g your are correct, the photo shows the backside of a pre-54 Precision (sorry I don't have a scanner) the "telecaster bass w/out the shavings..." was Mr Entwistle's quote.

IMHO the tones produced by pre-54 Precisions, speaker popping, boomy low-end with a glassy grainy high end, sound like the bass used on "My Generation".

God yes, everyone talks about how muddy and murky the Gibsons sound, nothing compared to the Fender humbucker they put in the 70's Tele basses.

Slab 'O' Rubber sound, at least the Gibsons could resemble a well articulated fart, you could do something with that. Look at Jack Bruce, I've never heard anyone using the Telecaster bass with the humbucker sound like anything discernable.

I've never heard anyone using the Telecaster bass with those pickups, period. I love the EB-2 sound.

IMHO Gibson bass pickups have a great sounds, the problem is they always put them in the wrong positions (eg too close to the bridge or neck). This is especially true with the shorter scale models. But, even the sliding pickup on the old Rippers were just a fraction to far from the bridge to get a nice punchy sound. The same held true for the Victory basses and these were longer scale models.

Put any of these pickups on a solid body bass with a longer scale length and a solid maple neck & you have an awesome tone machine. Mr. Entwistle did this with his FenderBird hybrids.

The old humbuckers on Guild basses were also really great sounding and work well in the above mentioned set up.

This probably should be another topic, but, here goes. Has anyone ever put RIC pu's in a Fender?

check out the hall of shame, Mike Parks I think.

Didn't Stu Cook (Creedence) add a RIC pickup to his Precision, in the neck position?

Yes Stu Cook took out the toaster from his Ric and put it in his P bass in the neck position because he wanted a deeper bass sound than what the P bass could provide. I read it in an interview of his on a website recently, but can't remember where I saw it.

Sorry Eddier I read your post wrong, I had it backwards, I thought you said put Fender pickups in a Ric bass.

Did anyone ever notice the fuzz bass in "Mean Mr. Mustard"? Great fuzz sound, lots of bottom, sounds almost like Jack Bruce at some points in the song.

Oh yeah, love that bottom grunt on that tune, nice choice Bob.
So would that be the Maestro Brassmaster or the Maestro Fuzztone ala "Think For Yourself"?
IIRC I have read conflicting accounts, like that's new eh?, as to what he used on each of those basslines.

...and for those looking to complete the McCartney bass closet...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2550341802&category=4713&rd=1

A right-handed cousin to the bass Macca used in the late 70's - early 80's.

Now just add a 4001C64s, a Hofner 500/1, a late 60's Fender Jazz and an early 90's Wal 5 string to complete your very own McCartney bass collection!

The Pousette-Dart band was a local band from around here someplace (Mass.) that had a few big hits during the late 70's, they were pretty good, kind of a country-rock band. I think they just got back together again, and that bass player was good.

I saw the P-D band in '75 openning up for Yes in Pittsburgh. They were very good if I recall.