The West Coast P-Bass

More parts have arrived from the US so last night I got to building my Fender Precision/Jazz bass hybrid.  I'm gonna use this P-Bass experiment to both see how this hybrid goes and upgrade the my existing standard Jazz 4 to 70's style bass. The 70's Jazz pearl inlay necks I got from the US are just too pretty to "waste" on a P-Bass!! So there's gonna be some switch-a-roo parts swapping in this make-over. 
The Jazz Bass is gonna get a new 70's neck, a 60's reissue bridge and Fender logo neck plate.  In return it will donate its existing standard neck and bridge to the P-Bass. I bought a standard 2010 P-Bass body in Lake Placid Blue and a gold 50's reissue loaded pick guard. 

The pick guard is almost a direct fit.  The pick guard screw holes don't all match up correctly.  Typically the one screw hole right near the volume and tone controls aligns right into the wiring channel in the body.  This is gonna require some Macguiver like luither work... well not exactly. But I don't wanna totally bodgy it up.  I went the lake placid blue body, gold pick guard combo because I haven't seen a bass like this before and the colours are also of my fav AFL football team's - The West Coast Eagles.  

Other than this everything else, particularly the Jazz neck swap is a breeze!! The neck butts into pocket sweetly with all the screw holes lining up correctly.  On with a new set of light  Flatwound strings and When I get a chance I'm gonna adjust the action and intonation. But I've plugged it in a given it a quick rip on my Ashdown amp and its not bad so far.  Its noticeably smaller and lighter to hold and with the thin Jazz neck I prefer.  There's a real beasty unrefined tone to it.  It was a bit like firing up your car after an engine rebuild without the exhaust on it.  I can see how some prefer the P-Bass mix cutting tone.  I'll have to take it with me to the next SK practice and see how it sits in our mix.

The two new Fender Basses