Differences between 54´precision body and "standard" precision body

[prengel_basser]

I´m planning to built a warmoth and I really like the 54 P-Bass body style.
I saw some pics of 54´P-basses on the web, and somehow the body seemed to be a bit smaller, compared to the standard (57´) P-bass.
here is one of those pics: http://img42.imageshack.us/img42/8172/32112123549954345910100.jpg
I´m a tall guy and don´t want a bass that looks "tiny" when I play it.....

So does any one of you have a 54 precision and a standard precision to make a direct comparison?
some guys told me that these bodies are identicall, beside the routing....

 

[simple]

Identical size-wise.  :icon_biggrin:

 

[SkuttleFunk]

most aftermarket licensed bodies (like Warmoth and others) are identical

if you look at a true Fender body outline, there are actually subtle differences between the original '51-'53 bodies, the '54-'57 bodies, the 'modern' '57 thru somewhere in the early '70's bodies, and the current bodies

all the best,

R

 

[prengel_basser]

I´m not after the "true fender" outline. the outline of the standard warmoth P-Bass is just fine! ( I´m building one right now, which is gonna be awesome!)
the size of the warmoth standard P-body is absolutely fine, but if the 54´body is smaller, I wouldn´t order it.

this is what Paul K. from warmoth wrote to me:
"I don't believe they're a long, but they are pretty close to the same.  Different contours of course."

so hmmm.... it left me confused.......

 

[Wyliee]

Identical size-wise.   :icon_biggrin:

What Gregg said... 

Say, by any chance did you already start the same thread on TalkBass?

 

[prengel_basser]

yes, I started the same thread on TB to reach more people....

 

[prengel_basser]

@Wyliee

So is there ANY difference at all beside the routing?

 

[Wyliee]

Not that I have seen. 

Not to sound testy, but that's the same thing the TB guys said!

 

[prengel_basser]

Not to sound testy, but that's the same thing the TB guys said!

It´s o.k.
I just wanted to reach more people. I started this thread, since I was hoping to find someone  who has a warmoth 54´and a warmoth standard P-bass body.
this would have been the perfect case for a decent comparison. So I thought: "when there is someone who owns both bodies, he should be on the Warmoth forum"

the quote from Paul K. (the guy I e-mailed at warmoth) left me confused, since I didn´t really get what he tried to tell me. (my english is not thaaat good and I dont know all these locutions/common phrases)

I didn´t want to annoy anybody with this thread. But I would be very annoyed, when I order the 54´body and find it smaller than the "standard" one.
so please don´t be upset. I really didn´t want to bug anybody....

 

[Cagey]

You're not annoying anybody.

Also, since you're new you may not know it, but Mr. Wylie works directly for Warmoth. If he says there's no difference, there's no difference.

 

[prengel_basser]

Also, since you're new you may not know it, but Mr. Wylie works directly for Warmoth. If he says there's no difference, there's no difference.

ahh, I really didn´t know that!
but now I´m convinced, that the outline is the same. so there shouldn´t be any problems for me!
I will share pics of my two warmoth basses when they are finished!

thanks a lot guys for all these information...

 

[simple]

CORRECTION HERE:

Apparently, because of the rarity of this question, (many years since its come up), we took it for granted that the perimeters were the same. They are not. The 51 and 54 perimeters are the same, and the 57 and the 72 perimeters are the same. The 51/54 is slightly smaller than the 57/72. About a 1/4" shorter at the butt, 1/8" around the rest of the sides. Thanks for bringing this up, we had to dust off some patterns on this one.  :icon_thumright:

Here is an overlay of the two. The red line represents the (std) 57-72 perimeter and the green line represents the 51-54 perimeter. (Applies to Warmoth bodies only)

 

[Wyliee]

Pardon me, but would you have any grey poupon?  I need it to go with my crow. :sad1:

 

[simple]

Pardon me, but would you have any grey poupon?  I need it to go with my crow. :sad1:

It's bound to happen some time. This particular piece of information had to come from Ken Warmoth himself. He commented he hadn't thought he had visited the topic for about 30 years.

 

[prengel_basser]

Hi Gregg!
that´s really AWESOME!!!!

exactly what I needed!
do you think these small differences are actually visible when you have both bodies side by side?
thanks soooo much!

 

[simple]

Hi Gregg!
that´s really AWESOME!!!!

exactly what I needed!
do you think these small differences are actually visible when you have both bodies side by side?
thanks soooo much!

Yes, I do believe you can see a difference if your specifically looking for it. Otherwise, you can miss it for years.......this thread case and point.

 

[Cagey]

Yes, I do believe you can see a difference if your specifically looking for it. Otherwise, you can miss it for years.......this thread case and point.

You'd have to be looking for it with instrumentation. I have a tough time believing that anybody would see an 1/8" difference in dimension over a 16" or 18" span with the naked eye. Hell, I'd challenge anybody to see that over 3" unless they were superimposed. Actually, for the differences you're talking about, it's amazing they're so small. The old build technologies were nowhere near as accurate as they are now. The old bodies probably had more variation in them from one day to the next than what we're talking about now. We've gotten spoiled by CNC machines, and we're paying too much attention to fundamentalists. "That damn poly is .00003" thicker than nitro, and it's ruining my tone!" <grin>

 

[Eric Banjitar]

I thought the diference was in BURN time.

 

[SkuttleFunk]

you can see the differences when you fit a replica '51 pickguard onto a properly shaped body and then onto a modern shaped body ... the pickguard doesn't follow the edge round over with a constant offset. sure it's subtle, but that what a desirner's eye will catch when everybody else is focused on something else. the difference is IMO no prob if you're going all naturel (sans pickguard), but that's not the '51P look. simple solution: tweak the pickguard to suit the modern body outline and nobody will ever know

beyond the body outline differences there are also body thickness differences with the different eras. I've been told this was due to Leo's infaturation with production time, and that the thicker bodies of the late 60's and beyond were due to time savings by elimination of one pass thru the planer. my '60's P has a body that's 1-5/8" thick, while late 60's (and later) P's are all 1-3/4" thick

IME that subtle thickness difference allows the wood to resonate differently (i.e. tap tone is a slightly higher picth on the thinner body) ... but is it enough difference to impact the tone coming out of your amp? ho-boy .... that's something to fight out in its own body wood tone wars thread

all the best,

R