P Bass body issue

[alex1fly]

Throwing this out there.

I'm thinking through my bass stable (I have 4) and something has come to light - I just really don't like the body size of my MIM Precision Bass (2018). It feels huge, bulky, and there's too much wood where my plucking arm comes across the body so I end up with a weird angle on my wrist that's pretty uncomfortable. I didn't notice this until recently, because when I got the Precision I was in an active gigging band so was always standing to play and paying attention to the band; now I'm sitting to practice and record, and the poor ergonomics mean have been giving me trouble for several months now. I'm a small guy and for reference my other basses (Jazz, short scale Bronco, P clone with a Dinky-style body) simply feel amazing standing and sitting, no issues.


So here's my thinking.

#1 Swap a new body onto it. Fender is great for swapping, right? But I don't know which bodies would allow for a P pickup and have better cutaways/contouring... do y'all know?

#2 Shape the P body. I do think that if I could simply start shaving down the wood where my forearm comes across the body, then I could make it more comfortable. Would destroy any resale value in the event that it didn't work out. Also the poly finish is wayyyyy hard.

#3 Buy a new bass. Very time consuming - I take a long time to research, audition instruments, and make decisions (don't have a ton of space or money or time, lol).

#4 Do nothing because it's not a huge deal, I have 3 other basses that are super comfortable, and maybe my body will find it more comfortable again someday.



Any thoughts?

[JamesPaul]

I think the Meteora is interesting. Different active pickup configuration and it does have a forearm cut. Player Plus Series, so new will be painful. But I have not looked around for a used one.

It would be hard for me to justify it, as I only filled in on bass for a year, pre-pandemic. Otherwise it would probably be just for me, and I already have a Jazz and Epi Jack Casady.

[Mincer]

I say do some research on new basses while you play your other 3.

[alex1fly]

Yeah I don't really need 4 basses. So we'll see. It's a great instrument - could just benefit from a little extra contouring like what so many bass makers have done since the 1960s

[ErikH]

I love a good P Bbass. If I was to make one from parts though, I'd get a Jazz bass body/neck with a P bass pickup in the neck rather than the Jazz single-coil. I love the Jazz body shape but don't like the single-coil in the neck.

[alex1fly]

Lots of good options. I'm just gonna keep it for now. Played a bunch of basses over the last week or so and all of a sudden my P doesn't seem so bad. Sometimes you chase perfection because you forget how good you have it already.

[Mincer]

Happy that you realized that before taking a bandsaw to it!