SeriesFender Precision Bass

The Fender Precision Bass Elite II was manufactured for just a few years, the final years, I believe, of the period Fender spent under CBS control, something like 1982-1984. Mine is a 1983. I'll just assume you know what a Precision Bass is. The Elite series was Fender's flagship line in the mid-eighties, and there were Elite Strats, Teles, and P-Basses, each of which had it's own differences from the standard, non-elite models. The P-Bass Elite differed from the regular ol' P-Bass in that it had active pickups (powered by a 9v battery you access from the back), a high-mass bridge, and fine-tuning knobs in the bridge. The P-Bass Elite II differed from the P-Bass Elite I in that it had two split-coil pickups rather than just one, as is common to most P-Basses. It also had a slightly different control layout in order to accommodate the second pickup. The idea of the two pickup configuration was that people could decide between a normal P-Bass sound (neck pickup) a Jazz Bass sound (both pickups) or a treble-heavy almost guitar-like sound (bridge pickup). The control configuration featured three knobs and two three-way toggle switches. Each pickup has independent volume, then there is a master tone control. The first toggle switch is a standard pickup selector switch (bridge, both, or neck). The other toggle switch is weirder. Essentially, it assigns the bass's single tone control to either or both pickups. So in theory you could have both pickups on, but turn the tone knob down on only one of them. I shouldn't really say "in theory" because it actually works that way in practice, too. The only problem is there's not really much use for this much versatility. UTILIZATION The best thing about this bass is definitely the tone. It sounds amazing! The eighties Fenders have a bad reputation, because the company cut corners on many of their models at that time, but the whole idea of the Elite series is that they would still be offering some top-shelf product worthy of the Fender name. What's more, because these products are associated with the bad old says at Fender, you can usually get them for much less money then a worse-sounding, worse-playing seventies model. Downside of the bass is: it weighs A TON! If you play it sitting down, or in the studio, no problem. If you play it standing up, be prepared to play for only an hour or so, or you'll have a bad back. I'm serious. I think the heaviness of the bass contributes to its awesome sound, but it's a trade-off, for sure. Also, it's got a very eighties look to it. If that's your thing, cool, but this is not the kind of "timeless" design of the 1960s-style P-Bass. SOUNDS The bridge pickup by itself doesn't really do anything for me, but the neck pickup and both pickups together make two different and equally wonderful sounds. I wouldn't really say that the two-pickups-together sound reminds me of a J-Bass, it's more like half-way between a P- and a J-Bass sound, but it's a great sound, and the neck pickup alone is one of the best P-Bass sounds out there. Full, rich, thumpy, thick, crisp, detailed, awesome. The on board preamp does wonders for the sound. So much better than any other post-1970 P-Bass I've played. It's also quite playable. I'm more of a J-Bass fan when it comes to playability, but this has a nice, P-Bass style neck. Despite the awesome neck, I deduct a few points for playability because it's so heavy. One last note, this bass stays in tune better than any other guitar or bass I've ever used. It will stay in tune for weeks, where my other bass has to be tuned every time I play it. OVERALL OPINION My philosophy on basses (and on guitars, too) is that you should have, at least, one Fender and one non-Fender instrument. This is my Fender bass (my other bass is a Ric) and it's the only one I think I'll ever need. It sounds enough like a J-Bass that it can get away with passing for when when it's playing with a full band. It's P-Bass sound is unreal. For a long time, people basically thought of a P-Bass whenever they thought of an electric bass. If you've got one of those cool 1970s tube bass amps, chances are it was designed around the P-Bass sound. After I got my dream Ampeg rig, I realized that my Ric, as great as it was, was not the bass the amp was designed to compliment, and so I decided to buy a Fender. If I were rich I probably would have bought a mid-sixties J-Bass, but as it is I got this for less than 1K, and I'm 100% happy with it.

I had always liked the look of 50 s basses and acquired used over two years ago a mint Fender Mexico Classic 50s Precision Bass in Fiesta Red, ‘gold’ anodised pick guard and maple neck and ‘tweed’ hard case for a very good price. It’s previous owner had included bridge and pickup chrome covers. Before lockdown I was using it regularly on gigs and playing it through a SansAmp bass driver into a GK MB-210 combo. I have played several varieties of P-Basses and own a 2001 AVRI ‘62 Precision. 1. The bass looks stunning with its very distinctive livery, is just over 4kg weight. 2.The neck has serious heft but I like the playing feel and the guitar begs you to ‘dig in’ and play hard! There are no dead spots. The gloss finish on neck may not be to everyone’s taste but I like it. I quite like the ‘reverse’ style machine heads. 3. The FR paintwork feels thick but it’s durable and I am not prepared to interfere with it as it looks so good on the bass. Yes, it may strangle the bass’ sound a little but this is nothing that cannot be adjusted on the amplifier.....that’s what all those interesting knobs and buttons are for! 4. The bass sounds like, well, a good Precision should. Deep, well- grained notes that drive a band. The volume and tone controls have a progressive ‘sweep’ and the bass is surprisingly versatile. The pickup, pots and capacitor are,I believe, the same ones that used to be fitted to the American Standard basses. To conclude, this bass is of largely similar quality to US models. I cannot fault it on quality and it succeeds in delivering a 60s vibe and sound at a very good price. I believe the new Vintera 50s Precision is largely the same instrument with a couple of tiny tweaks.

Bought on eBay for £305 in March 2004. A toss-up between this and a brand new Fender Mex P-bass Special, this came up and was too good to miss. This is a lightweight but powerful-sounding bass. Easy to play, good access to the top frets due to the rounded heel, low action and a fast jazz neck, it almost plays itself. The P/J pickup combination (active) gives it plenty of punch, and you can change the balance between the two very easily. Plus, of course, it was a bargain! There's not much I don't like about this bass. The body is 3-piece and you can see the different pieces throught the sunburst finish, but only if you're looking. It lacks the 'presence' of the real P-bass because it's that bit smaller, but I'm being picky really. This bass was built in Japan in 1989, apparently Ibanez made them for Fender. 3-piece body (not bookmatched), fast 22-fret Jazz Bass rosewood neck, matching sunburst headstock, gold hardware including a BadAss style bridge. The original pickups were on an active circuit but on mine have been upgraded to Seymour Duncan BassLines. The controls are fairly self-explanatory - pots for volume, bass cut/boost, treble cut/boost and a rotary P/J pickup selector. It may be scaled-down, but the bass is every bit as rugged as a 'real' Precision and the only minor irritation is that the joins in the body are visible if you look for them. These were very successful basses when they were launched and it's easy to see why. They are small and light enough for just about anyone to play, and have enough tonal diversity for any style of music. For a small bass they pack a lot of punch and I struggle to find reasons to be critical of mine. They stopped making these but Fender have replaced it with the Zone bass which is almost identical, so if you can't find a Lyte, the Zone is almost identical. A quality piece of kit! This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

This was the "real" bass as I bought as an upgrade from my starter bass, it's a made in Mexico Fender Standard P-bass. It's features include: -Maple neck with a rosewood fretboard -Alder body -Standard Fender split coil pick-up -Volume and Tone controls -20 medium jumbo frets -Standard vintage style four barrel bridge UTILIZATION I found this bass quite nice to play although I found the neck too wide for my preferences, after getting a jazz bass I won't be going back to a precision any time soon. The contours in this bass make it quite comfortable to play but it is quite heavy and my shoulder began to ache after playing for a 30+ minutes. The upper fret access on this bass isn't great although that's never been a huge problem for me due to my playing style. I found it very easy to get a nice sound out of this bass as the controls are very simple, being just a simple volume and tone pot set up. SOUNDS I really like the sound of this bass guitar, it's the main reason I had a hard decision working out wether to sell it or not after I bought a jazz. I used this bass in a ska-punk band for a while and through my Ashdown MAG-300 amp it sounded amazing for the style. The tone knob has a nice range to go from smooth to quite punchy and anywhere in between. OVERALL OPINION Overall I think this is a great bass for the price if you like the neck and the sound. I have considered putting a jazz bass neck on a precision body for the sound of the precision but the comfort of jazz neck and possibly will in the future but with a stock p-bass neck I decided I couldn't justify keeping it.

This is a great bass for the money. Made in Mexico. The electronics are quiet and clear. The P/J pups are a great way to go. The controls for the active pups offer a great range of sound. I upgraded the bridge to a bad ass bridge to offer out standing sustain. I also had to upgrade the bad gold pic guard. The combo of a jazz bass neck and the precision is the best of both worlds. I have an American Fender Deluxe Bass as well that cost 3 times as much and I play the Mexican bass more. UTILIZATION Easy bass to play. It sounded great before I had it set up. The sound is crazy great very crisp and sharp on the high end and powerful low end. This is a very light weight bass. It is much lighter and smaller than my American deluxe or Arodine bass. SOUNDS I use the Fender Rumble 350 and 150 as a kite. This bass is great for sharp heavy rock sound. I keep the active gain up all the way for ease of play and a crisp sound. OVERALL OPINION I love the weight and look most. The price is very reasonable. I have payed much more for less. I have a few fender basses and this is one of my favorites.

This is a 2008 Precision Bass by Fender. This is after Fender did the S1 switching (the switch built inside the volume pot which was a series parallel mod to the pickup wiring. The 2008 model came with a new high mass bridge and the limited Candy Cola finish. Candy Cola is similar but just a shade or two darker than Candy Apple Red. I went to a local music shop to try out the new Hartke Hydrive bass amps and told the salesman 'Get me a P-bass' I loved the sound so much I picked up the amp and the bass! I believe I paid $1000 for the bass with an SKB rectangular case. The bass itself feels light. Not cheap light, just a comfortable, 'Hey I think I can play this all night' light. The neck is new, but I don't really think it is any better or worse than the older ones. The Candy Cola red finish is stunning. No improvements needed. The Precision bass is a time tested masterpiece. Fender really paid attention to detail with the neck. The fretting is really nice. The neck feels really smooth and has an almost worn in feel, but no it isn't one of those power sander relic basses. I also hadn't mentioned elsewhere Fender used new Hipshot tuners for this model. They are a bit lighter in weight and take up less space on the headstock. A bass I can't put down. It thumps and plays great up and down the entire neck. This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

Briefly: Hot Dang this bass is cool! Well, OK I'll elaborate. This is the Fender Precision Fretless Tony Franklin signature 4 string bass. I have a think for sunburst basses. This bass also came with a hip red tort pickguard. Other colors are Olymic White, a Natural Amber color and Black. Actually there is a fretted version out on the market too, but I have not played that yet. A studio I was recording at had one of these beauties so I was able to play it off an on for a few weeks. Normally these will cost $1700. The price tag is a bit hefty but you are getting alotta bass for the price. It is rare that you see a fretless Precision, but even rarer that there is an extra hot Jazz bass pickup added in the bridge position. Throw in a 3 way pickup selector like what is on the early Stratocasters and you have endless options of tone. It can do the Jaco sound as well as just sound like a thumpy fat P-bass. The C-shaped neck is nice and full, but not a baseball bat. Sometimes really thin Jazz bass necks cramp my hand, this neck is perfect. The electronics are passive, so no fooling around with batteries here. The fretboard is ebony. What's so good about that? You can use any strings you want since Ebony is a hardwood roundwound strings will not leave marks as they would on a rosewood board. There is a Hipshot D-tuner which lowers the E string down to a D. This feature is note-worthy, but not really essential to my playing. There are not many ways this bass could be improved. If I made more money or if it were cheaper I'd but the fretted model as well. Well built. They through of everything. The D-tuner, ebony fingerboard, hot wound Jazz pickup. The neck plate is unique. It features Tony's signature which can be removed if you are not crazy about it. I could care less, it's a neck plate, no one sees it anyway. Tony Franklin dreamed it up and Fender built it! A great fretless P/J bass. This bass can do a fat warm ballad or a cutting rocker. This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

I got this bass at Long and McQuade, a music store, for about $650 canadian. This is a pretty good bass. The tone is good, but it sounds kind of thuddy like un upright bass, but if you turn the treble/bass nob, it sounds a lot better. I usually play with a pick, cause I'm a big fan of Chris Squire, and sure it's not a Rickenbacker but it works for me. Like I said before if you turn up the bassiness its kind of thuddy, other than that it's a really nice bass. Very good. Pretty nice bass, but if you're looking for better quality bass for a bit more money GET RICKENBACK! THE TONE IS AWSEMMMMMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

I bought this bass from a local music shop as part of a trade in on some old gear that i no longer used, for which the allowed me £120, so it was a straight swap. I'm used to playing more expensive instruments but I was very impressed with the overall playability of this bass. It feels more expensive than it actually is. Compared to other basses I have played, it is a little on the heavy side, and i found the action a little bit high, but that's really down to personal preference and its easy enough to correct. Considering the ultra-low price tag i was expecting flaws in the finish and constuction of the bass but i really cannot find anything wrong with it. It is very robust and well made, i have dropped it on a couple of occasions and not even so much as scratched it. A very good instrument for a very low price, good for beginners and people who have been playing for longer. This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

I bought this bass used off of a friend in 1987. I bought the bass to use on gigs. It cost me 300 dollars at the time. The bass has all stock equipment. The neck has a great feel. Bass gives a great sound and its in almost perfect condition. Nothing! The bass was constucted great, it is definatly a high quality bass. This is a top of line bass. Its extremely hard to find but well worth it. This bass is a dream to play! This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

I got this bass used from a band that was dis-banding. It had been the back-up and was hardly ever used. It's a '94 make. I bought it cuz I wanted a real bass, unlike the Washburn, Charvel crap I had been playing. Paid $400, and one broke down motorcycle. I got the best deal. The best thing is probably the neck. A one piece maple unit that is cut to the vintage dimensions: C-shape (wide, thin front to back), and vintage small frets. I had hated Fenders big chunky necks till I played this thing. Now I'm spoiled and won't play anything else. Also the old style pick-ups, though they have less output than most modern pickup's, they have that old school Fender thump that everyone loves to shake their booty to. This is the only bass I've ever played that "sings", even sounds good unplugged. I've been playing for over 15 years and don't plan on playing another bass except for "funsies" Nothing really. A word of caution for those who live in extreme climates, this neck due to it's one piece, thin design needs alot of tweaking to stay "just right". If you can't do this yourself your gonna spend some time at the local shop. This instrument is rock solid. We've all heard the stories about how well Amer. Fenders stay in tune, one more: I have thrown this bass through the air, 30 feet or more, had it come crashing down of the stage, picked it up and damn if it wasn't still in tune. Always works as soon as it's plugged in. Fenders Reissue instruments are fine enough to compete with any high end bass makers current offerings. This is the bass to get if you want that 'genuine' Fender thump. This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

I purchased this American P Bass (3 tone sunburst, rosewood fretboard) online from Musicians Friend for $899. I could've picked it up locally from Guitar Center for the same price, but I saved about $70 in taxes by mail ordering it. Hey, every dollar counts! Musicians Friend waived the shipping charge on this item; I ordered it on a Tuesday night and they shipped it on Wednesday. Nice.... Is there any more distinctive sound than a P Bass? This model nails it, dead on, and it has classic Fender looks. Nothing to dislike about this bass, but I did need to tweak the setup when I received it. If you are not comfortable doing your own setups, or you have no one to do it for you, DO NOT mail order a bass! This is where the American made Fenders really stand out from the Standard (made in Mexico) Fenders.... Vintage spec pickups; graphite reinforced neck, and string through body construction. The American made Fender Precision is the type of bass that you buy and keep for a lifetime. Get one and cherish it. I know I will. This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com