Fender Sting Precision Bass

2002 Japanese, natural finish ash body, one passive, single coil pickup, maple neck, vintage nickel reverse tuners, string-through, dual-saddle bridge.

I've had this bass for three years, and it's long been my primary instrument. I play mostly classic rock, some oldies, and occasional jazz. First off, this is a no-frills, meat and potatos, old-school P-bass that basically does one thing and does it very well; namely, put out deep, throaty bass tones. The tonal range is surprisingly varied within this sound, going from deep, upright bass to a crunchy wooden snap at the high end. The single-coil pickup has a very strong output (despite comments to the contrary) and I would see no reason to replace or upgrade. I don't play in a studio, but thirty-five years of stage work tells me it's a very strong presence in any mix. The pots have become crackly on occasion, but a little contact cleaner sprayed at these easily accessible parts takes care of it. There is a very rapid drop-off from the highest volume setting to lower, so I usually play it full out and adjust from the amp. I love the rich full sound, and slightly dislike the precipitious volume drop-off, as it leaves little to no head-room for fast adjustment.

This bass arrived perfectly set up (so long as you like higher settings), and the scary-looking twin saddle bridges proved easly to adjust and have not produced any significant intonation problems. The string-through the body aspect makes for a very stable feel. Other reviews have commented on the strings getting caught in the pickup, but I have never found this to be a threat; I did have a '55 pickup cover and bridge cover isntalled (along with a thumbrest above the strings for functionality, and--as one commentator noted--this limits the sideways motions of the string. Also makes it look very vintage. Note: see the Fender '55 at Fender's website for correct positioning of the covers. Pickguard scews work well to hold them down. The bridge cover has an open back, and string changing is not adversely affected. The added thumbrest helps when you play higher up on the body. The maple neck is thick but very playable (and I have small hands, and the smaller, vintage frets lend it an almost fretless feel. Flat-wound strings work best for a great feel. One thing I do not like, and which has been widely commented on, is the tendency for the jack assembly to come loose. I tighten it with a needlenose pliers before the gig and it usually holds up; wrap the cord through your strap to avoid any potential catastrophies. The finsih is beautiful and indicative of Japanese Fender craftsmanship. Over time, the tuners have acquired a lovely nickel-patina. Would a modern bridge like a BadAss help? Maybe, but the unnotched saddles aren't a problem, and the slightly extra tension of flats prevent any side-to side motion

This is a heavy piece of equipment and likely would have held the Visigoths at bay. I've seen it knocked over, stepped on, and generally abused in the hot, humid environs of Florida summers, and it holds up fine. Just wipe it down, polish the covers once in awhile, and fear not. No backup is needed, though I would be careful with the one achilles heel of this baby, namely the jack socket.

I make my own modifications, and have never dealt with Fender. Truss rod is easily accessible as are all of the internal compoents.

I've been playing bass on a semo-rpo basis for nearly forty yars and have owned too many instruments to count. This is my third P-Bass and it is definitely my favorite. The little "Sting" block on the fingerboard is mildly annoying, but no biggie. I play it through a Hartke Kick-Back 15, as the sound is almost always run through a board or larger system. For a big, heavy instrument, it has wonderful balance and there is very little fatigue even over the course of a long gig. I also own jazz basses, a modern SRX700 Ibanez (curse those battery operated beasts!)and would grieve if this were ever lost or stolen. If you're an older player who wants that old-school look without endangering your collectible vintage axes, this one is for you.

2000 Made in Japan. What can you say about the features? Its a reissue of the granddaddy of e-basses. Volume, tone, strings and the other basics that any boy needs to make loud thumping sounds.

For my musical style(garage punk) I thought it was just what I was looking for. Ever since I saw Tommy Stinson of the Replacements with one in his sweaty hands on the cover of the "Sorry Ma..." record, I knew I needed one. I was happy that It was reissued. With my ampeg v-4 it just ruled from the instant I plugged it in. It doesnt have much versatility as can be expected, but for a driving boomy sound without mich clicky metal overtones,its the cats pajamas.

The factory set up was a bit lacking as usual for most fender products, and the strap holders were loose after 1 session(but I tend to bop around a lot. Im a little bit disturbed by the sting signature on the neck, where to my embarrasment, all can see it. I was dreaming of routing it out and putting STINSON in it instead.A lowering of the action, some match sticks with a drop of glue for the newly installed strap locks, and I was ready to storm the stage with my new bargain boomer!

O.K....this is where I was really let down. I was so gung ho about the sound of this hunk-o-wood, that I expected a wonderful maiden voyage. this was not the case. I dumped a gallon of sweat in the sucker, and...50% output. Fair enough I thought, maybe its got something to do with the guy with the mohawk that emptied his beer on us as we were rocking out. I just turned up louder, as I have had this happen with my Gibson SG as well. Then some pogoing stage diving fool steps on my cable, and the output jack rips out, but like really easy. This is not normal says I, and I strap on the trusty Gibson Grabber to finish the show. How can he take this you ask? Well im a trooper, and I say to myself, "just use it in the studio". Nope. After fixing the gig damage with the typical tools of the trade(hairdryer, duct tape, and solder), I strap up a few weeks later for a recording session. Three songs later and BAM! The G-String slips under the pickup and rips the cheapo pickup apart, destroying the coil. I thought to myself" if I was Sting, this would not be happening). Determined to make my investment make sense, I take out the ex-pickup to have my buddy rewrap it. He does it by hand, and whats this????!!! It sounds better than Sting? It had tons more output(granted my buddy did make it much hotter, and he is a pro). the same day practice and the e-string finishes the ten minuts of extacy by doing the same thing that his little brother G did 2 days before. Ouch. Solution? Use a pickup guard?Duct tape the entire pickup? Buy a seymore duncan quarter pounder?Start to play more like Sting? I dont think so. Ive played squire junk heaps for 100 bucks that were more solid. I even think a paper mache bass would hold up better under the line of fire. Its unfortunate that the boys at fender didnt try a little bit harder for the rockers out there that were looking forward to this long awaited reissue.

Im rarely peeved enough to dedicate so much complaining over a guitar...BUT:
Ive been playing in gigging bands for about 20 years, run a recording studio,and I have had a lot of instuments in and out of my hands in the last years. If looks and nostalgia were the only factors at play, this bass would be a winner. But I dont buy an instument to just look at it and pluck out groovy bass lines at social gatherings. This "thing" is not an instrument, or a tool of any kind. It is purely a wall hanger. And the only walls it should be hanging on is in a music store, and with a price tag that equals the performance...5 dollars

New, made in Japan. Stock instrument. Gets a 5 rating because it doesn't have a ton of features, which is exactly why I chose it...closest thing to a Telecaster guitar there is, but in a bass.

Yes, if you turn the tone up full there's a slight bit of noise. I have no problem with that since I rarely have tone up full and if I do, it's during a performance and nobody hears a little pickup noise over the drums etc.
I was pleasantly surprised at full range of tone and excellent string balance (volume equal for each string).

I spent all of 15 mins setting intonation of the 2 barrel bridge. No problem. Everything else was set just fine. Workmanship is excellent and no flaws in the materials. Neck is a little thinner and narrower than my '62 P bass, which makes is dead easy to handle and play.

No problems and I use it without backup.

I made inquiries to Fender on two occasions and each time they came through for me. I've owned a lot of amps and guitars and basses over the years and Fender is my rock of Gibralter. Had various Gibsons, but keep coming back to Fender.

I can't rate everything a 10 but I am delighted with this bass. I own a 62 RI and the Sting is lighter, has a little more tone variation and is a pleasure to play. The 62 has such tiny markers on the side of the fingerboard that I can't see them on a darkened stage. Main complaints from others have been the intonation and single coil pickup noise. I checked those out carefully before buying and for me, there was no issues there whatsoever. The Sting bass has become my #1. And who cares about the 12th fret inlay - get a grip.

2003(?), Made in Japan, '51 P-Bass style ash slab body with arm contour, single volume and tone pots, one passive single coil pickup, reverse tuners, 2-barrel style bridge. No superfluous garbage - simple, effective design.

Has a surprising amount of tonal variation for having only one pickup. I usually keep the tone control on full when playing pickstyle, where it has a decent amount of bite, but roll it off when playing fingerstyle for a 'thumpier' sound. Live, I play it through an Ampeg SVT Classic + an Ampeg 4x10 cab; in the studio I ran it through a Millennia Media TD-1 D.I. and an SWR Workingman's 12 (+ a 1x18 extension cab). In both setups, it has enough mids to cut through the mix, but still retains an authoritative low end presence.

Got it second hand, so I can't speak for the factory setup. I had to reset the intonation and pickup height. Due to the nature of the Tele-style two barrel bridge, getting the correct intonation can be tricky. I've noticed that the barrels have begun to show some rust. The finish was flawless. Good fretwork - the frets are seated well, with no sharp ends, though I think I'd prefer rounded edges on the fingerboard.

It's survived many beer-soaked gigs with nary a hickup, save for this: while playing, the E string can get caught underneath the top of the pickup bobbin, which can damage the pickup. In my case, it caused the copper wire to begin unravelling, effectively destroying the pickup. I had it replaced with a Seymour Duncan SCPB-3; sure enough, the E string got caught again. The pickup was undamaged, but now I'm extra cautious to not let it happen! Also, the reverse-style tuners took a little getting used to, and can be a little stiff when tuning up, but that's not much of an issue.

Haven't had to deal with them.

Overall, this is a good, solid, quality instrument. With the exception of the E string getting caught on the top of the pickup, I haven't had any problems with it. It's a little unwieldly for me (my main axe is a Fender Mustang reissue - also Japanese made, and totally awesome), but is still totally playable. It's suitable for most types of music, though I can't envision anyone doing Steve Harris runs on it, and slap & poppers probably would be better served by a different instrument. Aesthetically, it will appeal to those seeking a classic, classy looking axe. I could do without the "Sting" signature on the 12th-fret inlay - I don't care for 'signature' anything. I'm a musician, not a billboard. And besides, Sting's already gets enough publicity. But I digress...

I've played bass for around 13 years, and guitar for about 7. This bass is akin to my Telecaster - a solid, no frills, rock & roll instrument. No batteries to replace, no knobs to ponder over, and beautiful in its simplicity.

This bass will soon be returned to its original owner, and I've moved on to a '57-reissue P-Bass, which I still have to break in. But I would consider purchasing a '51-style P in the future.

53 re-issue. Singlecoil Fender P pickup, tone/volume pots, one piece maple neck, 53 style head, ash body, 2 color sunburst, reverse vintage-tuners, 50s bridge, made in japan.

Standrd 50s features

I play mainly rock, and usually through a line 6 bass pod direct into a desk. For the rock - this is great, bottom end punches enough, and with a good valve amp - this thing is a classic. Not so hot when playing funk, and is is passable for jazz, but the mids are better on a jazz bass anyday. I am very happy with it but the plan is to replace the pickup with a quarterpound seymour duncan, and the bridge with badass II. Can't complain abous the sustain, but would get heaps better intonation from a badass.

Eberything was beautiful. Had to raise the action slightly, feels like it was set up for a pcik player and the "e" was giving just the slightest fret rattle. But there were no flaws. But I expect nothing less from a japanese made fender. The balance is beautiful, the ash body is superb. For those who haven't played a japanese fender, please do. I trust them more than the american ones, and whenever buying a bass try and find a SH japanese one before looking at an american one.

This is a quality fender, I have no doubt it will be going string in 20 years, though I have only had it a few months. Gigs beautifully.

I love this bass, I might give the mike dirnt bass a go if I had to replace this, but this bass makes me happy.

this is a very barebone instrument:
one singlecoil, tone/volumepoti, thin 50's style frets, onepiece-mapleneck, onepiece-ashbody, reverse vintage-tuners, very simple bridge, made in japan. well everybody knows this instrument...

it's actually one of the sweetest sounding instruments, i ever played. my main bass is a '81 fender precision, which was the best sounding precision i personly found and player for over years.
this sting signature is pretty close to it, with a bit more deep growl, more deep mids and bass. very warm, woody sound with bright, sparkling highs, if needed. i play it through an orange or120 head and an ampeg 4x10/1x15 cabinet with a bunch of stompboxes such as tubescreamer, bigmuff, eh bass-synth and eh memory man deluxe.
i play different kinds of music, from noiserock (shellac-style) and hardcoresounds to blues/indierock and the bass suits it all.
it not versatile, but it has 2 ore three very good sounds depending on how you play (pick/fingerstyle)and what string/tonepoti combination you dial in. at least, i never understood, why one instrument should sound like hundert different ones...
this one sounds unique and very responsive to what you do with your fingers - and thats what an instrument should do!

everything perfect. i personally even like the very simple bridge. everthing is pretty good adjustible and works and looks great.

it's very well made!

don't know...

thats how an instrument has to be.

Not sure, of date. Hafta check ser. # 1 single coil p/u, vol. & tone. There you got it. That's why I bought it....

Old school thump, stock pups were rather weak. I replaced them. Put rio grande Muy Grande for '51 p-bass in, like that MUCH better. Dusty Hill can't be wrong....

When I got it, it was used, don't know. Loved the finish tho. Real purty....

It seems pretty solid, neck stays straight, only used it a couple times for gigs. I'm fidna take it out tonight, but will bring another bass w/ me.

I've put a fender deluxe bridge, a rio grande muygrandefor51pbass pup, a bridge cover on it. I've got 170.00 in mods into it. These basses are actually very nice, but limited tonally. I like the tone, but some folks may not. I also send it thru a sansamp bass driver before amp. But I still like it. It's also got a big ole neck, some may not like it. It's really a classy instrument, but an aquired taste. It's like do you want a harley, or a cafe bike?

This is a rehash or update of a previous review on the same bass, after two years of gigs and practice. I play (and croak) in a blues or blues rock band, Stones, Who Kinks etc. Since I bought it, prices have dropped. Also I've tried other basses, and although this is a very good bass, specially after the updates, and it says Fender on the headstock, it is an expensive way of getting this sound.

Changed a few bits and the sound is phenomenal. Bad Ass 2 bridge, Seymour Duncan SCPB2 pickup, and I like pressure wound strings, sometimes called half rounds, cos they give you the tone of a roundy without string talk or fret damage. That lot fitted cost just over #100, but it ws well worth it. No hum, wider tonal palette, nearly made my Stingray obsolete. (but it didn't.) Score is with my mods, which may not suit everyone.

Bridge replaced with a Bad Ass 2 cos the original drove me and my guitar tech friend mad!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Now we can set up the intonation and it works. Dropped twice, no damage to the bass but I broke a table, a bit....... Again, score after mods.

Dropped twice, gigged often, still nearly in showroom condition. Only problem now is the reverse tuners, which don't seem to hold on the G and D strings.

Never met them. Informative website for wiring and intonation.

Still use this and a Music Man. Now through a Hartke VX3500 combo with paper cones. Still playing in bands for fun. No effects necessary. If this were to be stolen, I'd replace it but I don't know if I'd buy another Fender- take a long hard look at Shine copies. For one third of the price you can get a very good bass, and spend the balance on anything you want.

2003 model, Crafted in Japan. Features? As simple as it gets, just as Leo intended.

I use this bass with an Ashdown EB15-150 combo, single 15" speaker.
Just about any sound I might care to look for, it's there. Maybe the P/U has a bit less poke than the humbucking post '57 type, but not a lot in it.

Supremely well made. As good as any bass I've owned. Tried a '55 Custom Shop Time Machine Precision at UK Music Live in November 2003. Wasn't a patch on the Sting.

When a Fender is as well put together as this, it's gonna rock for years...

I paid full UK list for this, so it was a bit pricey by USA standards, but it's so good, it's still worth it.
Only thing I dislike is the inlay - a bit naff.
I've 'originalised' mine with bridge and pickup covers and a finger rest, and it looketh dead cool, matey.

My Sting Bass is 2 years old and is still in production although it is suppose to be a limited made bass. It is made in Japan, has 20 vintage frets,has one telecaster type single coil pick-up, passive electronics of course, 3 piece swamp ash body, black/brown 2 tone, maple neck with a vintage tint finish, string through body on a 2 saddle vintage bridge, vintage tuners reversed tuning, 34 inch scale and the bass comes in cardboard box. ha ha

This is a very good "all purpuse meat and potatoes" bass guitar! It is good for most styles of music except extreme slapping and it can't get that Music Man bark sound but all in all it'll fit most of a bass player's needs. I use this bass with a Peavey solid state 200 watt head and one 15 inch and one 12 inch cabs. I like rich full bottom sound and the first thing I did was ditch the round wound strings that come on it from the factory and put on a set of Fender Flats 50,65,85,100. Since this bass is a single coil, it has a fairly bright sound and I cut the treble on my amp. The pick-up has great low/lows, thin mid range and is fairly bright. This is not a muddy sounding bass. All frequencies have excellent defintion! Some tweaking with the amp controls can give almost any type of sound that you want. Want the J. Entwhistle sound? It is there. Want the J. Jamerson sound? It is there.

For a single coil, it is fairly quiet, a tiny bit of hum but that is normal. I like the sound of this bass. In my opinion, a muddy sounding bass can not be made to sound clear but a clear sounding bass can be made to sound muddy. So, you can get clear sounds from it or with differnt strings and amp settings you can go muddy too. This bass is a clear single coil sounding bass by nature. Prehaps a little bit thinner sounding than the neck pick-up on a Jazz Bass. Ain't nothing wrong with it at all!!!!!

The bass was set up pretty good right from the factory. I think most of us bass players have our own personal tastes for set up. I jacked the strings up a bit but I like high action. The truss rod was perfectly adjusted right out of the box. Great neck joint! You can't even fit an ameba between the neck and body! Nice finish, flawless! No high or low frets. All in all, this is a good looking bass for $550. ( I don't care much for the rectangle white pearl 12th fret marker with Sting's signature on it! Big deal! Should have stayed with with the double black dots. )

But, but, but......it wasn't perfect. The 3 piece swamp ash body is kind of cheap. I mean 3 pieces? Is wood that expensive? Should have been 2 piece like my 1997 Jap reissue of a 1951 P-Bass!

The tuners are a little bit sticky. Hopefully will loosen up with use.

And now, the worst thing about this bass!!!!!!! The bridge!!!!! It was mounted 1/4 of an inch too far back from the neck!!!! That means when I set the intonation, the saddle screws for the G & D string are right on the very edge of of the bridge plate!!!! YIKES!!! If I use round wounds or light guage strings, I am screwed!!!!!!

This is really a bad error! And guess what? I recently bought a 1951 Jap reissue and the bridge is 5/16s of an inch back too far!!!!! Strange because the 1951 I bought 7 years ago has a properly mounted bridge and is dead on with my real 1962 P-Bass. Why did these 2 nicely made basses have incorrectly mounted bridges? Strange!

Well, if you are the "handy man" type. The bridge can safely and easly be remounted 1/8 of inch forward. This will give some extra space for intonation. This can be done without leaving any signs of the original screw holes. But still, this is a big pain in the butt! If you want to put the bridge exactly where it belongs, now you've got problems. If you are a fanatic ( like I am ) and want to remount where it belongs, you got two choies. Either buy and cover up the "boo boos" with a 1951 bridge cover or use wood repair dowel rods and putty and paint to cover up and it'll still show, right? Well, like I said, what do you expect for $550? Can't have perfection at that price! One last small complaint. The pickguard is on the thick side. A thinner plastic should have been used like on my '51 Jap P-Bass from 7 years ago. I'd say I got what I paid for on the Sting Bass. No biggy! If it weren't for the bridge, I'd give this bass a 10 in the construction area.

This bass is very reliable and very durable. Built like the originals with the same materials. Pete Townsend would have to give this bass 10 or more whacks to get it to break! This is the only contoured early 50s P-bass that you can get as a production model. So, I would have to replace it if it it was gone. I love these old P-basses!!!!!! They are so cool!!!! The Japanese build 'em nice!!!!

Customer support? It is a Fender. You don't need any support. I didn't tell them of the bridge problem. What good would it have done? It seems all the basses have the bridge mounted incorrectly. A head scratcher for sure!!!!!

Over all rating. On looks alone this bass is worth owning. Been playing since 1967. Too bad about the bridge, otherwise this bass gets a "10"!