Fender '62 Precision Bass Reissue

2008 Fender American Vintage ???62 Precision Bass 3-Color Sunburst Nitrocellulose Lacquer Finish. Body Alder. Neck Maple, vintage ???C??? Shape, Nitrocellulose Lacquer Finish. Fingerboard "slab" Rosewood, 7.25??? Radius, 20 Vintage Style Frets.
Pickups 1 Vintage Precision Bass Split Single-Coil Pickup (Middle)
Controls Volume, Tone.
Bridge American Vintage Precision Bass
Machine Heads Vintage Style Reverse Tuning Machines
Hardware Nickel/Chrome
Pickguard 4-Ply Brown Shell
Scale Length 34???
Width at Nut 1.750???

Accessories Deluxe Brown Hardshell Case, Strap, Cable, (Chrome Bridge and Pickup Covers are Unmounted and Included in the Kit)

This is "the" standard for P basses. From Jamerson to today this is the bass heard round the world. Looks and feels just like you stepped back in time to the local mom and pop music store that sold Fender. You can make a P bass work for any style. They are a good all around bass. Throw flatwounds on it and go for the Jamerson sound that made Motown famous. Move over to roundwounds and this thing will get you to that growly puncky sound you've heard on countless recordings. The Fender 62 reissue bass pickups on this bass really do capture the original Precision sound. Depending on your strings this bass will do anything you need it to do. Is it the perfect bass for everything, well no. However few basses will allow you to cover any type of music like a P bass will. You can at least make it work.

I run mine through a Hartke PRO1800 18" and an Ampeg 410HLF using a 800 watt Yorkville hybrid and it sounds great for classic rock and blues. I can get a lot of different sounds out of this bass just by using the tone control. With Rotosound RS66's on it I can get it to cut through just about any mix. Roll off the tone control a bit and it gets that woody smooth tone you need for blues stuff. You tend to lose volume slightly when you back off the tone so I set my amp hot with the guitar volume full on. That way I can back off the vol knob and still have headroom when I roll off the tone.

For me a Precision bass has always been the main axe. I've tried others but always come back.

Factory setup out of the box was almost unplayable. I feel Fender has always done a poor job at factory setups on their basses. It took me about an hour to get it dialed in and now its pretty decent. Action is fairly low but this one has a couple of minor high fret ends but that can be eaisly corrected with a trip to the local luthier for a fret level. I run my necks dead flat with no relief so I always need to have the frets done on any bass I buy. Still I feel that on a USA made bass that sells for over 1300.00, the fretwork should be dead on. I've played 400.00 Ibanez basses that were perfect right out of the box. All in all this bass a a real beauty. Overall fit and finish is among the best I've seen. I'm giving it an "8" due to the fret ends. If they were ok this bass would be a easy 10.

It's a Fender. My other P bass is over 40 years old. Why should this one be any different. It will outlast me. I would and have gigged with P basses without a backup for years and they have NEVER let me down. I always install strap locks and have never had a failure using them. I only use the "original" Dunlop long model locks. My Fender necks have been rock solid over the years and I expect this bass will be no different. The early P's had wider "C" profile necks and thick "slab" Rosewood boards that seem to me to add to the stability of these necks.

Never has to use them lately, but in the past they were usually OK. I've heard stories recently of Fender's support being "too big". Customers get lost in the corporate tangle, so it's anybody's guess.

If you are into to early Fender basses but can't afford the high ticket or you have a pre CBS you are needing to retire, get this bass. It will feel like an old friend. If lost or stolen - I get another one period. I did compare this to the new 08 American Standard Precision and intended to buy the 08 when I went to the store. After playing both basses side by side, I just felt that the 62 was a better bass. I liked the sound, feel and the look of the Nitro finish of the 62 reissue better.

If you love Precisions - this is the one you want!

Crafted in Japan (import) and on that note, the craftsmanship is stunning. The simple features are perfect for this genre of bass guitar. Sunburst finish with tortoiseshell pickguard.

Warm, woody, vintage, soulful growl. This bass makes you work to get the 'the' tone, but I adore that! Pickup is a single coil, so the odd bit of noise (e.g. when you touch the polepiece nearest the E string, without touching the strings) is expected, but that's the small price you pay for vintage tone! There's a lot of bite available when you max out the tone knob, providing your strings are fairly new.

Action was fine on arrival, but I made a few tweaks in the saddle (still plenty of screw height left for further adjustments) and popped some extra foam underneath the pickups to raise them closer to the strings (personal preference). Thick, precision neck really works out your left hand but again, that's my personal preference. The string 'taughtness' above the pickup is 'just right' for grooving and soloing, although some players may prefer a jazz bass/bridge pickup setup for the extra tension.

Haven't gigged it yet but my thinking is passive = no batteries, no preamp, simple electronics. It's all about the wood here, so I don't envisage needing a backup. You have to be careful with the volume/tone pots however; i'm guessing they'll fly off after a few gigs if the grub screws are even a 'tiny' bit loose!

Never dealt with them.

I've been playing for 10 years now and I have to say I haven't been this excited about a bass guitar's tone in years! The fender precision sound may be a little generic, but there's a reason for that..it's a legendary bass! If you crave a passive, warm, woody growl without the nasal, clinical snarl of modern pickups and preamps, get yourself one of these! Look out for Japanese imports as well, the build quality is amazing and you could save yourself ??500!

1999 US model in Fiesta Red. SN V-116610, bought from a friend who'd bought it in London. Formerly belonged to Jonathan Noyce, bassist with Jethro Tull. Standard US nitro finish, bass unalterd except for addition of Dunlop straplocks. Light bass, c. 8lbs. The cplour, now discontinued, exudes a real retro vibe.No case or accessories came with it when I got it. I had to repair stripped-out neck heel holes with hardwood maple dowels, neck rock solid now.

I have a whole lot of basses and wanted a 60s-style P-Bass. This one sounds like a Precision should. Not a lot,obviously in the tonal variety department, but what it does it does very well. I like the rich, thumpy well-defined sound of this one.

As ststed above, this needed work on the neck. Once completed (a year ago) no problems at all. Set-up is easy and the bass is simplicity itself.All functions are perfect.

Have often gigged it-the colour always attracts attention!It's a simple,no-frills instrument that's well-biult and will putlast me!
I never use a backup,why would I? I've left it alone as I have it the way I need it.

I've never dealt with them and wouldn't care to have to either from what I've been reading.I don't need them.

I;ve been playing for 30+ years and cover a whole range of styles.I put the'62 R/I through a MarkBass 2 x 10' combo and never use effects, I don't need them. I like this bass a lot, it's very playable and has a nice dig-in aesthetic, is simple and uncluttered and has THE sound. This one's a player and a keeper.

2006 US model. Sunburst with tort guard. I wanted a Jamerson type bass as an alternative to the more aggressive Wal (or picked sound) I've played for 25 years. Others seriously considered but not tried was the Lakland Skyline Glaub which I continue to hear great things about. Nevertheless, it was always gonna be Fender reissue first to either nail it or rule it out. The bass took nearly 4 months after ordering by which time I was desperate for some 'classic fender sound'.

Visually, I would have preferred a brighter burst and more burst through the top horn but that's nitpickin.

The bass had all the chrome bits to add-on but strangely, not the screws to do that. Luckily, they required standard guard screws which I had. Again, normally this stuff would get in the way for me and I'd leave it off but I was determined that this time, if James Jamerson can play with them on, I should at least give it a go! Basically, after 25 years I wanted a fresh challenge and a different string to my bow with a new found sound that I have started to appreciate.

Feature-wise - it's a passive Fender. Simple and functional.

Sound-wise I was gonna ditch my picks and gulp... force myself to get good without one. The sound I wanted wasn't a picked sound but a full, round, warm, punchy, growly, soft pillow of bass ala Motown.

Plugging in I was massively disappointed.

The bass with tone full up sounded aggressive and far too noisy and toppy. Not what you would class as vintage in the slightest and a million miles from the sound I expected.

I put the bass away for a couple of days and began to plan my next purchase. Maybe I should have bought the 57 or the Skyline Glaub after all.

After a few days and with nothing to lose I decided to string it with some new TI flats I had been holding for 'this bass' (it had nickel roundwounds I think) and tweak the setup. The setup seemed OK but something didn't feel 100%.

Gradually with a tweak here and a tweak there, running through my SWR Baby Blue (with EQ disengaged) I was getting in the ball-park. After a bit longer and with the tone knob rolled off well over 50% it was sitting in the pocket like a good un. Those 62 reissue pick ups are pretty cutting with everything up. Another strange thing is rolling off the volume affects the tone quite a bit. I've read this can happen and need to investigate more. In the meantime full volume is not a problem.

I now have a vintage sound that would improve even more through something like an Aguilar or certainly a B15. I gave it an 8 for sound as I know a 10 would have to totally blow me away. I intend to put some Labellas 1954s on it - the TIs are good but if I was to nitpick the D and G could be little thicker sounding for perfection. The E sounds great and I think it's relatively a thicker string than normal.

Action was OK when new - normally I do like my action ridiculously low for fret growl but this time, the sound needed to be pure. I think It's probably a little lower now than factory. I didn't really want to emulate Jamersons super high action.

One of the things that I noticed whilst fixing the covers is how easy the finish scratches on these nitro-celluloise finishes. Didn't like the first little mark in the finish. The covers I'm not sure about, without them your tone palette is increased IMO. There's one sweet spot over the pickup that I like so I don't know whether they will stay on. I do plan to experiment with some foam padding under the bridge cover to see what sound that gives, but the sound now is pretty vintage and a massive improvement on the first impression.

Who knows in years to come how this bass will last. I'm sure the finish will wear.

No idea what Fender are like here but my local shop is always good to sort any problems if and when they occur so it doesn't worry me at all. It's probably my 5th Fender so it's not an issue.

In the end this bass is very close to what I expected. If I can get the neck profile slightly more straight without too much buzz I'll be very happy. I'm very fussy when it comes to necks. I'd give it more than 8 if the pickup wasn't naturally really bright which kind of makes you think that you're fighting the bass to get the sound you want. I do wonder what it would sound like with some Lindy Fralins and may try them at a later date.

I also own Wal, Rickenbacker and Steinberger. I can't compare any of my basses to each other as they all have their own niche - this one more than most. This is the bread and butter big warm Fender sound that is the essence of where it all started. The flats are important to getting this sound and feel great.

Mi Fender P-Bass '62 con la leyenda: Made in Japan fechado en 1993 segun el numero de serie
El color es Blanco con el pickguard color rojo turtoiesse pastillas american vintage bass
El headstock tiene el acababado vintage con el logo "Spaguetti" todos los acabados son excelentes

Yo toco rock clasico ochentero lo mismo que rock alternativo contemporaneo. Este bajo es perfecto en cada estilo.

Desde que lo tengo, mi P-Bass'62 es mi bajo principal (dejando en reserva un Epiphone les paul especial bass y un B.C. Rich NJ "custom") la verdad es que con el P-Bass'62 no necesito realmente otros bajos, el sonido es el clasico calido sonido de un Fender P-Bass muy acorde a su preciosa estetica vintage.

Utilizo un Yorkville Bassmaster combo de 400w, con noise supresor, bass chorus, flanger, y bass overdrive todos de Boss, el rugido del P-Bass es impresionante e igualmente profundo y hermoso, en frecuencias altas las patillas american vintage suelen hacer un poco de ruido, nada que moleste y se controla facilmente con un pedal noise supresor.

Este bajo es solido, no muy ligero pero de calidad que poca o nada difiere de un US P-Bass
Todos los acabados y materiales son perfectos

Aunque quisiera no encuentro queja alguna de este instrumento

Solamente he mandado a ajustar el alma del cuello una vez, desde entonces todo esta bien, este bajo permanece afinado indefinidamente

He Contactado antes a Fender y la atencion ha sido pronto, clara y amable

sin embargo no he tenido que requirrir a ellos con motivo de mi P-Bass'62

I recently purchased two used USA Fender 62'reissue P basses-Olympic White (1998)and 3 tone Sunburst (1996). Both were stock with rosewood fretboards. pickup covers, etc. They have a wider but thinner neck than my two 1978 P basses (B verses C necks). I have used P basses off and on for the past 25 years, but favored active basses more recently and have gigged with MM Stingrays for the last 4 years. I didn't really care for the newer USA P basses (i.e American Standard, etc.), but felt the 62 Reissues where a pretty good copy of the 60's P basses without having to spend the $$$ for the real thing (better build quality than the newer USA P basses IMO). I also did not want to gig with a collectable vintage early 60's P bass.

I am currently using a Mesa M-Pulse 600 and and the newer Mesa Powerhouse cabs (the newer Mesa bass gear is fantastic). The sound of the 62 Reissue P-basses was not bad, but I felt the overall sound was a little thin compared to my 1978 P basses and to my active Stingrays (my band has two lead guitarists so I need to cut through two guitars). Using a Sans Amp RBI or Sadowsky outboard pre/DI helped a lot. However, after upgrading both basses with Lindy Fralin passive PUPs and Bad Ass II bridges, I really noticed a major improvement. The sound was richer, fuller, and deeper with better sustain. I had a lot eaiser time being heard through the two guitars. I can't say enough great things about the Lindys as they are great and really make a major improvement compared to the stock 62 Reissue Pups. The Lindy's are a little hotter than the stock PUPs too.

The built quality is excellent for a bass in this price range and IMO better than the newer USA P Basses. The original 62 Reissue PUPs could be better though.

I think this is a dependable and reliable bass overall, but I always take a backup bass to gigs no matter what my primary bass is. I would recommend checking out the Lindy Fralin P Bass PUPs as well as the Bad Ass II bridge as there is a noticeable overall improvement.

Never used them.

A really good bass, but a great bass for the money with the upgraded Lindy Fralin PUPs and the Bass Ass II bridge.

Mine's a 2000 MIJ.
It has the stock everything on it.
Maple neck, rosewood fingerboard, ash or alder (?) body.
Olympic White with a brown tortoise-shell pickguard. Mine also came with a bridge cover on it. Very classy-looking.
The neck is rather wide. I'd guess it was .625" at the nut, but it MAY be the .750" like on the American reissues. I have no clue. Point is, it's a big neck.
I only got a gig bag with mine. I bought it on eBay, though.

I didn't expect to get crazy, active pickups or locking tuners or anything with this bass. In fact, that's the opposite of what I was looking for. I wanted a straight-forward, classic-sounding bass that didn't cause me any headaches trying to find out how to make it sound how I wanted it. This was perfectly fine for me.

I play in a vintage rock band. Aside from our own original material, we cover The Who, The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, and a variety of other rock bands. I use a Crate BT100 1x15, which comes with a distortion/octave footswitch.

This bass is wonderful for practically any kind of music. I use it to play classic rock, country/western, jazz, Motown R&B, etc. It's so versatile, despite the single pickup/volume/tone setup. It sounds great with flatwounds or roundwounds. You can bring out mellow or growly tones out of the bass, with a simple adjustment in tone and amp EQ. It's valuable both as a studio and stage instrument. It's my favorite bass that I've ever played thus far.

There's one problem with this bass that I cannot figure out. When I use roundwound strings with it, the E-string (the biggest one) rattles at the bridge. It affects the sound of the E-string, but only slightly. Other than that, it's awesome.

Solid. Solid. Solid. Solid. Solid. Solid. Solid. Solid. SOLID. Hardly ever knocks out of tune. SOLID.

I've only been playing for two years. I also own a '75 MIJ Fender Jazz. I feel like I can't compare the two, however. They are very different and very wonderful instruments. The Jazz Bass has a great mid-range neck, but the Precision Bass has a great bass-range neck...that kind of thing. Each has their own advantage. One isn't better than the other in my eyes.

There's no doubt that I would seek out another one exactly like this if it were stolen (I would never lose this thing, believe me.)

What do I love about it? Everything.

2003 built (neck made on September 11th, curiously enough) US '62 Vintage Reissue.
Olympic white (fades beautifully and quite quickly), light weight alder body.
Chunky, wide maple neck with yellowed (thin) nitro cellulose lacquer and a slab of almost ebony-like, dark rosewood for a fretboard.
Nickel plated, period correct hardware (not sure about the bevelled pole pieces on the pick up though)?
Doesn't do much by todays standards - except fit like a glove and make you wonder how come Leo nailed bass guitar design at only his second attempt!

Having owned several cheap basses with "Precision"-type pickups over the years (all of which sounded bland as hell), I wondered how it was possible to get any kind of "depth" of sound from a bass with this pickup design. Well, the answer was pretty obvious when I picked this bass up - it's not just about the pickup, IT'S ALL ABOUT THE WOOD!
Unplugged, this bass resonates really sweetly. As you pluck a string, you can feel each bass note developing as the vibrations run smoothly through the whole instrument, which in turn, affects the way that the string moves over the magnets in the pickup. The result is a really "round" and "full" bass sound, which can be emphasised by rolling the treble right down to produce a reggae rumble, or adding just a twinge to simulate the pumping funk drive of the master himself, James Jamerson. Adding more treble is almost like travelling through time, as you dial in the sounds of John Entwhistle (The Who), Paul Simenon (The Clash), Mike Drint (Green Day) and a hundered others.
It's simply amazing how much variation is possible with this simple layout. If you own a collection of amps or (more likely) an amp simulator, the possibilities just sky-rocket!
Make no mistake, this is not a "one sound" instrument AND it doesn't have a single unusable sound on it.
It's equally at home being played with fingers or a pick, but (in my opinion) it's not really a "slappers" bass.

I was very lucky (judging by some of the reviews here), the bass came straight out of the case with everything set up perfectly.
Even if it hadn't, bass guitars don't come much simpler or more idiot-proof than this, so I (being an idiot) would've happily tackled it with a screwdriver if necessary.
The finish was perfect. I had no idea that mass produced, bolt together instruments could vary so much between manufacturers, but this bass really feels "authentic" in some way.
Somehow, you can tell that these reissue instruments are made with a certain amount of pride and that quality control is important. I also have an American built Clapton Strat, but that's looks like it was built as a school project, in comparison to this bass - so Fender don't always get it right!

It's pointless even discussing this subject. There IS NOTHING sturdier than a Precision (is there)?

Hopefully (as I'm nowhere near California), I'll never need to try and contact Fender directly.
Still, their dealer network is pretty effective. I had to order this bass specially and it only took about 3 weeks to arrive.
I'll give it a 7 based on that.

THIS IS THE MOST TREASURED GUITAR THAT I'VE EVER OWNED! I just wanted to spell that out first.
I've been playing at an amateur level for 20 years now and have owned many medium to professional quality basses.
I currently have a new Musicman Stingray (another fantastic Leo Fender design), an active Jazz Bass, a Status Series II headless bass and a G&L Tribute bass, but quite honestly, if my house was burning down, the only thing that I'd run back into it for would be my Precision.
I'm no James Jamerson, in fact I'm pretty hopeless as a musician, but whenever I strap that bass on, plug it in and start jamming along to the sounds of Motown coming from my iPod through my mixer - I can't help grinning to myself.
Until I got this bass, I could never quite underdstand how musicians could get so attached to one instrument, when there are so many other designs out there waiting to be tried. Well, now I understand!
I'd love to give this an overall 10 rating, but I have to acknowledge that 1,600 Euros/1,100 GBP is a hell of a lot of money for a passive, 1 pickup bass, so it probably isn't everyone's idea of good value for money.

This is a brand new bass, not available in The U.S. I got it from a Japanese distributor. This bass is almost exactly like the American reissues, except for a few hardware inaccuracies. The tuners and bridge are incorrect for the era. I have replaced the single saddle bridge with a 'threaded' type, and the tuners with reverse Kluson type, made by Gotoh. It most likely has a basswood body, like my Japanese '62 reissue Jazz Bass, and a 34" scale maple neck with slab rosewood fingerboard. It is a beautiful candy apple red, with a vintage tinted neck.

Well, what can I say here except that The Japanese did their homework, and, like my Jazz bass, it nails the tone of a real Pre- CBS bass. It's hard to beat a p-bass, they were used on literally thousands of hits we all know. The pickup is quiet, and the tone and volume pots work as they should. I'm very pleased with the sound.

The fit and finish on this bass is absolutely stunning! The color is just incredible, I've always wanted one like this in this color, but I've never seen a lefty in this finish, 'till now. The action needed adjusting, but I'm a professional guitar and bass tech, so adjusting it was a piece of cake.

The bass gets a 9 here, because candy red finishes will chip and flake, and crack even if you just look at it funny! So, I'm being as careful as I can, and I already chipped it in one place... I glued the chip back, and now it's hardly noticeable. The neck seems stable, but it's a vintage type truss rod, and it will probably have it's share of necessary adjustments. Not a real serious issue here. This is a p-bass, you could buy one, use it your entire playing life, and pass it on to a young bassist, and he could do the same. Truck like reliability.

No fault of the bass here- this rating is bad, because Fender U.S.A. sucks, in plain English, if you are a left handed bassist. I don't understand why this amazing company, through all of the evolution it has been through, only offers a Mexican made, black jazz bass- that's right, ONE model of bass- to lefty's. No American or hot rod p-basses anymore. WHY? Is it because retailers claim to have a hard time selling them? I remember having TWO custom color basses- a lefty p, and a jazz bass in the 70's. A friend has two lefty p-basses, a '59, and a '60! This situation made me look offshore to get what I wanted at a reasonable price. This is unacceptable, in my opinion. I'm an American, and I'd like to buy an American made product.
I repair all my instruments. As far as the warranty goes, it's a mute point, I'll fix it if it breaks. The people I purchased this from were very helpful in getting it to me very quickly, and undamaged.

I'm playing bass since 1967. I also build basses, my main bass is a very expensive all flamed maple 5 string, with all Alembic pickups and electronics. I own so much other gear it's almost criminal. As soon as the budget allows, I'm buying another one of these, before Fender stops them from making them. I love the look, feel, and sound of this bass. If you do a search, you can find the Ishibashi web shop. It's worth the hassle. It helps to have a Japanese speaking friend! They have a translated page, but hard to negotiate through. Keep trying, if you really want one of these great basses.

U.S made 3 color sunburst 20 vintage Thinner frets single pickup 4 ply tortoise shell pickguard. Nitrocellulose finish. Rosewood veneer fretboard maple neck (very wide). Came with strap and cable as well as metal bridge and pickup covers. Reverse kluson style tuners

Playing all types of classic music, from blues to country to the beginning of rock and roll I have never heard a bass sound better suited for what I play.Playing through a solid state pweavey tmax and an Ampeg B100 Rocket I get Nice mellow thumping Jamerson sound. This bass is very basic tone wise but the basic tone is beautiful. This bass is also suprisingly light. I own aan all original 78 precision and a 98 jazz bass

I have owned the bass for two months now and I have yet to notice any flaws. High quality prts and finish.

Great solid bass so far. I never gig without a backup period!

Fender's customer service is horrendous. I bought this bass from musicians friend and due to an oversight (probably at fender) my bass did not come with the bridge and pickup cover package. Mine actually came with a jazzmaster/jaguar guitar package. Originally Musicians Friend told me to return the package to Fender and I did
so. Through several calls to Fender and musicians Friend it took me a month and a half after I recieved my bass to finally recieve my parts. I was very displeased with the runaround from Fender

I've played approximately 12 years and I own an all original 1978 precision as well as a 1998 jazz bass. If your going vintage oldies tone this bass is perfect.

2003, Fender American Vintage Precision Bass '62, manufactured in Corona, California. 20 frets,maple neck, C-shape with rosewood fretboard, solid alder body in Olympic White, nitrocellulose finish with red tortoise shell pickguard. Fender Vintage '62 Precision Split coil pickups, passive. One tone and one volume control. Vintage bridge and reverse tuners. Hardshell case, vintage leather strap, chrome pickup and bridge covers, vintage cable.
I give it an 8 because the pickguard is too dark compared to the original '62 which detracts somewhat from the good looks of the bass.
Otherwise, this is a very accurate reproduction.

I play in a classic rock band and this bass suits me perfectly. It has a deep, warm full sound that supports and drives the music. I play through an Ampeg SVT-3 Pro Head and Ampeg Classic 4X10 Cabinet. No special effects, I don't need it. The equalizer on the head is all I need. Pickups are much quieter than my American Series Jazz Bass I have been using.
The tone is there for Rolling Stones, Santana, Rare Earth, Cheap Trick, Free, Cars,Grand Funk and other classic rock group songs we do. There is more variety in the sound than I would expect with the split pickup and tone knob. The major sound from this bass, though, is deep, dark, warm and full, although it can be brightened a bit through the amp. This is not a slapping bass. It sounds great on stage. We have not gone into the recording studio yet, but will after the first of the year, but I suspect it will sound great. The only thing I don't like, is the width of the neck makes it a bit harder to play than a Jazz Bass, so more effort is required when playing.

I was surprised at how well this bass was setup from the factory. The action, neck and pickups were perfect for me. I had the bass restrung with flatwounds by the Guitar Factory in College Park, Florida who do warranty work for Fender. They were very pleased with the setup and had very little to do when restringing the instrument. The finish, frets and fretboard were excellent. The only flaw, was the tone knob was loose and I had to tighten it with a screwdriver.

I have no doubt this bass is reliable. It will withstand live playing and will last a long time. The nitrocellulose finish requires special care so it takes extra precautions to maintain it, but that is part of the mystique and part of the reason for the great tone it has. Strap buttons are solid, it even has a "hootenany" strap button on the headstock. I am considering changing to strap-locks. I don't know yet how often I will need truss-rod adjustments, but I suspect this will be minimal.
I would have no problem gigging without a backup.

I have never had to call Fender about any problems for any of the other Fender equipment I own.

I have been playing off and on for 32 years, semiprofessionally. I have an American Series Fender Jazz Bass with roundwound strings that has been used less and less since I acquired this Precision. However, there are some songs I prefer the tone of the Jazz Bass. I also own a true vintage 1970 Les Paul low impedance bass made of solid mahogany that weighs a ton and not great for gigging, but I have used it.
I love the tone this Precision bass has, I love the way it looks and the way it feels. I would certainly buy another if this one was stolen or lost. I was able to compare a '62 Precision bass reissue to an American Series Precision, a used Japanese Precision Re-issue prior to ordering this one. I played a true vintage '64 Precision Bass and the reissue sounded essentially the same. The tone is what sold me. This is what I had been looking for. This bass is not for everybody. It gives a classic, full, warm, predominantly dark tone. I think it sounds well with flatwounds or roundwound strings. It is whatever you prefer and how you play it. It is not a bass to slap or pop, but for classic rock tone, It cannot be beat. Compared to buying a real '62 to '65 Precision bass for twice the price or more in less than perfect condition that you would be afraid to gig with, I think this is a good value; at least it was to me. If the neck were a bit narrower, (a la Jazz Bass) it would be even better.

Made in Feb. 2000, in Corona, CA
20 Frets, 4 strings
Volume and Tone controls
One Precision style Humbucking Pickup, U.S. '62 reissue pkup
Passive
Body is Alder, with Nitrocellulose Laquer finish
Fingerboard is Rosewood, neck is Maple
Vintage Bridge
Vintage, Reverse gear tuners, strap button on back of headstock
34 in scale, wider at nut than most Ive played, 3/4 in at bridge C-C
Comes with vintage cable, strap, chrome covers for bridge and pickup, polishing cloth, and vintage style tweek case from G+G.

The P bass sound! Fender hasnt made a P bass like this since 1965.
You would pay at least $3-4000.00 for one of the originals like it.

I do theater work and studio work, plus club gigs.

I am currently using a Bass POD for anything I dont just go direct on.

It isnt that noisy, but it is exactly as noisy as the original.

Definitely Rich, Full sound, can get dark, very warm. Can be bright, but you typically dont want that sound from a P bass.

Sound Variety on this bass comes from the tone knob and where you place your right hand. For the most part though, it is a meat and potatoes bass and you either like its sound, or you dont.

I would say this is a great studio bass for those that cant afford or just cant find a vintage model in good shape, I own an original 61 P bass and this new one is really close.

I like everything about the bass except the wide string spacing at the nut!

I have never had a good from the factory setup.

Pickups are adjusted fine.

I have yet to find any flaws in the bass.

Very Reliable, its a U.S. Fender
Very durable hardware, nothing cheap on this bass.
Finish is delicate, but its supposed to be, that is part of the mystique of the vintage basses is the nitro cell finish.
Strap buttons were solid, but I changed them to Straploks
I can depend on this bass, it is a work horse.
I could use it on a gig without backup, but I always take my Jazz to bet both ends of the tonal spectrum.

I havent talked with Fender in a long time, but I remember them as being helpful, and how can you doubt a company that has been around for half a century.
Most towns have an Authorized Fender Service Dealer, so you should get any repairs done here.
Limited Lifetime Warranty

I play professionally doing 2 live shows per day, 7 days a week.
I also occasionally get called for studio work, and enjoy late night jam sessions at small pubs and restaurants.

I have a Fender Jazz, Sadowsky 5, Zon 519 Sonus, Musicman Stingray Fretless, 61 Precision bass ( Original ), Danelectro Longhorn Reissue, and a Knilling Upright, besides this 62 Pbass.

I wish it were more comfortable at the nut.

If it were lost or stolen, I would replace it with another one.

I love the heritage of this bass, a la James Jamerson, Duck Dunn.

I only compared it to my 61, very close, hotter pickups.

It has everything I need it to have.

If you are a studio musician, or if you are into playing vintage style music, MOTOWN, R and B, Blues, Funk, Old Country, etc., then you should pick one of these up because they are a classic. Respect the heritage of bass players and remember how many 5 or 6 string players, whose names you know can you count on one hand? The following played 4s. Jaco, James,Duck, Victor, Marcus, Joe, Carol, John Paul Jones, Paul McCartney, Bootsy, Robert "Kool" Bell, Flea, Michael Manring, Stu Hamm, Tommy Shannon, John Entwistle, Sting, John Cowan, Prince, Larry Graham, Louis Johnson,the list goes on and on, but you get the idea, the best things in bass were done on FOUR STRINGS!

Japanese made P-bass, 20-fret, 4-string, vol and tone knob,
passive p-bass pickup. Rosewood fretboard, maple neck, vintage style
tuners, etc...
Don't Know what year, late 80's ???
Stunning foto-flame finish, beautiful!!!
Neck is nicely tinted vintage look, finished with poly-U I think?
Neck seems wider than modern P-basses but has perfect thicknes and feel to it.
I got a chrome bridge cover off of EBAY and installed it. also got two
of those plastic thumbrests and installed one above and one below the
strings, now this thing looks ULTRA COOL DADDY-O!!!
Have you ever seen a Fender bass with double thumbrests???
I think not...so let the record show that you heard it here
first on Harmony-central.com...and don't none of ya go stealing my
idea, you hear!!!(Just kidding, for all I care, you can put 50 thumbrests on you own bass but you won't have room for your fingers)

Killer P-Bass sound!!!
I play Classic rock, blues, psycedelic, gospel, tinged with the occaisional disco fill, surf, r&b, etc...
well suited to all my styles. occaisional slap and popping.
I use a Peavey TNT with a 15" Scorpion. Sounds great!!!
My 2 previous bass players(I started out on lead guitar then switched to bass 6 years ago) both had Peavey TNT's and I have always coveted
those bass amps, just plug in and play(but thats another review)
FULL, WARM, CLASSIC FENDER SOUND...WHAT DO YOU EXPECT???
Used to play a $200 Ibanez then upgraded to this beauty.
For choir rehersal and church, I play it thru a Peavey Classic 50 410
which gets nice tube tone at low volumes(the sound people won't let me
cranck it up in church!!!) at higher vol, the amp begins to distort(the Peavey classic 50 410 is mainly a guitar amp similar to
the old tweed Fender Bassman amps)
I played it thru an Ampeg SVT at the store today, great tone, gets that bit of that tube graininess and crunch to it which would be great for playing Rush and Yes stuff. But for now, I am more that happy with my TNT.
(I might get an Ampeg SVT after I get my Engineering Degree and get rich and am able to afford a house big enough to put that monster Ampeg cabinet in!!!) But for now I am a po student with an expensive hobby, and I am more than happy with my TNT.

The finish was FLAWLESS!!! These MIJ reissues are really well built.
Came with the action really low, and pretty easy to play. I raised it
considerably to suit my taste. I have had it for about 2 yrs. and last night I lowered the action to about where it used to be. I did this
because I heard a bass on a gospel recording where the plucked notes were catching some of the neck and giving them a characteristic "crackle" I thought this was the coolest thing so I considered getting
one of those maple fretboard 70's P-Basses to get that sound, but when I lowered the action, that did the trick, it is characteristic 70's
funk sound now and the slap and popping works a lot better now.

Very solid bass. no back up needed. stays in tune.
When I bought it, the finish was intact.
The back has begun to crackle where it makes contact with my belly
and leaves a wet spot, I don't know how to stop this finish checking
other that trying not to subject it to temp and humidity extremes.
but I am keeping this bass anyway, it is a player's bass.
never had to adjust truss rod.

Don't know...this thing don't need repairin', not for a while anyway.

I stared on lead gtr 13 yrs ago and bass 6 yrs ago.
I also have a classical guitar, 2 electrics hollow bodies, acoustic, amps, pedals, you know, the works.
I would definitely get another MIJ RI P-Bass if it were stolen orlost.
I'm very happy with my purchase, $400 used like new condition, what a steal, I am eternally thank ful to the sales person who convinced me to get it. Can you belive that???
You can probably find them on EBAY occaisionally around that price but I hear that they are going up because people are discovering how awsome these things are.
I now walk in to the local music stores with this bass in hand and play it thru the killer amp rigs they have there, and then I try out the $1000 plus Fender basses they have there and I always walk out saying to myself"I got the prettiest, best sounding bass in the store, and it is MINE!!!"

1997 in a teal greenish blue colour with an 3 ply aged white(i.e. cream) pickguard. standard 4 string with (I think) 21 frets. Standard passive fender pickups, volume and tone controls, rosewood fretboard. It's a gorgeous looking beast!

I play rock/ blues and it suits that perfectly. I use a Peavey TKO 80 amd and occasionally use effects including electro harmonics bass balls, a 105Q crybaby, and boss overdrive and chorus pedals. The bas has a naturally warm, mellow sound which means that it doesn't suit slapping etc. and the tone needs to be right up if you want to feel the wah on the low end but it perfectly suits the sound I like to make. Really deep and mellow.

Action was pish and needed adjusting at the truss rod which sadly involves taking off the neck. This is a pain. It does lose tune quite easily but that's just with going in and out of the bag. The vol and tone controls really piss me off because if you look properly, they don't sit on straight to the pots and wobble as they turn but I guess that's just me. The pickguard is also slightly warped at the top. As for the finish, though, no complaints there.

I would never gig without a backup but this is fairly solid all round. The strap buttons are fine and the since adjusting, the actions remained perfect.

never dealt

I would buy it again but it's not the best bass I own.

Que tal mi Bajo es un 62's construido en Japon fabricado en los 80's (segun el numero serial). Tiene 20 trastes, lo tengo con los controles y pastillas originales (pastillas americans Vintage). El color es quemado, de negro a las orillas y amarillo obscuro al centro(Sunburn). La mica es Roja con brillante en blanco y negro. "PRECIOSO"

Me agrada el sonido, si quiciera identificar un P-Bass el 62 es el indicado para carta de presentacion; me encanta el sonido de mi 62 Japones por que tiene un toque muy rico y clasico.Yo lo estoy utilizando para tocar: Funk , Ska, y algo de Jazz. Estoy muy complacido con el.

Este bajo en mi opinion es muy dificl de calibar, pero como es aguantador para multiples calibraciones. El unico problema es que el tornillo del alma esta pegado junto al cuerpo de tal maneta que para calibrar el brazo se necesita quitar del cuerpo (en un dia yo lo quite 15 veces y aun asi sigue firme y fuerte)por eso es tediosa su calibracion; pero yo ami bajo le lime para que tuviera esa pequella rampa y que tenga un facil acceso al tornilo, con un poco de cuidado queda muy bien. Pero que mas puedo decir mi bajo me lo calibro el Se?or Jack de la Fender (Si ese gordito que sales en las revistas y en la pagina de la Fender) asi que que mas puedo pedir es un exelnte bajo.

Este bajo sin duda alguna esta echo para la guerra estan firme, con un acabado tan precioso diria yo que es el mejor de los Japoneses P-Bass.

La Fender me a tratado muy bien respecto a mi bajo sobre todo Mr.Jack!!

Exelente sonido todo un P-Bass a un precio mas comodo que los Made In USA.

Mine was manufactured in 1998. It's a white Japanese model with a red tortoise shell scratch plate. The basic thing came with a standard Precision bridge (i.e. crap) which I soon replaced with a Badass 2, and also standard passive pickups. I replaced these with active EMGs despite there being nothing 'wrong' with standard ones (apart from not suiting the style of music I play). I also removed the tone control because it coloured the natural sound of the instrument when amplified.

Suits reggae and agressive ska great. Nice 'bite' to it without sounding harsh. I use it with flatwounds, so the sound is very 'full' and never brittle.

Set up and construction are excellent, but not flawless. The only gripe is that the volume and tone controls were a little crooked on arrival, but I soon corrected this with a tine screwdriver. It was that minor.

This bass has been incredibly reliable. It's been dropped, thrown in the back of cars and vans, stood on, soaked, banged on walls, everthing. It just won't die. There's obvious battle damage (flaking paint where dings have occured), but apart from that it's pretty damn flawless. I've used it without backup for 2 years. I had to replace the nut, but only because I dropped the bass face down and broke it clean in two.

Never dealt with Fender.

This is the second 'proper' bass I have ever owned. It does everything I demand of it with no hassle. It's a very straight forward instrument that can be used in any type of music and I would not hesitate to buy one again.