Fender American Deluxe Precision Bass 5

2002 model: main differences from last run of the model in 2006 (I believe) are to be found in 9v electronics vs 18 v, 5 tuning pegs in a row vs 4 + 1 and non carved neck heel. Other features at the previous reviews.

I am used to play high on the neck and the latter feature is may be the only one I could appreciate.

The 9v electronics is great with plenty of headroom and I cannot sse any significant improvement from 4+1 configuration (I am used Fender Roscoe Beck and Music Man).

The other specs: 1 pc ash body with blonde tansparent finish,maple fingerboard.

Absolutely elegant with abalone dots and silver Fender logo and definitely rugged under any point of view. Neck is very stable and allow any kind of set up. I am using it with almost no relief and low action: no buzzes. But the instrument would allow even lower action for delicate tapping/chordal games or could benefit from more action and relief for massive sound.

Perfect intonation and stable tuning.

Only drawbeack: it lack a passive mode, at least for back up use if battery dies on stage...

The two pick ups - P-bass at the sweetspot and a twin J at the neck, give an huge sound palette, increased by the very effective 3 way electronics.

You can enter the realm of passive P and jazz basses, still this is definitely an active verstile bass. the neck pick up allows for great woofy sound, getting more "in your face" pushing the mids. The bridge pick up can sing nicely with a typical nill lawrence humbucking color.Mixing you have a variety of interesting option.

I am used to piezo equipped basses: this one makes me not missing the option (the only other bass I can say the same about is a Ken Smith Custom Burner)
Great neck and on board EQ makes this precision very suitable for slap playing Marcus Miller style.

Of course strings and stringing can make the difference. I am using through the body round, carbon steel Dogals 40-128 what provide sustain, snappy and sweet highs with warm definite basses. But you would use other strings for more present mids in a rock/pop setting

Only extreme settings produce hiss or mild distortion (but it is a sort of Rush Lee grind what I used a sansAmp to go for)

It was a "as new" returned piece in my trusted shop. Neck was bowed almost to non-playbility and pick up high was a mess. 30 min work and turned in great conditions as I described above. Just do not forget the correct hex key for the truss rod.

Finish and parts are top notch

This bass became the standard for dependability to me (Manne equals, but it is not as known as Fender ... :-))

The Italian distributor was available when I was considering a new pickguard to add a passive switch (Idea that I drop, though feasible)

A semipro in my 20s, I am playing bass for slightly less than 20 years now and I played -and still possess many- dozens of top class basses. I am currently playing fivers only: Manne Acoustibass for fretless and a selection of Alembic, Manne, Music man, Ibanez AFR, Music Man, Hofner.
SWR Baby blue Amps.

Prog rock, jazzy things, church music.

I am reviewing the 5-string version, with ash body & pao ferro fretboard and teal green transparent gloss finish (Fender part number 019-4360, manufactured in 2001 in Corona, California, USA according to the serial number). It has 22 frets, 5-strings, 17.5 or 18mm spacing at the bridge I believe (didn't measure), 34" scale, split-coil active P-bass pickup in the usual spot + a Bill Lawrence-design humbucker in the bridge position. Satin polyester finish on the back of the neck, gloss on the headstock. 2x 9v (18-volt) preamp, bridge can do top-load or STB w/ferrules, tuners are open worm-gear with matte black casing and chrome keys & worm.

The preamp has 5 knobs, two of which are concentric: a master volume, a detented blend, a stacked treble cut/boost with detent & bass cut/boost with detent, and a mid cut/boost with (very worn if existent) detent, see below.

The price I paid is for a used bass in good condition plus - some minor scratches on the finish, but nothing major, but the strap buttons have been changed from the stock Schaller straplocks to Dunlop straplocks (the button screws of which are considerably bigger than Schaller screws, so this is a semi-permanent modification requiring wood filler, a new pilot drill hole etc to reverse). It is otherwise stock and in fine playing condition, no stickers/no tags/no case candy, although the previous owner threw in the strap-end part of the straplocks and a set of Ernie Ball strings.

Okay, so I had my first gig with it this morning (Sunday) at a contemporary-Christian church service after receiving the bass in the mail on Friday, and I got to give it a proper work-out live. I always bring two basses to gigs, so I had my MTD Artist 5 with me also, but I ended up using the Fender the whole time (1 hour or so of contemporary Christian worship cover songs, Hillsong United, Chris Tomlin, etc).

The neck is very comfortable, a different feel than my MTDs but very playable. It's considerably more round/narrow/thick than my thin/flat/wide MTD necks, but it took no conscious effort to adjust and definitely a thinner profile than other Fenders I've played. I did play on it about 3 or 4 hours last night, just getting used to its quirks up & down the neck, so that helped, too, but there were no major issues with the playability.

My complaints are that the tuning keys have some slack & stick. When you first turn the key, it takes a second for it to "catch," and then when you do, it moves in very gradual "kink-kink" jumps, rather than a smooth twist. I tried loosening the strings to slack and bringing them back up to tension, tighting & loosening the keys, etc, with no effect. The low B has the additional problem of having an extremely low ratio - a nearly imperceptible "kink"-turn results in a 25-cent change in pitch. This was extremely frustrating while I was setting the intonation for the new strings last night. I stretched the strings a lot and turned the keys back and forth many times, which helped a *little* bit, but I think I'm going to go ahead and replace all the keys with Hipshot Ultralites. The Fender keys look nice with the black matte finish over chrome, but this is just not gonna work for me as-is.

The bass was just fine. It sits in a mix very well, a little too well, actually - I usually boost the mids and cut the lows & highs a bit (frowny face) with a graphic EQ for that room, but with this bass, I gradually set it flatter and flatter and finally just took the EQ out of the path and it sounded better that way (onboard EQ set flat, 50/50 between the two pickups).

The low B is considerably weaker than the other strings when the bass is unplugged. It lacks sustain and has a "thunk" sound, rather than a "booooooom" like the other 4 strings. I blame the 34" scale. I'm using a brand-new set of DR Black Beauties 45-125. Plugged in, this is much less noticeable, especially in a mix. The lack of sustain is psychoacoustic rather than physical, I think, just because it's hard to hear a low B fundamental on an unplugged electric solidbody bass. Holding my ear against the body, I can tell a lack in the sustain and solidness of the low B string compared to the other strings, not just on the open note but on the 5th fret, too, but again, this is much less noticeable through an amp.

These things aside, I'm thrilled with the bass. It has a strong, full, deep, thick, growly P-bass sound with lots of output and a classic tone, but with some added spank from the ash body. The look is exactly what I wanted and the balance is superb (the main reason I was shopping for a new bass - my usual back-up bass, an MTD Z6, has pretty bad neck-dive). Aside from the electronics and tuning machine issues, it seems well-built and solid. I wouldn't hesitate to take this one on the road with me. I also like how Fender decided to thread the battery compartment with brass inserts into the wood to prevent stripping - nice touch.

It needs a real set-up (I just spent 20 minutes with it making some minor adjustments), because right now there is some noise from strings hitting the lower frets behind your fingers when you fret a note on the higher frets. It would be nice if the bass had a Micro-Tilt adjustment like my '98 American Deluxe Strat. It's not bad as-is, not enough to need a shim, but even with the neck pretty straight and the truss rod pretty tight, the high frets still have a bit higher action than I want compared to the lower frets.

Once I change out the straplocks to Schallers (the previous owner had Dunlops on it; I prefer the factory Schallers) and replace the mid pot and tuning machines, this will be a serious contender for my #1 go-to bass for gigging.

See my above review of using the bass live.

"Would you use it on a gig without a backup?"
- Do people really gig without a backup? I have never done this and I never would, even if I was using a $5k Sadowsky. That's just unprofessional. However, the bass seems reliable enough, except for the aforementioned pot & tuning machine issues.

I haven't dealt with Fender directly in regard to this bass, but I've owned several Fenders in the past, including a Custom Shop Fender, and they have always been great. No complaints here.

I've been playing guitar for 10+ years and switched my primary instrument to electric bass about 4 years ago. I'm a professional musician and I rely on my gear every day. My other instruments include two Line6 Variax 705 5-strings (for recording), one of which was modified to include a custom neck and a Seymour Duncan SSB-II magnetic pickup, an MTD Artist 5, a Schroeder 21012L cab, a Crown K2 power amp, a Line6 Bass POD xt Live preamp, an MTD Z6, a '98 Fender American Deluxe Fat Strat, a '98 Gibson Les Paul DC Standard, and various other stuff as far as mics, PA equipment, recording equipment, etc.

I wish that the bass weighed a little bit less - it's a lot heavier than my MTDs, but lighter than my Variaxes. If it were stolen or lost, I think I would either try to find another one like it (they are discontinued) or I would get pretty much the same thing from Nino Valenti, Mike Lull, Roger Sadowsky, etc.

I love the classic Fender headstock shape, to be frank - that is says Fender on the headstock. There is just something about a Fender that you can't find anywhere else. The playability is not as great as some other Fender-style basses I've played - most recently, a $400 Schecter Diamond J, made in South Korea (Jazz Bass-copy) which played and sounded a little better than this one! I do think it is overpriced considering the build quality and price of the instruments coming out of Asia these days, but there is something to be said for resale value and the Fender name, too - sometimes producers or promoters specifically request a "Fender," you know?

My favorite feature is the body shape, really the whole package. It's a P bass. What more can I say?

I dislike the sub-par tuning machines, relatively low-mass bridge, and cheap-feeling pots. The tone is great, though. It just needs some better hardware and a pro set-up.

Compared to my MTDs, this bass is very different - not bad, just different. The neck is thicker, and has a much narrower nut width, and tighter string-spacing. The tone is not as punchy or clear as my MTDs, although it does have "growl," which my MTDs can't do as well (Artist 5) or at all (Z6). Live, this thing cooks. In the studio, I think I'll stick with my Variax, or a Sadowsky, etc. For the price, this is a decent but not spectacular instrument. If it were $300 less, I would be much more impressed with it.

2005 Made in America, 22 frets, P pickup in the center and a double Humbucker at the bridge, Fender pickups, active pre-amp, ash body with a maple neck and pao ferro fretboard, sunburst finish, American Deluxe Precision Bass? V Ash (5-String), Deluxe Chrome Plated 5-String Steel Bridge Plate (Strings-Thru-Body or Top Load), with Nickel Plated Brass Saddles, Fender?/Schaller? Deluxe Lite-Bass Tuning Machines, 34" scale Maple, Modern ?C? Shape (Satin Polyurethane Finish), Molded case, Schaller strap-locks (immediately replaced with Dunlops), the other accessories were not included (used acquisition).

I play clean all the time, and I love the low, deep voice. While plugging away with today's country, classic country/rock, and 70's pop, I get all the sounds I need. Whether I'm beating down AC/DC or plugging away at Tobey Keith, I'm happy. I play with no effects through a Line 6 LowDown. I don't slap or pop, so I can't say what it's capabilities are there. I play live exclusively, but I did not notice the hum mentioned by a previous user when plugged into my amp and going DI, even at higher volumes.

I bought this used, so I don't know the factory settings. Action was OK, but I had to change the intonation, the E and B strings were sharp at even at the 3rd fret. This bass looked like it came from the factory, there were no scratches, no dings, and no war wounds. As a matter of fact, it looked like it was purchased, stuck in a closet, then traded in or sold. The pickups are adjusted evenly, and the 18 volt preamp/eq is definitely hotter than the 9 volt on my Schecter. I did find one place in the upper heel where the finish had bubbled, so I'm going 9 here.

I'm a finger style player in a country/classic rock band, but I used to be in an AC/DC tribute, so I tend to bounce a lot. I immediately replaced the strap-locks with Dunlop Strap-Locks because I use them on all of my axes, and my straps are all setup for that system. Never had a problem, and I don't forsee one here. I have a Strat as well, and when I put them in, I used wood puddy to strenghten the screw and was careful not to overtighten. I never gig w/out a backup, because even a new battery can give you problems. I don't think I'll need the backup, but it's one less worry on my mind.

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I've bounced from guitar and bass over the last 30 years, my biggest influence being Geddy Lee. I also own a Schecter Custom 5 and a Peavey Millennium Plus (American Made) 4. I play 5-string exclusively for country, and I enjoy playing. I wish I had asked the scale length, because I'm a 35" player, but I can live with the 34". I love it's deep, resonant voice and powerful preamp. No problems getting heard. I compared it directly to a Peavey Cirrus 6 and an MTD Saratoga 5. The MTD didn't really catch my ear, and the 6 string was too much for my small hands.

This is a 2003. Sunburst with a maple fretboard. I bought it brand new from the factory and everything on it is factory.

I love the braod range of sound that I can get from this tone monster. I can play pretty much anything with this bass. From the classic P bass rock and roll sound to a pretyy wicked growly Jazz bass tone. I do have one problem with it. There seems to be a problem with hissing at many venues when I turn the high knob up
past halfway. think that it is the rear double Jazz pickups that are making most of the noise because when I turn it all the way to the front pickups it disappears. Now the hissing never completely goes away, and at some venues( i.e venues with old lighting) it is so noticeble that I have to use my backup. At other venues I think that I am the only one that notices it. It is great for recording and the hissing is not a problem. It also has a superb sound even when it is ran direct...Crisp clean and fat. Over all I will have a hard time finding a bass with its range of tone.

The bass has amazing action. I love my action low, and this plays like butter. I do my own setup so I have made little adjustments here and there but nothing major.

I have played the bajeezas out of this thing and for the most part it has held up. right now one of the tuning pegs is becoming a little tighter and doesn't tun as well as it used to, but a little oil should do the trick. The only thing I realy don't like is the fact that the strap buttons have to be constantly tightened because they keeping making their way loose. So I recommend either putting in fatter screws which is hard to do with straplocks or just putting in wood filler to keep this from happening. I really haven't found the best way yet of dealing with this.

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Ive been playing for about 8 years. This is the only bass that I think that I would have a hard time getting rid of. I haven't kept many instruments for any significant length of time because I am a gear junkie. So it says something about a bass when I say that. I would buy another one if it were stolen. I think that it is a very underrated bass and would recommend it to anyone who plays a variety of genres.

This guitar is a 2003 model. The specs for this bass are: 22 med-jumbo frets, solid ash body with teal green transparent colour, mint green pickguard, maple neck and fretboard, abalone inlays, 1 custom vintage '61 P-bass pick-up, 1 special design humbucker.Controls are Volume, pickup blend, and three band EQ.

I've played this on a Trace Elliot 715 Combo, new Fender Rumble 100 (sounds great), some old Ampeg, Gallian Crieger 250 head with 4x10" + 1x15" cabinets, and a lot of studio mixing tables. The humbucking pickup give it a full, bright sound, but my only grudge is big noise
with the treble boosted all of the way, so in the studio that is a very big problem. In my Fender workshop they say that everithing is ok with guitar, but noise is there becouse of 2 bateries and 18 Volt power.

The factory setup was very good. The finish of my bass is teal green transparent - last piece. Nut is great. I don't like the strings that came with it, becouse of taperwound B and E strings. The sound is fine, but duration of strigns is short. String tension is pretty tough for playing.

Tbe bass is good for live playing, except the noise of humbucking pickup. Hardware and finish are the best thing about this bass. I've changed strap butons with locking ones. The neck in need to be adjusted every 5-6 mounths, depends of weather condition. I use it on my gigs but only with extra strings becouse of taperwound.

The company was very helpful but can not solved my problem with noising pickup. When I bought it, the P bass pickup was unconected (probably becouse of transport) and problem was solved in a few minutes.

I am playing for 15 years. Have Trace Elliot 715 combo... I wish I had asked about string tension, becouse it is much more tough then some other 5 string basses. If it were stolen I would probably buy Modulus. I love the sound, love the silver logo, love teal green transparent colour, love the nuts, but hate noising humbucker.
I chose this bass becouse of both, old and new in one guitar - Precision standard Pink Floyd sound, and new humbucker - Flea stile sound. Also chose it becouse it is the emost beautifule bass guitar in the world.
Like to ad: if someone know haw to solve problem of noising humbucker with the treble boosted after half, please contact me. I tried to insulate electrical wires inside with no results.

2002 Fender American Deluxe Precision Bass V string! 22 Frets. Solid ashe body, maple neck with Pau Ferro fretboard! One special design humbucker pickup at bridge and classic 62 P style pickups at the neck position! 3 Band active EQ ! Finish Aged Cherry Sunburst with classic offwhite pickguard. String thru body design, Deluxe lightweight Tuners! Abalone dot inlays! New 18 Volt preamp!

This bass can suit any style! I play Country Rock style Gospel and Rythym and Blues to Southern Rock style. Also Contemporary Christian! It will do it all! From slap to finger style! I use a SWR Silverado Special sometimes and also a Peavey Rack mount 500 watt head with a Pod Pro Modeler. I have a David Eden 410 cabinet with a horn and heavy duty 15 inch subwoofer. I can get any kind of tone imagineable with this guitar! New 18 Volt preamp (THANK THE LORD) TONS of Headroom now!

The factory setup was actually perfect for my playing style. I am mostly a fingerstyle person. The action was low, very fast and easy to play. Pickups were adjusted about right. All harware is top notch and adjustments pretty much about right. The finish is flawless Aged Cherry Sunburst, absolutely Gorgeous with aged offwhite pickguard for the classic look! Frets are perfectly detailed! Nut is flawless!

I personally have owned many Fender Basses and have never had any major problems out of any of them! Everything is top notch and seems to be built for many years of serious gigging! Have heard of some people having problems with the locking strap buttons, this has never been an issue for me, but I do not jump off of my amplifiers any more! (TOO OLD FOR THAT)! I would feel comfortable gigging without a backup for sure!

Lifetime Warranty! Fortunately I have never had to deal with Fender other than contacting them for help with an upgrade such as pickguard replacement! They were very friendly to me though and helpful!

Have been playing over 20 years! Right now I am down to just one instrument. With this one it's all I need! If lost or stolen I would buy another, it's a keeper! I love everything about the bass, but Fender could just maybe get a little bit better sound out of the LOW B! It is by far better than previous models, but needs just a little bit more work! I can sacrifice a little in this area though because I love the classic Fender tone! It's got a good enough Low B to make it a keeper when you hear the rest of it!

This bass is American made. I aquired this bass in order to play in my dance/hip-hop/disco cover band. The features have proven to be very versatile with a large variety of sounds, from ultra bassy dub to farty mid-range boost to super slap yumminess to vintage p-bass. The pickups are super active with TWO batteries powering the bass. It has 22 frets though I would have like to have the full 24 frets. The body is made of Ash which is nice because it is not as heavy as my other basses. The string through body is pretty nice as were the strap locks though they proved to be pretty faulty which I will discuss later. The pickups are both p-bass and a large humbucker which, like I said earlier, allows for an extremely versatile sound perfect for several styles inculding rock, jazz, dub, hip-hop, cheezy, etc.

Like I have said already, the sound is awesome. Punchy, bassy, extremely versatile. The pickups are pretty quiet even with the treble boosted all of the way. When I finally aquired the bass I plugged it direct into a sound board and was pleasently surprised to find out that it sounds awesome direct. I purchased a Bassman 400 amp with this bass and the combination is superb. With the many effect pedals that I have, the bass works very well for experimental hip-hop/trip-hop as well as dance music. My only beef is with the B-string. It sounds great until about the low 'C' and the low 'b' is somewhat weak compared to the sound of the b-string on my Status 5-string, but then again I have never heard better sound b-string than on that bass.

The action was set up nicely when I got it from the factory, I haven't even adjusted it. The finish is nice and smooth and shiny.

Performing the same week I acquired it the strap lock broke completely off leaving half of the broken screw INSIDE the bass. This proved to be extremely inconvenient because I had to play the rest of the set jumping around holding my bass. Ouch. Once getting that replaced the other one pulled out of the groove it was in a month later. The screws used were pretty small which would work for most players unless you are very acrobatic on stage which in case I would acoid my minor mishap and replace them with thick screws and huge strap pegs. The warranty covered this flaw though it kind of sucks when you cannot use your strap after it breaks during the first song forcing you to hold it above your head or swing it around or something. I do use this bass without a backup now that it is fixed.

Besides all of the crap that I went through with the cheap strap buttons, this bass is awesome. I have played with my Status 5-string energy fretted and fretless basses for years which sound just awesome each having superior b-strings and versatile sounds. I played these through either an SWR workingmans 15(which I think is actually my favorite sound of an amp, I can get great funky sounds from that one) or else a SWR 750 bass amp through a Megalioth cabinet(the rockstar cabinet). My effects consist of an EHX Bass micro-synth, Boss Digital Delay, Lovetone Ringstinger, Lovetone ?Flanger, MesaBoogie BottleRocket, EHX Bassballs. After joining my current bands I opted to get a fender because of that sound that no other bass can emulate, at least in my experience. I play this through a Bassman 400 amp. Perfect combination for hip-hop/trip-hop, drum n bass, dance, rock, jazz. This is one of the best basses I have played, versatile sound, easy to play, great classic look, Worth every penny. Just watch the strap locks.

This is a brand new bass fresh from UPS (Musicians Friend) I paid the full $1349.999999999 for it and didn't mind a bit. The bass features a 22 fret maple neck. The tuners are the new Fender lite weight type which seem to balance well. The body is ash ( I think ) with a antique cherry finish ( drop dead gorgeous ) with an off white pick guard. The strings can be strung either thru the body or bridge as with all the newer Fenders. It has 2 pickups, the neck pickup is a 5 string version of the classic p bass pickup at the bridge is big soap bar type ( ala Roscoe Beck ). Controls feature the usual volume and pan treble, midrange, and bass but the pre-amp is an 18 volt and sound very clean and quiet.

1st of all, with the pan all the way to the neck, the bass dimmed about 20% and the treble dimmed about 50% it sounds like my old p bass with an extra string. With everything set to center it has a very good slap tone but a little too bassy for just fingers. Roll the pan to the neck, dim the bass a touch and you have a nice Jazz bass growl. Roll the pan to the nick a touch, dim the bass a touch, and crank up the mids a touch and you have that StingRay5 punch.

I can't really find any flaws with this bass other than I don't particularly like the strings that came with it. The fit and finish is outstanding, the electronics are clean and quiet. The factory setup was just fine for my playing style.

I've only had one other bass besides this one, also a precision bass, and they both have been keepers. This one is a 2000 model that was made in april, I think the day was the 13th. I bought it in September of 2001. Because of deluxe-5's being harder to find than the average P or J basses I had to order direct from Fender to get the color that I wanted. The specs for this bass are: 22 med-jumbo frets, solid ash body with white-blonde paint(transparent), tortoise shell pickguard, maple neck and fretboard, abalone inlays, 1 custom vintage '61 P-bass pick-up, 1 special design humbucker (same to the Roscoe Beck's-5), STB/top load bridge, hipshot deluxe lighteight tuners/schaller and strap-locks same brand. As for the accessories: Deluxe locking hardshell case, 2 wrenches, strap and cord.
Controls are Volume, pickup blend, and three band EQ.

Since I usually don't stick to a particular style of playing this bass ajusts to me instead of the other way around. "This bass can do it all - metal, rock, country, reggae, jazz - and do it all the way down to a B." says bassplayer mag. of August 2000. I play coutry, blues, jazz, funk, metal, alteritive, punk, and all types of rock. This bass really does cover them all!
So far I've played this on a high-end and low-end peavey, Sunn 300T, Bassman 400 and an Ampeg combo. Since all of the amps had their different flavor the bass sound was effected a little (in a good way). All of these "tests" proved that the bass is a well-rounder.
Since I chose ash and maple this bass has a good amount of snap, with a smooth fretless-like sound, along with classic fender growl. The pickup's give it a full, warm, and bright sound. There are tons of precision and jazz tones!

The factory set-up was really close to the way I play. I now have the action set as low as it will go, no buzzes or dead spots at all (graphite reinforced neck). The pickups needed some ajusting because of the B-string. The slot for the E-string is a little fussy, but I have the problem fixed, just needs a few more winds on it.

Hmmm, chrome hardware Fender...I think they are good for life. Awesome player on stage, the frets are easy to reach and the neck is pretty fast for a 5-string. I had the truss rod ajusted 7 months after I ordered it, just some minor ajustments for the winter weather. I would imagine it might need it one more time in the summer...maybe. I have used it several times live with no backup...I know not smart...but I always carry around a full set of Fender (8250's TW) strings. It's a very solid instument both playing and feeling.

Umm...no reason to call them.

I have a Carvin 600R and another Precision bass. I've been playing for 2 years...yeah I know that's not long, but I have had one full year of professional instruction from a local player that tought me everything he knows, he's been playing for 40+ years, and he's just plain amazing. I have had a few bands and can sit in for bands that need a bassist for a gig, that need me to read bass clef or just give me the key and go to it.
As for the bass, if something should happen to it I would get one just like it or maybe the Stu Hamm Signature by Fender, unfortunatly they don't come in the 5-sting option or the cool see through paint with maple fretboard, which made me get this bass instead (same price range). I compared this bass to Stingrays but the P-bass pickup is a sizzle that I love too much to go without, the classic sound of bass.
I'd highly recommend checking one out if you have one in a local music store. This is my idea of an ultimate bass to be buried with.