Fender American Standard P-Bass Fretless

USA Standard Precision, made 2007, with the S1 switching facility.
Bought as used, but in reality, was old stock, a bit dusty, with no case. Black with white scratchplate (now swapped for a black one) rosewood fingerboard. String-thru body, with vintage style bridge (now swapped for pre-grooved Leo Quan Baddass bridge).

Features - well its a P-Bass - there aren`t too many features on a P-Bass, which, in my opinion, that is a bonus.

Here is my reason for this review. The sound is EXACTLY right for me. I play in a punk covers band (Pistols/Clash/Sham 69 etc) and this bass totally nails it. I use a Marshall MBH 450, with Marshall MB 410 speaker cab. Primarily, I`m the drive in the band, so the sound needs to hold the link between gtrs and drums, not try and be a 4-stringed gtr. My backup is a MIM Precion (white, with black scratchplate, vey Dee-Dee/Sid) with a Seymour Duncan quarter Pounder pickup. On its own, to my ears, I prefer this sound, but, and a big but here, of J-Lo proportions, the Standard US fits "in the mix" far better. Indeed, all the gigs we`ve done since I`ve had this bass have been far better received. In no way am I saying its cos of my bass playing, but probably that, to the audience as a whole, the sound all fits together better. I`ve not yet used it in the studio, but don`t anticipate any problems. By the way, i don`t use effects - no snobbishness here, just less can go wrong, the less you use. So, on its own, it may not seem to have enough bottom end, but in the mix of the band, it is exactly right.

It played like a dream from the start. I do believe I could be given both of my basses, in a totally darkened room, and I would be able to identify this by its playability, smoothness of neck/frets etc, without amplification.

I`ve replaced the strap buttons, and the bridge, but these were more for my specific improvements, than necessity, as the stock parts were fine. This thing will probably last for ever. Heard a story, Fender drop their instruments off the Empire State Building, and those that get scratched are not put out for sale. i think it would take a major disaster to damage this bass to the point where it couldn`t be played.

I`ve never had to deal with Fender, and being in the UK, would probably just go back to the shop that I bought it from - Coda Music (Luton branch) - great shops and staff alike.

Been playing 28 years. Backup is a MIM Precision as mentioned earlier, which, after having this US bass, am gonna exchange the SD Quarterpounder for a re-wired pup to the specs of the US bass. Also have a Mike Dirnt Signature Precision, which is great too.
If lost/stolen, funds permitting, I`d buy another Standard US, I`m that pleased with it. I`ve had Epiphone T-Birds, Gibson Les Paul, Fender Aerodyne Jazz bass, but the instrument that works best for me is this one. once you`ve found "your" instrument, may as well stick with it. I have, and its the fender Standard USA Precision. Also play guitar, and Strats are "my guitar". Love les Pauls, but for some reason, I just seem to play "all that is Fender" better.

Bought new...1995/96 american standard fretless p bass, sunburst, standard features: originally housed one american standard p bass split coil pickup; currently houses one Seymour Duncan quarter pounder p bass in the standard position and two Seymour Duncan quarter pounder jazz bass pickups spaced evenly apart between the bridge and the split coil p bass pickup; separate volume control for the split coil, stacked volume pot for the two jazz bass pickups, one tone control; half round strings; tortoishell (spelling) pickguard; the input jack was relocated to the underside of the bass because its former position is now occupied by the tone control; maple neck with fretmarkers on a rosewood fingerboard. Once a very simple instrument, now tonally magnificent, with endless possibilities and bold/subtle nuances depending upon volume settings for each of the three pickups. Amazing!

This was my first fretless bass after 25-30 years of bass playing, so I struggled for a few years trying to master finger positioning and obtaining a clear, singing, woody tone...tough task actually! For those who are accustomed to fretted instruments, regardless of your talent level, fretless is its own animal and you really need to develop a love affair with it to be any good at it (that is to do more than simply make noise). This also requires experimenting with different strings, neck/bridge settings, pickups, etc. It drove me somewhat crazy for awhile because it just never sounded quite right to my ear. Eventually, I put it aside in favor of my fretted jazz basses.

And then...one day...I decided to get it worked on by an excellent luthier who brought some of the tonal character back from the dead...this is where the story really begins with me and the fretless. In short, I realized that the p bass is not a very good platform for a fretless; yes, it is manageable, but you really need to pick up the harmonic character of the strings closer to the bridge to bring out the clear, singing, woody tones that are otherwise somewhat obscured by the boomy mid/bass tones from the passive p bass split coil. It was very frustrating for me to play on this instrument before having it worked on, but even after the proper set up, I was still somewhat unimpressed. So I bought an american standard jazz fretless, and then another, and another...soon I had a bunch of different Fender fretless instruments which I could uniquely configure to compare their respective tonal characteristics. The best one of the fretless jazz basses I have contains Fender custom shop vintage j bass pickups (which include the brass "ground" strip under the bridge, this thing does help reduce hum believe it or not); I use Fender flat wounds on it to minimize wear and tear on the fingerboard and to capture that vintage sound...this one really sounds great, big, growly, woody, sweet, soft, it's all there. I also upgraded a Fender mexican fretless jazz with a badass bridge and american standard pickups taken from the j bass that I installed the custom shop vintage pickups in. I gig with this bass quite a bit; I have used both nylon flats and stainless flats on it and each has their respective charm to contribute to the tone.

Now, back to the p bass...

So after I really began to sample all the fretless tonal possibilities with a broader range of instruments, I still felt somewhat disappointed by the big boomy mid/bass sound...where were all those really unique fretless sounds, and how do I get them with this instrument? Well, if you have read this far you already know; I installed two Seymour Duncan quarter pound j bass pickups into it to complement the split coil Seymour Duncan quarter pounder p bass pickup. I put the bridge j bass pick up about one quarter of an inch in front of the bridge and put the neck j bass pickup exactly in between the bridge j bass pickup and the split coil p bass pickup to minimize interference.

Although I am not nuts about the quarter pounder sound in gen

The tone of the p bass is really unimpressive as a fretless instrument; this is readily apparent when compared to a jazz fretless. The problem is inherent to the design of the split coil and its mid position on the bass; although this works wonders for the fretted p bass sound, it is rather stale in the fretless format. However, after I installed the Seymour Duncan quarter pounder p and j bass pickups it became a new instrument that can range from a simple, somewhat boring p bass sound to a more conventional j bass sound to a more complex active electronics sound. Someday, when I get into the right mood, I will replace the Seymour Duncan quarter pounders with something more vintage either from SD or Fender. I am not the biggest fan of the quarter pounders because they are really just a big boomy high output sounding pickup; but, when all three are in flight, especially in some different volume configurations, they really sound great together on this bass...as such, it is tempting to simply leave it alone and enjoy what it does so well.

I had this bass set up properly and also modified by an excellent luthier (and fellow fretless bass player) who knew what he was doing. He also reset/raised the nut because the factory setting was way too low causing the strings to mute on the fingerboard south of the nut...not good. I was disappointed by the Fender set up but the luthier brought the bass back from the dead so I am very happy with it now.

I give this a 10 for my new set up; the somewhat poor factory set up deserves a 6.

Fender p bass, enough said

never used them, no opinion on this instrument

After the mods, it is a truly remarkable instrument. I would encourage others to find someone they trust to modify their p bass accordingly to get the most out of the instrument. HOWEVER, it is commonly thought to be devastating to resale value to perform such radical mods; although that may be true in some instances, I would expect an intelligent, experienced player would be able to look past the collector's vibe and buy such an instrument for it versatality. This is all an entirely academic point from my perspective because I would never consider selling it anyway. Nonetheless, if such things concern you, consider buying a mexican p bass, strip the frets off it, put a badass bridge on it, add two j pickups with stacked volume controls for each and relocate the tone control and input jack. You will not regret the investment in modifications if you like the Fender sound and you play a fretless bass.

Good luck

MY fretless was made in 1985 in america... it only has volume and tone. P style pickups, they were replace before i owned it.. they're now active pickups, so that kicks! Not sure about what the body is made of, its pretty heavy though. And it has a black finish with a nice set of brass hardware. I'm not sure, but i think the tuner heads were replaced or upgraded with the guitar at some time, they're grover heads. the neck is slick, although, the frets are still marked where they should be.

I've been playing what ever i hear. but i did go on tour to ohio with the thing. it got the job done nicely. no complaints, people were wondering how i was doing some of the licks i was. it has a very punchy sound. not mellow, and not a slapping sound, but everything inbetween.
I put some fender taped strings on it. black on black, it looks as good as it sounds.

i bought my guitar used, and i still haven't gotten the intonatation just the way i like it yet.

the thing is pretty heavy, i dont epect any major repairs ever. the neck will probably never warp, or the truss rod snap.. nothing like that. you could try to smash it on stage.. but it would proably put a hole in the floor instead of snapping the gutiar.

yea, fender doesnt like the conition of my bass. it has a japanese serial on it, but it was made in america. my bass is one of the few that were cut in the usa and sent to japan and sent back to american for assembly. (probably to mark down the price, and that's why the frets are still 'marked' on the fingerboard, its just a p-bass neck that didnt have fret installed.)

well for the price i have an annomolous american fender that happens to be fretless. after i put some money into it for minor adjustments, and mayhaps a re-finish, it will be one of the best deals i've boughten for the rest of my life.

I've got a '72 p-bass fretless with maple fingerboard.
Anyone know anything about this bass? I bought it from a guy at work who bought it back in the day. The body needs to be refinished because some jackass painted what was at one time a natural finish. Very Sweet neck though. The body's been carved out for a different pickup but it currently has passive Batolinis in it. It has also had a jazz bass pickup thrown in(Bartolini as well).
The bridge is a BadAssII and the machine heads are original. Does anybody out there know anything about the '72s because it looks as though there may have been a bridge cover on it. Anyhow, still super sweet even after all the Modifications.
WICKED neck.

I've been playing for around 14 years

1978 fender precision fretless bass. American made ash body with a rosewood neck. I use roundwound strings, and currently have factory standard precision pick ups in place. I feel the overall bass sound would benefit from the use of bartollini or Emg pick ups, and am currently thinking about increasing the warmth by changing to a p-j set up. the back of neck has fenders nitrocellulose laquer, which when i bought the bass had some small chips in it. These were repaired by an ex-fender worker, and are now not noticable. the bridge i had replaced with a bad ass, and my sound has benefitted dramatically through this simple addition. the machine heads are fender standard, and the bass is finished off with a black colour.
The electronics are passive, and are very basic, but i like this. overall i rate my bass, with the additions as a solid 8

i have used this bass in many different settings, and it has preformed exceptionally. currently i am ampless. but given the choice i would play a mesa 400+ through a 4*12 cabinet. this provides enormous warmth with the tubes, and also allows for the playing of many different varieties of sound. at the moment my action is set to produce a horn type sound, but that can be adjusted to give a double bass type sound.

the bass when i purchased it had an excellent action, but as i mentioned before with the changes made it plays even better now. part of the problem was the join between the neck and the body, which was both loose and roughly made. this was chiselled back to a flattened surface, and the packing was removed. then the bass fitted together more soundly and there was a more even sound, with no loss through loose joints.

this bass is a machine, i have had no problems with this, and it goes almost everywhere i go. the only draw back is the nitrocellulose laquer which with constant playing the sweat can cause this to break down, and the neck becomes blotched with holes in the laquer.

i had for a while desired to buy a fretless bass, and when i went shopping and bought this one i had initially desired to buy an amp. once i saw it i fell in love. i played two or three notes (literally) and said i have to own this bass. it was love at first sight. if this bass was stolen i would be in tears, this is irreplacable. i love it more than my musicman sterling

My P-Bass was built in the USA in 1997. Its a fretless model which I think is becoming pretty hard to find. The color is white with a rosewood fretboard. This bass is a little heavy, but it sure gets the job done. Fit and finnish are great.

Sound is great for me. I run it through a Hartke B-120 amp and it can keep up with the best of them. Tonal range is super.

When I bought it, it needed a neck adjustment. After that I lowered the action and its right where I need it. The P-Bass was put togeather with care and it shows.

It seems as though it can go on forever. It stays in tune and nothing ever got loose on me. I depend on it and sometimes I dont even bring a spare.

No opinion here.

Ive been playing 30 plus years. My backup bass is a Hartke AK4 which is a great bass also. Hartke packs a great bass and amps with the features you need.