Fender American Standard Precision Bass

I bought this bass in 2001, so I assume it's a 2000 model or so...I don't really know. This is the real deal; American made, 20 frets, maple neck/fretboard, ash body, white blonde finish, signature split coil pickup, etc. You guys know all this stuff so I won't preach to the choir.
I won't give a rating for features b/c I don't think you should rate it on # of features. This bass has all the *needed* features and no more...so I'd give it a 10 for covering what was needed. Then again, some joker will come on here and expect 10 to mean it has 50 switches and knobs like a freakin' Vox guitar. So, I'll let you guys figure it out. It's got what it needs...and it's been that way since '57.

I love it! What can I say? It's a Fender P-bass!
First, the sound is very punchy. Lots of low end, but plenty of mids. I have to agree with the other guy, it may not sound great by itself, but it complements a set of drums OH SO WELL! You get zero hum from the pickup (but you guys know why). There's not much variety in sounds, but it's not active, so you can't just tweak the EQ on the bass itself. But the sounds are great. I still prefer a jazz, but I couldn't pass this up. The sound is beautiful. I play a lot of driving bass, kind of like Adam Clayton of U2, so it's right up my ally, but it will suit most styles. Look for other guys who play it and see what they can get it to do.

The bass was well set-up from Musician's Friend (although I don't know if they even touched it). The intonation is on, and the action was perfect up and down the fretboard. I really took it for granted at first, but now I realize that I didn't have to have it set up by a pro or try it myself and that saves time, money, and nerves.
I looked the bass all over and found it to be nearly flawless. They did get a *little* messy with the laquer on the neck at one point on the nut, but it could be scraped of easily. Also, I think Fender does a better job dressing the frets on the American series, but I'm not that picky; they still did a good job. The finish looks like a million bucks.

Well...it's a Fender. It may get war-torn, but it'll always play.

Oh, I forgot, it came from the factory w/ a faulty solder joint. I had to get it repaired (for free), but it wasn't a huge problem...just a little disappointing when I couldn't play it the day it came.

Anyway, back to reliability. The ash body is solid as a rock. It came w/ straplock-ready buttons, so it stays on. The hardware is solid; no problems here.
Gig w/o a backup? Well, I do, just because basses are big and I don't want to carry more than one around. But when I gig as a guitarist, I always have a backup. Even the best guitars can be dropped, break a string, or do something freaky. Always have a backup! Really though, as a bassist, I usually don't have a backup, unless I want to look cool bringing more than one instrument to a show! ;o)

I've never dealt directly w/ Fender; in fact, I have a fear of doing so. Lucky for them I can't really answer here!

I got this for $500 through Musician Friend b/c the new "American" series basses were coming out. This made the "American Standard" series old stock. It would normally cost about $950 (for the ash body upgrade). I laughed all the way to the bank on this one. It's been great...my new love. After playing 5 years on bass (7 on guitar) I think I deserve something nicer than a Mexican Standard.
Anyway, you guys want to know what I'd do if it were stolen, right? Well, after hunting the punk down and beating him to the point that he'd never walk right again, I'd find something else. The reason? I couldn't find a deal like that again. I'd probably go for the US Jazz Bass deluxe (which will probably be my next buy). But if I had it to do all over again, yes, this would be my bass. I love it. It looks great, it sounds great, and it feels great in my hands. I've never played a bass more comfortable than a Fender. It feels as if it were tailor-made to fit into my hands--like an extension of my body. See for yourself...

Mine is a recent 2001 make from the USA. Alder body, rosewood fingerboard. As for features, not much there really.. only really what you need: "vintage" Fender Precision pickups, string-thru bridge, tone and volume control.. that's it! You do however get lots of other goodies from Fender with the bass: strap locks, a hard case, all the tools you need to make adjustments yourself (ie. Allen key, truss rod adjustment tool), a Fender strap, polishing cloth, and a lifetime guarentee.

Very simplistic. But then, if you wanted a bass with loads of features you would not be considering a Precision.. I give it 8 because Fender made the effort to supply you with lots of other goodies to make up for an essentially simple bass guitar.

It depends of course on what kind of sound you need, but for me this is the best I could have. The Precision Bass sounds a bit ugly when it's played by itself, but when you put it in the mix with a drumkit and some noisy guitars, it fills out the bottom end beautifully.

The actual sound itself is DEEP.. a lot of lows and mids (very punchy), with a rounded off treble range. Being passive as well, it has that nice warm thick sound that active basses just can't achieve. I had been playing a Fender USA Jazz bass for about four years, and I was getting more and more irritated by its lack of punch and presence in the mix. The Jazz bass sounds great by itself or for heavy slap work, but it tends to get lost in the mix somewhat because it lacks the deep foundations the Precision has.

This bass is also surprisingly versatile. Fingers will give you all that classic punch and depth, whereas picks will give you that classic rock Precision "chunky" tone you hear on so many songs from the 60s and 70s.

So for those looking to play out front of the band, this bass may not be your best bet. But for those wanting to lay down the no-nonsense solid foundation to the overall band sound, regardless of music style you simply can't beat the Precision.

The bass certainly feels great to play. The recent American standards have a satin finish on the back of the neck, allowing for easy play during those sweaty gigs. The head tends to dive a bit due to the heavy tuners, but nothing you can't get used to. Some people also don't like the thick neck the Precision has, but I prefer it over the tiny thing my Jazz used to have.

I think the guys at the shop I bought it from fiddled with the action before I got it because the action wasn't too good. So I sat down with it for about an hour, and set it up how I like it. It now plays like a dream. I've got the strings down real low, and the neck at the perfect angle so it has no buzz. The pickups are also raised a bit to give it an even more fat sound. It's a breeze to adjust yourself.

I also had to tighten some of the nuts and screws on the knobs and the input jack nut. They were a bit loose initially, but now they are fine.

I'd recommend you check these things after you buy.. just to be sure. I'm not sure if it was the Fender factory or the music shop I got it at, but my bass had a few things loose when I got. Nothing you can't fix yourself though.

There is nothing that could possibly go wrong with this thing.. there is nothing TO go wrong!

The neck needs to be adjusted seasonally (same with any bass really), but other than that you'll get a lifetime of faithful use out of this bass. Just remember to check it over after you first get it.

I've been playing for about 10 years, and I can say for sure that this is by far the BEST passive bass guitar on the market at the moment. Ironic really, considering it was the very FIRST bass guitar.. makes you wonder if we've wasted the last 50 odd years inventing all manner of other basses, when the original Precision was always the best. Despite being so spartan, it beats EVERYTHING else I have tried. I'm never turning back.

One thing you should consider before you buy though: make sure you clarify what kind of role your bass plays in your band. The Precision excels in almost everything, EXCEPT as a solo instrument.

Just bought a used US-made 4-string fretted with alder body and "Silver Inca" finish. At first I thought the finish looked like pea soup, but the color has grown and grown on me. Features on a P-Bass are always minimal, but that's what makes it the primordial bass tone.

I've torn through 5 basses in 5 years looking for the sound I had in my mind. Finally realized that that tone was just a meat and potatoes, simple and fat tone: the (alder) American Fender P-Bass . This is the booty-shaking sound you feel in all the R&B classics (and some funk) that touches you somewhere in between your soul, heart and rump. (By the way, getting the tone with the Fender imports is a crap-shoot due to, in my opinion, less quality control and lower quality components).

The P-Bass is built like a tank or a vending machine. This one will outlive me, that's for sure!

This is a real man's bass. It doesn't have a sissy assed guitar neck, or stupid active electronics--buy a damn Ampeg SVT and crank it up!
I like it because it rocks the stage and makes people's bowels rumble.

Classic and even more tone because of the string through the body bridge. I like the vintage neck too.

I raised the action high because that's where the tone is.

This bass is a pro

I had to have the tech put a toothpick in the strap lock post--Fender's suggestion.

I've only played bass. Been playing since 1977.
This bass represents what is so good about Fender. Fender basses can be so confusing because of all the models and prices.

This is my first American Standard Precision.

2000 model with Ash body, natural finish, rosewood neck, graphite reinforced neck. The usual American Standard Precision details and it came with a molded case. A black pickguard was put on by the music store, a nice addition.

I give it an 8 because of its limited features. Nothing too fancy, just how I like it!

The pickups is the '62 Vintage P Pickup. The pickup has a nice full sound. Nice for mellower tones and most rock music. If you are looking for your traditional American Precision Bass tone then don't look for anything else.

I don't particularly care for vintage bass tones. I'm not too keen on ultra modern tones either. I fall somewhere in between. I put an EMG P pickup and I like this bass a lot better now. SUPER powerful bottom end!!! A lot of snap as well. I usually EQ some of the bite off of it. I did a review on the EMG P, if you want more details.

The body finish was GREAT. The Ash is very beautiful and perfect! A+ It has a slight tint to the finish on the body and neck. I compared it to my other MIA J and it is true. I love it though. Perfect rosewood fretboard, that I didn't have to immediately oil!!!!
I don't know for certain but I think some of the credit has to go to the music store. I think they setup their instruments nicely before they put it out for display.

This is the best Fender that I've ever seen NEW!!! It was PERFECT! I had to have it, it was that good. That's saying a lot since I'm more of J guy and I didn't think I would ever own a P!!!! This bass sold itself.

The overall construction and setup is PERFECT!!! So I give this part a 10.

I think the reputation of American Precision Basses speak a lot louder than I do. I think it will outlast me. I wouldn't use it without a backup not because of a lack of faith in it but because of paranoia!! HAHA

Rock Solid Consrtuction earns this bass a 10.

Wouldn't know, never had to deal with Fender. But a limited lifetime warranty is nice.

I've been playing for about 10 years now. I also own a Music Man Stingray, 2 US Jazz Bass, US Jazz Bass fretless and I use an Eden Nemesis 1X15 combo. If had to do it all over again I absolutely would buy this again. If I had to choose one bass this would be it. I've played Tobias, Yamaha, Ibanez, Washburn, Hamer,
Spector, Warwick, and many others, cheap and expensive and for the price and sound of it you can't beat it.

This is a 1997 Precision bass with a maple neck and maple fretboard, two graphite neck stabilizing bars, an alder body, stings-thru the body bridge, and a single '62 vintage style split-coil humbucker. The bass has passive electronics with one tone control and one volume control. The finish is a new color, introduced in 1997, called Inca Silver. The included accessories are a molded case, and truss rod and saddle adjustment allen wrenches. I give the bass an 8 in the features category only because the electronics are antiquated by today's standards.

I have to tell you, I'm am incredibly sick of the new modern bass sound with its overly processed fat and sometimes excessively treble tones. This bass produces all of the rich and warm bass sounds that were so prevalent on many of the classic country, R&B, and rock tunes; I absolutely love how this bass sounds. It lacks some of the punch and snap that you get with a jazz bass, but it has such an unsurpassed warm bottom-end, especially with stainless steel flatwound strings, that can't be duplicated by any other bass.

It's hard to tell how well manufacturers sets-up their instruments, since most guitars will need neck and intonation adjustments after they've been shipped across the country; this bass was no exception. After I purchased the instument, I had to raise the action slighly and add a little relief to the neck to stop some fret buzz. But, I always end up tweaking the set-up to my liking. As for any finishing flaws, I wasn't able to find any. The nut was perfectly cut, there were no scratches in the finish, and the frets were cut and dressed to near perfection.

I've owned this bass for nearly 3 years now and have played it live a few times, and it has never let me down; always stays in tune. American-made Fender products are built to last a lifetime. This is a solid well-built instument, albiet a little on the heavy side at almost 10 pounds (dare I say a deadly weapon). Since there aren't any stupid 9-volt batteries for the electronics, nothing could go wrong while playing in front of a crowd, and you won't need a back-up. Players be warned, however, this is a fat neck and will require some time to adjust to it, especially if you are used to a jazz-styled neck. As for neck adjustments, maybe at most twice a year.

Never dealt with, nor needed any help from.

I've been playing guitar since I was 12, and I'm now 30. I switched to the bass about 8 years ago, because I never thought I was that great of a guitar player, and I was always fascinated by how great a song sounded with a cool bass-line. I've owned a Jackson, and a Fender Jazz prior to this bass, and this bass has and always will be my favorite to play. If you are looking for a solid, well built, bottom-end groover, this is the bass for you. But if you like the modern fat sound, or play slap-style funk, then you should look elsewhere.

4 String P-Bass, rosewood fingerboard and a sunburst. It was a pretty bass and well finished. Mine was made in 1998 and they did a nice job of construction, although to get really low action I had to shim the neck.

It never really did what wanted. I play with ground roundwounds or flatwounds and a pick, and I didn't like the E string. The factory RoundWounds and fingerstyle, it was a decent sounding bass. I play classic rock with a pick thru solid state Ampeg gear.

I never liked the gritty feel of the tuners but they worked as tuners should and stayed in tune. I found to get really low flat action from the neck I needed to shim it.

I gigged with it awhile and it did fine; very reliable. It held tune for a set with only minor drift.

I never asked Fender to do anything.

It was a pretty nice rig, but I was used to Steinbergers which feel a lot different; string spacing, electronics, etc. It was a decent instrument at a decent price, but not what I needed.