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Fender Precision Bass

Summary
Price New Fender Precision Bass @ Musician's Friend
Manufacturer URL http://www.fender.com/
Features 7.9 (59 responses)
Sound 9.0 (61 responses)
Action, Fit, & Finish 8.4 (58 responses)
Reliability/Durability 9.4 (59 responses)
Customer Support 6.2 (10 responses)
Overall Rating 9.0 (58 responses)
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Product: Fender Precision Bass
Price Paid: US $300 used
Submitted 07/23/2004 at 12:03am by dan lutz
Email: wishiwaskurt210<at>aol dot com

Features : 8
20 fret 4 string 2003 mexican p-bass 1 volume 1 tone one split coil passive pickup im not sure what the body is made of but the neck is maple with a rosewood fretboard

Sound : 9
this bass works with almost any style it sounds gret with effects its never noisy

Action, Fit, & Finish : 8
i bought it used the action was all messed up the pick up was way to high and the truss rod needed adjustment the original own had no clue what they were doing but after about an hour of work it was back to normal

Reliability/Durability : 10
this bass like many fenders is a tank itll whithstand live playing ive banged it around alittle and it never dented or scrched the finish the star buttons wouldnt due i highly recomend straplocks if you plan to be in a band or play live

Customer Support : No Opinion

Overall Rating : 7
i would give this an average rating because theres been problems that i shouldnt have to deal with like i always have to tighten the knobs theres alot of rattlling evan after the action has been raised stuff like that nothin seriouse it still sounds great


Product: Fender Precision Bass
Price Paid: US $300 used
Submitted 07/03/2004 at 12:35am by Anonymous
Email: wishiwaskurt at aol<dot>com

Features : 10
2003 fender p bass mexican made 20 frets 1 volume 1 tone knob regular split coil pickup im not sure what the body is made of but the neck is maple with a rosewood fretboard has all the fetures you would expect from a standerd p bass made by any company

Sound : 8
it suits almost every type of music besides jazz im running on a hartke b90 its never noisy except for a little buzz when playing on extreme xolume full fat p bass sound

Action, Fit, & Finish : No Opinion
when i got the bass it was used the person before me to own it screwed up everything i had to adjust the intonation the action pickup hieght and i evan had to take the plastic cover off the pickboard the person never toke it off but it was easy to set it up it toke like a half hour tops veary user friendly bass

Reliability/Durability : 10
this is a tank of a bass i dropped it on to the hardwood floor didnt evan nic the paint the stap buttons werent that great but my strap was falling apart so i had to go out and buy strap locks and a new strap i couldnt see ever having to bring more then extra strings and an amp to a gig with this bass extremly reliabile

Customer Support : No Opinion

Overall Rating : 9
ive been playing about 2 years ive owned ibanezs yamahas and a squier and this is the most solid relibile bass ive ever played i love it its definatly one of those basses that youll have for 10+years


Product: Fender Precision Bass
Price Paid: 370$ (Canadian) used
Submitted 06/28/2004 at 04:14pm by Anonymous

Features : 10
it was made in 2001, mexico
20 huge frets with 4 strings
theres a Volume and a tone
n/a
n/a
active electronics
redwood neck
midnight wine finish
precision
n/a
n/a
fat neck
Case

Sound : 10
it fits Punk, Rock and christian music
im using a Yamaha 30XJB witch is really big for 30 watts
It sounds great
Its great i love it

i like when i put it realliy loud and my and can take it so it sounds distorted and i like muteing it cuz it sounds cool

Action, Fit, & Finish : 10
Its well set upi havint seen any problems so far

Reliability/Durability : 10
Ya its amazingly good i mean FENDER.

Customer Support : No Opinion
n/a

Overall Rating : 10
Ive only been playing this bass for a week and im stuned by its performance and it sounds so gfood that i would have payed an extra 200$ for it.


Product: Fender Precision Bass
Price Paid: US $200.00 used
Submitted 06/15/2004 at 10:26pm by Anonymous

Features : 10
Fender Precision Bass, made June 1965. Serial number begins with an "L". All original. I have owned this instrument since Dec. 1974. Color is Olympic White, however it has aged into into a light banana yellow. I'm wondering if any others have experienced a similar change in color over time. The main feature of this instrument the awesome sound. And thats far more important than lots of other features to me.

Sound : 10
The sound is the REAL DEAL. Powerful, deep, fat, warm, growls when you want it to. My 1965 Fender P-Bass has noticably better tone than any other bass guitars I've owned, including 1964 Fender Jazz Bass, 1951 Fender, 1965 Epiphone Rivoli, 1968 Gibson EB2, 1968 Danelectro Longhorn. The best amp matchup I've found for the 1965 P-BASS is a 1968 Marshall Super Bass head (100W), thru Marshall 4x12" bottoms, or for louder a Sunn 2000S (2x15") bottom, or for softer (clubs)a 1961 Gibson 1x15". In studio I go direct to the mixer with no amp.
I've used it rock, funk, pop, jazz, country, bluegrass and more. The same strings have been on my bass since 1976 - Flatwound heavy gauge Gibsons, which were the heaviest gauge I could find. I also play string bass (upright acoustic bass), and I think Fender designed the Precision Bass to duplicate the power and tone of the upright.

Action, Fit, & Finish : 6
The 1965 Fender Precision is a relatively heavy instrument with a very wide neck. The neck on these early Fenders is one of the most difficult to play in my experience, including Fenders which were made later. But the mass of the instrument probably contributes to the great sound, so its worth it to me. It has on it the heaviest gauge flatwound stings I could find, set at medium height. However, due to the big strings the neck bows lightly even after full truss rod tension, which creates some notes to be slightly out of intonation. This is a trade-off for the great sound.

Reliability/Durability : 10
My 1965 Precision bass is all original. This is a testament to the incredible ruggedness of the instrument. Nothing has broken in 39 years, including the time when I forgot that I had left it behind my car after a gig, and partially ran over it. The case was crushed, but the bass was unscathed! (Don't try this youself. Ha!)

Customer Support : No Opinion
I have never needed a repair.

Overall Rating : 10
1975 Fender Precision Bass.
Overall: Top rating.
Best feature- Sound! Unsurpassed power and tone quality.
Worst feature- Wide neck is one of the more difficult to play.
I would replace it with: Same thing.
Time playing- Since 1965. Rock, funk, pop, jazz, country, bluegrass, classical.
Also own: German upright string bass, circa 1920's.


Product: Fender Precision Bass
Price Paid: $300 (Canadian) used
Submitted 04/11/2004 at 06:46am by ishabaka
Email: hurricane100 at bellsouth<dot>net

Features : 1
1975 Precision Bass, made in the U.S.A..
All original except I replaced the cheap looking thumbrest with one I made out of cocobolo wood a friend of mine brought me from Costa Rica. It is rounded and lower than the Fender thumbrest so it it better for slapping and looks cool. Natural gloss finish over ash.
Maple fretboard. I still have the original ashtray with the original foam, but don't use it. I threw away the pickup cover years ago - dang!!! Original black Tolex Fender case. Original frets which show almost no wear and play great.

Sound : 10
Believe it or not right now I am playing in a country band, and a nu metal/punk band. That this bass can fit in with both tells you something. I have two amp set-ups, a 1970 Traynor YBA-3 custom special 100 watt all tube amp, and a rack with a Sennheiser wireless,
ART power conditioner, JoeMeek compressor, SWR 4004 amp, and Behringer Ultra DI direct box. This runs through two 1 x 15" Trace Elliot cabs and the PA through the direct box.
Amazingly enough for an unshielded bass with passive electronic this bass makes NO noise. I have Thomastick Infeld flatwound strings on it for the old-school thumping style sound, although you CAN slap and tap flatwounds despite what anyone will tell you. I have the original '75 Fender flats in a safety deposit box - they have a deep reggae/Motown sound that CANNOT be duplicated - the new Fender flats are much brighter. I have used this bass in the studio and on stage with excellent results. I love it. I have no dislikes. Both pots got noisy and I replaced them with DiMarzios. Only trouble I have had with it in 29 years.

Action, Fit, & Finish : 10
I set up all my instruments.
It has no flaws.

Reliability/Durability : 10
Will survive a nuclear war.
Truss rod needs adjustment once or twice a year.

Customer Support : No Opinion
Never dealt with them.

Overall Rating : 10
Playing guitar 40 years, bass 30 years. Other gear includes a Digitech BP-200 bass multieffects pedal which was a waste of money,
Ernie Ball Musicman Stingray 5 - nice bass but VERY heavy - I use an old-school style 1/2" strap on the P-bass, I can't use it on the Musicman, 1970 3 humbucker Les Paul Standard, Fender silverface Bandmaster Reverb, Hartke B-20 practice amp, Taylor 310 acoustic guitar, Baby Taylor acoustic guitar, and the only autographed Naoko Yamano Signature Model guitar by Fugigen Company in the world - Shonen Knife rules!
If it were lost or stolen - well, I train in martial arts and collect weapons :)
Basses come and go. 100 years from now people will still be playing P-basses. Mine has only one 1/2 piece of belt buckle rash that goes through the finish only - my 7 year old daughter will inheirit it when I die.


Product: Fender Precision Bass
Price Paid: US $50 used
Submitted 04/10/2004 at 12:51am by Anonymous

Features : 8
Fender Precision Bass made in Mexico probably in the 1990's.
It has 20 frets on a rosewood fretboard.
I believe it is a solid top.
Has 1 Volume control and 1 tone control.
Has 2 new Bartolini pickups that replaced the stock Fender ones.
It is either a maple or alder body.
Metallic Light Blue colored Precision style bass.
Has stock tuners, big frets on rosewood.
Included a gig bag.

Sound : 9
This guitar sounds awesome for my styles and needs, especially with the Bartolini pickups. I play alot of rock and heavy metal with a dash of jazz and funk in a band, and this fits my needs perfectly. the sound is rich and full. Very good bass sound with plenty of functionality. I usually play in a garage during practice, but have used this for all our live shows, and it kicks butt both ways.

Action, Fit, & Finish : 8
The action on this model is perfect. I'm not sure how well the stock pickups were adjusted and how they sounded, but the Bartolini's are amazing. When I bought the bass, there was only 1 noticeable ding on the back of the neck, probably caused by its previous owner, but it doesn't interfere with playing. Other than that, the P-Bass is awesome.

Reliability/Durability : 8
This will most definetely suit anyone's musical needs. It will sound awesome in both live and private shows, on a variety of amps. The finish is not even near flawed, as I cannot see any cosmetic defects or anything of the nature. The strap buttons last and are very sturdy, although I would recommend getting some new ones put in with locks. The truss rod never had to be adjusted, in my time with it or my friend's. I would use this during a gig without a backup with no hesitation, as it is very reliable, but I don't recommend it, because anything can happen during a live show.

Customer Support : No Opinion
I never had to deal with Fender, my friend, or Guitar Center (the closest music store by me) because this was made to perfection.

Overall Rating : 9
I have been playing it for about 2 years now, and love it. If I lost it, I would mst likely get another one and have Bartolini pickups installed again. I love how it is built and sounds great with any style you use it for, and I hate nothing about it. I looked around at other basses, but this one appealed to me the most.


Product: Fender Precision Bass
Price Paid: US $150 used
Submitted 03/20/2004 at 04:40pm by dave
Email: mikevad at hotmail<dot>com

Features : 6
2000 mexico
20 frets, 4 string
solid top
1 volume, 1 tone
1 split coil humbucker
passive electronics
alder body, maple neck, rosewood fretboard
brown sunburst
polyurethane finish
percision bass
standard bridge
stock tuners
34" scale neck, precision (1.62")
none, used

Sound : 4
suits music style (christian on sunday, hip hop/dance beats, rap beats, funk beats)
ampeg ba 112, fender bxr 60, hartke 1200 combo, whirlwind imp 2
bright, warm sound, alot of mid range
lacking lows, holloe highs, sounds metallic without some compression and eq, emphasis on mids
nounds tight and punchy in studio, easy to play live, but lacking in depth.
slightly muddy and weak lows, highs sound hollow, punchy, but needs some eq work. some warbling on lows.

Action, Fit, & Finish : 6
bought used in terrible condition: high action, corroded strings, dust on surface - was able to adjust to personal specifications, bass very good at adjustments, currently has nice low action, clean glossy surface and new rotosounds.
pickups were stock - readjusted to compensate for different string gauges.
tuning pegs loose when strings are loose, not all frets fitted properly, nut too big for slot, sticks out 1/32" from side of neck.

Reliability/Durability : 8
built to take abuse
tuners may need adjustments over time, but built to last
heavy polyurethane finish, may chip when hit against hard surface, but seems very durable.
back strap button loose
dependable, neck needs adjustment every month or so due to playing atmospheres
never gig without a backup.

Customer Support : No Opinion
no
no
not applicable

Overall Rating : 6
3 years, ampeg ba 112, shure sm 58, monster cables (standard 100), dynamike cables, korg tuners, whirlwind imp2, levy straps and gig bags.
probably upgrade to american jazz
plays very nicely, prefer more tonal capabilities, looks great.
yes, very expensive ones, the price
maple fretboard, better pick ups
steve danielson has a sexy haircut.


Product: Fender Precision Bass
Price Paid: US $355
Submitted 03/14/2004 at 03:59pm by Phil

Features : 7
One pickup, one volume, one tone, one warped neck.

Sound : 6
It sounded OK for what it is, but it can't get the sounds that a dual pickup bass can get. Lack of tone control was a big minus, but if you want one basic sound, and don't need the richness that dual pickup basses have, then the P-bass can sound OK.

Action, Fit, & Finish : 2
I mail ordered this bass, because I was in the military in Alaska at the time, and the local selection was poor and the prices were high. The neck came with a warp, an S-curve warp to be exact, and no amount of truss rod adjustment could remove it. The body had ripples in the wood from poor job of rounding the body edges, which showed through the finish. The pickups were cocked over at a bit of and angle, and the pickguard had some screws that were out of perpendicular to the body. It was a 75 P-bass, from the infamous strike era, and some workers had to have been in a bad mood to put that junker together the way they did. There was no way to get a low action without buzzing because of the s-curved neck.

Reliability/Durability : 7
It never failed me, but that S-curved neck constantly aggravated me and there was no way to get a low action.

Customer Support : No Opinion
I was so disgusted with the bass that I sold it a couple of years later. Never dealt with the company.

Overall Rating : 4
6 for sound, 2 for action, that gives about a 4 overall. I was very didsappointed in this bass. I had played some used ones from the 60's that were light years ahead of this piece of crap, and they were lighter to boot. I replaced it with a Rickenbacker bass that was considerably better, but my Spector ReBop bass is even better yet. There are lots of basses out there that are better than the P-bass, and no P-bass has ever been made that can touch my Spector. Even my cheap Chinese OLP MM2 (StingRay copy) and OLP SB4 (Spector copy) beats that old P-bass like a redheaded step child.


Product: Fender Precision Bass
Price Paid: A little under 600 (With case plus trade in) (Canadian)
Submitted 02/22/2004 at 11:16am by "Crazy D" Rogers
Email: crazy_drumma at hotmail<dot>com

Features : 8
All of these are included in my other review, it came without the case, but, I bought it when I bought the bass so I got it 10 percent off, which kicked total ass.

Sound : 8
Changing my review, put through different amps it sounds quite nice. I should've thought about how it does as a precision, and I get what I get. It's a nice sound, but, if I want a jazz bass, then I shoud just buy one.

Action, Fit, & Finish : 8
I figured out my problem with my action, just changing the screws and it'll be solid.

Reliability/Durability : 10
Yes, it will withstand live playing, and once I change the screws in the saddle, then it will be fine. It stays in tune for a long time as well. I can definately depend on this bass, it's a good MiM.

Customer Support : No Opinion
Never dealt with them.

Overall Rating : 9
All of this is in my other review. I decided to change it just because I was looking for other basses, but found that I would miss this bass dearly if I sold it. I've also changed the way I practice(and not just play and call it practice) so it makes this instrument sound like a gem. Don't make a mistake that I was about to make and think that it was the instrument when it was in-fact me. I love this bass and it kicks total ass, and for the money it's killer.


Product: Fender Precision Bass
Price Paid: 600 (EURO)
Submitted 02/12/2004 at 11:30pm by hans
Email: hansvdgriend<at>hotmail dot com

Features : 10
1977 USA (CBS) precision.
Passive electronics, everything original.
Antigua sunburst finish.

Sound : No Opinion
Its just a plain seventies Fender p bass, need i say more?

Action, Fit, & Finish : No Opinion
The neck is chunky, but the action is extremely low. The bass is flawless. For a '77, its near MINT.

Reliability/Durability : No Opinion
Its a sturdy workhorse.

Customer Support : No Opinion
N.A.

Overall Rating : 10
I own this bass since summer 2003. Its fantatstic. The looks, the sound, the playability. With antigua finish, or you like it, or you don't. Back than, I felt it was real ugly, but now, hey, its from the seventies!

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