Fender Sting Precision Bass

The features are well detailed in other reviews.

My score for this category is based on what a bass like this NEEDS to have, not what it has compared to other basses. In fact, LACK of features, is sort of a feature on this bass.

I am in a band that plays '50's and '60's covers mostly, so this bass is well suited to that era. It is capable of more variation in sound that you would think from 1 pickup and 2 knobs. For example, with the tone all the way down plucking notes gently or using your thumb gets a vintage type sound similar to many old recordings. Using a pick with the tone all the way up (and treble on amp up) gets a more ringing type sound that cuts through the rest of the band. To my ears (and through my setup) it sounds a bit like a ric when played this way.

Listening to recordings, this bass gets exactly the sound I want at this moment in time (this subject to change, as my tastes can change).

I have seen reviews where people say the pickup in this bass (and other fender basses that use the same SCPB pickup) is weak, but I don't know what they are comparing it to. To me, it is fairly powerful. I brought it to band practice after using a ric a few times before, and my bandmates were saying how "loud" it seemed in comparison (this with the amp settings the same).

The pickup is noisy, it will hum especially with the tone/treble up.

This is where this bass really shines. The finish on the neck, body, and hardware on this bass is top notch. I own/have owned 6 fender American basses, and the finish on this bass beats them all. No bull.
I always thought people talking about how good the japanese stuff was were exagerating a bit, until I got a mustand bass reissue. I ended up returning the mustang, because I didn't like the short scale, but in showed me how good the japanese instruments are.

It would be hard to find something under $1000 that has fit and finish to beat this bass.

I can't comment on the action, as I bought it used, and the previous owner had put on flatwounds. When I switched to roundwounds, I had to adjust the trussrod a bit. Now the action is fine, I could probably get it a teeny bit lower if I messed with it, but I am happy where it is at.

This is a solid feeling bass, and seems very tough. Fender basses in general are tough, and this is tougher than most, structuraly. The neck is very thick and hefty, so it would take a lot to hurt it. The vintage style frets are smaller than on the American or Mexican fenders, so I suspect they will wear out faster.

I replaced the strap buttons with schallers (but I do that for anything that doesn't have them).

I had read on here than there is a problem where the G string can "catch" under the edge of the pickup. Also, I have heard of people resting their thumb on the top of the pickup, and pulling off the top bobbin. I can see this happening fairly easily. On my bass, the previous owner installed the chrome pickup and bridge covers. It's worth noting that the pickup cover's sides come up very close to the edges of the pickup, and should prevent the strings from getting caught under the "lip" of the pickup. I guess that was part of the original purpose for the cover.

Also, the telecaster jack "cup" seems a bit flimsy.

I have owned many fender instruments, but have never dealt with them.

I have been playing 20 years, and have a lot of stuff you don't care about. At various points in my life, buying and reselling guitars and basses has been a hobby/source of spare money, so I have owned many different basses.

If lost or stolen, I'd buy another one without question. I looked at
the '51 reissue as well, and it is pretty similar (but has a few differences, such as the body contours on the Sting model).

The only thing I dislike is the "sting" signature. I think sting is okay, and a fine bassist, but I bought this bass more for what it is than as a signature instrument. I'd rather have it be a '54 reissue.

I actually wish someone would make a Single Coil P-bass pickup with a "cover" like a jazz or modern P pickup has. It might be cool to have a "rail" type humbucker that would retrofit a bass like this.
That would eliminate the hum, at least (not sure how good it would sound).

THIS "STING" PRECISION BASS IS ACTUALLY A RECREATION OF A 1954, NOT A 1953 AS MUSICIANS FREIND STATES.(FENDER DID NOT COME OUT WITH A CONTOURED BODY UNTIL 1954) ANYWAY, MINE IS A 2003 MADE IN JAPAN WITH VINTAGE FRETS, VINTAGE 2 SADDLE BRIDGE AND A VINTAGE SINGLE COIL PICKUP. THE NECK IS MAPLE WITH A FLAWLESS ASH BODY IN 2 TONE SUNBURST. IT IS THE BEST NECK THAT I HAVE PLAYED SINCE I HAD A 1961 EBO.THE NECK IS 1-5/8" IT HAS ONE VOLUME & ONE TONE KNOB. SIMPLE, YET EFFECTIVE.

I PLAY AUTHENTIC ROCK & ROLL THROUGH A HARTKE 3500 WITH A 15 & 4 10'S. IT SOUNDS THE WAY A REAL BASS SHOULD WITH A RICH FULL SOUND. THIS HAS REPLACED MY AMERICAN PRECISION AS MY #1. IT PLAYS BLUES, ROCK & ROLL, SURF.

THIS WAS PERFECT FROM THE GET-GO. THE FINISH IS THE TYPE THAT YOU WOULD SEE FROM THE CUSTOM SHOP. PERFECT IN EVERYWAY.

SO FAR, SO GOOD. I PLAYED FOR A COUPLE OF LIVE GIGS. THEY DID A GREAT JOB ON THIS MODEL. I NEVER PLAY OUT WITHOUT A BACKUP.

I'VE NEVER HAD TO DEAL WITH FENDER SO NO OPINION.

I HAVE BEEN PLAYING FOR OVER 20 YEARS, I HAVE AN AMERICAN PRECISION, STANDARD STRAT. HARTKE HEAD & CABS, 1968 FENDER BASSMAN HEAD.IN THE PAST I HAVE HAD SEVERAL PRECISIONS, A JAZZ, A STENBERGER, A GIBSON EBO, BUT THIS ONE IS MY FAVORITE.
I STOPPED BY THE GUITAR CENTER ONE DAY I TRIED OUT SEVERAL NEW & USED BASSES AND I KEPT ON COMING BACK TO THIS MODEL. I PLAYED EVERYTHING FROM A '62 JAZZ RE-ISSUE, CUSTOM SHOP PRECISIONS, A '64 PRECISION REISSUE AND I KEPT ON COMING BACK TO THIS MODEL. IF IT WERE LOST OR STOLEN I WOULD BE BUMMED, I WOULD HAVE TO GET ANOTHER. THE NECK IS INCREDIBLE, IT FIT MY HAND LIKE A GLOVE.

As previously listed. Dead simple, dead standard.

Used at home with a Fender Sidekick bass, or gigged with Trace Elliot head and two Ashdown cabs. Big boomy bass, great for early Eagles, Beatles, classic rock. Pickup is weak and poor, Seymour Duncan do 3 alternatives which make it truly great.

Nicely set up from new. No problems with action or finish, but the glossy look might put people off. I bought it to play, not to look at.Setting up the intonation is a joke:- two strings per saddle means you have to settle for an average or get it professionally done. Apparently Hipshot do a bridge for this design of string through bass.

In the event of nuclear attack I'll lie under this thing. It's light but seems it could be used to bridge a river. Basic reverse tuners, solid neck, great. Strap buttons no prob. Pressed from tin jack socket, awful. Why????

N/A

Got this as my passive bass. It does a good job, but a bit more attention could have made it really brilliant. Music Man SUB as an active, truly brilliant at this price. Fender Sidekick 50 for practice, Trace Elliott 300W with Ashdown 2x10 and 1x15 cabs for annoying the public. Korg ToneWorks bass effects box for the odd bit of delay or overdrive.

The Sting Signature model faithfully replicates Gordon Matthew Sumner's' Fender Precision Bass, this one made back at the Fullerton factory in 1953. Features a contoured lightweight ash body, a vintage-style P-Bass single-coil pickup, a 20-fret one-piece maple neck with Sting's signature at the 12th fret and the classic Tele head, as well as an original vintage 2-saddle barrel bridge.

This '50s P-Bass offers a wide palette of sounds, although the P-Bass pickup was the single-coil model of the early '50s, not the regular split-coil humbucking pickup found on most modern basses. Precision Basses made from 1951 to 1956 had a smaller pickguard shape and a Tele-style peghead, until Fender decided to redesign the P-Bass with a modern pickguard styling, a split-coil humbucker and a Strat-style headstock in 1957, although the '50s P-Bass design was briefly revived from 1968 to 1977 as the Telecaster Bass (By 1972 a Wide-Range humbucker replaces the classic single-coil pickup, perhaps due to the enormous success that gained the humbucker-equipped Tele Thinlines, Customs and Deluxes during that particular period). The Sting P-Bass suits any kind of music style and was almost perfect for picking, popping and slap.

Although the Sting P-Bass was Japanese-made, most bassists felt that this recreation of The Police frontman axe "looked too new". After the enormous success of the American-made Custom Artist Jaco Pastorius Relic Jazz, a Sting Relic Precision can also be available, the fact that most of the Japanese-made Fenders hadn't the knocks, ding, tears and tarnishing of a battered old original, apart from few, rare exceptions.

Besides his '53 P-Bass, who had the traditional '50s styling, Sting has a variety of miscellaneous basses. One of his famous basses was undoubtedly a natural-finish P-Bass, made in 1974, who had a solid swamp ash body and a fretless maple fingerboard. Fretless all maple-neck Precisions still extremely popular during the '70s. Sting used it on various Police tracks, especially on "Roxanne" and "Message in the Bottle". He also played a fretless Ibanez Musician, a Spector NS-2, a '65 J-Bass, a '61 P-Bass and some various upright basses few months before Police split.

None.

From his tenure in the pop trio The Police, to a prolific solo career, Sting is responsible for helping bring the bass out front in contemporary music. The Sting Bass features a contoured body, one vintage single-coil pickup, and sports his signature in the block pearl inlay at the 12th fret. Though not a relic, this '50s P-Bass had however the traditional American styling and tone, although it was crafted at the Fujigen factory, near Nagoya, Japan. It's a pity that a Relic Sting P-Bass was currently unavailable, the fact that only the '59 P, '64 J and Custom Artist Jaco Pastorius models had the overall look on a battered old vintage instrument.

hecho in japan. the look has a groove.

alright. the 60 cycle hum. the signal to noise is unreal. the thing is so damn noisy i could not beleive my ears. i took it to a trusted guitar tech and he said that is is a single coil p/u made true to its 1953 spec. the noise is included. the bass notes sound great. maybe its just mine. and when i orderd it online and received it i had 2 dead notes that didnt come out with a 40$ set up. so back it goes and now ill pay taxes and buy one at a local store that everyone has handled.

action was high

noisy

i wanted this bass to be my passive bass and i really love the look and i wanted this bass to work our for me but i have to send it back. i loved the simplicity of the tone knob and volume. i'm gona try the geddy lee bass now

2002 Japan made Maple neck, one volumn and tone knobs, one single coil pickup and sunburst finish Precision Bass. The tuners are backwards. the bridge is the fender bridge from the a50s I would rather have had on from the more modern Basses. It has a String-thru body.and the tele head stock.

I play Classic Rock and this is a perfect mate for that style of music.
I play through a ampeg B5R amp A Harke 410 and 115 speakers. I also have a ampeg BA115 for practice and small joints. It has the great Fender warm sound. Would not be good for slaping. I am looking forward to recording with it.

It was ready to play the minute that I took it home. the finish was great.The only thing that I didn't like is the bridge and backward tuners.

I don't need a standby Bass when i play this one on gigs. But i alwaystake one with me. You just don't know. I switched out the strap buttons with schaller Strap locks. I do this on all my guitars.

Haven't needed to call for anything from fender on any of my gear.

I have been Playing for 35yrs. I own an Italia Bass Korean made a Fender Deluxe active 5 string Bass. a Fender Nashville Tele. A Ampeg
BA115 amp and An Ampeg B5R Head with Harke 410 and 115 Cabs. I would replace it if something happened to it. I just love the deep Fender
sound.It was exactly what I wanted. The only Draw back is the Bridge and tuners and I would really like the Pickguard to come in tortious shell. Great for the money.

one pickup, maple neck (which for no reason i love..), fake sting sign. on 12th fret, tone and volume knobs...

fanfrickentastic, i played through some crappy peavey milestone for years and i hated it but never had the extra money to get anything else, then i went to a casino and one 600 bucks i said hey the price of a fender sting precision...it's a sign...so i bought it, it's about 1000% brighter, better...great great great

love the action....but...man had a crappy jack in it, one day during practice it's laying on the floor the way they got it rigged in there sucked, the wire for my jack broke i had to solder it back, on tricky when you don't know how to solder...anyway now it hums, so i think i have more work to do and the jack won't stick in very well, it's really a crappy system they got there...it's not a jackplate screwed into the guitar say like on a gibson les paul, it's just the jack plate bolted on the jack, held in place by a piece of metal bent jammed into the wood, simple yet complicated and really ridiculous if you see it...
other than that it's good

not as much as i'd like...see above...otherwise nice

eh who cares warranty cards are for losers

love this bass, even with the problems...it's so awesome...if it gets broken, i'll bury in my back yard...no i won't...but i'll be a little sad til i got something else...anyway, that's my story and i'm sticking to it...in the mean time got any ideas on how to fix my jack problems feel free to send me a suggestion...

you must know what it is if you are looking here!
very basic and simple gets the job done!

Very boomy, lots of low end thud. it only does one thing but does it real well!

great right out of the box!

I love the thick chunky maple neck, i have big hands so i'm cool with it

never had to deal w/ them.

i own a 71 p-bass nad a 90's jap jazz and this bass is going to blend in fine with my collection. For what i paid this bass is definately worth it.

what features,simple this is a bass.no gimmicks,just play and go!!!

I play for manny years bass.and this is the sound i am looking for
there is for me only one bass sound,and that is comming from this bass

i have to adjust the neck a bit,and the hight of the strings,i wanted to adjust the pickup a bit lower but that was not possible
the finnish is great,only the pickguard is a bit loose on the bottom end,that is because the thumbrest is not installed(to less screws on the pickguard) so i put one on myself)

baseball bat!!it will last forever!!! i don' need a backup

what???

i play for more than 20 years.i had several fenders (all precision's)
and a rickenbacker 4003,but this is the bass for me

Features? This Tele type bass is as simple as can be. Four strings thru body, simplistic 2-part bridge, a very lo end pickup and very nice assembling. The finish is as good as the american Fender custum shop work. IMO Fender Japan did a great job.

I was looking for that heavy bottom bass sound as heard in many many reggae and dub records, well, here it is!
But be aware that this Sting bass is not the perfect instrument for fast soloing and extensive slap and pop funk style, but you did expect that, did'nt you?

Well I had to do some extra adjustment just to fit in my personal playing style; but that was no problem at all. I put on a set of flatwound strings and the bass really boomed as I wanted it to .

Not much to say in this category. As long as you don't throw this beast out of your window it will last as long as you are able to play, i think.

Who the f.. needs customer support with such an instrument?

I simply love this Fender Tele!
Right now I am playing this bass in a Dub/Reggae project and there is no other instrument, may it be synth or bass guitar, in my really impressive collection of musical instruments that is able to produce such a great fat lo end bass sound. I have been searching for this special sound for such a long time now but no Jazz, Precision or active bass made it.