American Professional P vs Vintera 50s P

[bassbourne]

Hate to break it to you.. but the 50s Classic line (one of which I own) and likewise the Vintera line, they may be less expensive, but they're not cheaper. heh...I know I'm not making the decision any easier.

The American Professional line are really nice basses. The Vintera line are really nice basses. I went for the 50s Classic for exactly the same reasons as you're looking at a Vintera, and the only disappointment I have is the honey blonde finish is SO durable that it'll look pristine no matter how many hours I put on it. It absolutely bleeds class and I want to wear a suit whenever I pick it up to play. Also it's got a huge and woody tone and loves flats and rounds and likely everything in between.

Admittedly, I've got a total of maybe one hour play time on any MIA P basses, and hundreds of hours on the 50s, so my point of comparison's a bit skewed. But I don't look at any other contemporary* P and lust after it for its build or sound.


(*contemporary vs the 1960 pre-CBS Precision I somehow scored by a miracle a couple years ago. That doesn't count even though it does slay haha. That said, the 50s sits on my shoulder longer w/o discomfort than the 1960 and that is important)

Thanks for the comment!

Yeah, you've definitely made my decision a little harder haha. Was leaning towards the Pro, but now you've got me wondering if it's worth it again. I reckon it probably isn't, in the sense that either bass is enough P to last a lifetime, but I reckon I'm more likely to wish I had an Am Pro down the line than the other way around. It's a toughie though. That blonde Vintera is a classy piece of kit indeed. Can imagine (about the finish). Would love if it had a nitro finish.

How are the necks on these Classic 50s/Vintera 50s basses? Is it true that they rarely (if ever) move because of how chunky they are?

 

[jd56hawk]

Unfortunately I can't try the basses where I am, but I've looked up a lot of videos and reviews of each and both sound great to me. I'm sure I'd be happy with either one, but I'm leaning towards the Pro for the same reason you state (that I'll be less tempted to upgrade later). I guess I'm just trying to convince myself I don't need to spend the extra haha. But yeah, I don't want to end up selling anything down the line when I'm longing for something "better"

In that case...

 

[garp]

That blonde Vintera is a classy piece of kit indeed. Can imagine (about the finish). Would love if it had a nitro finish.

Before it was discontinued, the '50s Classic was offered in nitro, but only in limited colors. It will be interesting to see if the Vintera line gets enhanced with a nitro option at some point.

How are the necks on these Classic 50s/Vintera 50s basses? Is it true that they rarely (if ever) move because of how chunky they are?

I'm not sure that the stability can be attributed solely to the chunky factor, but all of my MIMs seem less finicky than my USA Fenders in that regard. The only times I've done neck adjustments on my '50s Classic P have been during string changes – mine wears Fender 9050ML flats.

 

[vaesto]

How are the necks on these Classic 50s/Vintera 50s basses? Is it true that they rarely (if ever) move because of how chunky they are?

I'll put a spoon of tar into honey pot: I have a MIM Classic 50s and I wouldn't say it has more stable neck than others, I still need a seasonal adjustment of the TR (and this is a pain because you need to detach the neck every time and do guess-how-much adjustments). And by the way - I had to return the first copy just because the neck had bowed unserviceable in a few first days The second copy is much better, but the bug of checking neck relief/kink/ski-jump sits in me now

And I don't feel it as being "chunky" - it is definitely wider, but due to the rounder radius 7.25 - it doesn't feel like a baseball bat at all.

Other than that: I've compared older American Standard series p-bass vs. Classic 50s in the store. And I didn't find a thing why should AM cost twice as 50s does. Sure, it is better here and there: fancier technology, different hardware, electronics. But 50s has the same or even better feeling on hands, same soft-roundness of the fretboard edge and fret ends, the finish is as good. Craftsmanship - the same league to me. Maybe better setup out-of-box, but I do setups by my own. The sound? It is subjective - besides, I had a spare EMG GZR-P But even on stock PU it has pretty decent p-bass sound. Ough yeee, you've got Fender hard case with Am model

As of now I'd take the Blonde Vintera 50s (semi-transparent finish on ash body!!!) from a shop with a return policy and if I had something bad about it - I'd return for the Am Pro.

 

[bassbourne]

So, the bass has arrived...

I went with the Vintera. Well...I went with the Am Pro first (found a good deal on Reverb), but I just wasn't bonding with it, so I decided to sell it and bought the Vintera instead. There was nothing wrong with the Am Pro (other than a little truss rod nut wear and dirty frets), obviously a really solid bass, just I kinda missed that vintage chunky P feel and woody sound. Just feels right to me.

Only flaw I can find is the little gap in the neck pocket on the left side (see last photo). I'm assuming (and hoping) this isn't an issue as I absolutely love everything else about the bass (prefect set-up, beautiful wood grain, super lightweight, tight fit and finish etc etc) and wouldn't want to risk swapping it for another in case I get one with other bigger issues.

I'd recommend this bass to anyone looking for a P bass. The neck actually feels really comfortable to me (coming from a jazz bass player). Also apparently Fender aren't going to be using ash in their production lines anymore (they're already removed this model from their own site), so the ash body is a nice bonus.

Haven't removed the stickers and tags yet as my wife has ordered me to give it a proper test run tonight to make sure it's the one, but I have no doubt.

Very happy with it!

 

[Slaphound]

Beautiful bass. Its a great precision bass. I've got the classic series 50s Precision in the same color. I bought it in 2017. Not as much grain showing on my bass as yours.

 

[bassbourne]

Beautiful bass. Its a great precision bass. I've got the classic series 50s Precision in the same color. I bought it in 2017. Not as much grain showing on my bass as yours.

Thanks! It's a great bass indeed.

I'm guessing that's yours in your photo. Very nice.

 

[Slaphound]

Thanks! It's a great bass indeed.

I'm guessing that's yours in your photo. Very nice.

Yep.

 

[Dara O CARROLL]

I'm seriously considering a Vintera P, I have been hankering after a P bass for a long time. My only bass is a 2008 CIJ Geddy Lee Jazz which I've played exclusively since I got it new as a birthday present. Bearing in mind that the neck on the Geddy is very slim, I'm worried that a big slab of a P-bass neck will feel really weird and I intend to keep playing both so if I adjust to it, will the Jazz then feel strange?

At the moment I can't test drive anything so I'm thinking I should probably wait until the music shops are open again, but now that I pretty much have the money set aside I really want to get one in my hands...

Advice appreciated!

 

[garp]

I'm seriously considering a Vintera P, I have been hankering after a P bass for a long time. My only bass is a 2008 CIJ Geddy Lee Jazz which I've played exclusively since I got it new as a birthday present. Bearing in mind that the neck on the Geddy is very slim, I'm worried that a big slab of a P-bass neck will feel really weird and I intend to keep playing both so if I adjust to it, will the Jazz then feel strange?

At the moment I can't test drive anything so I'm thinking I should probably wait until the music shops are open again, but now that I pretty much have the money set aside I really want to get one in my hands...

Unless you want to embark upon a potentially expensive experiment, then yes, you should probably wait.

Going from a Geddy Jazz to a Vintera Precision is probably the biggest leap that one can possibly make with regard to neck dimensions while remaining within Fender's 4-string offerings. But as a long-time Jazz player, one of the primary reasons why I specifically chose my '50s Classic Precision (the precursor to the Vintera P) was because of that leap. I wanted a Precision that felt very different – moreso than the MIM Standard Precision offered at the time (pre-Player Series era). But I also had the opportunity to play the instrument before I purchased it, and that was an important step in the process.

These days, I go back and forth between that Precision and my Jazzes frequently, but yeah, it's strange – in a good way.

 

[Slaphound]

I'm seriously considering a Vintera P, I have been hankering after a P bass for a long time. My only bass is a 2008 CIJ Geddy Lee Jazz which I've played exclusively since I got it new as a birthday present. Bearing in mind that the neck on the Geddy is very slim, I'm worried that a big slab of a P-bass neck will feel really weird and I intend to keep playing both so if I adjust to it, will the Jazz then feel strange?

At the moment I can't test drive anything so I'm thinking I should probably wait until the music shops are open again, but now that I pretty much have the money set aside I really want to get one in my hands...

Advice appreciated!

I bought the Classic P bass without trying it. I too, wanted that big neck really just to see if its that big and would it be a big deal. I have/had 3 other basses that had slim, 1.5 inch at the nut jazz necks It was big and it is still big. I still have it. The neck, at first was uncomfortable but I quickly overcame the size, I guess just because its not 'impossible'. At first the bottom edge of the neck felt sharp against my fretting hand. That feeling went away after a while. For me, If I play my P bass mostly, then the skinny necks feel weird for a little while. Same goes for the other way. If I play my skinny necks mostly and then the P, it feels weird. But both ways is just a temporary feeling. I will say this though. I just recently purchased a Vintera Jazz bass and I thought that felt super fast and easy to play for weeks. Now it just feels regular. In the end, I can go back and forth and it doesn't bother me at all.

 

[96tbird]

I too have a classic 50s. The neck is huge but oh so smooth. It’s my favourite neck of my collection and I have a 1961 slab Jazz with a toothpick neck. Flipping between them gives me no problems but I find the Jazz takes more attention in the low register because it’s narrow for my club fingers.

The big P stick feels like a .50 cal in my hands and just kills in the mix. The delicate Jazz doesn’t have the ooomph the P does. No worries on my end about longevity of the P. It’s a rock.

so the upshot not that it matters to you, is that I’m sure you will be pleased with the Vintera and will keep it forever. It was what I would vote for if I wasn’t late to this thread. Congratulations on the bass, you’ll never regret it and you will likely not feel it needs an upgrade. You may buy another Model P someday, but these lack nothing.

 

[Dara O CARROLL]

Yeah, I think I'll hold out until I get to try a few Ps out in person. I will report back when I make my purchase!

 

[bassbourne]

I ended up keeping the Am Pro P as well as after a month I still had no buyer and started getting cold feet. Glad I did as I've started to love the Pro and the Vintera equally for different reasons. Both lifetime basses I intend to keep forever.

Although the Pro's neck is definitely smaller and flatter, it barely takes any time to adjust when switching between the two. Sometimes I don't notice the difference at all. I was expecting it to bother me more.

My last bass was a Player Jazz bass and as others have mentioned above, switching from a J to a P or the other way around feels a bit odd for a second, but it didn't last long or bother me. It was just different. And I guess the more you do it, the more you'll get used to it.

I think it's worth having a slim J and a nice fat P as the difference in neck size (and sound of course) does influence you to play a little differently, so you may find you come up with lines on one bass that you wouldn't have come up with on the other. It keeps your playing fresh as well. At least that's what I find.

Anyway, would highly recommend the Vintera if you want a P with that classic sound and feel.

Good idea to try a few out first though. Just wanted to give my two cents.