Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
British Racing Green Player Precision Bass
- Thread starter MasterBrianD
- Start date
Serek basses are probably >3 grand these days and they also come with a gigbag and it's not even a Mono. And from what I've seen here, sloppy wiring. Too bad really.
I just prefer malor, vintage tones. I don't need the extended bottom end. But then again I do have an old cheap 60s japanese base with 1⁄4 pounder in it the sounds great!
I also may very well like quarter pounders in a precision base. I just know that when I put them in my fretless jazz based 20 years ago I did not care for the tone at all.
I've had the QP in a P style bass and liked the sound at first because the previous pickups weren't all that. But after a while I didn't like the tone anymore, because I like more mids. So the switch to a EMG GZR was made, and that was much better. But again, it's a matter of personal taste. Also on the positive side, the EMG pickup is not expensive at all.
The Seymour Duncan SPB-2 and SPB-4 models also have more focus on mids compared to the QP. But cost a bit more than the EMG GZR.
I also like the SPB-1 and have it in a PJ bass combined with an SJB-2. And that works out great, as it doesn't overpower the bridge pickup. That's often an issue with PJ basses.
Last edited:
I couldn't agree more about the price! MIM Fender basses in general are way overpriced and the QC isn't the best as of late. Squiers are better basses for less money; and for $1,050, you might be able to find a nicer used MIA or MIJ Fender.
I can’t speak for every MIM bass, I’ve seen some rough ones, but the BRG that I bought was finished quite nicely, cleaned smooth fret ends, beautiful body finish, very clean and great fit in the pocket. Like all basses, Squier, MIM, US, etc. try before you buy because there is good and bad in them all.
This is not meant to be any kind of bash on Fender. Fender is my jam. However, I'm realistic with my expectations and also one that gets my hands dirty with making my instruments play and perform to my needs. I hear people complain about a $800-11100 instrument that wasn't perfect right out of the box. That's a pretty high expectation, IMO, especially when the 'gold standard' instruments (lets use the American Pro) is now $1800ish new. Also, I do give some leeway as modern building uses a lot of precision computer and machine work, so the really inexpensive stuff has never been better. It seems that the low end and entry level instruments are heads and tails better than they were 25+ years ago, the mid line instruments are marginally better, and the US stuff pretty much the same in terms of overall quality. The tweaks and corrections of the last couple decades have found the mid line imports much closer to the US instruments. The mid lines have alnico pickups, nicer hardware, 'name brand' woods...
I don't care if a Fender is MIA, MIJ, MIM, MIK, MII, MIC... They mostly need some level of deeper detail in the set up--in more extreme cases they might need a little tuning of the nut, maybe a little fret leveling, round the fingerboard edges, shim the neck... Usually, the more you pay, the less you need to bother with these next level adjustments. Obviously, a Custom Shop Fender had this done, as a $200ish setup is baked into the price. However, that Classic Vibe can most certainly use some work to be it's best, and when it's dialed in with pretty much every extra deep dive, it's a fantastic instrument. MIM falls right in the middle. I find they almost always need some fine tuning of the nut and maybe a little fret work to be spot on. MIA production line mostly just needs to be set up to the particular tastes of the player, maybe a little fine nut tuning.
I don't care if a Fender is MIA, MIJ, MIM, MIK, MII, MIC... They mostly need some level of deeper detail in the set up--in more extreme cases they might need a little tuning of the nut, maybe a little fret leveling, round the fingerboard edges, shim the neck... Usually, the more you pay, the less you need to bother with these next level adjustments. Obviously, a Custom Shop Fender had this done, as a $200ish setup is baked into the price. However, that Classic Vibe can most certainly use some work to be it's best, and when it's dialed in with pretty much every extra deep dive, it's a fantastic instrument. MIM falls right in the middle. I find they almost always need some fine tuning of the nut and maybe a little fret work to be spot on. MIA production line mostly just needs to be set up to the particular tastes of the player, maybe a little fine nut tuning.
This is a pretty good analysis, but I don't agree about the MIM basses! I have been playing bass for 14 years and the Squiers are much better now than they used to be. The MIM basses were better then, but I still think that their middling at best QC is not worth around $1,000. The MIA basses are still of comparable or better quality than they were when I first started out.
One thing Gibson and Epiphone got right was not having a plant in Mexico. Their instruments are either American made (Gibson) or made overseas in Asia (Epiphone). I'm not talking about their QC here, but I'm talking about how they streamlined their operational facilities (guitar factories) and product lines.
I might get some hate for this, but I think Fender should stop making MIM instruments and focus more on their MIA and Squier instruments. Squiers are climbing up in price to where MIM Fenders used to be and their quality is amazing for the $500-ish price point. They're also doing a fantastic job with their MIA basses as they always have.
I agree with all this. My only concern is the rolling of the fretboard edge. If it's rosewood, it's non-issue since it can just be oiled. However, rolling the edges on a maple fretboard neck will remove the finish. Not sure exactly how to deal with refinishing those edges and having the entire thing match.
I really want to order one... even though the price is a little excessive for an MIM. I've been torn between this BRG, or building a partscaster P-Bass with a Warmoth body in either shell pink or sonic blue, with a gold pickguard, a player plus maple neck, a Quarter Pounder and premium wiring and electronics. The partscaster would cost more to build though... but not by much.
The funny thing about Squier is that when they first hit the market in 1982, they were MIJ and many felt they were better quality than the MIA of the time. I remember they were about $230 when an equivalent MIA Fender was about $575. These MIJ Squiers are, IMO, the best Squiers ever made. The VM and CV Squiers (especially from 2011-2015) are a close 2nd, IMO. Can you imagine the backlash with a similar price ratio today as is was in 1982? $1800 MIA, $725 Squiers?
The "Standards" were MIJ when the American Standards debuted in 1986. These were also high quality builds, but suffered from sub par electronics. Easy enough to remedy that. They were also not much less $$ from the MIA, something like $450 vs $650 for MIA. Again, they weren't necessarily viewed as being overpriced. Today, that's like a $1250 Standard compared to a $1800 MIA. Hmm... Seeing a trend here.
1990ish, Fender opened the Mexico plant, as many US manufacturers were doing in the late 80s/early 90s. Now the Standard was a $300 MIM (and not that great, really) and an American Standard was $700. That's roughly a $750 MIM vs $1800 MIA today. Hmm...
Just a little thought about the history of pricing vs country of origin...
The "Standards" were MIJ when the American Standards debuted in 1986. These were also high quality builds, but suffered from sub par electronics. Easy enough to remedy that. They were also not much less $$ from the MIA, something like $450 vs $650 for MIA. Again, they weren't necessarily viewed as being overpriced. Today, that's like a $1250 Standard compared to a $1800 MIA. Hmm... Seeing a trend here.
1990ish, Fender opened the Mexico plant, as many US manufacturers were doing in the late 80s/early 90s. Now the Standard was a $300 MIM (and not that great, really) and an American Standard was $700. That's roughly a $750 MIM vs $1800 MIA today. Hmm...
Just a little thought about the history of pricing vs country of origin...
