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comparing three fender precisions...

joebar

joebar

Jan 10, 2010
5,193
4,051
#1
I own a 2012 American standard P bass with TI flats. my desert island bass.

ran into a nice 63AVRI P bass locally and have went and played it a few times seriously thinking about acquiring it. I was digging the thicker neck and vintage frets a lot. sounded good too; different than my standard.

at the store today, they also had a new American standard and a new professional series P bass along with the AVRI.
I played all three and surprisingly, the standard was better to my ears; it had the right gankiness that I love and was more classic P than the other two- at least to my taste

I was hoping the professional would be better but it seemed slightly more modern in tone. neckwise, I could feel no difference although they said there was one.

nice to know that the bass I have at home is the same as the one I played in the store.

I kinda lost my fervor for the AVRI after that which is good lol.

but they are blowing these standard P's out cheap though...

moral to the story is that not all P's are alike and have a fair amount of variation.
 
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#4
I have 3 Precisions - a Mystic Red Am. Std., a white/West Ham MIM Steve Harris, and a 2-color Sunburst MIM Classic 50s P.
They are very different animals.
The American Standard prefers rounds, the Steve Harris likes rounds and flats, while the Classic 50s prefers flats.
The factory setups were very good on the American & Classic Ps, while the Steve Harris required a neck shim & full set of adjustments, and still does not play as well as the other two.
The American plays the best, but the Classic 50s just has that "something special"...

Yes, there is a large amount of variation among Precision Basses.
 
#5
i wanted the 63 avri or possibly the 51 inspired 60th anniversary p, however i got a great deal on a 94 LB100 to go with my 83L2k and 2011 sb-2
i've played some really nice american standards, but i've never been able to get a break on one price wise
 
#9
I have various opinions about the various lines of Fender's basses.

Custom Shops: Meh. Don't got the money so it didn't blow me away.

AVRIs: I don't see what's the point of them except for just reissuing past models such as the '58 and the '63.

American Standards: Very great basses and sounds great...each one I ever played had that bite to it thanks to the Custom Shop 62, but I don't play in a band or often enough to justify buying a $1000 instrument just for "bedroom playing."

Roadworns and Classic 50s: My small hands cannot get used to the 1.75" nut widths. They look fantastic and if you want them to look like vintage basses, these are the ones you can use without going into debt.

Mexican Standards: NOW THESE...I TRULY LOVE. The Mexican basses have upped their quality since 2008 and I am in love with the new maple P necks by Fender. I hated the heel truss rod access on other basses so the fact that the MIM ones are headstock access is a huge gamechanger. The new necks have a light satin finish on the back which, for me, is light years better than heavy gloss necks. I can't say enough about the MIMs. My heart is with the MIMs. Super affordable, easy to replace parts, and they sound almost aa great as the upper class ones if you play it stock. My MIM has a '63 pickup which beats the bejesus out of any Am.Std or AVRI I've ever played.
 
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#12
I own a '15 Am. Std. and a '13 MIM - both Precisions, both with TI flats, and of course, both with Tortloaf.

The MIM is a very great improvement over the '95 MIM Jazz and '04 MIM P that I have had in construction and sound and feel. HOWEVER, to my ears, its stock pickup, though very loud and aggressive, sounded brittle and over hyped in the treble region - to me, a cheap sound. I had a Nordy NP4 I put in - I still prefer the CS pup, but I can enjoy the MIM now.

As to feel, they supposedly have the same neck profile (my P's), but the MIM feels thinner and IS more susceptible to movement and still likes to be loved on to keep the relief where I like it, even with the TI's tension.

The U.S. feels better in the neck, and though for me movement of the neck happens with it as well, it is far less often and the neck feels much more substantial. I love the CS pup, too.

Is all of this because I paid more by $700 for the US P so I can't see its flaws? Naturally, I hope not. But I will admit that they are more similar than not when compared to previous models. However, my bond with my Am. Std. is far stronger based on sound, and then feel.
 
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#15
I have a '13 Am Std with rosewood and Labella Flats, and a '16 Am Std with maple and Dunlop Super Brights.

The '13 is 9lbs, the '16 is 8.7lbs.

The '13 is my Motown machine, and the '16 is downright grindy when digging in. Set-ups intentionally differ in terms of action, with the '16 set lower for more buzz. Distance strings to pickups are identical. Necks feel identical.

I really appreciate the versatility while still being ever-present in our band mix.

I think the wide range in sounds is more related to how I've got them set up/ strung than anything else.
 
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