fat new american fender P with a string thru body

It makes it harder to get the strings on and in tune without getting them twisted against themselves. It also makes it a bad idea to use certain flats like La Bellas. I don't care for string through designs.

 

If Leo Fender wanted Precisions to be thru-body, they would have been thru-body fifty four years ago. At least two roundwound brands I've used end up having too much of an angle at the bridge while using thru-body, which causes the wire-round coils to get opened up a bit, which isn't good.

 

They were strung through body 54 years ago.

 

From everything I have read it seems that through-body stringing has zero benefit for tone.

From a layman understanding of physics one might guess through-body would sound noticeably different.

 

I haven't heard any differences when I tried both stringing options on my basses (possible on 3 of them). I do string them through-body when possible. I use D'Addario strings and while I think the different colored ball ends are useful it sure looks funny when visible.

 

Looks like he must have wanted it.

 

Please read the TB rules. Advertising a bass for sale without a supporting membership is prohibited. Even then you need to post it in the classified forum.

As to the string through topic: Both of my basses can top-load or string-through and I've yet to be able to tell a difference tonally.

 

There aren't any rules that say all strings must be run through the body. It's optional any particlar way. There is a flaw in the through the body system in that it appears the break angle is too severe on the E-string, maybe even the A? I've always wondered why makers don't angle the through holes a bit. A step drill could cut a counter bore for the angled anchors as needed. Basses have become standardized and maybe that's the obstacle more than whether there's a tonal difference or not? I notice a difference in the action and the low end. It's not overwhelming, just a subtle aspect. Flatwounds don't like to do everything any old way. That's true.

 

This is exactly what I was wondering. With all of the high-end equipment Fender has you would think this would be fairly easy for them to do.

With that said, I have two MIA Fenders and have tried the strings through the body and through the bridge and I can't tell any difference in tone, sustain, etc. Now both of my Fenders are strung through the bridge, at least this way if I want to use the strings on another bass I can without having a heavy bend in the strings.