Interesting, I find the neck of my 2017 Pro I to be considerably slimmer than the neck of my 2008 Am. Std. I like them both.
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Fender Am. Prof. II Precision vs Player Precision
- Thread starter Phaidrus
- Start date
Interesting, I find the neck of my 2017 Pro I to be considerably slimmer than the neck of my 2008 Am. Std. I like them both.
If you have money, buy an American P. Otherwise, you will always want an American P.
My recent personal journey to being a Pro ii Precision owner started with playing a Sean Hurley Custom Shop Precision which was, frankly, an amazing bass. Loved it - but it wasn't my bass. I could afford it and intellectually I was tempted, but... I play basses when I go to towns with music shops just 'cause. I played a Player Precision at another shop and thought it was a great bass and I almost wanted to love it because it struck me as modern vintage (you could see the relationship between the AU$7300 Sean Hurley and the AU$1200 Player) and I think that's cool. Primarily what went against it was the deeper neck profile which made it way harder to play then my Ibanez SoundGear 5er and the Sean Hurley.
A month or so later I played the Pro ii and I preferred it to the Sean Hurley. I think I like string-through bridge systems for their resonance. The neck profile is slightly deeper than the Sean Hurley but not as much as the Player and the neck finish is beautifully comfortable, not dry and not tacky. I like the idea of internal reinforcing as our weather is wildly variable and I often play outdoors. The narrow, tall frets work for me, the rolled fretboard is beautifully executed and overall the fit and finish on this bass is amazing. I think I was lucky to get a body and neck that resonate very, very well together. I can't comment on the V Mod ii pickups as mine had been replaced with the '62 Custom Shop pickups and the pickguard with the anodised gold to give it the classic '58 look.
For me; had I not played the Pro ii, despite being a Precision lover, I would still be playing my Ibanez 5er. A month into being a Pro ii owner I love the thing even more than when I first brought it home and set it up. All that said, Fender make a lot of different Precisions all of which are a bit, but distinctly different, and there are some well within the price-range from Fender Japan that might float your boat too. I'd try as many as I could.
A month or so later I played the Pro ii and I preferred it to the Sean Hurley. I think I like string-through bridge systems for their resonance. The neck profile is slightly deeper than the Sean Hurley but not as much as the Player and the neck finish is beautifully comfortable, not dry and not tacky. I like the idea of internal reinforcing as our weather is wildly variable and I often play outdoors. The narrow, tall frets work for me, the rolled fretboard is beautifully executed and overall the fit and finish on this bass is amazing. I think I was lucky to get a body and neck that resonate very, very well together. I can't comment on the V Mod ii pickups as mine had been replaced with the '62 Custom Shop pickups and the pickguard with the anodised gold to give it the classic '58 look.
For me; had I not played the Pro ii, despite being a Precision lover, I would still be playing my Ibanez 5er. A month into being a Pro ii owner I love the thing even more than when I first brought it home and set it up. All that said, Fender make a lot of different Precisions all of which are a bit, but distinctly different, and there are some well within the price-range from Fender Japan that might float your boat too. I'd try as many as I could.
Yes. Now I will say this, I have bass with a player neck slapped on an American performer body. I have to constantly adjust the trussrod. Like every fee days. Compared to almost never on my American necks.
Player with upgrades can work well. I’d go maple as I hate PF. Have you considered the American Performer?
Fender doesn’t use consistent specs between series which really makes it hard to say. I quite like my player jaguar and AM pro Jazz. Fit and finish is marginally nicer on the am pro but my Yamaha BBp 34 blows them both out of the water.
Here is my personal opinion share.
The current Player bass QC and build quality just meet the USD299 2008 CIC Squier Classic Vibe bass . Does it worth to spend with Euro 870 ? Sharp fretboard edge and just using lot previous hardware except Alnico V pup, but dull sounding compare to Vintera 50s P pup.
For my money spend USD1099 VS 899 , i bought Vintera 50s P and never regret. She meet the Vintage period than AO 50P except the A magnet pole piece.
The current Player bass QC and build quality just meet the USD299 2008 CIC Squier Classic Vibe bass . Does it worth to spend with Euro 870 ? Sharp fretboard edge and just using lot previous hardware except Alnico V pup, but dull sounding compare to Vintera 50s P pup.
For my money spend USD1099 VS 899 , i bought Vintera 50s P and never regret. She meet the Vintage period than AO 50P except the A magnet pole piece.
Just ordered one (Player white/white maple) from Sweetwater today. Good Black Friday discounts right now. To someone who owns three Squire P's and is perfectly happy with them this should hopefully be a noticeable step up. I've only felt the need to upgrade one, a Mike Dirnt 50's style and then only the bridge. Otherwise they're good decent quality instruments.
I can see maybe a bridge somewhere down the line but otherwise what should require upgrading? IMO too many unnecessarily swap out pickups, tuners are solid enough, pots/wiring should be a step up from a Squier, what's left? Perfectly fine workman's level instrument at a working man's price.
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AmPro II. Exceptional basses. I've got AVRI, AOs, and my AmPros are right up there equal to if not better in some ways. Fit, finish, stability, all top shelf. You either like the VMod IIs or you don't. They do sound more "modern" and look a bit weird but they make a very useful noise so I've left them as is.
Congrats!
For a Player i like to get a vintage style bridge, and the "normal" vintage style P-bass knobs at a minimum. Super cheap, easy to install and aesthetically looks a lot better. Of course some new strings as well.
The Am. Pro. II surely have a far better and stable neck; then, for the lovers of dark boards, the Indian rosewood used for their fabrication is really dark.
I don’t want to comment again on the colour of the pau ferro wood Fender uses for their MIM instruments …
If you've got a Pro 1, don't waste your money on a Pro 2. Almost identical sans the 5 bolt neck and the jury is out for me on whether I prefer it or the traditional 4 bolt neck.
I had a Pro 2 and it had a great feeling neck
but I still didn't care for the pups. Critically speaking it was a top shelf bass but emotionally I preferred the Player which has more of a vintage feel.
I have a 2019 Player Precision. Here is my take: it's a good instrument but it may need some $ to make it great
The details from my experience
Great wood. Grains of different wood pieces in the body match up nicely (sunburst finish is nice). Nice satin finish on neck shows off a bit of flame in the maple. Pro ferro FB looks nice after I oiled it with F1.
Neck feels great - not too chunky in profile.
Tuners = just OK. They keep the bass in tune which what I need them to do. But they are not as smooth or precise as Hipshot. Don't feel a need to upgrade though.
Nut is nothing special (synthetic). Don't feel a need to upgrade though.
Bridge is fine. It's a vintage style bent steel. Some people upgrade these and later regret it. I don't feel a need to upgrade.
Pickups. I actually hated the stock ones. They sounded weak and very lacking in bass/fundamental. EQ wouldn't really even fix it for me. I ended up replacing with Fender USA Pure Vintage 63 and I am very happy I did. Picked up a set for under $100 (on sale straight from Fender).
Other electronics: I was told by a luthier that the pots and jacks are fine, not to worry.
Fret work: I had to take it to a luthier due to bad fret sprout - all the frets were seated well, but they had sharp edges and extended sideways beyond the wood. Probably the wood was not aged well prior to creating the neck and installing the frets (cost cutting probably). He also checked the frets and caught a couple high ones, but nothing too serious and it was not noticeable in terms of buzzing.
Bass plays really well now and I am a happy Precision owner. In the end after a little bit of upgrading and TLC, it's now pretty near flawless. I bought it used for $600, and put about $200 into it.
The details from my experience
Great wood. Grains of different wood pieces in the body match up nicely (sunburst finish is nice). Nice satin finish on neck shows off a bit of flame in the maple. Pro ferro FB looks nice after I oiled it with F1.
Neck feels great - not too chunky in profile.
Tuners = just OK. They keep the bass in tune which what I need them to do. But they are not as smooth or precise as Hipshot. Don't feel a need to upgrade though.
Nut is nothing special (synthetic). Don't feel a need to upgrade though.
Bridge is fine. It's a vintage style bent steel. Some people upgrade these and later regret it. I don't feel a need to upgrade.
Pickups. I actually hated the stock ones. They sounded weak and very lacking in bass/fundamental. EQ wouldn't really even fix it for me. I ended up replacing with Fender USA Pure Vintage 63 and I am very happy I did. Picked up a set for under $100 (on sale straight from Fender).
Other electronics: I was told by a luthier that the pots and jacks are fine, not to worry.
Fret work: I had to take it to a luthier due to bad fret sprout - all the frets were seated well, but they had sharp edges and extended sideways beyond the wood. Probably the wood was not aged well prior to creating the neck and installing the frets (cost cutting probably). He also checked the frets and caught a couple high ones, but nothing too serious and it was not noticeable in terms of buzzing.
Bass plays really well now and I am a happy Precision owner. In the end after a little bit of upgrading and TLC, it's now pretty near flawless. I bought it used for $600, and put about $200 into it.
I also prefer the traditional four bolt neck by far. That said, I discovered a new Pro 1 at a remote shop for the same price as the Pro 2 so I could opt for this one if I proceed with the investment.
My 2018 Player in sunburst MN was flawless. No sharp fret ends, no bad soldering, no bad wood job, etc. it was flawless. I love the satin finish on the back of the neck too.
It now has a black body (swapped with another Player), CS62 pickups, and a Badass II. I actually love the stock pickups in the Player tbh. Have no idea why I even swapped them out. Weird.
I am potentially thinking about considering maybe perhaps swapping the pickup for a PV63 and the bridge back to the vintage threaded saddle bridge. Badass II adds unnecessary weight to an already heavy instrument.
The Players are nothing to scoff at. They’re solid and reliable instruments.
It now has a black body (swapped with another Player), CS62 pickups, and a Badass II. I actually love the stock pickups in the Player tbh. Have no idea why I even swapped them out. Weird.
I am potentially thinking about considering maybe perhaps swapping the pickup for a PV63 and the bridge back to the vintage threaded saddle bridge. Badass II adds unnecessary weight to an already heavy instrument.
The Players are nothing to scoff at. They’re solid and reliable instruments.
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Well, fast compared to my other Pbass, a 2008 Am. Std. with a chunky neck. The Nate Pbass looks good.
