I presently have a Player (MIM) P bass and it is a good bass but I am thinking about an upgrade. I have heard nothing but good things about The American Professional II P bass but is it really worth the nearly $1,900 price tag?
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Fender American Professional II P bass
- Thread starter John Beishline
- Start date
If...
... you can spare the cash,
... we're talking about new,
... the bass lives up to your personal, most strict, quality control, and
... you're absolutely in love with the sound (obviously) and also the looks (long-term!).
I personally love my AmPro I (which I bought 2nd hand, in mint condition, which helps the appreciation). I have a few 'affordable' P's, but none of them comes close to the I (one exception being my G&L SB-1 (US made, lightweight 40th anniversary edition, but that one is also not in the Squier league, obviously)).
... you can spare the cash,
... we're talking about new,
... the bass lives up to your personal, most strict, quality control, and
... you're absolutely in love with the sound (obviously) and also the looks (long-term!).
I personally love my AmPro I (which I bought 2nd hand, in mint condition, which helps the appreciation). I have a few 'affordable' P's, but none of them comes close to the I (one exception being my G&L SB-1 (US made, lightweight 40th anniversary edition, but that one is also not in the Squier league, obviously)).
I love my Am Pro II. To me it’s a pretty significant upgrade from a MIM. Is it worth the cost? Truly none of this stuff is worth the cost. Buy used if you find one. Buy new if you want. I don’t think you will regret it.
It appears that they're selling for $200 off MAP everywhere online now...must mean a new model is around the corner.
I don' t understand this "upgrade" mentality.
There is no functional difference between a Player and AMP II. They're both passive. There isn't a single note you can only play on the more expensive model. You could easily upgrade the bridge, pickup and tuners for less money than buying an AMP.
Save your money. Focus on musicianship rather than gear.
$ 1 900.00 if you intend to use it for a period of 19 years is really not that bad.
They are built to last a lifetime, playability is very good as well as resale value.
You should try a few ones and see if you bond with it and want to play more and more music, this is the best indicator.
That said though, my all time favorite p bass is my Frankenstein made of a Fender MIM maple neck, Squier alder body and Fender pure vintage 63 pickups that costed me $ 600.00 CDN !
They are built to last a lifetime, playability is very good as well as resale value.
You should try a few ones and see if you bond with it and want to play more and more music, this is the best indicator.
That said though, my all time favorite p bass is my Frankenstein made of a Fender MIM maple neck, Squier alder body and Fender pure vintage 63 pickups that costed me $ 600.00 CDN !
D
I turned my MIM into a custom. I like the sound, so stock pickups. I went to a U.S. Wiring Harness, v/t/b. The Tone control is nice, very easy to change on the fly, and it seems more " powerful". All Black hardware. Why doesnt Fender offer this? I saved a lot of money. To the point where I worry if I bought a MIA I would feel like I didn't get my moneys worth.
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Love mine! Tried lots of strings and selected TI Jazz Rounds. GREAT tone and even BETTER feel. Eventually I replaced the stock pickups with noiseless Lindy Fralin stock wounds. The stock pickups would have been fine but I got particular with my "last bass." P.S. check out pre-owned options. That's the way I went and saved some $$$ too!
Buy used and the price tag won't be so unpleasant. Personally, I can see why you'd want to upgrade. The Pro IIs are great basses. And they're $200 off new right now.
The thing for me about basses is the necks. If a neck feels great in my left hand, the bass will surprise and inspire me everytime I play it. Every American Standard/Pro/Pro II P bass I’ve owned, and there have been a few, has given me this experience. For me, the necks just fit perfectly in my hand, which also reduces hand fatigue over a four hour gig.
The Pro II in particular though is actually a step beyond. The tall narrow frets, introduced with the Pro, feel like the bass almost plays itself. Like the Pro, the Pro II also has the 63 C neck profile, but it’s also got more rounded fretboard edges and a very nice new satin finish in the back of the neck.
To me, they’re worth it for the necks alone, but they also have several other nice features that add cost and I don’t care *that* much about. Having said that, I’ve only bought used ones, other than a 2008 which was stolen. Every used MIA Fender I’ve bought is now selling for more and in some cases a lot more than I paid for it on the used market. Speaking of cases, they come with cases.
In contrast, the pre-Player II MIM necks have that sharp edge which I can never feel comfortable with. I haven’t played a Player II, but I understand they now have rounded fretboard edges.
The Pro II in particular though is actually a step beyond. The tall narrow frets, introduced with the Pro, feel like the bass almost plays itself. Like the Pro, the Pro II also has the 63 C neck profile, but it’s also got more rounded fretboard edges and a very nice new satin finish in the back of the neck.
To me, they’re worth it for the necks alone, but they also have several other nice features that add cost and I don’t care *that* much about. Having said that, I’ve only bought used ones, other than a 2008 which was stolen. Every used MIA Fender I’ve bought is now selling for more and in some cases a lot more than I paid for it on the used market. Speaking of cases, they come with cases.
In contrast, the pre-Player II MIM necks have that sharp edge which I can never feel comfortable with. I haven’t played a Player II, but I understand they now have rounded fretboard edges.
I've owned a few MIM Player Precisions. Very good basses, but I always modded them. And had recently been playing Laklands. It's been years since I picked up a good Precision bass. I was in GC and picked up a brand new Am Pro II, plugged her in, and man, it was the sound and feel of the perfect bass for me. Rather than buy that new one, I searched Used on the GC site and found one that was like new, for $600 less, and came with all the original paperwork and case candy. Every time I pick it up, it just feels right to me.
I had always questioned whether the price was worth it, but for me, at this time, yes it was.
I had always questioned whether the price was worth it, but for me, at this time, yes it was.
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The American Pro II stuff is great. I have an American Pro II Jazz and American Pro I precision. Bought both used and am very happy with them…. A lot less than $1900.
I will say that with a lot of used stuff people don’t know what they are doing. The set-up on my precision was particularly horrible. Truss rod adjustments, saddle height, intonation, pickup height, and she’s a lean mean machine now. Even if you can’t do that stuff well yourself, you can probably pay someone good and still save a ton off buying new. I think the jazz was like $1350 in a Sam ash after haggling. The precision was like $1100 on reverb… Did both this year.
Best of luck!
I will say that with a lot of used stuff people don’t know what they are doing. The set-up on my precision was particularly horrible. Truss rod adjustments, saddle height, intonation, pickup height, and she’s a lean mean machine now. Even if you can’t do that stuff well yourself, you can probably pay someone good and still save a ton off buying new. I think the jazz was like $1350 in a Sam ash after haggling. The precision was like $1100 on reverb… Did both this year.
Best of luck!
I don't have experience with your series of bass, but I had a MIM JB and I now have a AM Pro JB. Yes the AM Pro is a better sounding bass with much better components and finishes. That said, if you are playing it, you aren't looking at it. So when the notes start flying and you are focused on the music at hand, pretty much they both do the job and do it well.
What I would do before spending a lot of money on a new bass, I would take a good look at your amp and cab situation first. Even a new set of strings will work wonders.
You’re not looking at it, no, but your hand and your body are interacting with it, for hours. That’s why necks and frets are important to me.
And yeah, looks matter a lot too, we’re playing live in front of audiences and we all want to look our version of badass, but no shade on the MIM colour options, they look fine.
My American Pro II P V (five strings, maple) is a magnificent beast, which gets playtime in my highest paying gigs. Very comfortable to play and I like its string-to-string balance. Can jump anywhere on the neck without worries. Sounds great through the obvious Ampeg preamp. Highly recommended.
I hear ya , but my MIM JB was one the best playing bass I've ever owned. It was light, a very playable neck, and neck sprouts were not problem because it was usually in a climate controlled environment. The finish on the other hand, lets just say it became relic'd about 2 decades before that became fashionable. LOL!!
Seriously, if I hadn't bought it for my son to learn on, then 5 years after I got it back, he decided he wanted it back for his gig as a bassist in the Marine Corps.21 year later it's still his favorite bass to play. And with his career in the Marines, , he was able to chose to play just about any production bass made. At tax payer expense, I might add.
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