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Fender American Professional Series

I've had my P5 pro for about four months now and a few gigs under my belt.
I will say the Vmods are the least mid/ganky P PU's I've ever heard/used. I find the tone is good but very neutral.
There are times when a ganky P isn't wanted; a few weeks ago, I was asked to sit in on a P& W service and play six songs cold. I found the tone to be perfect in this setting. The neutrality of this P may make it a one stop bass for all music.
My only complaint is why fender also made them very quiet; you have to turn the amp up when using this bass.
 
I've had my P5 pro for about four months now and a few gigs under my belt.
I will say the Vmods are the least mid/ganky P PU's I've ever heard/used. I find the tone is good but very neutral.
There are times when a ganky P isn't wanted; a few weeks ago, I was asked to sit in on a P& W service and play six songs cold. I found the tone to be perfect in this setting. The neutrality of this P may make it a one stop bass for all music.
My only complaint is why fender also made them very quiet; you have to turn the amp up when using this bass.
Same impressions... that's why I like the V-mod a lot ... perfect for recording purposes .... in general not very different from the Pure Vintage 63 but even softer and clearer
 
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I've had my P5 pro for about four months now and a few gigs under my belt.
I will say the Vmods are the least mid/ganky P PU's I've ever heard/used. I find the tone is good but very neutral.
There are times when a ganky P isn't wanted; a few weeks ago, I was asked to sit in on a P& W service and play six songs cold. I found the tone to be perfect in this setting. The neutrality of this P may make it a one stop bass for all music.
My only complaint is why fender also made them very quiet; you have to turn the amp up when using this bass.
Sounds like it's a good pickup though. Normally I don't like pickups with low output, but I really like the sound of that one. I'm looking into getting a Precision V and leaving the stock pickup in but using a preamp to boost the signal to the amp.
 
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Yes!
Clarity is what I'm looking for. It's just for playing along with my wife who will be playing an acoustic guitar and singing.

I learned my lesson with the Seymour Duncan Quarter Pounds that I had in two American (Standard and Special) Fender Ps. I really liked the high output and the bass that the QPs provided, but I l was surprised to learn that there is such a thing as too much output and too much bass. Since clean is the goal, I'm thinking the V Mods sound perfect.

I'm looking into using the MXR M81 as a preamp/tone shaper/DI since it gets great reviews for being clean and transparent. That way, I can adjust the volume and EQ the sound as needed to prevent the situation I had with the QPs of too much volume and too much bass. I can also keep the bass stock if I go that route.
 
I played a Fender Professional Precision today at Sam Ash and it is a really good Precision bass. The tone and feel are similar to my 63 AVRI. The neck feels very smooth. I am quite impressed with this bass. I have two AVRIs that I love or I would get one. I think it is a big improvement from the American Standard.
 
I recently bought the Am Pro J. Love it. Neck is ultra comfortable, straight as an arrow. Now, I'm in the market for a new P. Played the new Pro P at GC, and the neck was so horribly bowed, it was actually totally unplayable; I couldn't even get an idea of the neck proportions. Seriously, it made me wonder if there is actually graphite in there. Amazingly, no other dealers in town have one at the moment. I own a 63 AVRI P, and the 1.75" neck is a bit wide for me for extended gigs/practices so I am hoping the Pro series P basses have a less chunky neck like the previous Am Standards. Can any Pro P owners comment further on the stability of the neck, and shape compared to the previous Standards? I am seriously contemplating getting an MIM and just modding it, since the neck is a comfy 1.62" wide and perhaps not as chunky?
 
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Got this from Sweetwater last week. 8lbs 10oz, very playable, pickups sound warm and punchy to me, with just a little growl.. Love it!
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Yes!
Clarity is what I'm looking for.
Since clean is the goal, I'm thinking the V Mods sound perfect.
Q: What has two thumbs and never has to buy another bass again?
A: This guy!!!

Just to report back: that pickup is perfect for my purposes. SO clean. Even the B string through my little Roland Micro Bass sounds as clean and clear as I’d hoped. I will definitely not be changing the pickup. It’s one of my MANY favorite things about this bass. Now I just need the M-81...
 
Update on my experience with the natural Fender American Professional Jazz V pictured above...

With DR High Beams the E and B were a little floppy sounding. I put some regular Slinky’s on and it was a noticeable improvement but the B string just sounded knobby and didn’t blend too well with the other strings. Also the specs say 9.5 radius but I swear it feels rounder at the edge of the G string side of the neck making it a bit of a struggle to play. I have owned about 5 or 6 pre 2008 USA Jazz V’s and this neck just feels different as did the other post 2008 JV I owned. Rounder on the fretboard side of the neck.

The fit and finish were A+, but with the knobby B string and tedious playability I really felt like a MIM would have been a better buy.
 
View attachment 2934132
Q: What has two thumbs and never has to buy another bass again?
A: This guy!!!

Just to report back: that pickup is perfect for my purposes. SO clean. Even the B string through my little Roland Micro Bass sounds as clean and clear as I’d hoped. I will definitely not be changing the pickup. It’s one of my MANY favorite things about this bass. Now I just need the M-81...
Cool - Todd Packer is a TB’r.
 
View attachment 2934132
Q: What has two thumbs and never has to buy another bass again?
A: This guy!!!

Just to report back: that pickup is perfect for my purposes. SO clean. Even the B string through my little Roland Micro Bass sounds as clean and clear as I’d hoped. I will definitely not be changing the pickup. It’s one of my MANY favorite things about this bass. Now I just need the M-81...
Cool - Todd Packer is a TB’r.