Fender American Professional Series

[Deleted member 271037]

The other day, I tested this out because it sounded like the EA side was running out of room. At soft to medium plucking, the volume is balanced, but when I dig in, the DG pickup gets louder whereas the EA hits a wall. I just put a Model P in mine.

Yeah, the V-Mod is best for soft playing and is at it's best when the bass is given some space in the mix IMO. For quiet songs with sparse arrangements it can sound gorgeous. It has this beautiful clarity even when the tone control is pulled back for a bit of fatness. But it doesn't cut it in dense mixes or aggressive music for me. The V-Mod can be absolutely wonderful for quiet stuff but as the stock pickup in a $1500 Fender Precision it's still a complete failure IMO. A P-bass is supposed to be THE ultimate allrounder that works for everything. The American Professional P-bass just isn't. At least not for me.

There's also the low output which I normally don't see as a problem. But the output from the V-Mod when using pure nickel strings is simply too weak for me. The best sound I got from my AmPro P-bass was with TI Superalloys but those terrible fluted tuning posts kept breaking the G-string so I had to stop using them.

Of course it's an easy job to replace the pickup with something else and say the AmPro Precision is a great bass but:

1) It won't really be an American Professional anymore.

and

2) Having to pay extra for a new pickup to make a bass work is something I would accept in a $200 Squier, not a $1500 Fender USA.

I'm keeping my AmPro stock because I love how it sounds for some stuff when recording. But I own many other P-basses. I would definitely not want the AmPro as my only P-bass. It strays just a tad too far from the sound that makes a P-bass WORK. A passive Fender USA Precision shouldn't be a niche instrument.

Just my humble opinion of course.

I love the neck profile by the way, one of the nicest P-bass profiles I've ever played. But it doesn't save this model from being somewhat of a failure in my book (but of course my opinion is colored by the fact that the one I got was a complete mess that should never have left the factory...).

 

[Gianni "Orlandez" Orlati]

Yeah, the V-Mod is best for soft playing and is at it's best when the bass is given some space in the mix IMO. For quiet songs with sparse arrangements it can sound gorgeous. It has this beautiful clarity even when the tone control is pulled back for a bit of fatness. But it doesn't cut it in dense mixes or aggressive music for me. The V-Mod can be absolutely wonderful for quiet stuff but as the stock pickup in a $1500 Fender Precision it's still a complete failure IMO. A P-bass is supposed to be THE ultimate allrounder that works for everything. The American Professional P-bass just isn't. At least not for me.

There's also the low output which I normally don't see as a problem. But the output from the V-Mod when using pure nickel strings is simply too weak for me. The best sound I got from my AmPro P-bass was with TI Superalloys but those terrible fluted tuning posts kept breaking the G-string so I had to stop using them.

Of course it's an easy job to replace the pickup with something else and say the AmPro Precision is a great bass but:

1) It won't really be an American Professional anymore.

and

2) Having to pay extra for a new pickup to make a bass work is something I would accept in a $200 Squier, not a $1500 Fender USA.

I'm keeping my AmPro stock because I love how it sounds for some stuff when recording. But I own many other P-basses. I would definitely not want the AmPro as my only P-bass. It strays just a tad too far from the sound that makes a P-bass WORK. A passive Fender USA Precision shouldn't be a niche instrument.

Just my humble opinion of course.

I love the neck profile by the way, one of the nicest P-bass profiles I've ever played. But it doesn't save this model from being somewhat of a failure in my book (but of course my opinion is colored by the fact that the one I got was a complete mess that should never have left the factory...).

I do agree .. V-mods are clear sounding pickups but they lack output and a certain bite that’s often necessary .. surely they aren’t vintage sounding pickups ..

 

[PotsdamBass8]

Yeah, the V-Mod is best for soft playing and is at it's best when the bass is given some space in the mix IMO. For quiet songs with sparse arrangements it can sound gorgeous. It has this beautiful clarity even when the tone control is pulled back for a bit of fatness. But it doesn't cut it in dense mixes or aggressive music for me. The V-Mod can be absolutely wonderful for quiet stuff but as the stock pickup in a $1500 Fender Precision it's still a complete failure IMO. A P-bass is supposed to be THE ultimate allrounder that works for everything. The American Professional P-bass just isn't. At least not for me.

There's also the low output which I normally don't see as a problem. But the output from the V-Mod when using pure nickel strings is simply too weak for me. The best sound I got from my AmPro P-bass was with TI Superalloys but those terrible fluted tuning posts kept breaking the G-string so I had to stop using them.

Of course it's an easy job to replace the pickup with something else and say the AmPro Precision is a great bass but:

1) It won't really be an American Professional anymore.

and

2) Having to pay extra for a new pickup to make a bass work is something I would accept in a $200 Squier, not a $1500 Fender USA.

I'm keeping my AmPro stock because I love how it sounds for some stuff when recording. But I own many other P-basses. I would definitely not want the AmPro as my only P-bass. It strays just a tad too far from the sound that makes a P-bass WORK. A passive Fender USA Precision shouldn't be a niche instrument.

Just my humble opinion of course.

I love the neck profile by the way, one of the nicest P-bass profiles I've ever played. But it doesn't save this model from being somewhat of a failure in my book (but of course my opinion is colored by the fact that the one I got was a complete mess that should never have left the factory...).

I get what you mean about you shouldn’t have to pay extra for a pickup for an expensive bass, but if you have it already, it’s an easy and reversible fix to put in a different pickup. If you can do basic soldering, you can get plenty of pickups for under 100 bucks and have a totally different animal.
As for keeping it as the original model, keep the V-Mod if you decide to sell it. No one will be able to tell while you play (or care). Just my opinion.

 

[Pet Sounds]

I've thought about getting a Pure Vintage '63 for mine. Anybody gone that route?

 

[Tazziedevil]

Yeah, the V-Mod is best for soft playing and is at it's best when the bass is given some space in the mix IMO. For quiet songs with sparse arrangements it can sound gorgeous. It has this beautiful clarity even when the tone control is pulled back for a bit of fatness. But it doesn't cut it in dense mixes or aggressive music for me. The V-Mod can be absolutely wonderful for quiet stuff but as the stock pickup in a $1500 Fender Precision it's still a complete failure IMO. A P-bass is supposed to be THE ultimate allrounder that works for everything. The American Professional P-bass just isn't. At least not for me.

There's also the low output which I normally don't see as a problem. But the output from the V-Mod when using pure nickel strings is simply too weak for me. The best sound I got from my AmPro P-bass was with TI Superalloys but those terrible fluted tuning posts kept breaking the G-string so I had to stop using them.

Of course it's an easy job to replace the pickup with something else and say the AmPro Precision is a great bass but:

1) It won't really be an American Professional anymore.

and

2) Having to pay extra for a new pickup to make a bass work is something I would accept in a $200 Squier, not a $1500 Fender USA.

I'm keeping my AmPro stock because I love how it sounds for some stuff when recording. But I own many other P-basses. I would definitely not want the AmPro as my only P-bass. It strays just a tad too far from the sound that makes a P-bass WORK. A passive Fender USA Precision shouldn't be a niche instrument.

Just my humble opinion of course.

I love the neck profile by the way, one of the nicest P-bass profiles I've ever played. But it doesn't save this model from being somewhat of a failure in my book (but of course my opinion is colored by the fact that the one I got was a complete mess that should never have left the factory...).

that’s interesting- I don’t play loud or aggressive music generally and I think the stock pickup sounds beautiful with the tone pulled back nearly all the way- nice and dark and full. Most of the music I play has fairly sparse parts (blues, soul, Motown) so I’ve never had to compete for space in the mix.

Despite my annoyingly zingy strings the pickup to me is exactly what I like.

 

[JUMBO 70]

Hey hope I can jump in with a new prompt here.

MAN have I always thought the professional line was as boring and unexceptional as it gets.

Yesterday I went into my local store and played a bunch of fenders back to back. I played all of them unplugged, just because I was curious. I was truly blown away by how resonant the American Professionals were. I could feel the entire body resonating... it was quite alarming and enticing. The only big difference from the others models (some used, some old, some new, some $2000+) was the string-thru bridge. I always thought string-thru was a gimmick. So, has anyone else noticed this ultra resonance? Does anyone else believe the string-thru design is what creates this characteristic?

 

[Kro]

So, has anyone else noticed this ultra resonance?

Honestly, I'm not certain that I'd necessarily consider an ultra resonant body as a benefit, but I'm certain that I wouldn't consider the string-thru option one.

 

[PotsdamBass8]

Hey hope I can jump in with a new prompt here.

MAN have I always thought the professional line was as boring and unexceptional as it gets.

Yesterday I went into my local store and played a bunch of fenders back to back. I played all of them unplugged, just because I was curious. I was truly blown away by how resonant the American Professionals were. I could feel the entire body resonating... it was quite alarming and enticing. The only big difference from the others models (some used, some old, some new, some $2000+) was the string-thru bridge. I always thought string-thru was a gimmick. So, has anyone else noticed this ultra resonance? Does anyone else believe the string-thru design is what creates this characteristic?

I have played and owned many basses that resonated very well, but no correlation between top loading and through body. I did feel that I got a more focused sound on basses that had locking saddles... when they were locked vs. unlocked. I’m not saying it doesn’t make a difference, but I don’t think it would make that much of a difference that you’d take notice in a store. I think you just picked up a solidly built instrument with good wood. I did feel that my Pro P sounded great unplugged, but I only went top load.

 

[Rodslinger]

Graphite reinforced necks? Yes.

Shielded cavities? Kind of. See below. While I guess it's possible that there was shielding that was removed from the cavities in the first picture below, I'd say it's very unlikely.

View attachment 3293147

However, the pickguard does have a good bit of shielding over all of the electronics on its back.

View attachment 3293148

The shielding is actually under the paint in the cavity. It’s connected to the ground lug you see screwed into the cavity

 

[Moving Pictures]

Got another one....

 

[Rnr..........4]

Yeah, the V-Mod is best for soft playing and is at it's best when the bass is given some space in the mix IMO. For quiet songs with sparse arrangements it can sound gorgeous. It has this beautiful clarity even when the tone control is pulled back for a bit of fatness. But it doesn't cut it in dense mixes or aggressive music for me. The V-Mod can be absolutely wonderful for quiet stuff but as the stock pickup in a $1500 Fender Precision it's still a complete failure IMO. A P-bass is supposed to be THE ultimate allrounder that works for everything. The American Professional P-bass just isn't. At least not for me.

There's also the low output which I normally don't see as a problem. But the output from the V-Mod when using pure nickel strings is simply too weak for me. The best sound I got from my AmPro P-bass was with TI Superalloys but those terrible fluted tuning posts kept breaking the G-string so I had to stop using them.

Of course it's an easy job to replace the pickup with something else and say the AmPro Precision is a great bass but:

1) It won't really be an American Professional anymore.

and

2) Having to pay extra for a new pickup to make a bass work is something I would accept in a $200 Squier, not a $1500 Fender USA.

I'm keeping my AmPro stock because I love how it sounds for some stuff when recording. But I own many other P-basses. I would definitely not want the AmPro as my only P-bass. It strays just a tad too far from the sound that makes a P-bass WORK. A passive Fender USA Precision shouldn't be a niche instrument.

Just my humble opinion of course.

I love the neck profile by the way, one of the nicest P-bass profiles I've ever played. But it doesn't save this model from being somewhat of a failure in my book (but of course my opinion is colored by the fact that the one I got was a complete mess that should never have left the factory...).

Does the J-bass have the same issue or do you think it would cut in aggressive music? Trying to decide between the AM Pro Jazz or the Geddy Lee Jazz (MIM)

 

[Deleted member 271037]

Does the J-bass have the same issue or do you think it would cut in aggressive music? Trying to decide between the AM Pro Jazz or the Geddy Lee Jazz (MIM)

I don't have much experience with the Jazz V-Mod but I actually didn't even mention the worst part about the P-bass version in the post you quoted.

The Alnico II/V combination in the V-Mod pickups was clearly developed for guitars and then just added to the bass pickups as a gimmick to keep the V-Mod pickups consistent across the entire line. Bad idea! The whole idea of using different types of magnets for different strings work so poorly with a P-bass that I can't imagine it being any better with a J-bass. Unless of course you won't mind a completely different tone/timbre from E/A and D/G. You might as well take a normal pickup and put nickel strings on E/A and stainless steel on D/G.

At first I didn't think this would be a problem "in the mix" but unfortunately it is. It's a shame because the V-Mod really is a sweet sounding pickup (as long as you don't expect it to sound like a classic P-bass). But this extremely unbalanced tone across the strings makes it almost useless IMO. It's not too bad for soft playing but once you start digging in the different tone/timbre/feel across the strings simply doesn't work at all.

But like I said, this is based on my extensive experience with the Precision V-Mod (using it for recording and in real life band settings). I've tested the Jazz V-Mod a couple of times in a store but not nearly enough to make any definitive statements about it.

(I might also add that the AmPro series seem to suffer from shockingly poor QC. I've seen FAR to many bad ones for this price range. If you decide on the AmPro: Make sure you try before you buy or buy from a store with a good return policy.)

 

[Rnr..........4]

I don't have much experience with the Jazz V-Mod but I actually didn't even mention the worst part about the P-bass version in the post you quoted.

The Alnico II/V combination in the V-Mod pickups was clearly developed for guitars and then just added to the bass pickups as a gimmick to keep the V-Mod pickups consistent across the entire line. Bad idea! The whole idea of using different types of magnets for different strings work so poorly with a P-bass that I can't imagine it being any better with a J-bass. Unless of course you won't mind a completely different tone/timbre from E/A and D/G. You might as well take a normal pickup and put nickel strings on E/A and stainless steel on D/G.

At first I didn't think this would be a problem "in the mix" but unfortunately it is. It's a shame because the V-Mod really is a sweet sounding pickup (as long as you don't expect it to sound like a classic P-bass). But this extremely unbalanced tone across the strings makes it almost useless IMO. It's not too bad for soft playing but once you start digging in the different tone/timbre/feel across the strings simply doesn't work at all.

But like I said, this is based on my extensive experience with the Precision V-Mod (using it for recording and in real life band settings). I've tested the Jazz V-Mod a couple of times in a store but not nearly enough to make any definitive statements about it.

(I might also add that the AmPro series seem to suffer from shockingly poor QC. I've seen FAR to many bad ones for this price range. If you decide on the AmPro: Make sure you try before you buy or buy from a store with a good return policy.)

Thank you. That answered my question. I did own a Am Pro P bass briefly but I agree, it didn't sound as good as expected. Didn't sound close to a previous P tone and the bone nut had chipped. It was very light weight and when plucking the strings it had a ping/buzz sound even after adjusting.

I have been looking at a jazz but after a weird return (all online) might pass on it since it was a bad experience with that dealer. I might look at the American Original 70s instead but it's ash and maple with vintage 75 pickups.

 

[Killens84]

I got an amazing deal on a used American Pro P bass several months back, here in the classifieds. I’ve swapped the stock pickup with a Lollar, and put on a tort pickguard and stealth string retainer. I recently had the bass PLEK’d by Joe Glaser in Nashville. Finally, I did a full shielding job with copper tape last night. The total amount of money I’ve spent on this bass is around what a brand new one costs, but this one (subjectively) now plays and sounds 100 times better than a stock American Pro. I’m very happy with it!

 

[MtManiac]

Man, I don’t know what all the complaints are about with the VMod pickups, wow. I just came home with this:

It’s a 2016 Pro, and the pickups are really great. They’re a lot warmer than the CS62’s in my 2014, and they completely blow away the stock ones from my long ago stolen 2008. With a slight height adjustment on the treble side, they’re very well balanced, and lots of output. I’m clipping with my E string and it’s lowered down to the pickguard. With flats and the tone knob full on, it’s a bright tone but far, far from too bright, and with tone all the way down, it’s straight outta the 60s. I have a set of PV63’s here unused and was planning to pop them in at some point, but maybe I’ll wait a bit.

Caveat is that I *just* brought this home (so NBD!!), and have not played it with the band yet, and not even sure when we will be able to do that, but at home on high or low volumes, it sounds effing glorious to me. Kudos to Fender and @Bluzman99 who designed the VMods!

Now, I just need to get that &#%€ mint pickguard off and put a proper black one on. No tuxedo basses for me, nope.

 

[N. Kentucky Bass]

I got an amazing deal on a used American Pro P bass several months back, here in the classifieds. I’ve swapped the stock pickup with a Lollar, and put on a tort pickguard and stealth string retainer. I recently had the bass PLEK’d by Joe Glaser in Nashville. Finally, I did a full shielding job with copper tape last night. The total amount of money I’ve spent on this bass is around what a brand new one costs, but this one (subjectively) now plays and sounds 100 times better than a stock American Pro. I’m very happy with it!
View attachment 4166168 View attachment 4166170

Why did you apply shielding under the pickups? My 2017 Pro P-bass has copper shielding stock. I understand the pots cavity is also shielded with black paint, underneath the body coat. What sonic differences did you hear before and after?

 

[Killens84]

Why did you apply shielding under the pickups? My 2017 Pro P-bass has copper shielding stock. I understand the pots cavity is also shielded with black paint, underneath the body coat. What sonic differences did you hear before and after?

View attachment 4175469

Perhaps it was due to me swapping pickups, but I was getting some noise when I wasn’t touching something metal on the bass. Whatever Fender did to shield the bass wasn’t adequate enough. After using the copper foil, it’s completely noise-free now.

 

[N. Kentucky Bass]

Perhaps it was due to me swapping pickups, but I was getting some noise when I wasn’t touching something metal on the bass. Whatever Fender did to shield the bass wasn’t adequate enough. After using the copper foil, it’s completely noise-free now.

Did you also apply shielding tape to the bottom of the pickguard?

 

[Killens84]

Did you also apply shielding tape to the bottom of the pickguard?

It already had it on there. So I made sure my copper tape in the cavity is making a connection to the pickguard tape.

 

[VitoMB]

I was wondering if anyone has tried the new V-Mod II pickups. Anyone has done a/b comparison ? I’d like to get feedbacks before I go pull the trigger on an Am Pro 2 p-bass.