Fender american special p bass

[kikisixx]

Help... i can buy a Fender American Special P Bass for $550...year 2014 excelent conditions, what you guys think??/

 

[GBBSbassist]

Do you want or need a Fender American Special P Bass for $550?

 

[Joe Nerve]

I have one. I love it (well... truth be told I hate P basses, but this is my favorite of about 6 that I've owned). Pretty sure they originally went for about $900. The honey blonde ones had a few blowout sales where they went for $700. They have a Jazz neck. Mine is lighter than most P basses.

That's all I got.

Hope it helped.

 

[saabfender]

That's a reasonable price.

 

[Valsmere]

2010 Jazz version owner here I love it!!!!

 

[kikisixx]

Do you want or need a Fender American Special P Bass for $550?

Don't really need it but, is a chance to own an American Fender for a reasonable price, I think, suggestion??

 

[jastacey]

I'd say get it, it has a very playable/comfortable neck, one of the upgrades one can/should do, is change out the pickup, as the stock ones are something to be desired, I have a 2014 American Special P-BASS, I might add, they really make a great upgrade platform, the area's of upgrading are the tuners, and pickup, but a lot of people change out the bridge, pickguard, and knobs, the American Special's were marketed as a step below the American Standard P-bass, and were sold with a gig bag, kinda a sleeper of a bass.
Here's a couple of views of the two, I haveView attachment 3175713

 

[jastacey]

 

[MattZilla]

I was working pt at a fender dealer from '09-'16. The building had an overactive dehumidifier and would cause fret sprout on some guitars. For some reason, "some" was about 1 out of 40 Ibanezes, 1 out of 80 Squiers, 1 out of 10 Am Std Fenders, 9 out of 10 Modern Player Fenders, 1 out of 5 MIM Fenders, and 4 out of 5 Am Spcl Fenders.

The Special Department maybe had its own mgr/foreman who rushed the necks through? Maybe they just grabbed wood from younger pallets than the rest of the factory was using?

Play it first. IIRC, they don't have the carbon stiffeners that the Standards had, effectively making them American made MIM's

Edit- I did not recall correct, they have the rods

 

[jd56hawk]

The low price should be of some concern.
Are you buying this from a close friend?

 

[drlndrve]

Great bass..great price

 

[Moving Pictures]

Play it first. IIRC, they don't have the carbon stiffeners that the Standards had, effectively making them American made MIM's

They do have the graphite reinforcement rods. It is the tuners and bridges that are the same as the MIM basses.

 

[REMBO]

buy it for god's sake.... you won't see a deal like that again...

 

[JohnnyChatter]

I love mine. Got mine in a trade so it cost me around 550. Traded a Fender Coronado for it and I have never regretted it. They are cheaper because the bridge and tunning keys are Mexican, it’s not a string through body and they don’t come with a case. Honestly it’s the most comfortable fender neck I have played and people ask me all the time about it when they play it thinking it’s something nicer than it is. I put quarter pounders in mine and a basicz bridge and it plays and sounds just as good if not better than any stock p bass standard. I don’t buy into string through bodies.

 

[mesa300]

Love mine. Looking at the s/n it looks like a 2010. Very comfortable to play.

 

[thedukeofno]

They have a Jazz neck.

Jazz neck meaning 1.5” nut width? Is that true?

 

[MtManiac]

Do these have rolled edge fretboards, or a sharp corner like the MIM Standards?

 

[tpaul]

You didn't mention whether you have played it, and if so, whether you liked it.

The price is fine but not so low that you could make a lot by flipping it. I see these listed for sale in the $600-$700 range all the time. Finding one at $550 is not that difficult.

So you should buy it if you like it. Main feature that you need to be happy with is the neck, which is closer to a jazz neck than a precision neck.

 

[justjake]

no jazz neck on these , 1.625 = b neck same as standard P bass. wonderful basses for the cash.
up graded mine with a new bridge and custom shop pick up , tuning pegs and of course a tort guard.
now my number 1 over my standard American P's. lighter and just more comfortable to me.
ymmv.

 

[Andyman001]

The American Special was the re launch of the "Highway one" bass, same hardware as the MIM, thin lacquer finish if I recall.

sounds like a deal to me.