I picked up a used Fender '58 Reissue Precision Bass a couple of weeks ago. I had been looking for a fretted P Bass for some time when this one showed up at a good price so I went for it. I had reasonable expectations based on everything I had read, but damn this thing has absolutely blown me away.
The neck is large. It is wide at the nut and fairly beefy top to bottom, and is the largest neck on any bass I own or have owned. But despite this I find it easy to play, and I have small hands. I also own a MM Sterling which has a toothpick for a neck, but I do not find the '58 neck much more difficult to play than the Sterling (but of course YMMV). It just feels solid - and I was able to set my action low with zero fret buzz, even with TI jazz Flats, which sound great on this bass BTW. I tried Chromes, Fender 9050s and GHS Precison Flats on it as well, and the Chromes and Fenders sounded very good, the GHS not so much even though it is one of my favorite strings. I stuck with the TIs because I like the low tension, but the Chromes sounded equally good to me.
It has a bright sound, which is what I read in the reviews and exactly what I got (and wanted). For comparison I have a Fender Tony Franklin fretless P Bass and the '58 is quite a bit brighter. The two compliment each other well. I am playing both basses this weekend at a gig which will be the final test for the '58. The Franklin sounds wonderful in a live setting, but I suspect the '58 will be as good or better, we'll see.
Anyway just wanted to show it off and put another opinion out there for anyone considering an 'AVRI '58 P Bass. Maybe I just got a good one as I know Fender gets knocked a bit for quality control sometimes, but this thing has excellent attention to detail and is as solidly built as any bass I have tried, it's a real beast.
Gyver
The neck is large. It is wide at the nut and fairly beefy top to bottom, and is the largest neck on any bass I own or have owned. But despite this I find it easy to play, and I have small hands. I also own a MM Sterling which has a toothpick for a neck, but I do not find the '58 neck much more difficult to play than the Sterling (but of course YMMV). It just feels solid - and I was able to set my action low with zero fret buzz, even with TI jazz Flats, which sound great on this bass BTW. I tried Chromes, Fender 9050s and GHS Precison Flats on it as well, and the Chromes and Fenders sounded very good, the GHS not so much even though it is one of my favorite strings. I stuck with the TIs because I like the low tension, but the Chromes sounded equally good to me.
It has a bright sound, which is what I read in the reviews and exactly what I got (and wanted). For comparison I have a Fender Tony Franklin fretless P Bass and the '58 is quite a bit brighter. The two compliment each other well. I am playing both basses this weekend at a gig which will be the final test for the '58. The Franklin sounds wonderful in a live setting, but I suspect the '58 will be as good or better, we'll see.
Anyway just wanted to show it off and put another opinion out there for anyone considering an 'AVRI '58 P Bass. Maybe I just got a good one as I know Fender gets knocked a bit for quality control sometimes, but this thing has excellent attention to detail and is as solidly built as any bass I have tried, it's a real beast.
Gyver
