I have a Nate Mendel P, no problem with the tuners, they keep the strings in tune just like my SR and MIA. I knew that the bass comes with SD pickups and I also knew that I dont like SD pickups so no surprises to me in this department. I put EMG Geezer Butler pup and now it sounds great.
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Fender Nate Mendel Precision review
- Thread starter g4string
- Start date
Good move sending that bass back g4string....Those things that bugged you about that bass would only bug you more down the road..me thinks..!!...There's a lot of P basses out there,and for $750 I think you could find a really good used one (that's what I would do..but try it out first)..
I got one of these, I bought it new because I needed to make payments.
I had to adjust the neck some and did not love the strings but I like the bass.
I did lower the pickup which I think helped, I don't know maybe I am too much of a noob but I dig it.
It sounds great for the Praise & Worship I play.
I did put some flats on it which sounded good but wrecked my wrist pretty bad so I will try some Rotosounds next.
To each their own, I guess that is why they make so many!
I had to adjust the neck some and did not love the strings but I like the bass.
I did lower the pickup which I think helped, I don't know maybe I am too much of a noob but I dig it.
It sounds great for the Praise & Worship I play.
I did put some flats on it which sounded good but wrecked my wrist pretty bad so I will try some Rotosounds next.
To each their own, I guess that is why they make so many!
Strings won't wreck your wrist. Bad technique will, though. This might be a signal to evaluate how you are playing and correct the things that could lead to pain and injury.
I think there's a clue for the OP in this part of the replies. The P bass had a disappointing tone: did you play it with a band? Us P-bass enthusiasts say it's not so great in the bedroom, but the business in the bar-room.
I am a noob I have said that, but at the church there is another guy that is not a noob he is in a touring band, he runs house, he loves the NM bass sound from the audience.
What strings came with the NM? Maybe that was the problem. I had a set of the SD-SPB3 pickups once and I thought the tone was a bit harsh and messy compared to my stock Fender or Dimarzio Model P. If you want a good SD pickup the Vintage, Steve Harris, and Antiquities are where it's at.
The OP answered your question in his, umm, original post.
If you haven't used quarter pounders, then you may not know. There is a reason some people love them and some people hate them. IMO, quarter pounders still let your bass sound like a P bass, but they are enough different that they won't be for everyone. I also think the factory strings and the quarter pounders are not a great combination.
Don't worry. There is no lack of P-bass love in this thread.
Fender 7250M's, I think. I also think that, as long as you don't automatically conclude that it is always a bad thing, "a bit harsh and messy" is a decent way to describe quarter pounders. There are some really good tones in those pickups, but I agree that they can get a bit harsh.
I wouldn't say those strings would sound bad unless they were a dud out of the box, which I've seen. Some people really like the QPs. They can sound OK overdriven and if you eq them to your liking you can take some of the harshness away but they will always have a different character than regular P bass pickups.
I'm enjoying all the convo about this bass. There was a time I was lusting after this one... If I remember right, the lack of stabilizing bars rubbed me the wrong way....Regarding the pickups, I much prefer the SPB-1 or SPB-2 S.D. pickups.. Just my opinion.....Marc
OP, you certainly needn't worry about finding a P-Bass that's right for you, given all the permutations out there on the market. I don't know what prompted you to choose the Nate, but I wouldn't fixate on getting a signature bass of a favorite artist. I'd look for an American Standard, Road Worn, '50s, old MIJ model, etc.
My P basses do all kinds of 'great' in the bedroom. Just need to coax it out of them.
OP didn't mention it but I doubt he got it based on the fact it was a signature model..maybe I'm wrong.
I +1 the road worn and 50s and old MIJs
Not meaning to single anyone out, but this type of comment is what kept me away from the QP for a long time. Many posters have said this, but to my ear, it is not accurate. I think the extension of the low end and the upper mids dominate enought to make folks say that the quarter pounder lacks mids. That is just my opinion, though.
I don't find it scooped or lacking in mids whatsoever. What I hear is a slightly extended bottom end and some harsh upper mids. When you roll the tone knob back just a bit, the upper mids come under control. I'm not sure that the "under control" tone is the best possible P bass tone out there, but I am still working with it.
As for buying it because it was the "signature bass of a favorite artist," at least for me, that was not the case. I wanted a single pickup P bass with a narrow nut. That pretty much narrowed my list of Fender basses to this bass. And as for not having any reinforcing bars in the neck...I like it that way. That's how the P bass was made originally, and that's how I like it. AFAIK, none of my P basses (74 Telecaster, 75 Precision, '51 reissue, 2003 Highway 1, and Mendel) have reinforcing bars in the neck. I don't have stability issues with any of them.
