Fender P Bass LE Ebony Fingerboard

[roccobladr]

I happen to be at GC the other day and this black beauty caught my eye…

It didn’t have a price tag on it or any other information, so I wasn’t sure what to expect, but this thing played like a dream. I’m not sure if it was the ebony fingerboard or what, but I can’t get it out of my head.

Unfortunately, it seems like it’s a basic player series P bass with standard everything except the nice ebony fingerboard, matching headstock and inflated price tag. Doesn’t even come with a gig bag!

It seems like they are fairly new. Anyone have experience with one?

 

[P. Aaron]

Fender does these things so people will endlessly thread them on TB. If it works and you want it, you gotta make it happen.

Then, pics.

 

[DrBnz]

Black on black on black is impressive. If it was straight, you liked the feel and weight you shoulda got it. Play it "as is" for a year or so and if you decide you want some "strange" just slap in a new pickup of your choosing. Its a P-bass.... if it hit the marks for you, that's as good as it gets.

 

[Slater]

Looks pretty cool.
Fender should have gone stealth and used black hardware.

 

[jd56hawk]

$1,000 plus for an MIM Player bass.
$979 for the Jaguar.
Keep up the good work, Fender...putting Players in the hands of players!

 

[mongo2]

I'm very happy with my LE Mustang PJ with an ebony fingerboard and black hardware except for the control panel.

 

[SleepyShark]

Fender should use ebony boards as an option for some MIA basses. I’m a huge ebony fan.

This is cool. Reminds me of the MIJ Midnight LE P from a few years back people loved. Really happy to see that the quality of the MIM stuff is pretty good these days, but there’s something cool about Fender Japan that the MIM products are close to, but not quite. A lot of it is just Fender products with a slight eccentricity that gives them a cool draw on the MIJ line. I hope they keep playing with MIM offerings like they did with the Meteora. As someone else said, all stealthed out black hardware would have given this that extra punch for me.

WHY IS FENDER SO AFRAID OF MATCHING HEADSTOCKS ON THEIR HIGH-END STUFF? Looks great.

 

[bobyoung53]

I just bought this for a black Am Fender P/J. American, it cost 600 buckaroonies. The black headstock was a plus, I wanted a J neck for it.

 

[roccobladr]

Fender should use ebony boards as an option for some MIA basses. I’m a huge ebony fan.

I’m not sure if the ebony was so good or pau ferro is just so bad. Probably a bit of both!

I think Fender needs to give any other options than Pau Ferro for a darker fingerboard. I couldn’t get over how dry it felt on the mustang I had. Even after a couple rounds of oil.

 

[coy garcia]

Looks like my '73 that I'm having a custom neck made for, ebony fingerboard.

 

[Killing Floor]

I think it’s cool. I love that they finished painting it.

 

[Mike Vee]

Add a Pure Vintage 63 pup, Emerson cloth wire harness, vintage bridge, vintage style knobs, and I feel like this bass would like Pressure Wounds with black silk.

 

[BarfanyShart]

There is none more black.

 

[r_bnks]

With black hardware and PJ conf. and without pickguard, it'd be sitting next to me.

 

[Mike Vee]

With black hardware and PJ conf. and without pickguard, it'd be sitting next to me.

Duff McKagan Deluxe Precision

 

[J Wilson]

Almost None More Blacker . . . . though for me, this with all black hardware might have been a little much. This would have looked idiotic IF they'd left the peghead face natural, just awful and jarring.

I always prefer ebony necks in most cases as it adds strength / stability to the neck, and sometimes if you have the ears and amp for it, a little extra top-end zing, but it's subtle if it's there.

If ya wanted a black PBass, there you go, and I prefer the chrome to the similar axe they sold a few years back with gold hardware.

But then, it's 'brother from another mother' IF you wanted a Seymour / Gotoh loaded PJ:

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ESP's recent reissue of the 80's HairBand Special PJ Surveyor.

 

[fhm555]

Looks pretty cool.
Fender should have gone stealth and used black hardware.

like this?
Ebony board, black hardware.
I’m thinking a black control plate and one ply black scratch guard.

 

[r_bnks]

Duff McKagan Deluxe Precision

The Duff McKagan Deluxe P has a pickguard. (And has rosewood fingerboard.)

 

[micguy]

I play gigs on big stages where the singers are up front, they get almost all the light. If I played this thing, I'd completely disappear.

 

[Cave Puppy]

Ebony is awesome. Just slapped an All Parts Ebony Jazz neck on a P. Rich and thick.. I also have an ebony board on a Carvin 5 string kit I built lo those many years ago.