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Fender Precison Lyte

U

UKKennyK

Apr 19, 2008
18
0
Essex, England
#1
Ive been offered a Fender Precison Lyte for £285. Its a little scuffed on the back of the body but apart from that just minor dings. I cant find a tremendous amount of info on it apart from it was offer during the late 80's/early 90's and apparently isnt quite as loud as the standard precison.

Does anyone have any opinions on this bass and do you think it is a good price for it?

This will be my first bass, and my first instrument and ive also been told i can try it out for a week or so before buying because it is a righty and i'm a lefty who is going to attempt to learn righty.

Thanks
Dean.
 
#3
UKKennyK said:
apparently isnt quite as loud as the standard precison.

What makes you think that it’s not as loud as a standard P? Maybe there is something wrong with the pickups or the preamp because it should be just as loud. I’m assuming this bass is the made in Japan Lyte with the P/J pickups, Jazz neck small P body. I have a matching head stock black one that I bought for $250.00 US in similar condition. I really like the bass and it is quite easy on the back.
Click to expand...
 
#6
Link Removed

Its as this one but in a Tobacco colour i believe. Anf yes, made in Japan. I only mention its not as loud because of some comments i've read after doing a search.
In all honesty i've never played bass before and my knowledge is very limited so i cannot compare.
 
#8
These were very well built basses. They use poplar instead of ash or alder to reduce weight, and had a pretty solid preamp for the time(There weren't many active basses in the late eighties). I always found the tone a little thin for my tastes, but that is strictly personal. I have a couple of friends who loved theirs' so much the are constantly checking ebay and elsewhere for others. I think it would be an excellent first bass, and if you continued playing you could always throw a set of Bartolini pickups in later if you felt the need to thicken your tone.
 
#9
I have a p-bass lyte. it's a great bass. It was my first serious bass (15 years ago). Very thin neck and very light weight bass.
They normally go for between £250 and £300 on eBay.
The pre-amp in mine is pheomonally loud. Much louder than anything else that I've ever had. You just have to remember to change the battery.
The P pickup sounds great, but the J pickup is pretty rubbish and very noisy. The J is a very trebbly sound and not particularly usable by itself, but works quite well if you blend some of it into the P pickup.
If I were you then i'd get it.
 
#11
It seems a tad expensive. A friend of mine got one for £150! However, it's his main bass and has seen off competition from numerous impulse buys recently. He loves it, and imo, they are cracking basses! Wouldn't mind one myself, but it could never replace my Spector!
 
#12
I also have one in red. I love it, in fact , it is my main bass out of 10. It is light and sounds great. I love the neck, it is on the thinner side and is perfect for my hands.
As long as the electronics work, you will have no problem with this bass.
Here in the US they can be had for under $300.

PS: If you never had an active bass, unplug it when not in use, it will make your baterry last longer.
 
#13
Hey UKkenny.. You are making a wise purchase.. I also think you might wanna talk that seller down a bit more though. The '92 Fender Pbass 'Lyte' is my main bass. The preamp does work well for me as well. Just a few things of 'FYI' advice to ya ...


..Always 'float' your cable when you are done playing .. the 9VDC will drain down!

..Stock knobs are lame. Mine are now gold Telecaster ones sprayed in clear poly then highly polished

..The output jack is kind 'weak'.. I've replaced mine already.

..The truss nut is metric: 5mm .. lubricate it prior to any adjustments

..I also find the 'J' pickup a bit too thin.. gonna upgrade that too
 
#15
one of our pawnshops here in town has a..jazz bass lyte sitting there? and i played it and it was pretty awesome!

as far as the price, they wanted like...350? 400? us dollars for it...

i thought that that price was just a little too high for me so its probably still sitting there...

maybe i can get them to go lower on it...:ninja:
 
#16
Mr. Kitty said:
one of our pawnshops here in town has a..jazz bass lyte sitting there? and i played it and it was pretty awesome!

as far as the price, they wanted like...350? 400? us dollars for it...

i thought that that price was just a little too high for me so its probably still sitting there...

maybe i can get them to go lower on it...:ninja:
Click to expand...
I think your instincts about the price being "too high" were right on the mark.. thats too much for that bass. They are not rare at all. A nice 'player's bass'.. and with some TLC, will last and serve for a long time.. ;)
 

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