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Fender Ultra Precision bass

#81
I picked up an Arctic Pearl P just after Christmas as well!! My first Fender (have had a bunch of Squier’s in the past) and my first brand new $$$ bass. Tried out a whole bunch of basses at the music store (had a friend from a previous job working there and he pretty much set me up and left me to it) including the American Pro II’s and bunch of the other American P’s, a singular Sandberg California and a bunch of Sadowsky Metro Line’s. Went in with my eye on the Ultra and it was definitely the one that felt the nicest to me!
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Have been enjoying playing it through my new Darkglass Infinity! Preferring it in passive mode mostly straight P or 50/50 PJ, really nice sounds and a very useable passive tone control! Find it sounds pretty balanced to me, haven’t touched the pickup heights since I got it. Just overall a really nice instrument and pretty happy with it as my first Fender!!
 
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#82
Stellvia said:
I picked up an Arctic Pearl P just after Christmas as well!! My first Fender (have had a bunch of Squier’s in the past) and my first brand new $$$ bass. Tried out a whole bunch of basses at the music store (had a friend from a previous job working there and he pretty much set me up and left me to it) including the American Pro II’s and bunch of the other American P’s, a singular Sandberg California and a bunch of Sadowsky Metro Line’s. Went in with my eye on the Ultra and it was definitely the one that felt the nicest to me!
View attachment 4931218
Have been enjoying playing it through my new Darkglass Infinity! Preferring it in passive mode mostly straight P or 50/50 PJ, really nice sounds and a very useable passive tone control! Find it sounds pretty balanced to me, haven’t touched the pickup heights since I got it. Just overall a really nice instrument and pretty happy with it as my first Fender!!
Click to expand...
Absolute Beauty. I think that is my next bass.
 
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#84
Stellvia said:
I picked up an Arctic Pearl P just after Christmas as well!! My first Fender (have had a bunch of Squier’s in the past) and my first brand new $$$ bass. Tried out a whole bunch of basses at the music store (had a friend from a previous job working there and he pretty much set me up and left me to it) including the American Pro II’s and bunch of the other American P’s, a singular Sandberg California and a bunch of Sadowsky Metro Line’s. Went in with my eye on the Ultra and it was definitely the one that felt the nicest to me!
View attachment 4931218
Have been enjoying playing it through my new Darkglass Infinity! Preferring it in passive mode mostly straight P or 50/50 PJ, really nice sounds and a very useable passive tone control! Find it sounds pretty balanced to me, haven’t touched the pickup heights since I got it. Just overall a really nice instrument and pretty happy with it as my first Fender!!
Click to expand...

Nice bass! I have been playing mine most of the day and I gotta say it is AMAZING. The neck and playability and tone possibilities, just everything is great! Bought mine used and only adjusted the height of the P pickups as they were setup a little low for my taste.
 
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#85
TrevorG said:
Congrats. I'm still drooling over mine and I've had it four years! Don't know what kind of music you play but I tried LaBella's on mine and may never take them off. Enjoy!
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Thanks!! Great to hear that you’re still enjoying it so much!

I put Dunlop Superbright Nickels on mine when I got it, once they break in they’ve got a nice warm tone! Considering maybe going to flats at some point though!
 
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#87
The Fender 7250's sound very good that came with;

I settled on MarkBass Ultimate Soft Touch NPS;

These are excellent Strings; Articulate, coherent, nice definition of notes with slight grind and a bright warmth [no Zing] fresh out of package. I have been using for over 8 months now [15-20hrs week] and tone has held, they stay in tune and 'Soft Feel' claim on package is accurate. Tension is medium tight for Hex Core giving a solid feel but also pliable for bending.
 
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#88
Stellvia said:
Thanks!! Great to hear that you’re still enjoying it so much!

I put Dunlop Superbright Nickels on mine when I got it, once they break in they’ve got a nice warm tone! Considering maybe going to flats at some point though!
Click to expand...
I may try those myself! Have D'addarios XTs on my Jazz with better results than I've seen online. They're great!
 
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#92
Gianni "Orlandez" Orlati said:
LaBella DTF 760FL flats .. they are super vintage strings but the P pickup of the Ultra is not very suitable for that tone, unfortunately since the bass is quite nice … need to swap it soon I think
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What do you think makes the DTF’s not work with the Ultra? Thinking about trying some flats on my Ultra soon too, I’ve used Labella DTF’s and Nylon Gold’s as well as D’Addario Chromes in the past on other basses.
 
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#93
Stellvia said:
What do you think makes the DTF’s not work with the Ultra? Thinking about trying some flats on my Ultra soon too, I’ve used Labella DTF’s and Nylon Gold’s as well as D’Addario Chromes in the past on other basses.
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I've had 760fl's on my ultra p for almost 2 years now and think they sound great..
 
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#94
Stellvia said:
What do you think makes the DTF’s not work with the Ultra? Thinking about trying some flats on my Ultra soon too, I’ve used Labella DTF’s and Nylon Gold’s as well as D’Addario Chromes in the past on other basses.
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No they are good but the bass hasn’t been conceived for the tone I’m usually after and I didn’t buy it for that (i didn’t buy it at all as I got it in a trade to be honest) .. however, since the instrument is actually very well made, I’ll probably try to swap the P pickup in the future ..
The P pickup tone reminds a little about the EMG GZR tone but without part of its high output … it’s grindy.
I know the general consensus here on TB is that the EMG GZR pickup has got the best vintage tone available but I’m not of this opinion (in fact I used it and sold it); I’m now looking for something thumpy, between the Klein Epic ‘59 or SD SPB-1 and the Fender PV ‘63 I got on my other 2 P-basses.
As I said in other posts I wanted to try the Arcane ‘65 but I wouldn’t like it to go missing, lost in a box of Milan’s airport customs office ..
 
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#95
Gianni "Orlandez" Orlati said:
No they are good but the bass hasn’t been conceived for the tone I’m usually after and I didn’t buy it for that (i didn’t buy it at all as I got it in a trade to be honest) .. however, since the instrument is actually very well made, I’ll probably try to swap the P pickup in the future ..
The P pickup tone reminds a little about the EMG GZR tone but without part of its high output … it’s grindy.
I know the general consensus here on TB is that the EMG GZR pickup has got the best vintage tone available but I’m not of this opinion (in fact I used it and sold it); I’m now looking for something thumpy, between the Klein Epic ‘59 or SD SPB-1 and the Fender PV ‘63 I got on my other 2 P-basses.
As I said in other posts I wanted to try the Arcane ‘65 but I wouldn’t like it to go missing, lost in a box of Milan’s airport customs office ..
Click to expand...
I’ve got the EMG Geezers in a Squier Matt Freeman Sig and it’s definitely a more grindy/hot tone than the Noiseless in the Ultra, which seems to be a bit smoother.
 
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#97
Stellvia said:
I’ve got the EMG Geezers in a Squier Matt Freeman Sig and it’s definitely a more grindy/hot tone than the Noiseless in the Ultra, which seems to be a bit smoother.
Click to expand...
Yes the GZR is a hotter pickup but the Ultra pickup, when you dig in, is grindy as well although less than the GZR.
As I’ve said, I’m used to warmer but punchier pickups (zero grind) and that’s my sound and the standard I’m wishing to hold on to.
There’s a European manufacturer that’s making interesting products which is still relatively unknown (Rebel Relic).
I’ll try one of their ‘60s pickups at 11.68kOhm ..
 
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#100
My Ultra-P is in my top 3, I believe you'll be very happy. I played the stock (round) strings for a year or so and loved it (that's odd cause I typically prefer flats with a "P"). Then switched to Ti flats and it got even better. The onboard EQ is nice to have, even though I rarely mess with it. Same is true for the passive/active switch. Although it is fun to go active, I prefer the passive for some reason.
 
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