Fender Ultra Precision - Which colour should I get! (Poll)

[Tommy V]

 

[franklindayala]

Thinking of pulling the trigger on an Ultra Precision.

Cant decide on which colour. What do you guys think? Happy voting

Natural but with anodized pickguard.

Something like this.

 

[non]

mocha burst with black pickguard.
for that kind of dough for one of these you could custom build a warmoth.

 

[Nebadon2000]

I bought Plasma Red, it has Ash body as with Natural. Fender has discontinued using Ash Bodies.

So you may have to find a Dealer whom has them in stock or buy used for those 2 finishes

I like Mocha and White[ sans tort not a tort guy] also but Plasma Red spoke to me, at first rehearsal with it got a lot of ohhh's and ahhh's

From article Fender to Discontinue Using Ash in Production Models

"It is inevitable we as an industry and a brand need to make some changes, some proactive changes and what this means exactly for Fender. In order to uphold our legacy of consistency and high quality we have made the decision to remove ash from the majority of our regular production models. What little ash we are able to source will continue to be made available in select, historically appropriate vintage models, as supplies are available."

PS; Fender may make Plasma finish with different wood

 

[bearfoot]

Be whatever burst you like, unless you can be Plasma Burst. Then be Plasma Burst.

 

[Whistlermd]

I really dig the white with the tort. Second would be the tobacco burst.

 

[Cutter8]

Mocha Burst (unless Antigua is an option).

 

[SB300]

My first thought was the natural, probably because I own a natural 1978 Tele Deluxe, and a friend back in the 70's had a nat P. But taking some more time looking at the options at Sweetwater where you can really zoom in to see the color and grain details I opt for the Plasma. One reason is you wanted something less vintage. The plasma is a beaut. I like the white pearl guard too, but a black pearl would be a fun twist. I wonder how white pup covers would look with the white pearl guard??

 

[DoctorZee]

I'd want to see the Mocha Burst in person... but there's something really alluring about it. It manages to be both classic-looking and also unexpected. Like if you saw a bass in a dream, but something was a little off...

 

[selowitch]

Honestly, I think all the finishes are pretty swell. You can hardly go wrong. Pick one and enjoy it!

 

[Manticore]

Good call asking for help. I'm color blind...get wood colored.

 

[Nick22]

I'm not 60 yet so I'll ignore that remark, you cheeky sapling. I see nothing "60s" about mine!!

View attachment 3876880

In person is this finish very glossy? Glossy to the point that the shine of it, takes over the aesthetic of the actual wood, as if the shine washes out the details of the natural finish.

 

[Spectre Gunner]

I would have to go with the Plasma and unlike most, I prefer that particular white pickguard on it. The Plasma is just pretty and a refreshing change from the other more traditional like colors. I've seen the white and it pops much better seen in person. The photo of the white doesn't do justice to the sparkle you'll see in the paint. But the same is true for the Texas Tea and I think the Mocha too. Those have a nice sparkle as well.

Actually, a rich blue version of burst would be nice and something you don't see everyday.

 

[TrevorG]

In person is this finish very glossy? Glossy to the point that the shine of it, takes over the aesthetic of the actual wood, as if the shine washes out the details of the natural finish.

Wow that’s an aesthetically deep question! And the answer is nearly... to begin with. The gloss is very thick or at least polished enough to appear thick. Is there more shine than wood? Not quite. If you catch it at the wrong angle there is a lot of reflection but, as you can see from my photo, it’s not a mirror. I’ve had mine since December and played every day and to my surprise the gloss appears to be fading. If I had an issue with the look I’d say it looked a bit orangy to be wood but that too seems to be changing with exposure to light. (I’ve got one bass that’s changed from blue to purple over the years of light exposure). I’ve got A LOT of grain and no amount of gloss is going to hide it but plainer instrument’s may lose detail with all the reflection. I guess all that’s in the eye of the beholder though it's interesting that none of the colours look that good in a photo compared to in the flesh with the possible exception of the Natural Aged. Personally I think natural looks timeless.

if you want a substantial criticism it’s got to be the battery life. Three months a set...max. Rechargable batteries are a must.

 

[Jaygetsreal]

#firstworldproblems

 

[Funky Phantom]

Maple neck- plasma with gold vinyl pickguard.
Rosewood- burst with tort.
I wish Fender would put out some basses with the Corvette ‘Competition Orange’ color.
How cool would that look, rosewood fingerboard, black hardware, on the comp. orange.
Hell, do a whole line in early 70’s muscle car colors. Light blue, comp. orange
that weird 70’s green, there’s only one way to rock.

 

[Nick22]

Btw, does the passive mode work on both the p pickup and the j pickup? Iv read some stuff where it was noted as passive is only available on the P. But I can sware Iv seen some videos where the dude has been in passive mode and rolled the pan pot from the P to the J and both worked and had their own distinct and respective sounds.

 

[TrevorG]

Btw, does the passive mode work on both the p pickup and the j pickup? Iv read some stuff where it was noted as passive is only available on the P. But I can sware Iv seen some videos where the dude has been in passive mode and rolled the pan pot from the P to the J and both worked and had their own distinct and respective sounds.

Yes. I've read the same and honestly think Fender let a model with faulty wiring do the rounds of all the music magazines. Massive slip up. I promise you both pickups work in both modes. If they don't it needs fixing!! You may find the increments on the pan poorly divided. I'm happy with it but it appears to be a problem with the Elites but I don't know how the Ultra compares to them. I'm glad I took mine off the shelf rather than purchase online. It's still a lot of money to risk on a guitar even if you can send it back. I can take MONTHS deciding on a bass and will drive sellers mad going in and out of the shop for months. I took one look at my Ultra on the self(while looking for a Deluxe Precision) and after fourty-five seconds of playing I gave the seller my card with a huge sense of relief. It's the Mojo it's got that you can't see in the spec. After six months I'm a better player and I wasn't too bad to begin with. The rolled FB, deep cut in the lower bout, the rich voicing of the split coil and that Jacko sexiness in the single coil are all part of what makes an amazing experience IMHO.

I may not be 60 but I am old (that sapling jibe was a total joke BTY - excuse my humour, I'm just British) and have played all my life both for money and sanity. While I may buy other basses in the future the truth is I'm done searching for "the One". I dearly hope you find the same satisfaction as me because a bass that's "almost" right can really niggle. This bass is far from faultless(and that's part of Fender's charm) but I'm at peace to the point that, if it was necessary, I could sell off the rest and feel no loss. BTW if you can't find a Natural Aged you'd be crazy not to get the Mocha. I suspect, in the flesh, that one will look pretty timeless too.

 

[Nick22]

Hey guys,

Thanks a lot for your feedback.

In the end, I pulled the trigger yesterday on the Arctic Pearl.

It was a hard decision. Initially my top choices were between the Arctic, the Natural and the Mocha.

The natural although gorgeous looking, having to buy online, and not being able to appreciate the grain of different versions to pick a true winner did slightly put me off. Given the nature of music I play, the look of this was perhaps a bit too elegant for me to sport

The Mocha was my first love, but when I realised the finish had what you could say is a metallic quality to it, I wasn’t too keen on how it shimmered in different lighting.

The Mocha would have been perfect if it was a true “flat” colour as with the Ultra Burst.

Plasma burst... just tooo flashy haha, perhaps with a different pick-guard. It screams already, the pearloid pick-guard just amplifies that instead of taming it and providing balance.

As someone rightly mentioned earlier in the thread, being white, the arctic could have its pick-guard changed to almost anything else if one should choose to create different complimentary styles.

Anyway, I hope I enjoy playing this bass as much as I enjoyed deliberating over the colour options

Thanks for accommodating my fastidiousness peeps

 

[murmur70]

I like the Mocha Burst body best but I'd like it a whole lot better if you could get it with a maple fretboard.