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Help deciding between P basses

J

jrellett

Aug 6, 2013
39
7
Orange County, California
#1
Got a couple of basses I'm considering...

There's a Fender Player Series P Bass ($475) and a 1979 Fender BB800 ($550). Seemingly very different instruments but I only have so much cash so I just need to decide on one unfortunately.

I understand that the Yamaha is essentially a Fender P knockoff but I hear very good things about it. I also have played their electric guitars for a long time so I have a soft spot... they are often very high quality and undervalued. It's got its knocks which you'd expect for a 40 year old instrument but looks to be in good condition generally.

I also hear great things about the Fender Player series in general. I'm sure it would be a great instrument and serve me just fine. This one is near mint... looks fairly flawless. I really dig the look of it but part of me wants to have something other than a Fender just to be contrary... but that's not going to be the deciding factor at all.

This will be my only bass and will be used for mostly playing at home... maybe occasional jamming home recording. I wish I could play the Yamaha before deciding but I cannot and I doubt I could find anything where I am that would be comparable.

Any and all thoughts are welcome.
 
#2
Tough call. As the owner of Fender and Yamaha instruments, I can see the merits of each. But without being able to make an in-person A/B comparison, I'd probably opt for the Fender Player P. My rationale:
  • The Player is at most a few years old, and probably a 1- or 2-owner bass. The Yamaha has probably gone through multiple owners and has likely seen some serious miles. Doesn't mean that the Yamaha isn't a great instrument, but why pay a premium for all that wear and tear?
  • Your options for OEM parts and/or aftermarket mods on the Fender are exponentially larger than with that particular Yamaha BB. Consider the hypothetical need to replace a tuning machine. With the Fender, you can order the part from almost any authorized Fender dealer. With the Yamaha, you'll likely be scouring eBay or Reverb for months looking for the right part, and you'll end up paying whatever the seller wants for it.
  • The Yamaha BBs come very close to approximating the classic Fender P sound, but there's a subtle difference in tonality.
I can certainly understand your desire not to drink the Kool-Aid by buying the Fender, but there will be other opportunities down the road to acquire basses that add some spice to your collection. Good luck whichever way you decide to go.
 
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#3
garp said:
without being able to make an in-person A/B comparison, I'd probably opt for the Fender Player P
Click to expand...
i also think garp 's rationale is on point.

i stay away from the fender logo on purpose, OP, but being able to get those parts/replacements is a definite advantage if you aren't able to compare with a hands-on evaluation. it's a definite advantage in favor of the fender piece.

whatever you do, good luck with it --- hope you get a good playing instrument! :thumbsup:
 
#6
One other consideration in favor of the Fender is resale. This might seem kind of trivial, but it's not a bad thing to consider unless you're certain it's going to be a permanent keeper. If it is, yeah who cares, but if eventually you think you'll be needing to sell or trade up, etc., the Fender name really does help with recovering some of the initial investment at sale time.

No disrespect to Yamaha, though, who've always made good stuff...

L
 
#7
jrellett said:
Got a couple of basses I'm considering...

There's a Fender Player Series P Bass ($475) and a 1979 Fender BB800 ($550). Seemingly very different instruments but I only have so much cash so I just need to decide on one unfortunately.

I understand that the Yamaha is essentially a Fender P knockoff but I hear very good things about it. I also have played their electric guitars for a long time so I have a soft spot... they are often very high quality and undervalued. It's got its knocks which you'd expect for a 40 year old instrument but looks to be in good condition generally.

I also hear great things about the Fender Player series in general. I'm sure it would be a great instrument and serve me just fine. This one is near mint... looks fairly flawless. I really dig the look of it but part of me wants to have something other than a Fender just to be contrary... but that's not going to be the deciding factor at all.

This will be my only bass and will be used for mostly playing at home... maybe occasional jamming home recording. I wish I could play the Yamaha before deciding but I cannot and I doubt I could find anything where I am that would be comparable.

Any and all thoughts are welcome.
Click to expand...
Get the player, use the left over money for strings and whatever pick up you want. Although, the player split sounds great.
 
#8
Got the player. It's amazing. No regrets! Thanks everyone!

IMG_20200914_102342.jpg
 
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