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Help with a buying decision Fender Precision Bass

D

dugout

Oct 17, 2021
23
6
#1
So, I'm looking at three basses and money is not really an issue, although I don't want to go crazy since I'm a beginner/intermediate, but trying to get better faster.

If I had to choose between a
Squier Vintage 70s
Squier Jaguar full sized modified
Fender MIM 2008
Fender MIM 2018
Fender PJ Special Edition
Fender Precision Players Bass

What factors should I look at? How much better will one be than the other stock? I know that's a lot of choices, but maybe some I shouldn't even consider?
 
#3
Of the models you listed, it's going to be hard for anyone to say "[x] is objectively a better bass than [y] because of [z]."
A large portion of the factors that make a bass "better" are completely subjective and differ from player to player.

This is probably not the answer you want to hear but I recommend getting your hands on as many of these options as you can and actually feeling them for yourself. The way they balance, the way the neck feels in your hand, the way the bass hangs on a strap. Some of them will fit and some of them won't. You'll be able to tell pretty quickly and you'll gain more satisfaction in the purchase, knowing that you went with your gut and picked the one that felt right, rather than picking the one that a bunch of forum dudes told you to pick.

Best of luck and be sure to post pics of your new bass once you get it! :thumbsup:
 
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#4
dugout said:
What factors should I look at?
Click to expand...
IME/IMO,

what counts:
- neck feel
- instrument balance
- competent/usable electronics
- sounds/tones
- 'durability'

what doesn't count:
- brands/logos

like you, money/price wouldn't be the main factor in my decision-making. i can afford to play more expensive axes than i'm currently playing, but at some point we're just paying for 'looks' and/or branding.

if i played all of the axes on your list = i'd pick the one that felt the best in my hands, on my strap, while i was playing!
good luck with your P-bass search! :thumbsup:
 
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#7
An MiM of any stripe would be a great place to start. They're just fine.
I like the modern C neck profile, and have owned one myself. Solid, dependable, and great sounding.
CV 60s Squiers are also very good basses, but you may not like the gloss neck.
Also consider the Sire P5. Affordable.
 
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#8
Another vote for buying in person, with the goal of keeping it (I've had my basses 21 and 36 years).

My general rules of thumb, buy the best bass you can buy, quality over quantity, and the chance of finding a dog goes down as the price goes up (collectability notwithstanding - a '63 Fender costs a lot because it is a pre-CBS Fender, even if it barks).
 
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#10
The Fender Player Series are very good basses. Have several Pbasses, including a couple of 1975 vintage precisions.

The Player Pbass sounds and plays better than all of them. There is no compromise with a good Mexican Precision. Note that the current pickups are significantly brighter than the vintage pickups, and I roll back the tone a bit. The sound gets round and warm with that adjustment.
 
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#13
Play as many as you can and then buy the one that you like – you'll know when you hear it! P/J is a great option to have if you want a bit more variety in the tone. I use my J pickup quite a bit. Some people find it a waste though and never use it.

The best sounding and playing P bass I have is a 2014 Squier Vintage Modifed P/J – I replaced the pickups with a Pickup Wizard set though. I've also owned a 1972 Fender MIA P, and a 2018 Mexican Player P but the Squier beats them both for tone and playability. It's also the lightest. To be fair, it's those particular basses that I didn't like - there are likely great examples of the same year and model bass - just not the ones I owned. There's a certain 'something' that great-sounding instruments have where the wood, metal and electronics all come together in a magical way.

So it's not always price - there can be good or bad sounding basses in any model or price range IME. 've been visiting music stores for almost a year now looking for something I like more than my VM, but nothing's grabbed me yet.
 
#14
As you can see, different people think differently. Best to decide yourself.

lowendblues said:
If you dont mind the Squier name on the headstock, I'd go for a Classic Vibe '70's precision in a heartbeat.
Click to expand...

Kallen said:
Can't go wrong with a Squier, especially a 60s or 70s CV.
Click to expand...

Dbassmon said:
The Player Pbass sounds and plays better than all of them. There is no compromise with a good Mexican Precision.
Click to expand...

Michael Stanley 2112 said:
As someone else mentioned, the Squier CV series is not a bad buy, but the gulf between the CV and the MIM is much wider than the one between the MIM and the MIA.

I believe the MIM is the sweet spot.
Click to expand...
 
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#15
What you're paying extra for is the quality of hardware and quality control. That said, a Squier at times can match an MIA in playability and tone. Mostly not, though.

Since you say money is not an object, I would consider an MIA and from a store where you can have it in your hand and plug in. You might surprise yourself what you like or don't like.

Or you can go down the endless rabbit holes of "should I get this, or this?" threads.
 
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#18
What do you have now?
The consideration I would have in mind is whether or not I wanted to change how the FB feels. Like, for example, a lot of the Fender Mex P-basses come with a 34" (full size) slim-c neck that has a 9.5" radius (how round the fingerboard is). Width at the nut is 1.625", which is a little wider than a 4-string jazz that has a 1.5" nut.
More on that radius thing, a bigger number = less-round. If you look on the Schecter website, you will find that lots of their basses have a 16" radius fingerboard, which is considered to be pretty flat.
You don't have to become a bass dimensions stat-nerd to know what you are looking at, but wanted you to know some of this in case you didn't. If you know some of the key dimensional info on the bass you have and then compare it to what you may be looking at online, it can help you manage expectations. - Truly the only what to really really tell if a bass makes you happy is to physically go somewhere and play basses. I always try to play the bass wide-open first (full vol-full tone) and have whatever amp the store has all flat (no eq). After I play a bit, I'll adjust accordingly, but like to have that first impression be what the bass sounds like as un-sculpted as possible. I don't know if that's really a thing or not, but it's what I do. I'm also pretty conscious of what amp I plug into. Ultimately I like a bass that weighs 8 to 9 lbs, and feels comfortable to play with my thumb in the middle of the back of the bass and the neck at a 45 (or so) deg angle across my lap while seated.
 
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#19
I'd either go the route of getting a classic vibe no frills p bass which is perfectly serviceable and can always be used as a backup or alternative string option in the future should you get something else later.. or go all out and get an american fender PJ for extra quality + tone options right off the bat. i personally don't think MIM are worth the price over squier. at least in recent years the ones i try in stores are no better and often worse. crap fretwork is especially prevalent in my experience.
 
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