Help with a buying decision Fender Precision Bass

[BlueTalon]

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.

So what's your budget?

 

[El_filigrano]

Maybe one thing to look at is the fretboard. Maple gives more attack onto the sound, rosewood/laurel etc feels a bit warmer I think.

the thing is: This won‘t be the last Preci of your life, so just take the one you’re comfy with. ;-)

most important to me: walk by your gear and the feeling has got to be: YES. This is My shaging bass.

 

[kevrex]

i really like the necks on the player series. and i played a classic vibe p bass a while back that very nearly came home with me. some of them are *so* good.

 

[fhm555]

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!

^this^
Also, FYI Player basses are also MIM if that matters.

 

[jamro217]

Play as many as you can. Pick the one you like best.

 

[chris_b]

Buy the bass that feels the best to play.

Precision basses sound like Precision basses until you put some flatwound strings on, then they sound like the gods gargling with nectar!

 

[bassliner50]

Any one of those choices should be easy to resell if things did not work out for some reason. The Squier Vintage Modified and Classic Vibe models are fine basses and best bang for your buck. You won't go wrong with any of those. Keep in mind a setup will probably be required to get any of those perfect. Learn how to properly set up your basses! You will be glad you did.

 

[BobDeRosa]

1) Neck feel (to you, what is most comfortable in your fretting hand).
2) Tort pick guard.

That's the thought process.

Oh, come on! April 1 was weeks ago and the OP is sincerely asking for useful information. You offer two criteria, with neither one being sound quality and #2 being absolute nonsense? Give the guy a break, willya?

 

[BobDeRosa]

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?

There's one P option you shouldn't overlook -- a Yamaha BB300. Vastly underrated and super-cheap used.

 

[Killing Floor]

Oh, come on! April 1 was weeks ago and the OP is sincerely asking for useful information. You offer two criteria, with neither one being sound quality and #2 being absolute nonsense? Give the guy a break, willya?

Personal experience, have played many hundreds of Fender basses.

So sure, you can question the value of a fashion choice.
But for the record, the singular criterion is neck feel for me. I can and will replace pickups, strings as I see fit. Only permanent musical property is neck because it’s the only part of a bass that directly affects how you play it and more so, your willingness to put effort into playing it. And from experience, weight, body wood and shape (within the constraint of arm length) hardware variations, none of that genuinely affects playability. Even neck dive can be addressed. If a Squier neck feels better in your fretting hand it is the best bass.

 

[tvbop]

Hard to help really. Ive owned a gazillion P basses starting with a new one in 1977....Worse one ever, a 2005 MIM followed by a vintage 71 burst which was a dog..And best one?..probably my new CV 70 tho closely followed by a couple of mid 1970's naturals which were very sweet. In other words all varieties of P basses are so diverse and plentiful its a total crap shoot.

 

[KCLRbass]

Reading the replies, I don't think I'm adding anything new here, but still...

I needed a P a few years ago and played at least 30 different basses before narrowing it down to two. They played/felt completely different (to me, at least) and sounded *worlds* apart - one woolly Jamerson vibe, the other more snarly Lynott. Not to mention, one was white with black guard and the other black with white guard. The weirdest part? They were both brand new 2019 Fender Americans. They were soooo different! I wanted both, but went with the black Lynott.

If there's a moral here, it's that you don't know what you're getting unless you get your hands on it.

 

[Holdsg]

Best P-bass I own is a G&L LB-100.

 

[OldSchoolFlats]

Best P-bass I own is a G&L LB-100.
View attachment 4671592

Probably because of the plastic still on the pick-guard...

Tort *and* plastic!

 

[ThudThudThud]

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.

The Chinese CVs were/are phenomenal instruments. That gulf wasn't so wide then. Haven't tried the new crop.

 

[BASS67]

"Made in Japan" Fender Precision.

If not.

-Fender MIM 2018
-Fender MIM 2008
-Squier Vintage 70
-Fender Precision Players Bass
-Fender PJ Special Edition (I don't like the PJ's)
-Squier Jaguar full sized modified

 

[dugout]

I thought you said money wasn't an issue? Then why are we talking about those items in particular? But to answer the question, get a PJ

Yeah. That's a good question. I suppose what I meant was "within reason and within those choices." For example, if I just take what I've seen, the range for a good Jaguar is about $350 to about $450. CVs I've seen for $400 to $500, MIMs about the same on the low end, but a bit higher on the high end. Players start at about $600 from what I've seen. The Special Edition, I wouldn't normally have even though of, but I saw one and I liked the looks. Having said that, I can afford to spend pretty much whatever I want, but because I don't really know what I want yet, I don't want to spend a ton, but I want good enough to gig with. BTW, I'll just add that I'm 62 and just picking up the bass again after about a 35 year lay-off and I wasn't a great player even back then, but I was competent enough that people wanted me to play with them.

 

[2cooltoolz]

./.I'll just add that I'm 62 and just picking up the bass again after about a 35 year lay-off.

Well, I see you’ve been on Talkbass for a bit, but regardless, Welcome Back to the low end! I also took a long hiatus, not completely out, but not gigging. Started brushing up for retirement in my mid 50s; 68 now. Lot of us “mature musicians” on TB.