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Looking in P-basses-- after all these years..
- Thread starter alaskaleftybass
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- fender precision bass
I had the exact same MIM P....midnight wine red, I put a black PG and a CS62 pickup and a BAII. MAN it was killer
While I love my MIA Ps & Js, there's something about the MIJs that I find more at home on. I think some of it has to do with the smaller fret wire. My 62RI-P and Noel Redding J are both lighter than my MIA offerings. And those MIAs are even nicely under 9lbs.
Quite a few P basses with J necks. Here's mine.I made the switch to Ibanez basses in 1980. My Ibanez basses have been excellent performers.
After being a regular member of TB for so many years I'm finally succumbing to the temptation of buying another P-bass. I know it's a different world now for Fender since the 80's. So I have some questions I hope you can help with.
Sidebar: From the early 70's to the first part of the 80's my most loved bass was a Fender P-bass in sunburst. I literally wore it down to 'roadworn.' But the dead spots on the neck always bothered me. Normally was a very weak D and G, or sometimes a very weak A.
Is it possible to get an authentic Fender P-bass with a narrow neck? I've been playing super fast 38mm necks for over 30 years. I know the Jazz is similar in size but I would rather have the shorter length of the P-bass.
Also, has Fender more or less taken care of the issues of dead spots on the neck? That was really a problem in the 70's when I owned several Fenders.
Also, what are the new pickups like on the new P-basses? Are they good right out of the box?
Finally, MIA and MIM? How much better are the MIA's?
For those of you interested in friendly help, thank you in advance.
MIM or maybe it should be MFM!
Made For Me
I totally connected with this thing. The Jazz neck is slim and smooth and I really liked the maple fretboard. The P bass pickup had that classic deep, warm tone that so many yearn for and the Jazz pickup had the notorious growl...with no hiss, no noise. Combining the two opened up plenty of possibilities and the tone control was very responsive, more so than quite a number of basses I've tried out over the course of the last few months. I tried out 3 of these PJs in 3 different stores through 3 different amps, an Acoustic B100 MKII, a Peavy MAX 112 and a Markbass CMD-121P...my amp.
It delivers everything I want from a bass, and this after trying out between 50 and 60 basses in 2015, including 2 USA Fenders, 2 Music Man Sting Rays, an anniversary Gibson Thunderbird and a Lackland.
For those who love Fender basses, you already know why, but for those who don't, you have no idea what you're missing. I was never a Fender person, never even tried out a Fender bass until late 2014. Now, at least I know what all the fuss is about.
As for gas, sure, I'll look at a lot of Fender basses here and admire some of the nice ones that others own, but I don't think I'll ever have to buy another Fender bass again...this one must've been built with me in mind, it's bass perfection!
$799 online despite GC's higher in-store price, and the 15% discount does apply despite their discount restrictions claim.
I jumped on this bass when I got a 20% off coupon in my email.
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But then my Fat Finger gets in the way of my Hipshot.
Even without the Hipshot, they still can get in the way. But IMO the result is worth the trouble.
One thing I can say, I've had fewer dead spots on MIA necks with reinforcement rods. Also had some Squiers and MIM precision basses with low to no deaders.
All of these are 1.625 or wider though.
Being a lefty makes that a bitch to test though.
All of these are 1.625 or wider though.
Being a lefty makes that a bitch to test though.
I would definitely try out as many as you can get your hands on. Over the last 10 years I've had a MIM p bass, 2012 and a 2014 Am STD P, 2014 Am Deluxe P bass and recently bought and fell head over heels in love with...drum roll please...a Squier Matt Freeman P bass. Ill be damned, the Squier is honest to god my favorite of the lot. The neck is similar to the Am Stds I've owned, even has 'rolled edges' like the Am STD. The pickup sounds better and more 'definitive p bass' sound than the custom shop pickups in my 2014 Am STD, and the neck hasn't budged since I got the bass(something i worried about while contemplating the purchase). Its also just as light as every Am STD I've owned(another thing I worried about). Just my 2 cents.
American standard P bass with American special jazz neck.
Seems to me the neck is is a priority to you, not to troll this thread but the necks on the Lakland D. Dunn P Basses are are super fast and smooth and no dead spots, they are Plekd and just great feeling playing necks, the Lakland could be an option...
Don't be put off if a pbass you're considering has a wider 1.75" width. Some are really thin front-to-back, and totally comfortable. It's just different from a skinny-width neck that has a rounder, deeper profile. I have smallish hands and my Lakland P with the 1.75" is as comfy as my Geddy Jazz, just in a different way.
Here's my first P. Kinda like you, was never into them. This one's still waiting for black Hipshot tuners and Hipshot bridge. This is the Roger Waters model, it has a huge thick neck, you'd probably hate it. I do prefer my Kramer Forum I neck, I compare it to an Ibanez Wizard neck.
I love my MIM P-bass with CS 62 pickups. It sounds great with Flatwounds on it. I did put an aftermarket Warmoth Tele bass neck, with 1.5" nut width on it, mostly because I wanted a different look.
I agree with others about the quality of fret dressing on MIM vs MIA bases or other higher end bases in general. It's not quite as nice, but totally playable. I've been very happy with the 2 MIM basses I've owned.
That's almost my exact bass, except I used a 62 reissue body and american standard neck. I'd still consider it "authentic" fender, although not from the factory. Does fender still offer the design experience thing? The OP could order a P with a J neck through there, right?
