NBD: Am Pro P

I start with stating my point of reference P bass is a maple neck Am Special with Fender Original 62 pick ups. Wanting an alternate P bass so i can more easily switch between flats, rounds, etc, I ordered a new American Professional, sunburst/rosewood, directly from Fender. My idea was to have two P basses on different ends of the tonal spectrum, and that's pretty much exactly what I got.
Fit, finish, initial impression
The finish was as perfect as i could tell, joints, screws, HW, etc was all tight. The fingerboard is a nice dark rosewood a hint of reddish black stripping. The body appears to be one piece, or if it is two, i certainly cannot see a visible glue joint no matter how hard I look. Weight wise, it's about 8.5-ish pounds....lighter than a 70's boat anchor Jazz, but heavier than a MIJ Basswood Fender. I wouldn't want it to be any heavier, but it certainly isn't too heavy. On a side note, its nearly perfectly balanced.

Bridge-Tunners
Yes, the bridge is nicer than the typical Fender bent plate. It does take some getting used to stringing through the body. Also when stringing through the bridge, it wants to lock the ball in place, so you need to be careful not to twist the string. All in all a nice bridge, just different that the old ones, and you need to change how you put strings on.
The same can be said of the tuners, an improvement over the old larger post ones, again just different. I had to rethink how long i cut the strings, you can only get about two wraps around the small tapered post, so they need to be much shorter than I was used to. Great tuners, light, stays in tune and the taper really does give you a better break angle with less wraps.

V-Mod Pickups
Im still on the fence about these, they are nearly the opposite of the Original 62's, being smoother, tighter low and low mids and a bit scooped upper mids. The Original 62's in contrast are very upper/mid forward and super ganky....nearly too much so with bright rounds, but great for that sound. The thing with the v-mod is that the E string is the same volume as the other strings, this is not the case with most P bass's, it doesnt bloom really huge if you come down on it hard....even when unplugged, unlike my other P. Also the E and A(less so) are a bit softer sounding than the D and G. At first I did not like this and was thinking i would swap the pickups out, however I found it really works in a live setting. You can get big/full notes on the E and A, while having the D and G cut better while not being thin sounding. Overall the pickups are very clear, smooth and tight/dry sounding, you can hear every note clearly across the fretboard. I like them just fine, but may experiment with something else, just because there are so many great P pickups out there.

Neck
Great neck feel, feels bound, with smooth edges. The profile is a bit thicker and rounded front to back than the Am Special, which is flatter. I find it really comfortable, as your hand and fingers are not scrunched up too much, nor is the neck to big or wide, it seems just right. My favorite neck feel at the moment, I can go all night and am less cramped up.

Overall
Im very happy with the purchase, nothing was missed quality wise, the hard case with TSA locks is very nice and much better quality than the ones in the past. The bass plays and sounds great, its tone is smoother, tighter and less ganky than my other P bass, this is true even comparing them side by side unplugged. So between these two, I can really cover a lot of different situations. When accompanying an acoustic or when there is nothing else in the low end, say piano and lighter guitars, the AM Pro really fits well, is crystal clear and fills the space nicely.

 

I actually waited a few week and several gigs before I did this review, and im glad i did, i like it more and more, even the v-mods Ive played it in small acoustic settings, and with a full classic rock band at a few outdoor and indoor shows. I really do love this bass, with my GK MB212-ii and broken in Sunbeams, the tone is thick and meaty in the low mids with just enough bite in the highs. Every note is clear and come through, the upper register notes are a bit bigger sounding than my other P.

 

Yea, I had a gig last night and on stage the v-mods sounded great, thick, punchy and very clear. Right out of the box with the factory set up, the E string was a bit to soft...and I didnt think the stock strings were a good fit or feel. After messing with pickup adjustments and trying a few different string sets, it really came to life and sounds great.

 

I had considered a Jazz for a moment, but I already have two good ones and really was wanting a second P. Ive heard folks like the Jazz v-mods better than the P, I was concerned about the v-mods initially but have grown to really appreciate what they do in a live setting.

 

Yea, im thinking Black as well...for the 70's look.

 

Gold anodized...hmmm...any examples of how that would look on a newer Sunburst/rosewood?
Yep, I really like the MB212....it can be a bit dark and boxy in certain rooms, more so when its turned down too low. But the thing is a beast of a combo for sure, lightweight and huge sounding...ive gigged with it regularly for about 4 years and its been spot on the whole time.

 

Looks great...the newer sunbursts look a bit darker...less "yellow" in the center. But black or gold would look good.

 

Just thought id update....
I still really love the clear and smooth tone, the v-mods have proven themselves to me in a variety of live settings. They are fairly flexible and interact/respond really well with the tone knob. The neck feel has become my new favorite, super comfortable for all nighters.
I havent pampered or sheltered this bass at all....I have a pretty busy summer schedule and almost immediately started gigging with it, outdoors in the heat and sweat, from loud rock shows to low key acoustic and rehearsals. I do keep it clean, wiped down, etc, but it does have a couple of small dings already This is definitely fulfilling its purpose as a workhorse bass.

 

Still love this bass...I’m preferring it more and more, I’ve had it in the studio, a lot of live shows across several genres, sounds and plays great every time. I’ve settled on DR Sunbeams...they seem the best match so far.

 

Yes, the vmods are initially different than your used to...not super ganky, etc. This may not be a good first impression for many. However, they really work well not live and in the studio.