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In November I unexpectedly bought a Fender Precision Professional II with a maple fretboard. I played it 3 times over a couple of months and bought it on the third occasion. I didn't look at the price tag properly and didn't realise it was a 2020 instrument and that it was second hand; pristine and apparently bought as an investment it was fitted with an anodised gold pickguard and a Custom Shop '62 pickup with standard 7250M Fender strings. I have to say I wasn't swayed by the aesthetics, it looked really nice but not I would have chosen.
This bass has really grown on me and has supplanted my beloved Ibanez SR755NTF PJ as my No1 bass. At the same gain and volume levels this bass makes the speaker kick more that any bass I have previously owned. There is a very distinct and percussive start and end to each note. There is a bias towards the lower mids but with the tone wide open there are sufficient highs to give the sound a bit of bite and help it cut through. Winding off the tone control it seems to be that although there is a slight drop in volume the sound becomes almost that of a bass strung with flats. Moving the plucking hand around provides a heap of variation to tone both with fingers and pick. There is just a bit of dirt or wooliness to the tone which I just love. The Nordstrand P on my Ibanez has less thump and is a cleaner sound, more modern perhaps but I prefer that older style pickup sound personally.
I love the "63 profile neck; not as deep and rounded as my previous Fender Jazz, not as shallow as my Ibanez and a bit flatter profile across the back, it feels as if there is room to stretch around and the 1 5/8" nut suits my medium size hands too. This surprised me as until now my favourite ever neck is my 5 string which is only a couple of millimetres wider at the nut. (For reference, I play with my thumb on the back of the neck like a classical guitarist). It is beautifully finished, the gently rounded fretboard is very comfortable and the frets are very well finished. I flattened the neck out and reduced the relief and lowered the action a bit when I bought it and it has settled down to the point that it doesn't seem to require tuning except for temperature changes having an impact on the strings. The tuners are super-smooth and very low geared and accurate. There are no dead spots on the neck.
The bass comes in at 3.8kg apparently (I can't weigh it) and there is no neck dive at all; it sits at whatever angle I put it. The neck pocket is very neat and there appear to be no gaps around it. The new heel shape and 5 screw neck mounting does allow easier access to the upper frets than my 2008 Jazz did. Sadly there is no truss rod adjustment access without removing the pickguard but that is because the pickguard is non-standard (maybe from a Vintera?). The electronics are neat and tidy and the fitting of the CS'62 pickup is done well. It is set up as string through and has great resonance and presence when played acoustically. I love the bridge on these as they are so easy to work with. I especially appreciate all the bridge adjustment screws being Allen key and not Phillips head screws - easier adjusting and less chance of damage occurring to the screw heads. I do prefer a string-through setup even if there is debate as to how much difference it makes as I feel it adds "depth" to the tone. Although I have not tried without the strings on the bass, tapping the neck and the body with my knuckle produces almost the same note which I think is part of the great sound this instrument has.
To sum up, I am so glad I bought this bass. I almost didn't and my wife said, "Why not, we can afford it" and I thought, "That's enough fuel to drive halfway around the country". She was right. I do believe I was very lucky with this individual instrument and it seems as well finished as the Custom Shop Sean Hurley I played a few years ago, but this bass convinces me that standard MIA Fenders can still be spectacular.
This bass has really grown on me and has supplanted my beloved Ibanez SR755NTF PJ as my No1 bass. At the same gain and volume levels this bass makes the speaker kick more that any bass I have previously owned. There is a very distinct and percussive start and end to each note. There is a bias towards the lower mids but with the tone wide open there are sufficient highs to give the sound a bit of bite and help it cut through. Winding off the tone control it seems to be that although there is a slight drop in volume the sound becomes almost that of a bass strung with flats. Moving the plucking hand around provides a heap of variation to tone both with fingers and pick. There is just a bit of dirt or wooliness to the tone which I just love. The Nordstrand P on my Ibanez has less thump and is a cleaner sound, more modern perhaps but I prefer that older style pickup sound personally.
I love the "63 profile neck; not as deep and rounded as my previous Fender Jazz, not as shallow as my Ibanez and a bit flatter profile across the back, it feels as if there is room to stretch around and the 1 5/8" nut suits my medium size hands too. This surprised me as until now my favourite ever neck is my 5 string which is only a couple of millimetres wider at the nut. (For reference, I play with my thumb on the back of the neck like a classical guitarist). It is beautifully finished, the gently rounded fretboard is very comfortable and the frets are very well finished. I flattened the neck out and reduced the relief and lowered the action a bit when I bought it and it has settled down to the point that it doesn't seem to require tuning except for temperature changes having an impact on the strings. The tuners are super-smooth and very low geared and accurate. There are no dead spots on the neck.
The bass comes in at 3.8kg apparently (I can't weigh it) and there is no neck dive at all; it sits at whatever angle I put it. The neck pocket is very neat and there appear to be no gaps around it. The new heel shape and 5 screw neck mounting does allow easier access to the upper frets than my 2008 Jazz did. Sadly there is no truss rod adjustment access without removing the pickguard but that is because the pickguard is non-standard (maybe from a Vintera?). The electronics are neat and tidy and the fitting of the CS'62 pickup is done well. It is set up as string through and has great resonance and presence when played acoustically. I love the bridge on these as they are so easy to work with. I especially appreciate all the bridge adjustment screws being Allen key and not Phillips head screws - easier adjusting and less chance of damage occurring to the screw heads. I do prefer a string-through setup even if there is debate as to how much difference it makes as I feel it adds "depth" to the tone. Although I have not tried without the strings on the bass, tapping the neck and the body with my knuckle produces almost the same note which I think is part of the great sound this instrument has.
To sum up, I am so glad I bought this bass. I almost didn't and my wife said, "Why not, we can afford it" and I thought, "That's enough fuel to drive halfway around the country". She was right. I do believe I was very lucky with this individual instrument and it seems as well finished as the Custom Shop Sean Hurley I played a few years ago, but this bass convinces me that standard MIA Fenders can still be spectacular.
Sorry about that. I thought there was one there! I also thought this might be a great idea for a thread but it certainly didn't catch on.
Here it is anyway
I like it man. Sexy.
I can relate actually to your story and it involves a p bass as well.
Back in September IIRC, I got a wild hair to get back to bass after mostly focusing on guitar. I already had two basses but of course I now had an excuse for GAS. Ended up ordering a dark night P Bass direct from Fender. I liked it alright but it kind of hung on the wall for a few months with little playing. I was still tending to jump on guitar if I got a minute or five to jam.
Well, over the last week or so I’ve been dabbling more and more with that gorgeous P bass and today, while learning to play a song I jammed for about 30 minutes straight in e minor and just GOT IN THE FLOW! I now love this damn bass.
I can relate actually to your story and it involves a p bass as well.
Back in September IIRC, I got a wild hair to get back to bass after mostly focusing on guitar. I already had two basses but of course I now had an excuse for GAS. Ended up ordering a dark night P Bass direct from Fender. I liked it alright but it kind of hung on the wall for a few months with little playing. I was still tending to jump on guitar if I got a minute or five to jam.
Well, over the last week or so I’ve been dabbling more and more with that gorgeous P bass and today, while learning to play a song I jammed for about 30 minutes straight in e minor and just GOT IN THE FLOW! I now love this damn bass.
Those dark night finishes are beautiful! Amazing how sometimes you have to wait for something to "click" and suddenly it all comes together - but I guess that doesn't just happen with basses. And they are a great playing and sounding bass.
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honeymoons tend to evolve and extend beyond the 7yr itch if you picked a lifer. I've lucked out in virtually all of my GASquisitions after starting proper with vintage Fenders in the '80s, curiosity got the better of me as I went nuts until I landed my last 3 (now 4...) which are my ultimate ultimates. among the keepers are an Ibanez TR-50 for P bass superiority, the glorious bolt-on Epi T-Bird, it's grandpappy Explorer, and this week an active neck-thru LTD F-4E which promises all the things I'd been dreaming about for years in this exceptional bass. the honeymoon just started but I'm a passive guy so the active LTD is no real threat to the harem, however, so far it's surpassing all hopes. they all keep getting better over time, I didn't need the LTD interfering but beware of what you wish for.
unexpected post-GAS NBD
unexpected post-GAS NBD
I keep trying to build my stable of basses that I won't touch. And I keep selling them to buy new ones, then rebuying versions of ones I wish I still had. Rinse and repeat. So far there is one that is holding it's own. Back in Aug/Sept, I ran across a '78 P bass on Reverb. It was in pretty good shape, decent price, wasn't 100% original which lowered the price. Despite that, it had been hanging around for like 9 months and I could not believe no one bought it, so I jumped on it. This bass might be the best P Bass I've ever played. I had a Custom Shop I had bought previously which was absolutely amazing, but I struggled with the neck. The CS was very thin front to back, but was the vintage 1.75" at the nut which the more I played it I found to be an issue.
The '78 P has more of a baseball bat feel to the neck, but is 1 5/8", and it just fits wonderful in the hand. Not too heavy, and while it's not 100% original it does have a vintage DiMarzio Model P which just makes the bass sound huge. Every now and again, I feel like because it's a '78 I should move it cause it has value. But then I play it, the way it feels, the way it sounds and I don't think I should EVER part with it.
The '78 P has more of a baseball bat feel to the neck, but is 1 5/8", and it just fits wonderful in the hand. Not too heavy, and while it's not 100% original it does have a vintage DiMarzio Model P which just makes the bass sound huge. Every now and again, I feel like because it's a '78 I should move it cause it has value. But then I play it, the way it feels, the way it sounds and I don't think I should EVER part with it.
"recently" is a flexible term here, because I bought this Le Fay Karlsson in late 2020:
I've had a double milestone with finishing off a decade and a significant improvement in the day job world, so I thought to myself this is the right time to spend used car money on a bass, to have that crossed off the bucket list - at least I have many good years ahead to enjoy it. I bought
Well here's the thing about this bass: The honeymoon did not end yet.
It came into the stable as bass #8. I quickly sold one bass that got redundant, then sold another, then another ...
I'm down to three now.
The other two basses were acquired after this one, but the honeymoon thing was more or less ruined by the Le Fay. I would play the new bass for a while, then put it down and pick up the Le Fay again, and a grin spread on my face.
I've had a double milestone with finishing off a decade and a significant improvement in the day job world, so I thought to myself this is the right time to spend used car money on a bass, to have that crossed off the bucket list - at least I have many good years ahead to enjoy it. I bought
Well here's the thing about this bass: The honeymoon did not end yet.
It came into the stable as bass #8. I quickly sold one bass that got redundant, then sold another, then another ...
I'm down to three now.
The other two basses were acquired after this one, but the honeymoon thing was more or less ruined by the Le Fay. I would play the new bass for a while, then put it down and pick up the Le Fay again, and a grin spread on my face.
The 70's "B" necks are pretty awesome. Nice thickness, comfortable width. I also bought a black/maple pbass (72) and feel like this sums it up. "But then I play it, the way it feels, the way it sounds and I don't think I should EVER part with it." After every practice and whenever anyone picks it up they all say "don't ever sell that".
Having owned a ton of P basses Iam absolutely certain those thick ole 70's necks add to the tone.....I love em.
I bought this used Squier Affinity Jaguar H Bass in April. I changed the pickguard to the pearl one a couple of weeks ago. (White pearl on blue basses seems to be a very common choice. I considered picking something different, simply to avoid following the herd... but the combination just works! 
)
For me, the critical qualities of a bass are the fingerboard/neck and the overall resonance. This thing rates 100% in both categories. It's pretty incredible.
There is neck dive, which I can completely remedy by putting the strap through my belt. A luthier once told me (in the context of addressing dead spots on necks) that changing the tuners and bridge can help, but they might change the tone of the instrument. Believing that, I'm reluctant to mess with a high mass bridge and lightweight tuners, since the tone is really nice and the belt trick works OK.
The first time I brought it to a rehearsal, the guitarist remarked that my P-Bass had more warmth. I think what he heard was the middy throatiness of this bass. It actually makes a P-Bass sound subtle in a mix, everything else being equal (amp settings, etc.).
So... the "honeymoon" part: I'm keeping this bass, since it's simply so GOOD. And if I sold it, I couldn't realistically ask for more than $199, so there's that. And I can brag to TB about it being an early one (2021) crafted in China.
What I'm doing now is learning how to play it. My fretting hand took surprisingly little time to adjust to the 32" scale, but my plucking hand is still adapting to the location of the sweet spots. The physical distance between fingerboard and bridge is obviously shorter than what I'm used to, so the "Jaco" <--> "Family Man" range is different. My touch is a bit off. And the shorter scale also gives the sound less steely "backbone" and more "gooey" fullness, which affects how hard I attack it. (Thank you, laws of physics.)
I'm looking forward to using it at more gigs to further get a grip on it.
)For me, the critical qualities of a bass are the fingerboard/neck and the overall resonance. This thing rates 100% in both categories. It's pretty incredible.
There is neck dive, which I can completely remedy by putting the strap through my belt. A luthier once told me (in the context of addressing dead spots on necks) that changing the tuners and bridge can help, but they might change the tone of the instrument. Believing that, I'm reluctant to mess with a high mass bridge and lightweight tuners, since the tone is really nice and the belt trick works OK.
The first time I brought it to a rehearsal, the guitarist remarked that my P-Bass had more warmth. I think what he heard was the middy throatiness of this bass. It actually makes a P-Bass sound subtle in a mix, everything else being equal (amp settings, etc.).
So... the "honeymoon" part: I'm keeping this bass, since it's simply so GOOD. And if I sold it, I couldn't realistically ask for more than $199, so there's that. And I can brag to TB about it being an early one (2021) crafted in China.
What I'm doing now is learning how to play it. My fretting hand took surprisingly little time to adjust to the 32" scale, but my plucking hand is still adapting to the location of the sweet spots. The physical distance between fingerboard and bridge is obviously shorter than what I'm used to, so the "Jaco" <--> "Family Man" range is different. My touch is a bit off. And the shorter scale also gives the sound less steely "backbone" and more "gooey" fullness, which affects how hard I attack it. (Thank you, laws of physics.)
I'm looking forward to using it at more gigs to further get a grip on it.
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I bought this used Squier Affinity Jaguar H Bass in April. I changed the pickguard to the pearl one a couple of weeks ago. (White pearl on blue basses seems to be a very common choice. I considered picking something different, simply to avoid following the herd... but the combination just works!
For me, the critical qualities of a bass are the fingerboard/neck and the overall resonance. This thing rates 100% in both categories. It's pretty incredible.
There is neck dive, which I can completely remedy by putting the strap through my belt. A luthier once told me (in the context of addressing dead spots on necks) that changing the tuners and bridge can help, but they might change the tone of the instrument. Believing that, I'm reluctant to mess with a high mass bridge and lightweight tuners, since the tone is really nice and the belt trick works OK.
The first time I brought it to a rehearsal, the guitarist remarked that my P-Bass had more warmth. I think what he heard was the middy throatiness of this bass. It actually makes a P-Bass sound subtle in a mix, everything else being equal (amp settings, etc.).
So... the "honeymoon" part: I'm keeping this bass, since it's simply so GOOD. And if I sold it, I couldn't realistically ask for more than $199, so there's that. And I can brag to TB about it being an early one (2021) crafted in China.
What I'm doing now is learning how to play it. My fretting hand took surprisingly little time to adjust to the 32" scale, but my plucking hand is still adapting to the location of the sweet spots. The physical distance between fingerboard and bridge is obviously shorter than what I'm used to, so the "Jaco" <--> "Family Man" range is different. My touch is a bit off. And the shorter scale also gives the sound less steely "backbone" and more "gooey" fullness, which affects how hard I attack it. (Thank you, laws of physics.)
I'm looking forward to using it at more gigs to further get a grip on it.
View attachment 5104934
My Squier Jaguar H is the most comfortable, easy playing bass I've ever owned. And I say that without hyperbole. It's sold me on medium scale. And tbh it would have to be a very special bass for me to want to upgrade from it.
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