• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

NBD: Fender American Deluxe Precision Bass

G

gregsuarez

Apr 7, 2014
24
0
#1
I finally have my "new" Fender AD P Bass in my hot little hands. Thanks to so many of you who helped me come to the conclusion that a P/J combo fits my needs so well. You were right! This model was not even on my original list of potential purchases, but is EXACTLY what I was looking for.

I have been noodling around with it for a while. The P pickup booms and the J pickup snarls. Perfect. And the neck plays like a dream. When you kick it into active mode, the thing just explodes to life and becomes otherworldly.

It was a used bass from an out-of-state Guitar Center that I had shipped. It's a $1699 bass that I got for $999, and it looks practically brand new. It was in such amazing condition that the original pickguard plastic and pickguard stickers were still on it. All it needed was a good polishing to get the fingerprints off of its sexy black finish. Even the hardshell case looks brand new. I also had the GC store manager throw in a free set of new strings, stainless steel flatwound.

It is a 2012 model with a Deluxe P bass pickup (whatever "Deluxe" means) and a Fender N3 Jazz pickup, active/passive switch, blend pot, 3-band active EQ (18V), and a tone pot for passive mode (which I will likely never use).

Thanks again for all your help in finding my "soul mate bass." Enjoy the pics. I also included a "family" portrait that includes my Music Man JP6 John Petrucci Signature Model in Cardinal Red Sparkle, and my Fender American Deluxe Stratocaster Plus in Ice Blue Metallic. :hyper:
 

Attachments

  • far.jpg
    far.jpg
    46.2 KB · Views: 297
  • front.jpg
    front.jpg
    52.5 KB · Views: 263
#11
SanDiegoHarry said:
This is a fine bass - I ran across one of these at a local store about 2 years ago and very nearly took it home (and I'm quite a gear snob!) - this bass is a big upgrade from the stock P in every way. You will dig it.
Click to expand...

Trust me, I did a TON of research and thinking and mulling and considering before I pulled the trigger. The American Deluxe upgrades are too hard to pass up. I have owned 2 American Deluxe Stratocasters (Fender has been my brand of choice for 23 years), and I currently own one of the new American Deluxe Strat Plus models with the interchangeable profile cards. I know how amazing that extra bit of magic is that's included in the "Deluxe" versions of Fender's guitars. Originally, when I first started shopping for a bass, I never even thought about considering a used bass. When I started shopping for used basses, the options really opened up in my budget.

At the very least, I avoided a Gibson bullet. I was pretty close to buying a Gibson EB bass. They seem like a pretty good deal. For $1089 it has an ash body, dual humbuckers (both coil tapped), and a nice beefy bridge (plus it comes with a hardshell case). I have read a lot of conflicting reports about out-of-box quality - and not just the easy stuff a set up would cure, but stuff like finishing blemishes and shoddy fretwork.

I'm so over Gibson guitars.
 
#12
senp5f said:
Congrats! I can't believe you picked up that bass for that price. What a steal!
Click to expand...

I can't believe it, either. The GC guy I talked to at the store I bought it from said it was a new acquisition and he already had a guy who wanted him to get it ready for him to buy. I processed my order immediately and beat him to it.

What really surprises me is I saw an American Deluxe Jazz Bass that looked just as immaculate and of the same vintage, and it was $1199. Maybe the Jazz Basses are more popular.
 
#13
gregsuarez said:
Trust me, I did a TON of research and thinking and mulling and considering before I pulled the trigger. The American Deluxe upgrades are too hard to pass up. I have owned 2 American Deluxe Stratocasters (Fender has been my brand of choice for 23 years), and I currently own one of the new American Deluxe Strat Plus models with the interchangeable profile cards. I know how amazing that extra bit of magic is that's included in the "Deluxe" versions of Fender's guitars. Originally, when I first started shopping for a bass, I never even thought about considering a used bass. When I started shopping for used basses, the options really opened up in my budget.
Click to expand...

You know, I wasn't wild (at all) about the Deluxe J - what you paying for just doesn't seem to offer nearly as much value as it does on the P.

Oh - and buying used is always smart. ALWAYS.
 
#14
SanDiegoHarry said:
You know, I wasn't wild (at all) about the Deluxe J - what you paying for just doesn't seem to offer nearly as much value as it does on the P.

Oh - and buying used is always smart. ALWAYS.
Click to expand...

The fit and finish of American Deluxe models are always a notch above even the American Standards. But, yeah, with the P Bass you get the Jazz pickup and awesome pre-amp.

I have bought used guitars before, but I typically prefer new. I did find a very sweet 1991 Charvel Spectrum in bright pink... it has a very '80s vibe. It was in remarkably great condition considering it was 20 years old when I got it (it probably spent its entire existence in the case under someone's bed). But I ended up almost never touching it and sold it.
 
#18
Thank you everyone for the well-wishes! I am definitely enjoying it. It really is a night and day difference over my Indonesian Ibanez BTB bass, which has a neck pickup that stopped working a couple of weeks ago, out of the blue.
 
#19
Nice...Im going to say that the "Deluxe" is prob the added J pup and Preamp. As you know Standards are passive. Now go play it!

Edit: Taken from Fender: Instruments with plenty of traditional look and feel, but tricked out with powerful pickup variations and other specialized features.

So Im right :)
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back