I mentioned this in the Pro Classic thread, but I went to the local shop to play some Fender American Pro IIs, because I was pretty certain that is the model Precision I wanted. I decided to buy something locally so I would know if it was a dog or not, and not have to hope to get lucky with an online buy. Also, I have not bought a new bass in many many years, so that was another factor.
On paper the Pro II seemed like what I needed. So I sat down with some and played them - maple neck, rosewood neck, checked tuners, played chords in the high frets to see how the modern cutaway felt...etc. I thought the tone as good, didn't love the higher frets, wasn't as sold as I thought I would be. But I still thought they were quite good. Next to them were the Pro Classics, basses I wrote off because they didn't really make as much sense on paper. But I still figured why not try one. So I did, and I immediately thought that to me, these basses were quite great. I liked the look more, but the neck also felt faster with the medium jumbo frets and modern C shape. The radius is perfect, and upper fret access was no problem. So I didn't really see the benefit of the high cutaway. I have been playing P basses forever, so I may just be used to the necks, but regardless it did not matter. I don't really care about string through body, but I did think the AM Pro II bridge was pretty cool. That said, the tuners on the Pro Classic are super smooth (Gotoh) and I liked them as much if not more than the Pro II. Another thing I never thought much about until I had good ones - the knobs. The knobs on this bass are the best. Super smooth and premium. If you also play synths, you will appreciate this detail. The knobs feel like opening a filter on a quality synth. While the bridge is not high mass, it is a very quality version of the traditional Fender bridge, which has always worked for me.
Tonally, I also preferred the Classic. It's such a good sound - very warm and round but more clarity in the highs. This is where the Classic really separated itself for me. It is just so responsive and sounds fantastic. I owned an American Vintage Original 60's, which is more expensive, but the Classic is much much better - imo. Better tuners, bridge and the pickup has more mojo to it.
I don't mean to trigger anyone because all these Fender basses are awesome. The Am Pro II is great, but the Classic just feels like a classic P bass with modern perks, like a faster neck, much nicer tuners and mine also weighs under 9 pounds. It also lets you adjust the rod at the headstock, which I appreciate. It does not have a bone nut, but I have some of those sitting at the house, so that's an easy upgrade. It also does not come with the hardshell case, but I was trying to get a price on a Pro II without the case because I don't need that anyway. It does come with a gig bag, which is fine, I don't really need it but I couldn't waive it for a discount.
Anyway, I suspect this model may go under the radar and you can already negotiate a brand new one for $1500 or so including tax. They are incredibly good basses and (IMO) much better than the American Vintage, which is rather expensive for what it is. So if you are looking at the different options, make sure and at least play one of these basses before assuming it's nothing special, like I did. It has the most vibe of the 3 for me. And the maple neck version was also sick, I had to go back and forth before I picked this one because they both played great. They also look amazing, which is a nice bonus.
