Hello, everyone!
tl;dr - pics below.
Look at that - another essay about a new bass
. It's a big month of NBDs for me after selling off a lot of my collection. I've got a major "decade" birthday coming up, and I figured it was time to get my first proper MIA Precision (insert getting older joke here). I used to exclusively play Jazz basses and modern-style basses, but I've recently started to "get it" when it comes to the whole P thing. After figuring that out, I tried out some Fender's current P bass offerings around town, and none of them were quite what I was looking for - so let's talk about the...
Fender Mod Shop Experience
It came out exactly how I wanted. The Bordeaux Metallic finish is killer in person. I feel like my camera didn't quite capture the depth. I love Fender's metallic finishes, they only have a noticeable sparkle when you get up close. I almost went with Silverburst and an all black Pickguard and I'm really, really glad I didn't!
At the end of the day, it's really a standard MIA Precision with some quirky options. You should know what you're getting up front - it's not a fully customized piece, but it's a bit more personal to you, should you make it that way.
The Neck
Hardware
The clay dot inlays are a perfect fit!
Sorry for the lack of clarity on these 2; they're cropped from a farther-distance shot.
The etched Fender logo and "Precision Bass" decal are hard to see here but I wish they did this on every bass!
Vintage style tuners
I love the Mod Shop neck plate - not sure if the serial stamping in the plate is a result of my options or standard for all MS orders.
It's a wonderful companion piece to my 2012 American Standard Strat in "Mystic Red"!
Order Spec Sheet - came out just like it.
If you took the time to read the post, thanks! I'd love to hear other people's experience with the Mod Shop.
tl;dr - pics below.
Look at that - another essay about a new bass
. It's a big month of NBDs for me after selling off a lot of my collection. I've got a major "decade" birthday coming up, and I figured it was time to get my first proper MIA Precision (insert getting older joke here). I used to exclusively play Jazz basses and modern-style basses, but I've recently started to "get it" when it comes to the whole P thing. After figuring that out, I tried out some Fender's current P bass offerings around town, and none of them were quite what I was looking for - so let's talk about the...Fender Mod Shop Experience
- To get this out of the way, I think we can all agree that the Mod Shop should have more options. Why don't they allow people to order a Precision neck on a Jazz and vice versa? Wider pickup selection, etc.? Seems a no-brainer. They offer crazier mods on the guitars - you can even order a new hardtail Strat without a tremolo! Luckily I was just after a very traditional P bass with a personalized twist. I made a post about the recent price increases not too long ago, which is never really welcome, but I had sold off a ton of gear and a buddy was kind enough to give me a great coupon code, so I didn't pay much more than pre-price increase rates (I'm aware this makes me a part of the problem - my bad).
- I'm glad I ordered when I did though. As of writing this, you can't order a pure rosewood neck; they've swapped that option for roasted maple. Hopefully it'll return.
- The timeline on my order was about 35 days from clicking the confirmation to the FedEx driver dropping it off - they reached out halfway through that timeline to let me know there would be a delay. That's still significantly faster than a lot of places are getting restocks of American Pro II Precisions... the upcharge may be worth the immediacy of the delivery alone for some people.
- Overall, if the Mod Shop lets you build what you're looking for, I'd recommend it. It isn't cheap (what MIA Fender is anymore?), but it's much cheaper than the Custom Shop of course.
It came out exactly how I wanted. The Bordeaux Metallic finish is killer in person. I feel like my camera didn't quite capture the depth. I love Fender's metallic finishes, they only have a noticeable sparkle when you get up close. I almost went with Silverburst and an all black Pickguard and I'm really, really glad I didn't!
At the end of the day, it's really a standard MIA Precision with some quirky options. You should know what you're getting up front - it's not a fully customized piece, but it's a bit more personal to you, should you make it that way.
The Neck
- It's modeled on a 1963 Precision "C" neck - I'm sure Fender historians can tell me more about what that means in the context of the Precision's many neck profiles over the years - the nut measures 1.72in using my digital caliper. It's certainly got more heft to it than my Jazz necks, but it's not a chunky baseball bat. As someone who has generally played thinner neck profiles, I didn't realize how much more comfortable a P neck can be with certain types of playing.
- The pure rosewood feels fantastic in the hand - actually quite different than my maple-backed Fender necks. There's a very "woody" texture to it, very hard to explain. If Fender offers pure rosewood necks in the Mod Shop again, I would recommend it to anyone who likes the vibe. I don't have a maple necked rosewood board Precision to compare to, but the lows are super warm and the highs are quite bright which surprised me. Not sure how much the neck is influencing that, I just love how it looks.
- I should add that the fret work here is very impressive for a "production" MIA Fender. Perhaps it's given a bit more attention in the Mod Shop? Not sure.
Hardware
- Those with keen eyes may have already noticed the "Pure Vintage Open Gear" (Fender's words) tuners are reversed - I'm assuming this is 1963 era correct. I love how it makes the machines turn righty tighty, lefty loosey for tuning. This is my first reverse-tuner bass - they should all come like this!
- The pickup is the Custom Shop '62 Precision pickup. Thanks to everyone who recommended it - for my use case and preferences, it's leaps and bounds over the V-Mod P pickups I tried in store. The CS '62 can do the classic Motown P thing, it can do funk, punk rock, anything classic P. I don't think I need to elaborate on that, haha.
- The bridge is the standard Fender high-mass bridge. Really nice, and string-thru body which I'm a sucker for.
The clay dot inlays are a perfect fit!
Sorry for the lack of clarity on these 2; they're cropped from a farther-distance shot.
The etched Fender logo and "Precision Bass" decal are hard to see here but I wish they did this on every bass!
Vintage style tuners
I love the Mod Shop neck plate - not sure if the serial stamping in the plate is a result of my options or standard for all MS orders.
It's a wonderful companion piece to my 2012 American Standard Strat in "Mystic Red"!
Order Spec Sheet - came out just like it.
If you took the time to read the post, thanks! I'd love to hear other people's experience with the Mod Shop.
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