Which precision bass is best

A J-Bass neck is a little narrower at the nut—near the lowest frets—which means its strings are a little closer together in the low register. That could be a good or bad thing, depending on your playing style and the size of your hands. Traditionally, the J offers a little more tonal variety, especially in the crisp treble range, though the dual-pickup configuration of the newer P-basses closes the gap a bit. Fender basses are classics for a reason, which makes them nearly ubiquitous; sometimes, it feels like everywhere you look is a bassist playing a Fender or one of the many models by other manufacturers that take clear inspiration from some aspect of P- and J-Bass design.

If you want to stand out from the crowd, try a Thunderbird, which will never be mistaken for anything else. Fender Instruments founder Leo Fender, having sold the company that bears his name in the mids, became president of Music Man about a decade later.

Of all the instruments Fender and his team designed there, the StingRay bass comes the closest to the iconic status of the flagships from his old company. The StingRay is also the first production four-string bass guitar to feature active equalization, a term that may need a bit of explaining. The electronics on a StingRay give you more precise control, with independent knobs for bass, treble, and midrange—a bit like the EQ on your car stereo—as well as the option to boost frequencies rather than just cut them.

If the StingRay was a bit like a high-tech sequel to the P-Bass, the L takes the same basic template even further into the future. Its electronics can be used either actively or passively, offering an extremely wide array of vintage and modern tones, suited to just about any style of music.

Also, its neck is slim and comfortable, ensuring it plays as smooth as it sounds. As you may have gathered by now, Palladino is a P-Bass devotee. So Fender put together those two instruments brilliantly and came out with the signature model. Somewhat unusually, the Pino signature model ships with flatwound strings, not the roundwound strings that come stock on most basses.

Flats, which Palladino plays on his own basses, are a little smoother on your fingers, and tend not to produce as much high-end sparkle as their round counterparts.

Of course, with any instrument, you can always change out the stock strings for whatever you like best. You should be feeling a little more informed about your decision - which one will you choose? If you've got any questions about our Fender Precision bass selection, please don't hesitate to contact us.

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View all Guides. There isn't really such a thing as far as 'player' basses go. They are out there, you will know it when you play it Bob Olhsson. The players I've known have always said there is wide variation between individual Fenders and that nobody is likely to willingly let go of a good one.

If you don't want to spend a fortune and want that P-Bass tone I don't think you can go wrong. I have a '86 I believe Japanese P-bass that I simply love. Great neck, tone and action. The early 90's Mexican Jazz basses are also simply wonderful If money were no object though I'd be searching out a mid 60's P or Jazz bass.

Every one I've ever played from this period has been spectacular. Regards, Chris. If you're buying new I have a p-bass special made in mexico from and its one of the nicest p's ive ever played. They are pretty hard to find now but many a seasoned player has said how nice it is. David R. I think one of the problems with the Mexi P-Basses is the quality control is not as tight. There are some amazing, wonderful, cheap basses out there with the Fender name on them, the trick is finding them.

Same thing with a strat or tele. A friend has a Mexi tele that he swears by, and a Gibson that he swears at. I agree with JTR, play it unplugged first. It needs to demand that you plug it in. Never buy an instrument by the year or model, it has to call you from the store after you put it down and leave it over night. I'm new to this forum, but not to basses.

I would honestly suggest getting a mexican made, fender "standard" p bass. In fact, I just recently bought one. I have an older mexi jazz, and I feel like the quality is better in this one than my old one. Oh yeah, and I was once told to bring decent strings when you try them out too, fender puts on really crappy strings.

Originally Posted by Jonk. Precision and Jazz basses are almost as diff. I love J's, but I think a P is 'square one' for basses. They sound great, but they don't do that classis "P" thing. But yeah, ya gotta play thru a stack of 'em, and I agree with doing it with no amp. If the wood sounds good without an amp, you're golden; if it doesn't, there's nothing you can do to save it.

The new MIJ ones are nice. And yeah to the early eighties MIJ Squires. Ya gotta decide if you want Rosewood or Maple, of course; it's a totally diff. After years of digging Rosewood, I went with Maple this time. I recently picked up.