Jump to content
Why become a member? ×

Need help and recommendations to upgrade my fender precision bass


J66Bass
 Share

Recommended Posts

Good morning I have now owned my precision standards fender for 4 years it's a50 years anniversary 2010 I like that bass very much but as I'm playing so much these days it s time I like a upgrade I m completely novice in the subject and could do and really appreciate some help and recommendations, my style of playing is finger and pick though when I played pick I do play quite hard and the style of music I played is alternative indie rock from Joy division to pixie via sound garden , thanks again

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Good morning jeanmarienoe,

What sort of upgrades are you thinking of? Most people start with upgrading the pickups, and possibly the electrics.
Some then fit a more chunky, high mass bridge, perhaps some better tuners.... Or are you thinking of changing the bass for another model?
If the latter, then I'd say just go out & try as many as you can, and draw up a shortlist of the features you want.... and see what fits the bill and is comfortable to play, and gives you the sound you want.....

The Fender Precision bass is pretty much the stable of bass guitars and a must have for most players - everyone should own at least one :)
If you want / need another bass - why not have two? Keep the P bass and buy something a bit different from a P.... that way, you'll have a choice and a bit of flexibility in your sound. PS. This is also a slippery slope BTW.. it can turn into "why not have three?" lol

If you're looking to upgrade the bass you own, there are a myriad of choices on all aspects of hardware upgrades, and everyone will have their own recommendations. My Mex built Roadworn P was great, but I "improved" it by having a luthier add a Jazz pickup, to make it a P/J, then upgraded the P pickup to an Entwistle PBXN. Entwistle PBXN's and JBXN's are awesome pickups, despite their relatively low cost. I also improved the wiring with a very nice wiring kit from Kiogon on this forum....

I don;t think I'd be tempted to have an extra pickup installed in an anniversary model though, as it may be deemed as de-valuing a future collectible bass? Of course, there are some who wouldn't have P/J'ed their Roadworn P like I did either... each to their own lol

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Voww thanks so much for the message , really appreciate, I like the advice very much , I will have a look at your recommendations for the pick up you said , yes I'm after changing the pickup and wiring and perhaps the bridge, again thanks again, good day

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A lot of people on here will recommend Kiogon, if you decide to change the wiring
He does several custom wiring kits, like vintage cloth covered wire etc, and his kits can be made "solder free" - so you use screw connectors, if you don't like doing soldering. These are very easy and quick to fit....

I'd start with the pickup first though - it's a fairly simple upgrade. Only thing with the Entwistle PBXN (forgot to mention before)
Is that the magnets are much larger (deeper) than a standard P bass pickup - so you need to rout out a deeper channel at the bottom of the pickup cavity to accommodate this. Also, I'd use the standard pickup cover, rather than the Entwistle one - as they aren't quite the same size.... Using your existing Fender pickup cover means you won't have to adjust your scratchplate....

Of course, there are plenty of other pickups available. I mentioned the Entwistles as they are comparatively inexpensive.....
Another approach to beefing up your sound / more EQ options, is to leave your bass well alone, and get yourself a bass Preamp pedal, like the Sansamp. I use the MXR bass preamp, as it also has a separately switched distortion feature. A cheaper alternative is the Behringer Preamp - they're not expensive, in fact, they're great value for money (a tad noisy when cranking up the treble - but still pretty good)

Let us know what you decide to do - but make sure you have researched how to do any modifications and get some advice from other BC'ers

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Looks like there's already a decent bridge on those, so pickups will make the most difference so it's a question of picking from the range of specialist brands - Lindy Fralin, Lollar, Nordstrand, Seymour Duncan etc - Getting a KIogon wiring kit is a good place to start as you will be able to swap pickups without soldering.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

These look interesti[url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/308511-precision-bass-pick-ups-hand-scatter-wound/page__fromsearch__1"]ng[/url]

[url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/308511-precision-bass-pick-ups-hand-scatter-wound/page__fromsearch__1"]http://basschat.co.uk/topic/308511-precision-bass-pick-ups-hand-scatter-wound/page__fromsearch__1[/url]

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You don't say what it is that you don't like about your instrument that is causing you to want to upgrade. A bit worrying that you say you're a complete novice, too - it's easy to ruin something if you don't know what you're doing. Modifying instruments is a guaranteed way to lower their resale value. If you want a different sound, I'd advise you to sell the P Bass as is and buy something that suits you better. You never get your money back on replacement pickups, etc.

Edited by Dan Dare
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Be aware that your might spend a lot of money and not notice much difference, or worse.

I played a Squier VM Precision for a few years, then sold it to buy a Fender US Standard. Instant regret, as the old bass sounded better, the new one seemed a bit dull and lifeless. However now I've put flats on the US P, all is well!

Also, to counter the point above, it's perfectly possible to experiment with pickups without losing cash (if you buy used) or screwing up your bass (if you get a solderless wiring harness). The EMG GZR pickup for example comes with a solderless wiring loom, just swap everything out including the pots and jack, or Kiogon on this forum can make them.

Edited by dannybuoy
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...