allihts Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 Just been looking at these [url="http://www.fender.com/en-GB/products/search.php?partno=0135762355"]http://www.fender.com/en-GB/products/searc...rtno=0135762355[/url] . Read a few reviews online, all seems to be good stuff and it appears to be a really verstile bass. Does anyone have any first-hand experience? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
munkonthehill Posted March 11, 2011 Share Posted March 11, 2011 [quote name='allihts' post='1156981' date='Mar 10 2011, 05:57 PM']Just been looking at these [url="http://www.fender.com/en-GB/products/search.php?partno=0135762355"]http://www.fender.com/en-GB/products/searc...rtno=0135762355[/url] . Read a few reviews online, all seems to be good stuff and it appears to be a really verstile bass. Does anyone have any first-hand experience?[/quote] Hey buddy, sorry I cant give you first hand experince. However,,,,I have had an aerodyne which is the passive version of these. Fender are the kings of P and J basses so its only right they stick out the best p/j split basses too. If you like fender then you will like this. It will have the benefit of the the P thump and the twang of the jazz bridge plus the mix inbetween, then of course you have the active EQ.....oh damn I now have some serious gas!!!!!! Quick someone tell me I dont get on with lots of tonal options. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danhkr Posted March 11, 2011 Share Posted March 11, 2011 Yes I had one for less than a month, only selling it because the chance of something I particularly wanted came along. I was really impressed with it. I love the P-Bass styling but prefer the Jazz neck and tone. Along with the actives, this gives you all of that and more. The gold guard looks pretty cool as well. However I'd advise looking for a used one because £650ish is pretty steep for what is basically a mexican standard with an extra pickup and actives (and thats discounted as well!). That sort of money is second-hand USA std territory. Even USA-made EBMM Subs can be picked up second hand for £350/£400. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerry_B Posted March 11, 2011 Share Posted March 11, 2011 I think one was for sale on here awhile back... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gust0o Posted March 11, 2011 Share Posted March 11, 2011 There was a lovely blue one on here, which could be the one mentioned above - I lusted after it, as I do with so many basses, but held onto my pennies. £650 is steep, but second-hand they seem to go for c.£350, which is much more appealing. As an upgrade to the standard P, the presence of the extra pick-up will fill out the sound nicely - I've got three P/J combos, albeit not Fenders, and love them for the versatility. I'm sure the active will give it a kick in the arse too 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahpook Posted March 11, 2011 Share Posted March 11, 2011 buy my cowpoke !! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigjohn Posted March 11, 2011 Share Posted March 11, 2011 (edited) I've got a passive one... They're not quite "mexican standards with an extra pickup", they're [i]deluxe [/i]models (the best Baja has to offer - so first pick of the wood to arrive from Corona) and they're made using US hardware, pups and electrics. Same as US deluxes aren't quite Standards either. The necks and bodies are selected as the best from that batch. Mine's really quite indistinguishable from a US bass except for the "made in mexico" stamp. Certainly better (prettier grain etc) than every Standard MIM I've played (I've owned 2). But yeah - £650 is steep. You shuold be able to buy a really nice 2nd hand for £400 or so. £300 or so for one that's been played in Bargains they are. Edited March 11, 2011 by bigjohn 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danhkr Posted March 11, 2011 Share Posted March 11, 2011 (edited) [quote name='bigjohn' post='1157875' date='Mar 11 2011, 11:45 AM']I've got a passive one... They're not quite "mexican standards with an extra pickup", they're [i]deluxe [/i]models (the best Baja has to offer - so first pick of the wood to arrive from Corona) and they're made using US hardware, pups and electrics. Same as US deluxes aren't quite Standards either. The necks and bodies are selected as the best from that batch. Mine's really quite indistinguishable from a US bass except for the "made in mexico" stamp. Certainly better (prettier grain etc) than every Standard MIM I've played (I've owned 2). But yeah - £650 is steep. You shuold be able to buy a really nice 2nd hand for £400 or so. £300 or so for one that's been played in Bargains they are.[/quote] Fair points, perhaps my analogy was a bit harsh, but I have to disagree that they're indistinguishable from a US bass. Although lovely to play and spotlessly finished, there was a clear difference in feel and quality when compared to both usa standards I've owned. Also whilst one of the pickups (the noisless jazz) is USA made, I'm not sure the p-bass pickup is and the machine heads certainly aren't. Like I said, I really like them, they're a brilliant 'all-round' bass, and the pan control between the two pickups is really effective, I just feel that unless the actives are a must, brand new they're top-dollar and second-hand USA stuff and maybe even the MIM classic series probably represent better value for money. Edited March 11, 2011 by danhkr 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
allihts Posted March 11, 2011 Author Share Posted March 11, 2011 Yeah, for that price there are definitely lots of options. The looks of this particular bass though does swing me towards it, aka It's a beaut! I really like the idea of a sort of 'best of both worlds' that this bass has the potential to provide, obviously I can't imagine it being a slap-machine or anything but I'd really like a bass that does both fingerstyle and pickstyle really well. At the moment I have a squier p (upgraded pickup to a seymour duncan SPB-2) which I like for pick stuff but not really for fingers and a Cort HS bass which is great for fingerstyle/slap. Build quality isn't great on either so I am really wanting a bass that is up a level as far as QC is concerned.... It's a big ask really. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ras52 Posted March 11, 2011 Share Posted March 11, 2011 I'd certainly like to get my hands on one. Love the classic P but like a funky poke down by the bridge now and then. :-) Being a bit of a luddite I like that it can be run in passive mode, and it could be just the platform for me to gradually explore active-ness. The Jazz neck on the MIM is a problem for me though, and the MIA (with its Precision neck) is bit on the ££££ side! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grayn Posted March 11, 2011 Share Posted March 11, 2011 I had a Blizzard Pearl one of these, until very recently. A very nice bass, to look at and play. Good quality of build finish and tone. Versatile and quite powerful. A very giggable bass. Well worth checking out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassnut62 Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 I had a USA one for a year or two when they first came out in '90s. I wanted it for all the reasons mentioned above. It was a good bass and I hoped the 2 Js at bridge and active leccy might give something approaching Stingray. In the end I found it a little lacking in passion somehow and later discovered G&L basses as a much better multi-sound option and better value. Check out a G&L Asat or an L2000....you may never want a Fender again tho! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
allihts Posted March 14, 2011 Author Share Posted March 14, 2011 G&L Asat looks pretty nice actually. Need to get myself to a shop to try the fender/whatever other options they can suggest... Blizzard Pearl is a beautiful finish too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigjohn Posted March 14, 2011 Share Posted March 14, 2011 [quote name='danhkr' post='1157918' date='Mar 11 2011, 12:15 PM']Fair points, perhaps my analogy was a bit harsh, but I have to disagree that they're indistinguishable from a US bass. Although lovely to play and spotlessly finished, there was a clear difference in feel and quality when compared to both usa standards I've owned. Also whilst one of the pickups (the noisless jazz) is USA made, I'm not sure the p-bass pickup is and the machine heads certainly aren't. Like I said, I really like them, they're a brilliant 'all-round' bass, and the pan control between the two pickups is really effective, I just feel that unless the actives are a must, brand new they're top-dollar and second-hand USA stuff and maybe even the MIM classic series probably represent better value for money.[/quote] The P bass pickup is a US standard, the machine heads are exactly the same machines as Highway Ones (same part number). Perfectly good machine heads (although I have replaced mine with 20:1 Hipshots) I didn't say that they're indistinguishable, I said mine is! But then mine is an also FSR matt black passive, and is lovely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KevB Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 Closest thing to those I currently have is this; Not had it too long so still experimenting with it tonally but it's capable of some serious output! I picked it up S/H for only slightly more than the OP's Mexican new price. One of the pots is a bit scratchy so I have one on order from Fender, otherwise no quibbles about it at all. The neck is a P rather than jazz (I have a uS jazz in same colour from same year (2004) so it's an easy comparison. At the moment the S1 jazz is still my first choice but this is creeping into my affections too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
watchman Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 I just picked up a '98/'99 passive one in CAR. It's rosewood boarded and has the gold metal pickguard and a nice amber tint to the neck, which may of course have darkened a little with age. I'd say it's a pretty good bass, with the caveat that I'm using it solely as a P with a J neck. I'm probably not the guy to ask about Jazzes as I lack extensive experience with those sounds. I guess that, as with any bass, a lot would depend on whether you get on with the neck... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lfalex v1.1 Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 [quote name='KevB' post='1165763' date='Mar 17 2011, 02:05 PM']Closest thing to those I currently have is this; Not had it too long so still experimenting with it tonally but it's capable of some serious output! I picked it up S/H for only slightly more than the OP's Mexican new price. One of the pots is a bit scratchy so I have one on order from Fender, otherwise no quibbles about it at all. The neck is a P rather than jazz (I have a uS jazz in same colour from same year (2004) so it's an easy comparison. At the moment the S1 jazz is still my first choice but this is creeping into my affections too.[/quote] This is what I'd have aimed for. I liked the (Now sadly gone) Bridge JJ pickup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gust0o Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 [quote name='ahpook' post='1157847' date='Mar 11 2011, 11:27 AM']buy my cowpoke !![/quote] +1 actually - nice little price, and would quite cheaply get you into the same space. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Len_derby Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 I've got a 2003 one, USA made with the double J bridge pickup. Bought from new, and she's done everything I've asked of her and more. I've never been tempted to change anything (apart from strings!). The body contouring (which you can see on KevB's photos) is excellent and this is an extremely comfortable bass to have around your neck for a long time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Academy Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 I've sold a fair few of those basses. They play and sound amazing. The active mid boost really punches through. Highly recommended. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sussexbassman Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 Very nice bass. I'd just throw in to the mix the Reggie Hamilton Jazz bass which has everything that the MIM Precision Deluxe has but also a passive mode (and hipshot drop D tuner). If you get a chance to try out one of these often overlooked high quality P/J hybrids, I would recommend you do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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