Thunderpaws Posted March 1, 2015 Posted March 1, 2015 Evening. Returned home this afternoon with a huge smile on my face after buying a Fender American Special Precision. Went in to the shop with an open mind, as long as it was a Fender P! The guy in GuitarGuitar was very helpful and led me downstairs to the "nice" guitar room and plugged me into one of those Heritage Ampeg portaflex jobs. What a lovely sounding amp. Anyway, tried a standard men, a Nate Mendel, an American Standard and a Classic 50's as well as the American Special I left with. It was the neck, it's lovely. Much nicer for my large hands than the Nate Mendel. Was surprised how much I liked the Classic 50's. Would happily have taken that home too. The Special sounded just as sweet as the American Standard and the necks felt roughly identical. Lovely satin finish. Now, how do I add a photo on my mobile? Quote
luckman67 Posted March 2, 2015 Posted March 2, 2015 That's nice the necks on the American Standards & Specials are really nice. Quote
Geek99 Posted March 2, 2015 Posted March 2, 2015 (edited) Think they are the same (tried a few) without the rolled edges but you can d that yourself in five minutes Edited March 2, 2015 by Geek99 Quote
franzbassist Posted March 2, 2015 Posted March 2, 2015 That's a great looking bass! Good score I am a huge fan of these basses. Mine are the 2012 honeyburst models with two piece alder bodies, 8.5lbs each. As you say, the necks are fantastic. I had one converted to fretless by Book Guitars in Devon. I've swapped the scratchplates and added thumb rests, and both basses have upgraded Hipshot tuners. Quote
Thunderpaws Posted March 2, 2015 Author Posted March 2, 2015 Hi Walbasist. And everyone else, sure is nice to hold in the hands. Where did you get your scratch plates from? I am considering swapping the bridge over. I have a gotoh 201b kicking around. Think it should swap ok. Will have rehearsal tomorrow night then get a review in here. Cheers Quote
Thunderpaws Posted March 2, 2015 Author Posted March 2, 2015 Hi Walbasist. And everyone else, sure is nice to hold in the hands. Where did you get your scratch plates from? I am considering swapping the bridge over. I have a gotoh 201b kicking around. Think it should swap ok. Will have rehearsal tomorrow night then get a review in here. Cheers Quote
franzbassist Posted March 2, 2015 Posted March 2, 2015 [quote name='Thunderpaws' timestamp='1425299162' post='2705898'] Where did you get your scratch plates from? I am considering swapping the bridge over. I have a gotoh 201b kicking around. Think it should swap ok. [/quote] Standard Fender 13 hole scratchplates from the US off eBay: even with postage they were cheaper than buying the equivalent in the UK! I thought about swapping the bridges too, to Hipshot Vintage, but in the end decided not to. Quote
Raslee Posted March 2, 2015 Posted March 2, 2015 Do these have the thinner necks, i.e. jazz width like ? Quote
franzbassist Posted March 2, 2015 Posted March 2, 2015 [quote name='Raslee' timestamp='1425333763' post='2706390'] Do these have the thinner necks, i.e. jazz width like ? [/quote] They are 41.3 mm wide at the nut and a slim C shape Quote
Thunderpaws Posted March 2, 2015 Author Posted March 2, 2015 Just been noodling on mine for the past hour or so. Absolutely fantastic. Love the way it sounds with my Streamliner. Such a range of tones from the very simple tone control. Love the weight compared to my G&L l2000 tribby. Will also try and take some better pictures. I managed to find one with some interesting grain on the neck. Can't wait for rehearsal tomorrow. Quote
luckman67 Posted March 3, 2015 Posted March 3, 2015 I'm really getting into the whole Precision bass "thing" since I got my bass in January (see avatar). Your right the necks on the new US basses are a joy to hold & play, the only upgrade has bee a set of Fender straplocks . Quote
Wooks79 Posted March 3, 2015 Posted March 3, 2015 ...I've also got an American Special, and love it. Bought from here on Basschat to be the backup and twin to my '79 Precision, but I now tend to use it first. It has a Badass bridge, Geezer Butler EMGs, Hipshot D-Tuner and Luminlay dots on the side now. Quote
Heket Posted March 3, 2015 Posted March 3, 2015 Congrats! Nice stuff, but then I would like it as I have exactly the same bass: I love the neck too, and the slim body. It feels like an old glove (minus holes). Quote
Thunderpaws Posted March 3, 2015 Author Posted March 3, 2015 Gave it a run out at Rehearsal this evening and am absolutely delighted with it. Compared to my G&L it has authority, a real kick in the arse whilst being all nice and gooey at the same time. It ways way less too, I think, and the neck is excellent. Will need more time to tinker with amp settings to get the absolute best out of it, but so far I could hear everything I played very well, even when I turned it down a bit. Will need to find a hard case for it. Also, sounds amazing through my boss odb3 with Monte Allums mod. Much smoother than my G&L. Probably the less hot pickups going in that have made the difference there. Can't wait til next rehearsal now! Quote
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.