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Best Precision type bass for about £500


jonnythenotes
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Evilbay currently has an all black 86 (ish) E serial numbered MIJ Precision Bass Special with a BIN of £475.00 that was the year there was no American instruments made, so effectively these were the American Precisions of that period, I have just picked up a worse conditioned pearl white example, it is way better than my 79 American bass and is as good as any Precision I have ever played

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Japanese Fenders are gorgeous. I bought one from here a while back and loved it, apart from the wider neck. My dainty, girlish hands are more suited to Jazz necks, it seems.

I've got a superb Mexi P Bass special (the Cowpoke model) which I picked up for just over £200. Amazing instrument. Really versatile. I swapped out the actives for a set of Entwistle pups (the actives were great, by the way, but I LOVE Entwistle pups...) and I've got a beautiful, well made instrument with a Jazz width neck, a striking appearance and a whole range of tones. You can't go wrong.

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[quote name='jonnythenotes' timestamp='1430083600' post='2757890']
I have decided to go for a P bass, but realise a new or second hand American made Fender for £500 is not going to happen, so what is the next best thing, eiher new or second hand that is as good as or even better? There must be one or two gems out there that are ignored or undiscovered as they have the wrong name on the headstock.. There is the obvious in Squier, but anything else that is worth a squint....
[/quote]

Without a doubt: A Classic 50 Fender Precision. Made in Mexico, but nothing like the standard MIM range.
I bought one in October last year and I barely touch anything else since. Fantastic basses.

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[quote name='mcnach' timestamp='1430234187' post='2759292']
Without a doubt: A Classic 50 Fender Precision. Made in Mexico, but nothing like the standard MIM range.
I bought one in October last year and I barely touch anything else since. Fantastic basses.
[/quote]

+1 Brilliant basses. Every bit as good as a USA. Haggle on a Squier JV too if you can, better than USA in my humble opinion...

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You might struggle to get one new under £500 (could you stretch to £600?), but the Schecter Diamond Series includes some excellent takes on the Precision design. I will probably continue to bang on about how much I love my Model T right up until the day I finally own a MIA Fender: https://thecrowfrombelow.wordpress.com/2013/10/25/gear-review-2-schecter-model-t/

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[quote name='jonnythenotes' timestamp='1430084345' post='2757903']
Any opinions on the Sandberg p bass....and what's the likely used price on one of them..
[/quote]

I was interested in an Electra VS4 and managed to try one last week.

I really wanted to like it, but just couldn't gel with it. It's absolutely not a P bass (tried comparing it to a MIM and the Squier CV). The neck feels very narrow at the nut and has a lot of taper to it from the heel to nut. It's a shallow neck too, so actually ends up feeling smaller than a jazz neck. Rosewood was also fairly dry, but that's more of a general care/maintenance issue.

Although you do have the passive circuit, it doesn't really do a classic P bass sound and I found the passive sound a bit limited. The active is good, but I felt that the output of the D and G strings was a tad lower compared to the lower strings.

The craftsmanship is lovely and it's a very well put together bass, and I can see why it's so popular, but if you want a P-bass, look elsewhere.

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Agree with comments on here. Yamaha BB basses or a Jap Fender or Squier every time. I have all three in my collection and all are quality pro instruments. My Yamaha is a BB1100s made in Taiwan circa 1990, bought for under £200 off fleabay! Brilliant bass. I even had a Yamaha BB400 I bought for £60 that was good enough for pro gigs...

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