What's the best Fender Precision Bass?

[The-Ox]

There are so many Fenders up for sale on this site and they've been going strong since the 50s, is there a thread comparing different eras of Fender P basses?

There are so many for sale, you tend to get swamped and I for one don't really know what Fenders are the better ones, I hear 70s models are highly regarded, but I could (probably will be) completely wrong

I know its subjective too, but can anyone summarize the pros and cons of each generation of Fenders?

(10 marks)

Thanks

Taran

[Nicko]

The one you pick up in the shop and can't resist taking to the counter. I like my US special because the neck profile suits me. I'm sure some would look don on a top loaded bridge and maple neck though.

[RockfordStone]

i love my mexican precision with maple neck, plays nice and smooth, built like a tank and just as aggresive, really pleasing sound.
its hard to quantify a "BEST" precision as they will all feel different to a different person.

[Paul S]

The best Precision bass for me is my mid 80s A series MIJ Squier medium scale precision (sorry Ted). Everything about it suits me better than any others I have tried - weight, neck width, neck radius, scale length, tone - the whole lot. I've had quite a number - USA, MIJ, still own an early JV Fender logo Squier - and they just haven't stacked up.

[spectoremg]

A Spector

[Lozz196]

The best of the ones I`ve had is the 2015 US Standard I picked up earlier this year.

Re different years, well I`ve had:

70s - had both heavy and light ones, very good, and what I found to be a much more aggressive sound - probably due to the ash body.

90s - had a 97 and it was great, looking back I really shouldn`t have sold that one. Really well made, felt substantial. Nice neck, great full sound.

2000s - well a few different series in that, the pre 2008s had the S1 switching. Nice enough basses but the necks just felt sort-of sterile to me. The 2008 - 2011 I really liked, had a rather modern sound I found, and as above, the one I`ve settled on is the 2012 Series. These due to the Custom Shop Pickup have a really rich full sound, though can be made aggressive and in your face if need be.

But as others say, what`s good for one person may not be for someone/anyone else. It`s as Nicko says, the one you can`t resist taking to the counter to buy.

[Roger2611]

My 50's classic (my avatar).....simple really, I didn't like the look of it all black and gold and flashy, it was too expensive, and I had just brought my first 79 Precision, the guy in the shop said "try it" I said "No" he said "it plays brilliantly just give it a try I am interested in what you thin k of it" so I played it...was totally blown away by the way it played.....said" yeah it's great but I still don't like the look of it" got in my car drove round the block walked back in and brought the damn thing!

I got rid of the gold pick guard and the pickup and the bridge and the tuners, err and the wiring and neck plate! but the neck / body combination is still the best Precision available anywhere in the world...ever.....maybe!

[BottomE]

Yamaha BB1100s in passive mode is the best P Bass

Edited December 14, 2015 by BottomE

[cameltoe]

As others have said, it's about what suits you as a player.

Some things I look for when choosing a Precision:

Light weight- has to come in around 8.5lbs or less.
Deep contours- vintage profile with deep cutouts for arm and belly.
Neck- hard to quantify, but has to feel 'right'. I usually lean toward 7.25 radius as these seem more comfortable to me.
Neck width- I've had fabulous 1.75" nut widths before but in the end the width does get to me. 1.625 with a slim profile seems to work best.
Sound- A classic P thump. Nothing to hot and growly and scooped, but the classic low-mid thump you expect from a P.
Action- has to be able to take a low action. If I can't get the strings low enough without them rattling like pebbles in a baked bean tin, it's a deal breaker.

YMMV of course!

[Davo-London]

There is no BEST. Please let's not do this.

What follows is my experience of 40 years of Precision ownership. I am not an expert - just a player. I'm expressing my opinion. There is no need to flame it.

1951-57 Original Precision - the real thing in terms of truly the original Fender. This is the bass that Sting plays. Never heard anyone complain about the single single-coil pickup but that is a drawback in terms of potential for hum. The original bodies did not have cutaways and so may not be as comfortable as later versions. The bridge is also somewhat basic but again not really complained about.

1957-1959/60 Precision as we know it today in terms of shape and cutaways. Maple neck throughout and either ash or alder bodies AFAIK. Nice era to collect and great choice if you prefer maple necks.

1960-1964 (Pre-CBS) Precision was predominately Alder body and Brazilian Rosewood fingerboard (except blond finish, which had an Ash body). Some would say the most collectable era of Precision and usually the most expensive to buy - however, priced significantly lower than the Jazzes of this era, making the Precisions quite reasonably priced IMHO. The necks tended to be slimmer from back to front than the 50's and the later Precisions. I have a real soft spot for these Precisions and the price reflect the playability and collectability of this era.

1965 Fender sold to CBS

1965-1969 Precisions tended to look like their pre-CBS cousins and for a while at least had similar components making the 1965s and 1966s a bit of a bargain. However, Brazilian rosewood was replaced by Indian Rosewood and the general consensus was that the quality started to go down as production went up! I've found the necks to be thicker (back to front) that the pre-CBS cousins but that could be just my experience.

1970-1979 Precisions were a very mixed bag. I have a '76 I bought from new and it weighs nearly 10 lbs. The bridge was in the wrong place and there were body gaps etc etc. The bodies were mostly ash and the necks mostly maple in this period. The quality definitely went down hill during this decade but there are some really good ones and hopefully you'll get to try one. Definitely heavier basses when compared to 60's basses.

1980's Precisions were slowly improving in quality but generally not as good as post 90's basses. Neither old enough to be collectable or young enough to be desirable is one way of looking at them. Actually if you were looking for an 80's Precision I would buy a MIJ. Starting with a Squier model and then regular Fenders these were well made and starting to be sought-after. Japanese necks were exceptional IMHO and the models/colours tend to be different to the USA models - so some good ones to search for.

1990's - 2010's Precisions are not my era but the quality is back where it should be, so this is a safe era to buy from.

Key decisions are:
a) collectable or not?
alder or ash body?
c) rosewood or maple neck?
d) PRICE!

Plus I haven't even mentioned all the signature models and MIM etc etc.
Davo

Edited December 14, 2015 by Davo-London

[The-Ox]

thank you everyone for your input! Some great answers!

[The-Ox]

[quote name='Davo-London' timestamp='1450129786' post='2929950']
There is no BEST. Please let's not do this.
[/quote]

the whole message of my thread was pros and cons of each one as opposed to 'best', which I shouldnt have put in the title (and tried to correct by saying it was subjective

but thanks for the other feedback! Its what I was hoping for, cheers

[Painy]

[quote name='Davo-London' timestamp='1450129786' post='2929950']
There is no BEST. Please let's not do this.

What follows is my experience of 40 years of Precision ownership. I am not an expert - just a player. I'm expressing my opinion. There is no need to flame it.

1951-57 Original Precision - the real thing in terms of truly the original Fender. This is the bass that Sting plays. Never heard anyone complain about the single single-coil pickup but that is a drawback in terms of potential for hum. The original bodies did not have cutaways and so may not be as comfortable as later versions. The bridge is also somewhat basic but again not really complained about.

1957-1959/60 Precision as we know it today in terms of shape and cutaways. Maple neck throughout and either ash or alder bodies AFAIK. Nice era to collect and great choice if you prefer maple necks.

1960-1964 (Pre-CBS) Precision was predominately Alder body and Brazilian Rosewood fingerboard (except blond finish, which had an Ash body). Some would say the most collectable era of Precision and usually the most expensive to buy - however, priced significantly lower than the Jazzes of this era, making the Precisions quite reasonably priced IMHO. The necks tended to be slimmer from back to front than the 50's and the later Precisions. I have a real soft spot for these Precisions and the price reflect the playability and collectability of this era.

1965 Fender sold to CBS

1965-1969 Precisions tended to look like their pre-CBS cousins and for a while at least had similar components making the 1965s and 1966s a bit of a bargain. However, Brazilian rosewood was replaced by Indian Rosewood and the general consensus was that the quality started to go down as production went up! I've found the necks to be thicker (back to front) that the pre-CBS cousins but that could be just my experience.

1970-1979 Precisions were a very mixed bag. I have a '76 I bought from new and it weighs nearly 10 lbs. The bridge was in the wrong place and there were body gaps etc etc. The bodies were mostly ash and the necks mostly maple in this period. The quality definitely went down hill during this decade but there are some really good ones and hopefully you'll get to try one. Definitely heavier basses when compared to 60's basses.

1980's Precisions were slowly improving in quality but generally not as good as post 90's basses. Neither old enough to be collectable or young enough to be desirable is one way of looking at them. Actually if you were looking for an 80's Precision I would buy a MIJ. Starting with a Squier model and then regular Fenders these were well made and starting to be sought-after. Japanese necks were exceptional IMHO and the models/colours tend to be different to the USA models - so some good ones to search for.

1990's - 2010's Precisions are not my era but the quality is back where it should be, so this is a safe era to buy from.

Key decisions are:
a) collectable or not?
alder or ash body?
c) rosewood or maple neck?
d) PRICE!

Plus I haven't even mentioned all the signature models and MIM etc etc.
Davo
[/quote]

Brilliant synopsis of the key eras of the Fender P!
It's only in the last couple of years that I've come to appreciate the humble p-bass having spent the best part of 20 years before that deriding them as boring and unsophisticated (even referring to them as scaffolding planks with wires nailed on)!
Loving precisions these days of course but a bit late to the party so a reference like this, all in one place, is really interesting and useful, thanks!

[The-Ox]

[quote name='Painy' timestamp='1450133949' post='2929994']
Brilliant synopsis of the key eras of the Fender P!
It's only in the last couple of years that I've come to appreciate the humble p-bass having spent the best part of 20 years before that deriding them as boring and unsophisticated (even referring to them as scaffolding planks with wires nailed on)!
Loving precisions these days of course but a bit late to the party so a reference like this, all in one place, is really interesting and useful, thanks!
[/quote]

I echo your sentiments, there's a reason why they're the industry standard! I posted this question because you see so many Fenders for sale on here all with different dates and prices, I just thought someone on here could explain for people who aren't quite as clued up on Fenders (like me) what Fender does what - the responses have been excellent!

[Number6]

When i bought my Mexi Precision i tried out allsorts of Ps USA, JPN, Squier Indonesian. I kept going back to the 2014 made artic white n maple that i ended up buying. I had the money if i needed to buy a US or even a cheapish vintage instrument but got the Mexi.

They must have had a good day on the production line and i am very happy they did 👍👍

[drTStingray]

The best Precision bass is serial number L18796, a 1963 Precision.

In my experience they all sound fairly similar, some having a little more resonance and tone than others.

Shouldn't this thread be in bass guitars rather than general discussion??

Edited December 15, 2015 by drTStingray

[SubsonicSimpleton]

[quote name='Number6' timestamp='1450138784' post='2930041']
When i bought my Mexi Precision i tried out allsorts of Ps USA, JPN, Squier Indonesian. I kept going back to the 2014 made artic white n maple that i ended up buying. I had the money if i needed to buy a US or even a cheapish vintage instrument but got the Mexi.

They must have had a good day on the production line and i am very happy they did
[/quote]
Exactly how to do it IMHO, play loads and pick the one you like best.

[karlfer]

[quote name='Painy' timestamp='1450133949' post='2929994']
Brilliant synopsis of the key eras of the Fender P!
It's only in the last couple of years that I've come to appreciate the humble p-bass having spent the best part of 20 years before that deriding them as boring and unsophisticated (even referring to them as scaffolding planks with wires nailed on)!
Loving precisions these days of course but a bit late to the party so a reference like this, all in one place, is really interesting and useful, thanks!
[/quote]


So many of us older chaps have had exactly that road

[bassbiscuits]

I would add to all this great info - that fret sizes and neck radiuses do differ over the years too.

Vintage ones tend to have more curved fretboards, ie 7.25 inch radius, and smaller, thinner, vintage frets. These are on a lot of reissues too, and some custom shop models.

More modern ones (ie USA standards, deluxe etc ) have flatter 9.5 inch radius, and medium jumbo frets.

Many older precisions and reissues (Mexican classic series 50s for example) also have wider nuts than the more modern standard ones.

Personally I prefer the feel and playability of the more modern spec, which is much easier for string bending, slapping etc. But just as many people swear by the original older spec.

Neither is better or worse, but worth bearing in mind when you're trying/buying.

[Legend289]

I tried a few, but the best for me is not listed as a P-bass, although really it is.... The Duff Mckagan signature Jazz Bass Special.... It's awesome, and mostly P-bass. I'm actually looking at buying a second one.

[Cato]

I don't know about the best playing but the best looking in the current range by a country mile that I've seen is the Dee Dee Ramone signature.

Pure 70s chic.