EliasMooseblaster Posted December 30, 2015 Share Posted December 30, 2015 I know plenty of you hate it, but I love the Precision design for its simplicity. The one thing that does irk me about it, however, is the control cavity. I've just had to remove 13 screws (well, 12 since I lost one) in order to pop off the scratch plate and find out why my tone pot's crackling. Leo and co managed to solve this problem on the Jazz (and even the Telecaster before that) by having a separate control plate - so why didn't they think to update the Precision's design for ease of access? Alternatively, tell me what grinds your gears about your favoured axes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roland Rock Posted December 30, 2015 Share Posted December 30, 2015 Having to take the neck off to adjust the truss rod is pretty annoying. That was a 70s P, thankfully it never really needed adjusting. Both my W&T basses have offset bodies with jack inputs on the edge, so you can't rest it on the floor and lean against a wall/cab when plugged in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kev Posted December 30, 2015 Share Posted December 30, 2015 [quote name='EliasMooseblaster' timestamp='1451502008' post='2941060'] I know plenty of you hate it, but I love the Precision design for its simplicity. The one thing that does irk me about it, however, is the control cavity. I've just had to remove 13 screws (well, 12 since I lost one) in order to pop off the scratch plate and find out why my tone pot's crackling. Leo and co managed to solve this problem on the Jazz (and even the Telecaster before that) by having a separate control plate - so why didn't they think to update the Precision's design for ease of access? Alternatively, tell me what grinds your gears about your favoured axes. [/quote][quote name='Roland Rock' timestamp='1451503398' post='2941075'] Having to take the neck off to adjust the truss rod is pretty annoying. That was a 70s P, thankfully it never really needed adjusting. [/quote] Both of those baffle me about Precisions and other Fenders. Particularly the truss rod bit, how difficult is it to route an additional notch at the heel and in the pickguard so you can fit a truss key in? Any bass that cannot accommodate a right-angled jack in their output is frustrating, no particular offender there. Oversized headstock on a Gibson Thunderbird causing it to be neck heavy. Dingwall Combustion string tree not having gaps to take the strings off, meaning awkward threading or removing the tree to change strings. On a similar note, any bass with a bridge that is not top loading and you have to thread through (Fender mainly again, but many others) Loads of aspects of Rickenbacker basses, but most are part of the look of the bass. However, the bridge needs a complete redesign and could still look the part. Wal 4 string - again perhaps part of the iconic look, but the pickup surrounds are awful for thumb anchoring, a problem they sorted with the 5 string versions but never updated the 4. Im sure ill think of more! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTUK Posted December 30, 2015 Share Posted December 30, 2015 The Vintage Fender thing with truss rods and bridges is what it is... but frustrating to work on. There is a reason why there is such a market for Jazz clones... because it really isn't that hard to make a better bass, IMO. Some basses are just lumps of wood and Fender are as guilty as anyone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted December 30, 2015 Share Posted December 30, 2015 For me with the Precision I still don`t understand why the pickup is nearer the bridge under the thinner strings - it would make so much more sense to me to have this the other way round, as per the Mark Hoppus Sig model, getting a bassier response from them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Truckstop Posted December 30, 2015 Share Posted December 30, 2015 I always wondered why most bass manufacturers don't use bolts to secure the neck to the body or at least threaded inserts for the screws to screw into? And why not use bolts and threaded inserts for string trees too? Once it's come out once or twice then the screw hole is worn and you need to fill it. Pain in the arse! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dincz Posted December 30, 2015 Share Posted December 30, 2015 Fender headstocks should have hazard warning lights on them. More suitable for paddling a canoe. I much prefer a tidy little 2+2 headstock. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dannybuoy Posted December 30, 2015 Share Posted December 30, 2015 I have a humble Warwick Rockbass Streamer Std 5 that's a great bass apart from the electronics - 1.6K pickups mated to 25K pots means the output level is woeful. Yet boosted with a preamp and fed into a Darkglass B3K it's such a riff monster that I can play it for hours constantly inventing new riffs and it inspires me like no other bass I own! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3below Posted December 30, 2015 Share Posted December 30, 2015 Current Gibson SG bass pickup pole pieces do nothing to the individual string output. They just look the part. We won't mention the 3 point bridge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulWarning Posted December 30, 2015 Share Posted December 30, 2015 yeah precision truss rod adjustment, what is that all about? they supply a tool for adjusting it without loosening the neck or taking off the pickguard (at least I assume that's the idea) but it still takes chunks out of the pickguard, why not just make the slot in the pickguard bigger? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kev Posted December 30, 2015 Share Posted December 30, 2015 [quote name='Lozz196' timestamp='1451508021' post='2941145'] For me with the Precision I still don`t understand why the pickup is nearer the bridge under the thinner strings - it would make so much more sense to me to have this the other way round, as per the Mark Hoppus Sig model, getting a bassier response from them. [/quote] Yup good call, missed that one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colgraff Posted December 30, 2015 Share Posted December 30, 2015 Having jack sockets that point down so the lead gets bashed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Machines Posted December 30, 2015 Share Posted December 30, 2015 20 frets on Precisions & Jazz basses. Who ever needs that high Eb more often than an E? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahpook Posted December 30, 2015 Share Posted December 30, 2015 Status using P-bass nut widths as standard. /Shakes fist towards Essex/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spectoremg Posted December 30, 2015 Share Posted December 30, 2015 [quote name='dincz' timestamp='1451509236' post='2941164'] Fender headstocks should have hazard warning lights on them. More suitable for paddling a canoe. I much prefer a tidy little 2+2 headstock. [/quote] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iiipopes Posted December 31, 2015 Share Posted December 31, 2015 If I had my P/J to do over, I would reverse the headstock and make a two-piece pickguard for the reasons above. Reverse the headstock so the E string doesn't bind over the nut or around the tuner, and the two-piece pickguard for maintenance. Why didn't Fender ever update the P pickguard? Tooling is expensive. Once they put it on, they weren't the ones to take it off, or only rarely if ever. So there was no incentive to change. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cocco Posted December 31, 2015 Share Posted December 31, 2015 Neckdive on every jazz bass I've ever played while sitting down. Drives me up the wall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassassin Posted December 31, 2015 Share Posted December 31, 2015 Oh, where to start? Any 2-pickup bass with Les Paul wiring. What the hell do you need a selector switch for when you can blend & mute with the volumes? Or: any bass with two volumes rather than a volume & a pan. Or even worse - a 2 pickup bass with a poxy selector switch and only one volume & tone! That's right, Ibanez RS924 - I'm looking at you. Ever wonder why you don't get gigged any more? Aside from weighing about 30 kilos? Which leads neatly to: Any bass that you need a back brace/intensive care after wearing for more than 15 minutes. Bye bye, Peavey T-40, and take your pointless selector switch & stupid fiddly controls with you. Any bass with a bridge that does not offer proper height & intonation adjustment. Double points if that bass costs more than a decent used car and the bridge bends in half within a year. Mr Hall. Any bass with Precision type pickups fitted with the E/A half towards the neck. Sorry Leo, that's the wrong way around if you want a more balanced string response. Any bass with twin coil pickups that do not have phase or single coil switching. Clear off & come back when you have a bit of tonal variety. Any bass with a symmetrical double cut body. You will be staying on the wall, looking pretty rather than having your neck supported by my left arm, because you presumably think it has nothing better to be doing. I'll probably think of a few more, in a bit... Jon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drax Posted December 31, 2015 Share Posted December 31, 2015 Lots of the above. For me it's stacked pots - fiddly live, and too easy to damage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcnach Posted December 31, 2015 Share Posted December 31, 2015 [quote name='Lozz196' timestamp='1451508021' post='2941145'] For me with the Precision I still don`t understand why the pickup is nearer the bridge under the thinner strings - it would make so much more sense to me to have this the other way round, as per the Mark Hoppus Sig model, getting a bassier response from them. [/quote] This! which is why I ordered this: and the truss rod access at the body end without a notch to fit the tool... having to loosen up the neck is a ridiculous way to do things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twincam Posted December 31, 2015 Share Posted December 31, 2015 Not any particular bass tho there's no perfect bass, here are some things that annoy me. Any pickups that dip in volume when you blend them etc, why on earth in this day this is still a problem I don't know, on passive basses I can accept this almost as that's just how the physics go. But on modern active basses that still do this there's no excuse for output dipping. Fender style bridges especially low mass bent bit of tin, they work but are crap compared to many other designs and they look outdated too. Don't get me started on the saddles. The old Gibson, Epiphone 3 point bridge oh dear looks alright but so wrong in so many ways thankfully Gibson now use a slightly updated version. Tuners are a big problem too surely nowadays tuners should have micro gears and machined, designed to not have any backlash in the gears, yet on many basses the tuners are a big let down. Makes accurate tuning just that little more difficult. Fender E and A string break angle tension problems at the headstock,, angle the neck or put on a string tree please. This is solved by stringing up with plenty of wraps round the post but come on. This especially effects people going from higher to lower gauge where the nut is cut for the larger strings more break angle really helps. 1/4 jacks the design is getting on a bit now cheap to manufacture but surely there's a better standard that is a bit more robust. And maybe you can sens more signal down so you can do stereo on one cable etc. Very inconsistent fret material, I work on frets a lot, and the variation in metal consistency from fret to fret on the same guitar is terrible. Stainless steel frets are much more consistent. Seems many manufactures will buy in any old rubbish. Glued in nuts, why are these still on high end basses? Surely they can be screwed in and adjustable cheapish design out there. Neck plates that don't have separate screws holding them in place it's not a big issue but it's annoying when you take off many necks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cameronj279 Posted December 31, 2015 Share Posted December 31, 2015 The angle of the pickups here mean that when using the low B string a lot sometimes you'll get a bit of a dent in your thumb from anchoring it on the pickup. I can't really complain too much keeping in mind the bas was designed for a pick player. I also hate pickguards on basses. The NG-2 is the only bass where I can stomach the pickguard. Saying that, I intend to -money permitting- add a third pickup and get rid of the pickguard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
White Cloud Posted December 31, 2015 Share Posted December 31, 2015 Ah, the humble Precision....arguably the Ford Mondeo of the bass world. Designed with simplicity, affordability and effectiveness in mind as opposed to any specific allusions to sonic or aesthetic properties...but in fairness Leo hit the mark. I play a Warwick Corvette & Ibanez SR 1205 - both of which, from my perspective being superbly well designed and lacking any annoying flaws. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thodrik Posted December 31, 2015 Share Posted December 31, 2015 [quote name='EliasMooseblaster' timestamp='1451502008' post='2941060'] I know plenty of you hate it, but I love the Precision design for its simplicity. The one thing that does irk me about it, however, is the control cavity. I've just had to remove 13 screws (well, 12 since I lost one) in order to pop off the scratch plate and find out why my tone pot's crackling. Leo and co managed to solve this problem on the Jazz (and even the Telecaster before that) by having a separate control plate - so why didn't they think to update the Precision's design for ease of access? Alternatively, tell me what grinds your gears about your favoured axes. [/quote] A previous owner of my Precision solved that problem. Cut the pick up into right about where the Jazz bass control plate would be. Then you can simply remove the smaller area of pick guard rather than the whole thing. Other bass design problems. Gibson EB3: - the bridge: 3 points so tricky to adjust the action. - the bridge again, the string saddles are in the wrong position so the felt from your strings goes over the saddle and causes intonation problems. - pick up selection: Setting 1 (front pick up) is okay and usable, setting 2 (back pick up) is really weedy, settings 3 and 4 (both pickups) are 'mud'. - tone pots and volume pots are really just 'on/off' knobs, so you can't really sculpt any usable tones from settings 3 and 4. - it is really heavy. - set neck, would prefer neck through or bolt on. - neck heavy, so headstock dive happens all the time. Apart from that, it is a great bass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Truckstop Posted December 31, 2015 Share Posted December 31, 2015 So you have a bass which is "ok and usable" at best?! Why not buy something that you like? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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