StevieD_FenderP2009 Posted April 6, 2010 Share Posted April 6, 2010 (edited) Hey guys Last thursday, I managed to finish paying off what I owed on the Fender Steve Harris P Bass I had ordered from my local guitar shop. And gotta say, What an absolutely beautiful and amazing sounding bass it is Decided to trust Fender's setup of the bass and didn't take it out of the case until 5 minutes before my sound check at a gig that night so I could quickly tune it. This does also mean I hadn't looked at it until this point as well. Do you know how hard it was being the Iron Maiden nut that I am, not looking at that bass and resisting playing it? VERY! So yeah, Got to sound checking time, took it out of the case, went weak at the knees seeing the beautiful blue sparkle paintjob and all chrome hardware gleaming up at me. No finger prints, no marks at all as it was completely brand new and came in from Fender. One of the best things was, it was still in perfect E standard tuning when I took it out. Bit unfortunate that I had to drop it down to E Flat really... Went on the stage to do the sound check and it sounded amazing. Had it running through my Trace GP12 and Marshall 4x12 JCM800 cab. Stood there rumbling away through our tunes, and of course, broke it in before hand with "The Clairvoyant" intro and "Rime of the Ancient Mariner" bass solo (Which is how it also got introduced mid set after the guitar change over hahaha). Oh, and as you can imagine, at the end of the first full song with it, my left foot went up on the moniter and I gunned down the crowd. Apparently the smile on my face was from ear to ear xD The setup Fender had done on it was spot on, even just about handled being dropped down to Drop D Flat (when I was noodling about at home) without any problems. Usually not a fan of the Rotosound Steve Harris Flatwound strings, but they work perfectly with this bass. All in all, I would honestly have to give this bass 10 out of 10. There isn't one thing I can find wrong with it. The weight of a bass is an important thing to me, and this one is just right. Features - 10 Sound - 10 Setup - 10 Playability - 10 Looks - 10 Cost - £900 brand new Accesories - Fender gig bag, set of allen keys, Fender strap Moving you closer to looking like a Steve Harris rip off - 666! Hahaha Sorry, But as you might be able to tell, I'm slightly hyperactive, I friggin' love this bass to pieces. I would recomend anyone who's a fan of the P Bass shape to try this bass out. Even if you're not a fan of it, I would still recomend you try it out Stevie Dewar xx Edited April 6, 2010 by StevieD_FenderP2009 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Musicman20 Posted April 6, 2010 Share Posted April 6, 2010 Love that maple neck! One thing Fender is superb on is basses that stay in tune. I've had other more expensive basses that really don't and it winds me up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StevieD_FenderP2009 Posted April 6, 2010 Author Share Posted April 6, 2010 to Musicman20 Yeah, it's the "vintage tint maple finish" according to the catalogue description. It's a really nice fast neck, completely one piece. I can imagine that would annoy you quite alot, I'd hate to spend out a load of money for it to not stay in tune properly. Cos it either means it's a bad bass or it needs a fresh setup, new bridge, new tuners or something else, and it could mount up to costing alot more money Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yorick Posted April 6, 2010 Share Posted April 6, 2010 A nice blue sparkly paint job scuffed by the bullet belt hidden just out of sight? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StevieD_FenderP2009 Posted April 6, 2010 Author Share Posted April 6, 2010 To Yorick Noooooo haha, I had a my studded belt on, but also, luckily for me, i had the bottom of my shirt slightly wrapped on the underside of the belt so it protected it from getting damaged xD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grand Wazoo Posted April 6, 2010 Share Posted April 6, 2010 (edited) I like Iron Maiden, and I do like Steve Harris, not an hardcore fan but I sensibly enjoy their music and I recognize the fact that S. Harris remains the band leader no matter what. I also happen to lust over that bass for the colour, the maple neck and for the mirrored scratchplate, besides this bass has received a very positive review from Ed Friedland and he is a voice to trust when it comes to anything to do with basses. Congrats Edited April 6, 2010 by Grand Wazoo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lojo Posted April 6, 2010 Share Posted April 6, 2010 (edited) I tried one out in the shop last year, really did it just because you don't often see a new bass in a shop with flats on so asked if I could try it I really did like it Its nice to just read a thread like this about someone just enjoying themselves Edited April 6, 2010 by lojo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discreet Posted April 6, 2010 Share Posted April 6, 2010 [quote name='Musicman20' post='797532' date='Apr 6 2010, 01:49 PM']One thing Fender is superb on is basses that stay in tune. I've had other more expensive basses that really don't and it winds me up.[/quote] +100 Fairly important IMHO. Yet another reason why I'm a fan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RhysP Posted April 6, 2010 Share Posted April 6, 2010 I'm not a big fan of Precisions but those Steve Harris signature basses are gorgeous. I loved the first edition ones with the burgundy scratchplates too - the one I played was fabulous. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merello Posted April 6, 2010 Share Posted April 6, 2010 Gorgeous bass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StevieD_FenderP2009 Posted April 6, 2010 Author Share Posted April 6, 2010 To RhysP Yeah, the first run of it was a nice bass, but the pickguard was plastic, it had the Seymour Duncan SPB-3 pickups in it instead of the SPB-1 and the blue finish was a nasty lake placid blue. Also, the body wood was bass wood which is no where near as good as alder like on the new version. Still a nice bass to play though. To Lojo I definately enjoy myself playing this bass It's just such a fantastic bass to play and definately the best Fender Bass I've played. The jazz profile neck on it is beautiful To Grand Wazoo besides you having a rather funny name, I totally agree with what you say about Steve Harris being the leader of Maiden and the aesthetics of the bass recieving positive reviews Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tom1946 Posted April 7, 2010 Share Posted April 7, 2010 Really pleased that you like it because I'm almost there saving for one, it just looks outstanding! ^_^ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grand Wazoo Posted April 7, 2010 Share Posted April 7, 2010 [quote name='StevieD_FenderP2009' post='798025' date='Apr 6 2010, 09:03 PM']To Grand Wazoo besides you having a rather funny name, I totally agree with what you say about Steve Harris being the leader of Maiden and the aesthetics of the bass recieving positive reviews[/quote] Thank You!! although that is not the name on my passport, you are probably too young to know who Frank Zappa was, if you knew, the name would sound familiar to you. [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Grand_Wazoo"]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Grand_Wazoo[/url] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eight Posted April 7, 2010 Share Posted April 7, 2010 Steve Harris is God. Good to know the signature bass is as good as you'd expect. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bartelby Posted April 7, 2010 Share Posted April 7, 2010 I got mine last week, there's a thread in the gear porn section. I thought it was an 09 but it could be a 2010 as GAK only got it in the day I ordered it. They're stunning basses aren't they. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KiOgon Posted April 7, 2010 Share Posted April 7, 2010 [quote name='StevieD_FenderP2009' post='798025' date='Apr 6 2010, 09:03 PM']To Lojo I definately enjoy myself playing this bass It's just such a fantastic bass to play and definately the best Fender Bass I've played. The jazz profile neck on it is beautiful[/quote] Hey Grand! That'a a good looking P alright & I'm sure it sounds great. Your reference to 'The Jazz profile neck' made me wonder so I looked up Fender's spec, they don't give a 'shape' but they state 1.75" 44.5mm at nut - that's pretty big even for a P neck! Is that what it measures? Just comparing it to my Frank Bello at 1.625"/41.3mm Cheers, John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidmpires Posted April 7, 2010 Share Posted April 7, 2010 Great bass player, fantastic bass and props for wearing that Powerslave t-shirt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lojo Posted April 7, 2010 Share Posted April 7, 2010 Strangely i have a lake placid blue P with a maple neck and ive been asked if its a steve harris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Veils Posted April 8, 2010 Share Posted April 8, 2010 Not a Precision fan, but that is very pretty congrats dude! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bartelby Posted April 9, 2010 Share Posted April 9, 2010 Just got back from a band practice where I finally got to plug my SH P in!! This bass just keeps getting better. But it now means I need another Precision... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
endorka Posted April 10, 2010 Share Posted April 10, 2010 Brilliant - I have been coveting this bass for some time, something I hardly ever do with instruments. What an amazing looking bass, and it's great to hear it plays well too :-) Jennifer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arsenic Posted April 10, 2010 Share Posted April 10, 2010 Very nice looking bass. - glad you like it so much Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StevieD_FenderP2009 Posted April 12, 2010 Author Share Posted April 12, 2010 endorca - Glad this has helped you out, I can't stop cleaning the damn thing haha! Everytime i use it, i have to clean it before putting it back in the case so there's no finger prints on it. God i love this thing! arsenic - Thanks very much dude, I really do ^_^ haha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwh87 Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 I am guessing this bass is good by the positive reviews. I saw a new one today for £775 and might get it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bartelby Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 [quote name='dwh87' post='1092754' date='Jan 17 2011, 05:04 PM']I am guessing this bass is good by the positive reviews. I saw a new one today for £775 and might get it.[/quote] Yes, it is good. Very good! £775 is a bloody good deal. Most of the prices I've seen recently have been £1000+ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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