Price: $800.00 (new)
Where Obtained: Guitar Center

Amazing, I love this bass. Given I have only been playing bass for about three years, but I am a bit of a techie when it comes to bass equipment. I compare every other bass that I play to this one. I play quite a few basses. I'm always stopping into music stores and trying out equipment. If it were lost or stolen I would definatly buy another. A major plus that I like about this bass is that the swamp ash body is clear coated and you can't even see any scratches unless you hold it in the right light and deeply look at. Only the very picky will be able to tell, like me. I usually were a triple spike belt when I play and this scratches everything, but the back of my basses doesn't show it a bit. It's awesome

This bass plays great. Just like most of Leo Fenders designs. I compare the playability of this bass to every other bass that I play. I like a medium string height. I'm not too big of a fan of really low string height because I play very hard. Having this string height on this bass gives it an amazing blend of bass with the trebely clank. The neck plays so fast. I have had a number of other bass players play my bass and say that they love the way that it plays.

The swamp ash body and string through bridge gives it a very deep dark sound. This is offset buy by the jazz pickup. The P/J pickup combonation is the best if you ask me. Alot of soapbar pickups are actually wired in a P/J style manner. The P-bass pickup gives it the bass while the Jazz pickup fills out the top end. Perfect if you ask me. I would definately recommend one. No problems what so ever.

It's an American Fender, It'll last longer than you or me and I'm 18. It has strap-locks that never let go, and the hardware is awesome. The bridge has so many ways to adjust you can get the strings exactly where you want them. And once you do they don't move. I play hard and they don't move off the bridge, so don't worry about setting it up and then laying into it a bit.

Model Year: 2001
Price: $1465.00 (Cdn) (new)

Made in U.S.A. Rosewood fingerboard, 21-frets, 4-string, passive electronics. 1 P pickup (neck), one jazz pickup (bridge), one volume for each pickup and a tone knob.

The neck on this bass fells like home. The first time I played it, it felt like a bass I had known for many years. Being in a climate that has regular humidy and temperature changes, I find that the action does move. I prefer a medium-low action and have found that I need to make truss rod adjustments every season.

It has that distinctive classic hollow but cutting bass tone. When you throw in the extra J pickup at the bridge, you also have the option of getting the punch of a Jazz. There is however, some noise when you roll in the J pickup. The P alone is quiet. One thing I have noticed though, is that most of the volume of each pickup is at the very end of the turn of the control; approximately the last 15%, so you have to make slight movements at that portion if you want to blend the sounds. A bit dissapointing for a bass costing this much money. While both main sounds - the P pickup alone and both the P & J on full - produce nice sounds, I find myself soloing the P when playing with a full band most of the time. It just tends to cut through better in most situations.

This feels like a bass that will be around longer than I will. Aside from seasonal adjustments to the truss rod, I have not had any problems with it.

Model Year: 1999
Price: $900.00 (new)
Where Obtained: Musician's Friend

My favorite "Frankenstein" P-Bass ever. Mine is Arctic White with Tortise-shell pick guard and a maple fretboard. The bass came in a traditional black Tolex flat hardshell case and also came with all tools for adjustment, as well as Schaller strap locks and a nice black leather strap. Made in Corona, California, USA. I really like the through-the body string anchors. The electronics are 100% passive.

This bass plays every bit as good as my '64. The frets, I believe, are well installed (no buzz or dead spots)and the instrument is hard to put down. The neck is, I guess what would be called medium/slim "C". Last year I decided to use the next-heavier guage Fender Super Bass strings (.050, .070, .085, .105) and it was a snap to adjust the neck and bridge using the tools that were supplied with the bass. Over the 36 or so years I have been playing, I have come to depend on the Precision Bass neck geometry. The subject bass of this review is as good as any I have encountered. It's as good as a good late-eighties G&L. No flaws. First class. The string height above the body is just perfect for any style I might attempt. I really like this bass.

I play with a number of folks (who doesn't?) and in different styles. This bass I use for R&B, blues, rock, and jazz. Also, I use it to try full-volume amplifier settings when the wife is out of town. The single-coil J pickup is noisy when (of necessity) standing almost on top of the Sunn 300T amp I ordinarily use with this bass. The split P pickup is totally quiet. For what it's worth, I very seldom use effects, and the amp is set flat. The sound is awesome. The J p/u with the P-Bass neck is a dream come true. It's much nicer for agressive finger style than, say, a Thunderbird or Rickenbacker. Pretty great to have a real P-Bass and half a Jazz bass with no batteries required! Blending the pickups yields a nice pallet of tone, but nothing obnoxious or unmusical. The tone isn't quite as direct as an active bass, and that pays a large dividend when going through a PA system; the audio tech has a much easier task dialing up a sweet sound. There is plenty of tone. I have yet to record with this instrument.

The only problem I have had with this instrument is the small-diameter "tone" pot. The OEM pot failed during a gig (a wedding reception!) and the bass went silent (I carry a spare bass). The replacement pot was difficult to obtain at the time, and when I got one I installed it incorrectly. My bad. These days, places like Smart Parts have plenty on hand. The second time I replaced this control I did it correctly and have had no subsequent problems. That is the only problem I have had with this bass. On the bright side, the bass has shown no structural movement between winter and summer, Chicago and Memphis.

Model Year: 2002
Price: $532.00 (new)
Where Obtained: musicians friend

Rosewood neck, U.S. made, transparent orange, left handed model, strap locks, came with hard shell case and strap

The action is pretty good, but, not as nice as my '74 precision with a jazz bass pick-up (dimarzio)

The sound is very clean and easy to play too.

I've had to ajust the truss-rod twice already and also, the strings (dean markley sr2000 light guage) don't last as long as they do on my other basses (6 other basses) but, I like the sound and feel.

Model Year: 2000
Price: $500.00 (new)
Where Obtained: musicians friend

It's an american made bass ,alder body,maple neck,rosewood fretboard.two pickups a split coil in neck position( which kills!) and a special design single coil jazz style in the bridge.pickups are passive two volume controles and one tone control.black finish with brown shell pickguard,string through body/top load bridge and cast/open back tuners

The action is pretty low and I enjoy it,but i set it a little bit higher becouse I usually play funk and slap style bass lines,the neck is great and fender keeps the tradition alive! i've used other basses like ibanez but this one feels like a dream!

I use a marshall b150 amp and the sound is really flexible I can imitate the oldies sound and porduce new and modern stuff,in my opinion it fits all styles of playin'.i tried finger style slap and picking the result was amazing! it did them all! it's a little noisy, but earthing the equipment solved the problem. very warm and punchy tone.

I've had two fenders before a 70's p-bass and a 76 jazz bass.they are solid like steel,and I hope that fender keeps the tradition alive again! I have just got it for a week and it's early to have any problems

Model Year: 1999
Price: $629.99 (new)
Where Obtained: Guitar Center

Made in the U.S.A., this bass is very well made in Corona, CA. The body is ash, the neck is maple, and the fretboard is rosewood. The finish on this one is the "sunset orange transparent" with a "Tortoise shell" pickguard. The string-through-body bridge delivers great tone and sustain.

As I have used a jazz bass before and was never comfortable playing it sitting down, one of the things I wanted was a bass that felt right both standing and sitting. The P-Bass body style places the bass in the right spot when sitting - for me.

I use it with a Crate BX-100 and it sounds great. I also have a Zoom 506II box that I have started playing with, but don't use too much. The pickups are passive and each pickup ( 1 P, 1 J) has it's own volume control, and there is one tone control. At the maximum treble position this bass has very clear tone and has amazingly clear sound. With it turned down to maximum bass, the tone gets a very fat sound and is more "traditional". It is a very versatile instrument producing a wide range of tone, depending on the pickup and tone setting you use.

The workmanship on this bass is excellent. I'm certain that with care, it'll last a long time.