Fender '50s Precision Bass

Years ago when I was searching for a P bass, I found a used Fender '50s Precision bass at a music store. I played it along side every other P bass in the store and was surprised at how well the made in Mexico Fender held its own. It captured the vintage sound and feel fabulously. I bought it and have not looked back. Here are some of my learnings after playing this bass for a while.

Bridge

Once I brought it home, I changed the strings and set it up. Fender uses a vintage bridge on this bass. Working with this bridge, it became very apparent the bridges have come a long way. On this bridge, the saddles are basically bolts laid perpendicular to the string. There is no notch for the string. This means you need to be a little more careful restringing the bass. I have thought about changing the bridge but I am reluctant because I do not want to change the tone of the guitar.

Pickups

The bass has a vintage wound pickup. It gives a different sound than a standard P bass. It captures the  vintage vibe and in my opinion sounds better than what you find in most P basses. Because of the vintage specs, the pickup is not as refined as a modern pickup. It does pickup a buzz if too close to certain electronics. Just like the original. As a result, you do need to be aware of that and position the bass to avoid that interference. A slight inconvenience for the vintage sound.

Neck

I think the neck it the real difference to this bass. The first thing you will notice is that it is wide. Even for a P bass it is wide. But it is C shaped which keeps it comfortable to play. This is one area where it differs from the original that had more of a baseball bat neck. It is a good compromise. It is playable. I think this wide neck helps give the bass it’s unique tone.

Tuners

The tuners a vintage reverse turner. This mean they turn the opposite direction to what you are used to. Once you use them for a while, you get use to the difference. If switching between basses, the bass “reminds” you that theses tuners do not work like the others. That said, between these tuners and the wide neck, the tuning is incredibly stable. It is not uncommon for me to show up to a gig with the bass still in tune after going from my house, to the car, then to a completely different environment.

Final Thoughts

If you are looking for vintage sound and feel, you cannot go wrong with this bass.  Since I bought mine, Fender upgraded it to the Road Worn ‘50s Precision bass model. This model features a nitrocellulose lacquer finish. I have always felt that guitar with the lighter finish sounds like the body can “breathe” better. Plus, they look great with worn finish and vintage hardware.


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Fender Road Worn '50S Precision Bass Fiesta Red