Fender Precision Bass

The Precision Bass (often shortened to "P-Bass") is a bass guitar

manufactured by Fender Musical Instruments Corporation. In its
Precision Bass
standard, post-1957 configuration, the Precision Bass is a solid
body, four-stringed instrument equipped with a single split-coil
humbucking pickup and a one-piece, 20 fret maple neck with
rosewood, pau ferro, or maple fingerboard.[1]

Its prototype, designed by Leo Fender in 1950, was brought to

market in 1951.[2] It was the first electric bass to earn widespread
attention and use, remaining among the best-selling and most-
imitated electric basses with considerable effect on the sound of
popular music.

Contents Manufacturer Fender

Background Period 1951–present

Design alterations and variants Construction

See also Body type Solid
References Neck joint Bolt-on
Literature Woods
Body Alder
Ash
Background Poplar
Basswood
The double bass, as a very large instrument, is often regarded as
physically cumbersome and difficult to transport compared with Neck Maple
smaller instruments. It was also becoming hard to hear in large Fretboard Maple
bands or those that used amplified instruments, and it requires Rosewood
specialised skills to play that are distinct from those required to Pau Ferro
play the guitar.
Hardware

The Precision Bass was designed to overcome these problems. Bridge Fixed
The name "Precision" came from the use of frets to play in tune Pickup(s) One single-coil
more easily than upon the fretless fingerboard of the double bass. (1951–1957)
The electric bass however lacks the distinctive acoustic qualities Usually one two-
of the double bass, offering a more solid, harder-edged sound piece split-coil
with more sustain. The bass guitar became more dominant and humbucker (1957–
transformed the beat and rhythm of pop music from jump blues present)
and swing to rhythm and blues, rock, soul and funk. One split-coil
humbucker and one
Jazz Bass single-
Acceptance of the electric bass was helped by the endorsement of coil ("PJ"
Elvis Presley's bass-player Bill Black. Black was beginning to configuration)
use a Precision Bass during the filming of Jailhouse Rock. Fender One split-coil
also delivered an early Precision to LA session bassist and humbucker and one
arranger Shifty Henry. Monk Montgomery became the first jazz humbucking Jazz
player to popularize the "Fender Bass" while playing with his Bass pickup (1995-
brother, guitarist Wes Montgomery. 2009)
Colors available
Design alterations and variants Various 2- or 3-color sunbursts
Shades of blonde
The original Precision
Various shades of white, blue, red,
Bass of 1951 shared
green, etc.
several of its design
features with the six-
string Telecaster guitar, the main difference being its double
cutaway body. In 1954 the Precision Bass received contoured
edges[3] for comfort while otherwise retaining the existing
Telecaster-like styling.

In 1957 the headstock and pickguard were redesigned to resemble

A patent sketch for the Fender
Precision Bass
Fender's recently introduced Stratocaster guitar, a rounder neck
heel replacing the original square shape. A redesigned pickguard
was made of a single layer of gold-anodized aluminium with 10
screwholes. At the same time the original single-coil pickup was
replaced by the Precision split-coil design with staggered
polepieces, connected in a humbucking mode; however, Fender
never emphasized this, as the Seth Lover patent on the
humbucking pickup had not yet expired.

In 1959 a glued-on rosewood fingerboard featuring "clay"-style

dot position markers replaced the 1-piece maple neck and remained standard until 1966/67, when the
CBS-owned Fender companies began to offer a separate, laminated maple fingerboard capped on a maple
neck. Rosewood fingerboards were then made of a veneered, round-laminated piece of wood and
pearloid dot markers replaced the "clay"-style inlays introduced in 1959.

In 1960 the aluminum pickguard was replaced with a 13-screw celluloid design having 3 or 4 layers of
black, white, white pearloid or brown "tortoise-shell"). In that same year the newly designed Fender Jazz
Bass was released.

The original Telecaster-derived design, with a few updates, was reintroduced in 1968 as the Telecaster
Bass. Within a few years, however, it had evolved into a model distinctly different from the
contemporary Precision Bass, alongside which it was marketed through 1979.[4] Two artist-designed
models use the Telecaster Bass body style; the Mike Dirnt Precision Bass, using today's standard single
split-coil pick-up, and the Sting Precision Bass, using a single coil pick-up as did the earliest design.

Since 1969 the 1-piece maple neck option has been fitted to many Fender basses and the rosewood
fretboard offered as alternative. Some Precision Basses made in the 1970s were also available with an
unlined fretless rosewood, ebony or (usually) maple fingerboard, popularized by endorsees Sting and
Tony Franklin. Fender briefly offered a fretless P Bass in the mid-
1990s as a part of the first-generation American Standard line but
dropped this variant at the end of the 20th century.

From 1980 to 1984 the Precision Bass was given new active
pickups and a high-mass brass bridge. The Special (1980)
featured a split-coil pickup with white covers, gold hardware, a 2-
band EQ and an active/passive toggle switch. The Elite (1983)
had one (Elite I) or two (Elite II) split-coil humbucking pickups,
TBX tone circuit and a Schaller fine-tune bridge later used on the
Plus Series models of the early 1990s. Some models were
available with solid walnut body and stained ebony fretboard.
Japanese models appeared in late 1984, with a smaller body
shape and a modern C-shape maple neck with 22 medium-jumbo
frets.
1958 reissue Precision bass
The later 1980s and 1990s saw the introduction of the Precision
Plus and Deluxe Plus basses in 1989 and 1991, featuring Lace
Sensor pickups, fine-tuner bridges, 22-fret necks and passive or active electronics on certain models. The
Custom Shop 40th Anniversary model of 1991 was a luxurious version of the Precision Plus Deluxe bass
with gold hardware, a quilted maple top and an ebony fretboard with side dot position markers.

The American Series Precision Bass was introduced in 2000 and discontinued in 2008. From 2003 the S-
1 switching system allowed the pickup coils to be switched from series to parallel,offering a wider tonal
range, but this was discontinued in 2008 with the second generation of American Standard Series
instruments.

The American Standard (featuring a high-mass vintage bridge

and Hipshot lightweight staggered tuning machines), American
Deluxe (featuring a J-style humbucking pickup in the bridge
position and an active 3-band EQ with an 18V power supply),
Highway One (featuring '70s styling, and later models featuring
BadAss II bridges with grooved saddles and a Greasebucket tone
circuit since 2006) and American Vintage series models are
manufactured in Corona, California.

As of December 5, 2008 the Standard P-Bass has been updated

with CBS era-style decals, a 3-ply parchment pickguard and a
tinted maple neck with rosewood or maple fingerboard. Other
features include a split-coil hum-cancelling pickup and a return to
the knurled chrome flat-top control knobs. Models produced
before 2003 came for a period with aged white Stratocaster
1956 Precision bass control knobs.

As of March 23, 2010 all American Deluxe Precision Basses

came with a N3 stacked-coil Jazz Bass pickup in the bridge position, a 21-fret tinted maple neck with
compound rosewood or maple fingerboard with white or black pearloid dot markers, an active/passive
toggle switch, a high-mass vintage bridge, Hipshot lightweight vintage tuners, a stealth retainer bar for
the A string and a bold CBS-era headstock decal. As of March 23, 2012 the American Standard Precision
Bass (except the 5-string version) comes with a Custom Shop 60's P-Bass split-coil humbucking pickup.
The 2012 color chart listed 3-Color Sunburst, Olympic White, Black, Candy Cola, Jade Pearl Metallic,
Charcoal Frost Metallic as available finishes during that period. As of April 19, 2012 the American
Standard Precision Basses are loaded with the Custom Shop '60s Precision Bass split single-coil pick-
ups, a 20-fret graphite-reinforced maple neck with compound rosewood or maple fingerboard with white
or black pearloid dot markers and a high-mass vintage bridge. It be bought as a 4 or 5 string bass.
American Deluxe "Ash Body" Precisions were offered from 1995 to 2006, and are currently available as
of 2011; the 2004 color chart listed Aged Cherry Sunburst, Butterscotch Blonde and Tobacco Sunburst as
available finishes during that period.

The Road Worn Series 50s P-Bass (introduced in 2009) features a distressed alder body with
nitrocellulose lacquer finish, a 1-ply gold anodized pickguard, a synthetic bone nut, American Vintage
hardware, a split-coil humbucking pickup and a 1-piece maple neck/fingerboard with 20 vintage frets.

Fender has also produced several 'Deluxe' or 'Special' models that feature active electronics and/or a Jazz
Bass pickup or humbucking soap-bar-type pick-up at the bridge position as well as the normal split-coil
pickup to increase the tonal options available. Some P-Basses with J-style bridge pickups used the Jazz
Bass control layout—2 volumes and tone—and a side-mount jack socket. Others had the front pickup
volume control moved forward to leave room for a top-mounted jack socket.

Other variants include dual stacked control knobs similar to that of an early 1960s Jazz Bass or a 3-way
pickup selector switch (as used on the Tony Franklin Signature and Plus Series P-Basses).

Other variants (sometimes with 21 or 22 frets on the fingerboard) and special-edition Precision Bass
guitars have been offered in recent years. Fender made an American Deluxe 5-string model with a split-
coil neck pickup, a humbucking J-style bridge pickup and a 3-band active EQ between 2001 and 2007
and currently produces a passive American Professional with a high-mass vintage bridge, a V-Mod split
pickup, narrow tall frets and a gloss-coated maple neck with satin back and vintage tint as of 2017, tuned
BEADG, along with a Squier Standard version sporting two J-Bass pickups with alnico magnets. The
company has also built a Korean-made Squier ProTone 5-string Precision with dual humbuckers and gold
hardware in the mid-1990s and a short-scale passive 5-string tuned EADGC called the Bass V during the
CBS period in the mid-1960s. The Bass V did not sell well, and after it was discontinued, Fender did not
offer another 5-string bass guitar until the 1980s.

Artists known for using the Precision Bass include James Jamerson,[5] Peter Cetera,[6][7] Donald "Duck"
Dunn,[8][9] Pino Palladino,[10] Steve Harris,[11] Mike Dirnt,[12] Tony Franklin,[13] Duff McKagan,[14]
Matt Freeman, Nate Mendel,, John Entwistle, Micki Steele, Bruce Foxton, Mark Hoppus,, Pete Wentz,
Sting,[15] John Lodge,[16] Dee Dee Ramone, Roger Waters,[17] Dallon Weekes, Dusty Hill, Carol Kaye,
Geezer Butler, Robert Trujillo, Jason Newsted, John Cale,[18] Randy Meisner, Roger Glover, Tom
Hamilton, Roy Estrada, Kenny Gradney, David Brown, John Paul Jones, Frank Bello, Jeff Ament, Andy
Bell, John Deacon, Cliff Williams, Tom "T-Bone" Wolk, Timothy B. Schmit, Colin Greenwood,[19] Jean
Millington [20] and Adam Clayton.

See also
Fender Telecaster Bass
Squier '51
References
1. "Shop Fender | Electric Guitars, Acoustics, Bass, Amps & More" (https://shop.fender.com/e
n/intl/electric-basses/precision-bass/). shop.fender.com. Retrieved 2018-08-13.
2. Wheeler, Tom, American Guitars: An Illustrated History, interview with Leo Fender, Harper
Perennial, NY 1992
3. "VINTAGE BASS WORLD" (http://vintagebassworld.com/description.php?manufacturer=Fe
nder&product=Precision&year=0). Retrieved 2016-12-03.
4. "VINTAGE BASS WORLD" (http://vintagebassworld.com/description.php?manufacturer=Fe
nder&product=Telecaster&year=0). Retrieved 2016-12-15.
5. "James Jamerson - Bassist" (https://web.archive.org/web/20101212025223/http://bassland.
net/Jamerson.html). Archived from the original (http://www.bassland.net/jamerson.html) on
December 12, 2010. Retrieved 2010-12-30.
6. Cite error: The named reference Bass Player was invoked but never defined (see
the help page).
7. Administrator. "Peter Cetera's Bass Gear Rig and Equipment – Chicago" (http://www.uberpr
oaudio.com/who-plays-what/178-peter-ceteras-bass-gear-rig-and-equipment-chicago).
uberproaudio.com. Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20170909151640/http://www.uber
proaudio.com/who-plays-what/178-peter-ceteras-bass-gear-rig-and-equipment-chicago)
from the original on September 9, 2017. Retrieved May 2, 2018.
8. "Fender Duck Dunn Bass Guitar" (http://www.edroman.com/guitars/fender/fender_artist/duc
k_dunn.html/). Retrieved 2015-05-13.
9. "Donald "Duck" Dunn "Duck's" Gaggle: The Basses of Donald Dunn" (http://www.vintageguit
ar.com/14616/donald-duck-dunn-2/). Retrieved 2015-05-13.
10. "Pino Palladino P bass" (http://intl.fender.com/en-GB/custom-shop/basses/precision-bass/pi
no-palladino-signature-precision-bass-rosewood-fingerboard-fiesta-red/). Fender.com.
Retrieved 14 September 2015.
11. "Fender Steve Harris Precision Bass Signature" (http://www.fender.com/en-AU/series/artist/
steve-harris-precision-bass-maple-fingerboard-royal-blue-metallic-chrome-pickguard/).
Retrieved 2014-07-04.
12. "MIKE DIRNT ROAD WORN® PRECISION BASS®" (http://www.fender.com.au/fender-elect
ric-bass-guitar-details.cfm?pID=0138410700&bc=BodyShape&bcid=0). Fender. Retrieved
16 April 2017.
13. "Fender Tony Franklin Precision Bass Signature" (http://www.fender.com/en-AU/series/artis
t/tony-franklin-fretted-precision-bass-maple-fingerboard-olympic-white-3-ply-black-pickguar
d/). Retrieved 2014-07-04.
14. "Fender Duff McKagan Precision Bass Signature" (http://www.fender.com/en-AU/series/artis
t/duff-mckagan-precision-bass-rosewood-fingerboard-pearl-white/). Retrieved 2014-07-04.
15. https://www.musicradar.com/news/guitars/sting-talks-fender-p-basses-technique-and-
jamming-jaco-pastorius-644627
16. https://www.bassplayer.com/artists/the-moody-blues-john-lodge
17. "Fender Roger Waters Precision Bass Signature" (http://www.fender.com/series/artist/roger-
waters-precision-bass-maple-fingerboard-black/). Retrieved 2014-07-04.
18. https://werksman.home.xs4all.nl/cale/equipment/bass_fender.html
19. "Colin Greenwood Equipment" (https://web.archive.org/web/20180910204319/http://equipbo
ard.com/pros/colin-greenwood/#bass-guitars). Archived from the original (http://equipboard.
com/pros/colin-greenwood/#bass-guitars) on 2018-09-10. Retrieved 2018-09-10.
20. Johnson, Kathleen (2017-05-30). "Fanny's June Millington" (https://www.vintageguitar.com/2
7947/fannys-june-millington/). Vintage Guitar® magazine. Retrieved 2019-04-16.
Literature
Peter Bertges. The Fender Reference. Bomots, Saarbrücken. 2007. ISBN 978-3-939316-
38-1.
Martin Kelly, Terry Foster, Paul Kelly. Fender: The Golden Age 1946–1970. London & New
York: Cassell. 2010. ISBN 1-84403-666-9.

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