Fender Standard Precision Bass with Maple Fretboard

You can't go wrong with a classic like the Fender Standard Precision Bass. Featuring a maple fretboard for punchier attack, this P Bass plays like a dream.

Overall User Ratings (based on 21 ratings)
  • Overall:
    4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Sound:
    4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Features:
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Ease of Use:
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Quality:
    4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Value:
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Manufacturer Support:
    4.5 out of 5 stars
  • The Wow Factor:
    4 out of 5 stars
Overall: 4.5 out of 5 stars
(21) (see rating details)
Submitted May 26, 2011 by a customer from yahoo.com

"Iconic and Sweet!"

Overall: 5 out of 5 stars
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Verified Customer zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
I asked my wife to make sure this P Bass is the one I get buried with! I am 61 and a veteran of the theatre and gin-mill wars!
Sound
I just recently got the 2011 production model-candy apple red with maple neck. I absolutely love it-everything including the fretwork and setup was perfect! I did switch to D'Addario Chrome flats to smooth out the iconic P Bass sound. For country, rock or jazz I love this bass. This is a beautiful value for any bassist who wants a P Bass. Anyone who says this bass is overpriced is nuts! It sounds and looks as nice as my American P Basses!
Features
It is a P Bass and therefore, elegantly simple-a great girl right out of the box! The pickups seem hotter than I expected and she plays like a dream.
Ease of Use
I play finger style and also use a pick for rockabilly. This bass handles beautifully!
Quality
QC is excellent and it is roadworthy-after all, it has been on the road and studio tracks for decades! The parts seem first rate.
Value
Worth every penny!
Manufacturer Support
Fender is A1 although this bass hasn't required any support yet.
The Wow Factor
It is beautiful in every category. The candy apple red is so gorgeous I want to bite it! For a more aggressive sound I sometimes switch to my fretless with roundwounds on it. I can cover anything with the two basses!

Musical Background:

Musician-25 years plus

Musical Style:

Blues, Jazz, Rockabilly, Western Swing
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Submitted July 12, 2012 by Rick Campbell in Pawtucket, RI

"Standard for a reason!"

Overall: 4.5 out of 5 stars
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Verified Customer zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
Fender Standard Precision Bass. Doesn't the name say it all? Overall, this is a great bass for anybody, amazing low price for this quality. Anyone can NOT go wrong with a Fender P. And for any doubters of the Mexican quality, this thing played like a dream right out of the box. Some people, including myself, prefer the Mexican workmanship over the American parts. Sounds great as is, with the classic Precision thump, but I will eventually replace the factory split-coil with SeymourDuncans and add a high-mass bridge. For what I paid, I almost feel guilty...almost.

Musical Background:

Musician since the age of 8. Play bass, guitar, keys and drums. Bass in 2 bands.

Musical Style:

Reggae, rock, alternative. Motown. Funk. Soul. Love those basslines!
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Submitted March 8, 2012 by a customer from yahoo.com in L.A., CA

"Fender Standard Precision Bass...a few tweaks from greatness"

Overall: 3.5 out of 5 stars
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Verified Customer zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
I played the 'new' Fender Standard P-Bass at the last NAMM show and was happy with the weight...not ultralite but not heavy at all. The maple neck model felt good and so that's what I ordered from Zzounds. I had to work the truss rod a bit to get it playable, and I had to adjust the pickup height to get the bass to sound even. I put a set of flatwound strings on and that made it sound much closer to a 'true' Precision Bass sound. With the stock roundwounds, the bass was much too thin. After the tweaks, for the money I spent, I am happy. I will replace the tuners, as the posts are ridiculous and you can't wind the strings properly.

Musical Background:

Pro

Musical Style:

Pop, Rock, Jazz, Country
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Submitted May 25, 2013 by Arthur Schweigard in Dingans, PA

"Not for beginners only"

Overall: 4 out of 5 stars
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Verified Customer zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
Fender did a great job with this one. Yes it is made in Mexico and yes it is less expensive than the American made counterpart but no the American is not "that" much better. After playing as a pro and semi pro for thirty yeas or so, I know a good instrument from the not so good. The Fender Standard Precision is a great value especially as a platform for customization. Read on I will elaborate.
Sound
The instrument with the stock pickup is responsive and punchy and it can produce that characteristic p bass sound. The alder body resonates well and the stock pickup tone is a bit raspy but is a "good rock tone". I replaced the stock pickup with a Fender 62 reissue and the bass now sings "a less edgy in the highs". I still use Fender 7250 strings so it is fair comparison on sound.
Features
The craftsmanship is good, not great but excellent for this price point. The quality of wood is very good, the finish was better than expected and the tuners and bridge are solid. The fret work was pretty good and the nut depths are dead on. I did file the fret ends and the no. three fret was about .02" high so I re crowned it. After I did a set up the Precision is now a fantastic playing and sounding instrument.
Ease of Use
The feel of the neck is very comfortable to play. I have a hard time with the Jazz necks since they are so tight at the nut. The string spacing over the sweet spot is conducive to slap style and I needed no time to adjust to the instrument, it is as comfy as my favorite jeans.
Quality
The Standard series in the Fender line is far better than some other products in the same price range especially if you are comfortable with doing a little work yourself. Personally I like the truss rod adjustment up at the nut better than down by the body. Th American standards have graphite rods in the neck but I have had mine through the winter and did not need to re-adjust the neck.
Value
Aw-Sum! I have had lots of basses maybe around twenty and this one is truly a winner, I am glad I bought it and will never part with it. After all is said and done I put a seventy dollar pickup in it and spent an hour or so doing a little tweaking and I would play this bass on any gig or any session.
Manufacturer Support
I did not need it.
The Wow Factor
Yes wow is right I like it better than my 90s American made Precision and if I had to part with one the USA made one would be the one to go.

Musical Background:

Thirty plus year veteren on bass, guitar, drums and keys

Musical Style:

Smooth Jazz, R&B and Classic Funk.
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Submitted October 14, 2014 by Nicholas C in Brooklyn, NY

"My Ideal Bass."

Overall: 5 out of 5 stars
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Verified Customer zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
This Mexican P-bass in all-white with a maple fretboard fulfills exactly what I'm looking for in a bass. I'm in a surf-rocky three piece and the bright, growly, bell-like tone just seems to fit perfectly in the mix of drums and guitar. It also looks beautiful. zZounds' payment plan helped a lot as well!

Musical Background:

Been in bands for about 6 years

Musical Style:

Surf rock, pop punk, lo-fi
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Submitted August 10, 2012 by Steven S in Las Vegas, NV

"Sets The STANDARD"

Overall: 5 out of 5 stars
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Verified Customer zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
The Fender Standard Precision Bass is really a steal at this $529 price tag. The quality of craftsmanship and the integrity of bass tone will compare to the Fender American Standard Bass with a fraction of it's cost. I recently purchased the Candy Apple Red bass with the maple neck and I must say it was much more than what I expected. So if you are debating about making the purchase, DO IT!!! You will not be disappointed!!

Musical Background:

I have been a bass player for over 15 years. Have been playing professionally for about 4 years!!

Musical Style:

Rock/Hard Rock
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Submitted November 15, 2011 by a customer from hotmail.com

"Don't be fooled by the price. With a little work, this IS the real thing."

Overall: 4.5 out of 5 stars
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Verified Customer zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
I'm a Jazz bass guy myself, but this is my recording guitar. Don't pay for a USA that you're going to have to upgrade anyway. These are the perfect template for a bass you will be happy with for many years.
Sound
It's a passive P bass. Industry standard. I prefer it over anything for recording. But, the electronics are kinda weak. Drop a really nice pickup that suits your needs ($75-$150), and add a quality high mass bridge (Leo Quan is the best, $100). Stays in tune until I change the strings.
Features
Its a P bass. No features..lol.
Ease of Use
If you can turn up the volume knob, you can handle it. Add a cap to the tone knob (your bass guy knows what they are) and you have the "greasebucket" control they charge extra for.
Quality
Neck bolted onto body. Sparse electronics. If it breaks, you broke it.
Value
One of the reviewers before me said to buy a Squire and soup it up. That's fine if you want crappy wood and a less that average neck. Squires are for beginners, period. Would you put a bad a** engine in a Gremlin or a Pinto? No. These are the classic example of over-charging for the "Made in the USA" symbol. They are made by American trained luthiers, with American design.
The Wow Factor
P-basses are not sexy, but they are the best at what they are made for.

Musical Background:

24 years

Musical Style:

Rock, alt. country, Norwegian Black Metal..
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Submitted March 21, 2018 by Ozzy D in Monterey, CA

"Great instrument"

Overall: 5 out of 5 stars
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Verified Customer zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
It is not only for beginners, but for all bass players. All you need is this. I just got mine and it sounds amazing. Slap some vintage pickups on here and the sound will be killer.

Musical Background:

11 years, bass guitar player

Musical Style:

prog rock
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Submitted February 23, 2012 by Anthony B in Cincinnati, OH

"Loving this P"

Overall: 5 out of 5 stars
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Verified Customer zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
I've been wanting to pick up a precision for awhile now after relying heavily on my jazz for everything - this thing does not disappoint. The only regret I have is that now I have to buy a 5 string P to go along with it. I originally intended only to use this for R&B/Pop recordings but after just a few hours playing it and loving that tone I think flats on a 5er with some reissue pups would do me good alongside the jazz at a few gigs! Great bass, great tone.

Musical Background:

Professional sound engineer/musician

Musical Style:

Gospel, R&B, Pop, Reggae
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Submitted October 11, 2012 by Todd Zimmerman in Kalamazoo, MI

"Very good bass for the money."

Overall: 5 out of 5 stars
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Full disclosure, I did not keep this bass. I returned it and bought an American standard, however, it wasn't really over quality issues. Well, it was, but not overbuild quality. It had a great neck, nice pick ups and a great finish. I simply wanted the string through body and the high mass bridge and sealed tuners of the American. However it was a very good instrument.

Musical Background:

Guitars, Bass, etc. Project studio.

Musical Style:

I will record anything, I tend to play rock most often.
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Submitted January 6, 2010 by a customer from yahoo.com

"Good Bass Over Priced"

Overall: 4 out of 5 stars
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Verified Customer zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
If Fender would stop raising prices people would buy them again, this is a good bass and if you realy want it buy it, there are some much better deals out there
Sound
great P bass thump.
Features
volume and tone thats about it
Ease of Use
basic operation
Quality
mine is a '99 model and it still plays and sounds great.
Value
They realy have jacked the price up on these, I only paid $320 new in 2000 for mine. I say if you want a better deal get a Squire P bass and put $60 into a good pickup and $50-100 on a set up and still be cheaper than this, if it was $400 it would still be ok but not for $500+
Manufacturer Support
never had to use them
The Wow Factor
Its a P bass

Musical Background:

Semi-Pro

Musical Style:

Pnuk/Hadcore, All
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