FenderPlayer Precision Bass, Black, Pau Ferro Fingerboard

I am an average bass player, owing 12 basses now. This buttercream FAR surpasses my expectations. Quality build: a 10. The neck is thin, permitting incredibly easy movement up and down it. The craftsmanship of the bass is just beautiful. The maple neck, front and back, is something you must see in person. The P-Bass pickups are typical, and nothing hugely special, but they pound out highs and lows. The tuning is also typical. The volume and tone pots are above average and turn tightly/smartly and smoothly. I did change out the strings to nylon tapewound and get a deeper "Motown-like" sound. The buttercream body is just amazingly beautiful. The bass is actually light in weight, compared to a Yamaha 500 or Schecter series, both of which I'm comparing this bass to. The turning keys are high quality-open design, and function tightly as well. The bridge is a standard P-Bass bridge, and it functions tightly as well. It's quality is very good. The finish on the body (buttercream) is beautifully lacquered, with obviously many coats applied to give it a deep luster. The fretboard is also well lacquered and just beautiful. The combination of maple for the neck compliments the buttercream body; oh man, this is one beautiful instrument. My fretting hand glided effortlessly up and down the fretboard. I would have expected a bass of this high quality to sell for a thousand, so the price is a steal.The bass arrived so quickly I was blown away. Now: one word of caution: My bass arrived in perfect condition, but I view I was very fortunate. The cardboard box it was shipped in had zero padding inside for the bass (IE, bubblewrap, etc. ), If the gorilla's at the distribution centers would have tossed this around, the bass would likely have been heavily damaged around both the neck and body. Otherwise, this bass is simply and completely at the top of the chart. It sounds incredible, is extremely of high quality craftsmanship, arrived lickety-split, and I am one happy camper to recommend it to you completely. Hats off and a big thank you to Cream City Music in Wisconsin. You guys built a tremendous bass. Thanks all.

After playing guitar for 25 years I thought it was time to get a bass for recording and for fun--I always knew it would be a P bass. It has one basic tone--but it's a great tone! Very easy to play and has a great feel in your hands. All the YouTube videos are accurate; its beauty and strength is in its simplicity. This is my third stringed instrument purchased directly from Amazon and it was another home run--I have no hesitation about ordering guitars here. It was tuned 1/2 step down out of the box, but completely set up and in tune. I played it extensively for a month and never had any issues with buzz or tuning stability. I had planned on switching out the tuners for a Grover style, but the factory ones work so well there was no need. I don't know what brand strings they come with but they're roundwound--nicely bright and have a great pop. I'll never give up the guitar but I love this bass!

Came half a week ahead of schedule. It came the morning of my gig and I wasn’t expecting to have it so soon, but it sounded great almost right outta the box. It was almost in tune too. Great tone for the show, even with the original strings. No buzz and great feel to play. The band had tons of compliments, as well as people coming to me after the show. It’s looks great and has the sound to match.

The bass came as expected and on time. The only thing to arch for is the ends of the frets are sharp which is typical of all Fender instruments made in Mexico. I have fret file made for this and worked on it myself and solved the issue, though I am an instrument repairman by trade. Other than that the bass was perfect.

I'd heard mixed things about the old MiM Fenders, but I knew they'd stepped it up and made the Player Series great instruments, so I decided to try one out. Out of the box, it played fine and would be a solid instrument for many gigging musicians after a string change and a setup (which I recommend on every new guitar). I was expecting the electronics to be sub-par, but the pickup sounds pretty great so far. I'll play it alongside my other basses to see if upgraded electronics are needed.What I think does need upgrading is the hardware. The bridge is the standard Fender vintage bridge. After removing it, the pieces felt flimsy and cheap. I'm not sure what effect that has on tone, but I prefer high-mass bridges over the vintage-style bridges, so I swapped mine out with a Fender high-mass that I got on Amazon for around $60. The notes all sounds much bigger and there's more sustain, although there's a bit less of the woody sound you get since the bigger bridge is absorbing more of the vibrations and leaving less for the wood. I highly recommend a bridge upgrade, if not now then somewhere down the road, but the stock bridge will be fine for many players to start with.Note that, if you change the bridge, you will need a setup. This is something you can do yourself with the right know-how and a few tools (some of which come with the guitar and bridge). It honestly took me a while to be comfortable with anything other than small adjustments, so this is actually my first full setup, and it's going great.The tuners also felt a bit cheap. I haven't encountered any issues with staying in tune yet, but that's a possibility with cheaper tuners—just take that with a piece of salt, as I haven't experienced it yet. I happen to have some nice Hipshot tuners on an old bass that I'm not using anymore that I want to swap in, but I didn't feel comfortable doing myself. I'll have it professionally done somewhere down the road.I put flatwounds (D'Addario Chromes) on the bass and played on it with the upgraded bridge. It has a great vintage tone that P basses are known for, good for a wide range of music from Motown to punk rock to indie folk rock. Sounds smooth, but there's enough power to drive upbeat songs. You don't get the articulation of a jazz bass, but this can fill a room in a way that those have trouble. I find myself reaching for my jazz basses when the band is small and I need a lot of articulation. For larger bands or sets where I just need to fill out the bottom end powerfully, this P bass is what I will be reaching for.This bass is totally playable and giggable without upgrades, but those upgrades would make this a 5-star bass. If you end up being less than 100% happy with the sound, you can easily swap in different after-market pickups (or pay a professional) to change or upgrade the sound to your liking. That's what I love about Fenders: they're so easy to modify.I actually got mine used from Amazon Warehouse, and, while the packaging was pretty beat up, the bass itself was in pristine condition with no cosmetic flaws. Plastic wrap still on the pickguard and everything.If you're looking for a nice bass that's not going to break the bank, this is a solid bass. There's a reason the Fender Precision bass is the most popular bass in recording and you'll find one in just about any studio in America. There are some flashier options like the Stingray that really shine in certain situations, but the humble P bass will do at least pretty well in just about any situation.

Great Bass, not a scratch on it. Brand new out of the box. The shipping however was horrible. The Fender box was opened and the Bass was upside down. However it was wrapped up properly but for an instrument it should’ve been better. 5 stars for the Bass, 0 stars for the shipping. Great price and the craftsmanship is fantastic. Fender quality does not disappoint. That said, it was playable right out of the box. If you’re looking for a Bass, the player series are amazing.

Es un muy buen instrumento, suena muy bien. Claro, con un buen amplificador y pedales de calidad, es una maravilla, para presentaciones en vivo.Definitivamente, muy recomendable.Claro q las versiones Fender precision de EEUU, son de alto nivel y para profesionales, pero con este Bajo, se hace un buen trabajo.

Muy buen sonido y construcción llego antes de lo esperado y eso estuvo genial.

価格は高すぎず安すぎず中堅どころかなあという感想です。２万円クラスの安価なモデルと比べて、本品は品質の良い部品が使われています。１０万円超えの高級モデルとは比べていませんが。しかしじゅうぶん満足できるもの。

Firstly and most importantly - this bass is incredible. The buttercream colour is out of this world. I changed the white pickguard with a black one and it just pops!The neck is very fast, the finish is spectacular. The gloss finish on the fretboard is lovely. The tuners are great and the pick ups are good as well.It arrived in perfect condition. Well wrapped and protected.Well worth the price! Fender has outdone themselves with the Player Series.** Now, onto Amazon. I absolutely love Amazon and buy quite often from them, but it took 6 weeks for me to get this guitar after ordering it even though it was in stock periodically.Everytime I contacted customer service I received fantastic service from the representatives (there's really only so much they can do), but still it took absolutely forever for it to get here. 5/5 for the guitar. 3.5/5 for Amazon.