GEAR REVIEW
FENDER AMERICAN PROFESSIONAL II SERIES PRECISION BASS | Doug Doppler
KEY FEATURES
• ‘ 63 Precision Bass Neck Profile
• ‘ Super-Natural ’ Satin Finish Neck
• Rolled Fingerboard Edges
• Alder Body
• V-Mod II Pickup
• Molded Case Included
If there is one ‘ must own ’ bass , I think just about everyone would agree it would be a P Bass . From James Jamerson to Sean Hurley , this instrument has been used on the most iconic recordings and stadium tours for sixty plus years . That said , how excited should one be about the brand new American Professional II series Precision Bass ? The answer is … very !
So , what makes this instrument so different ? Well , a number of things , not the least of which it is the P Bass offering for Fender ’ s brand new American Professional II series . Launched in 2016 , the American Professional is Fender ’ s most popular line and is used by 60 % of the Fender artists . Noting the breadth and depth of Fender ’ s roster , all the instruments in this line have to be great performers . Four years later , Fender has incorporated a ton of artist feedback into their design process , and this instrument is a great example of just how right they ’ ve gotten it .
THE TONE I ’ ve owned my ’ 57 reissue long enough that it is technically ‘ vintage ’, go figure . While there is
a lot about that instrument I love , it can be a bit honky and it does not have a massive amount of low end , some of which I attribute to the maple fingerboard . I was so enamored with the American Original ‘ 60s P Bass I recently reviewed here that I had to own it . I ’ m trying to figure out how I ’ m going to break that to the ‘ chairwoman of the board ’ that Fender has baited the hook once again , as this bass ain ’ t leaving my studio !
While this instrument has all the things I ’ ve always loved about a P Bass , there are two key distinctions I immediately noticed . First and foremost , you don ’ t have to hit it nearly as hard as my other basses to get a great tone , especially with slap . And then there is the low end , it ’ s totally lush , but it also complemented by exceptionally well-balanced mids and highs . Generally speaking , the better the instrument , the less you have to work to coax great sounds out of it , and that is very much the case with this bass . While there ’ s not a ton of slap bass going on in your average worship set , being able to get great slap tones without banging away on the bass is great be it live or in the studio .
The new V-Mod II Precision Bass V split-coil pickup sounds amazing , I mean really sounds amazing . Clear , crisp , articulate , and full are the words that come to mind . It sounds great !
THE FEEL Bass is all about feel , which is why the feel of the instrument is so important . The rolled edges make the ’ 63 P Bass neck profile incredibly comfortable to play , as does the ‘ Super-Natural ’ satin finish . Not all satin finishes are the same , and this one feels great . I don ’ t find myself distracted or hindered by the finish as I ’ m playing , especially on slides . While satin finishes get rid of most of the ‘ catch ’, sometimes they just feel ‘ fake ’, and that definitely is not the case here .