Just how good is the Fender CS Pino Precision?

[Musicman20]

I like P's but they are so simplistic that I don't see the need to spend over something like £1200 on one. I've even heard cheap £100 copies sound virtually the same and feel pretty good to play as well.

[niceguyhomer]

I've owned quite a few Ps in my time, my current one is a 2012 with CS pups and I love it. I got the chance to play OHM's Pino (unplugged) and I found it extremely hard to put it down. It just felt right, played beautifully and I instinctively knew it would sound great plugged in. Is it worth £3,000 new? IMHO no. It's not £2,000 better than my P or a RW I also played recently. However, if one came up at the right price and I'm thinking in terms of £1500-£1700 and I was in my market for a P, I wouldn't hesitate.

[tredders]

[quote name='niceguyhomer' timestamp='1375362864' post='2160286']
I've owned quite a few Ps in my time, my current one is a 2012 with CS pups and I love it. I got the chance to play OHM's Pino (unplugged) and I found it extremely hard to put it down. It just felt right, played beautifully and I instinctively knew it would sound great plugged in. Is it worth £3,000 new? IMHO no. It's not £2,000 better than my P or a RW I also played recently. However, if one came up at the right price and I'm thinking in terms of £1500-£1700 and I was in my market for a P, I wouldn't hesitate.
[/quote]

And that's pretty much the conclusion I came to. If I'd been able to pick up a 2nd hand one for £1500-£1700, I'd have bought it. However, at £2500-£3000, I'd be looking at a genuine vintage P bass.

[White Cloud]

How good can it be? Its a P bass...a work horse.

[Lozz196]

They are good, they feel great, easily the best Precisions I`ve played. But, remove Pinos signature, and I reckon most people would just think they`d lucked out on a cracking Road-Worn (aside from the RWs don`t have rosewood fretboards that is). So good they may be, but I agree with niceguyhomers viewpoint.

[HazBeen]

Isn't this more about the ridiculous prices Fender charges for their Custom Shop models than anything else?

I have actually played a Pino and it was an absolute dream to play (TI flats rock!), but it was not better than for instance my old Lull PJ with TIs which was a lot cheaper and probably not hugely better than any well built Fender standard P (you can luck into a really good one, like on of my mates).

Personally I don't get spending that much on an instrument (and it gets progressively worse when you start looking at Alleva, Fodera etc), especially since I can guarantee you that a lot of the people that own instruments like it are part time hobby musicians, it's like having a Rolls and only using it for the weekly ASDA trip. I get it even less that you then take this 8 grand custom art work to the local pub and gig it over the 50 quid Behringer 1x10, as that is like driving your Roller to the ASDA on wooden wheels.

My point? If you are ridiculously rich or stupid or just really want it or whatever, do it, but a VW Golf will do the weekly ASDA trip as well.

And as

[dave_bass5]

Yep, its a rich man's toy, nothing more.

I dont begrudge anyone who buys or wants one, but i can see no actual need for anyone to own one other than want, or can (which are good enough reasons i suppose)

I bet it doesn't make you play or sound any closer to Pino than a Squier CVP, and certainly wouldn't look any different on stage.

[bh2]

I would have to be bonkers to spend 3 grand on a beater pino, I don't care how good they are!

I would find it hard to justify £900 on a RW Precision, which I quite fancy.

[AntLockyer]

[quote name='HazBeen' timestamp='1375447878' post='2161529']
(you can luck into a really good one, like on of my mates).

[/quote]

Or spend a good amount of time finding a good one.

[tredders]

[quote name='dave_bass5' timestamp='1375449163' post='2161550']
Yep, its a rich man's toy, nothing more.

I dont begrudge anyone who buys or wants one, but i can see no actual need for anyone to own one other than want, or can (which are good enough reasons i suppose)

I bet it doesn't make you play or sound any closer to Pino than a Squier CVP, and certainly wouldn't look any different on stage.
[/quote]

And that's the rub, isn't it? How many of us on here can actually justify the instruments we have? I remember a topic on here about signature basses, and several people slagged off the bass player from Kaiser Chiefs for having a custom Shuker bass! Just the odd world tour, and several best selling albums under his belt, and he was criticised for his playing and the fact he had a nice bass!

I'd be really interested in a blind playing & sound test of a CVP vs a Pino - I'd bet the results would catch a few of us out.

[dave_bass5]

I think most can justify things to ourselves, and if enjoyment is one of them then that fine. I have a £2000 DSLR that in no way could i justify owning, other than it brings me a lot of enjoyment.
But do i need it? Nope. Can i get away with a cheaper camera? Hell yes.

So my point is i would fail to understand that someone has to buy this, as nothnig else will do. As already been mentioned, its a P bass, how much do you really NEED to spend to get a tone and feel of a P bass.
I find the spec's very close to the CVP, even to the point of having vintage style frets. I understand the wood is nicer, but is it better, and in what way?

I bet Pino wouldn't worry about using a CVP if he had to :-)

[niceguyhomer]

Ah the law of diminishing returns eh

I think CS guitars and basses are aimed at people with a lot of money to spare.

Going off piste a little bit, I was talking to one of our Directors only last week on a similar subject. We have a Harley Davidson dealership which he is reponsible for. He told me that a fair number of top end Harleys are sold to people who don't even have a licence.

[dave_bass5]

[quote name='niceguyhomer' timestamp='1375458876' post='2161752']
Ah the law of diminishing returns eh

I think CS guitars and basses are aimed at people with a lot of money to spare.

[/quote]

Im not adverse to spending a fortune on a bass (i wish i had the spare change to do it), but at this price point you can get a 100% customised bass, so why buy a more or less bog standard P bass?
I think a lot of basses are also sold to people who just sit at home and play. Not that there is anything wrong with that of course.

[niceguyhomer]

Me too Dave, I've even thought of blowing a substantial wad on something exotic when my gigging days are over. For now, a MIA P bass and my Clover do the job very well.