NBD: Fender Standard Precision Bass

[BassAdder60]

I was looking for a second PBass to use alongside my Player II 

 

Nearly went Squier but decided to try out these new Standed series 

 

It’s a nice bass and fretwork and neck is lovely to play. 
 

Noticeable difference in tone from the ceramic pickups in as much as it’s brighter and clearer sounding, less warm and vintage and more modern

 

Set up out of the box was decent apart from pickups were not set slanted to match neck profile etc 

 

Slight tweek on truss rod and she was playing sweetly 

 

Wasn’t sure about the Olympic White colour as it’s more cream than white but it quickly grew on me. I did own a polar white and I thought it was closer to that but I would say closer to cream 

 

Tuners are good and work well as does bridge etc 

 

For a £500 bass I think it’s a nice balance of quality, tone and cost. 
A workhorse gigging bass 

Edited October 22 by BassAdder60

[LeftyJ]

Nice, and my second-favourite colour combo for a P, closely behind black + black 3-ply guard + maple board. Looks great! 

[Lozz196]

On 22/10/2025 at 12:19, LeftyJ said:

Nice, and my second-favourite colour combo for a P, closely behind black + black 3-ply guard + maple board. Looks great! 

Same here.

 

 

[HeadlessBassist]

That looks great. Hope you'll report back on how it sounds in the field. 

[BillyBass]

Nice bass, just treat it better than Paul Simonon did his.

 

Personally, I think it needs a tort pick guard.

[BassAdder60]

I’m finding it very close in quality to the Mex player series 

 

It’s brighter sounding with the ceramic pickup which is a benefit to me as my fingerstyle tone was never bright enough with other basses. 
 

Fitted Schaller strap locks now too and got a Fender gig bag FB610 to go with it 

[Lozz196]

Not that I need any more basses but sounds ideal for me then, as I generally boost the highs a fair bit on my Precisions, even though I`m a pick player.

[BassAdder60]

3 hours ago, Lozz196 said:

Not that I need any more basses but sounds ideal for me then, as I generally boost the highs a fair bit on my Precisions, even though I`m a pick player.

Yep it’s definitely a zingy tone ! 

[LITTLEWING]

On 22/10/2025 at 12:06, BassAdder60 said:

I was looking for a second PBass to use alongside my Player II 

 

Nearly went Squier but decided to try out these new Standed series 

 

It’s a nice bass and fretwork and neck is lovely to play. 
 

Noticeable difference in tone from the ceramic pickups in as much as it’s brighter and clearer sounding, less warm and vintage and more modern

 

Set up out of the box was decent apart from pickups were not set slanted to match neck profile etc 

 

Slight tweek on truss rod and she was playing sweetly 

 

Wasn’t sure about the Olympic White colour as it’s more cream than white but it quickly grew on me. I did own a polar white and I thought it was closer to that but I would say closer to cream 

 

Tuners are good and work well as does bridge etc 

 

For a £500 bass I think it’s a nice balance of quality, tone and cost. 
A workhorse gigging bass 

Just curious why you were concerned about the pups not set slanting? I haven't had a P bass yet that sounded good with them set as per Fender spec. My Player series sounds nicely balanced with them nearly flat with the E only to spec. My old 2000 Standard Squier has E to spec, A to about 8/64 and D and G also about 8/64. They're all as different as girls' chesticles but still get you smiling with a bit of tweaking.

[BassAdder60]

9 hours ago, LITTLEWING said:

Just curious why you were concerned about the pups not set slanting? I haven't had a P bass yet that sounded good with them set as per Fender spec. My Player series sounds nicely balanced with them nearly flat with the E only to spec. My old 2000 Standard Squier has E to spec, A to about 8/64 and D and G also about 8/64. They're all as different as girls' chesticles but still get you smiling with a bit of tweaking.

I’ve always set my PBass pickups to follow the neck profile. Does it matter ?  I think for even volume per string having the correct string to pole piece height balances the sound more accurately. It works for me 

[HeadlessBassist]

1 hour ago, BassAdder60 said:

I’ve always set my PBass pickups to follow the neck profile. Does it matter ?  I think for even volume per string having the correct string to pole piece height balances the sound more accurately. It works for me 

 

Usually, the two sides of the Split Coil should be angled according to the string heights (which are in turn angled to the radius of the neck.)

[BassAdder60]

1 hour ago, HeadlessBassist said:

 

Usually, the two sides of the Split Coil should be angled according to the string heights (which are in turn angled to the radius of the neck.)

Yep I agree 👍

[LITTLEWING]

Yes, I absolutely agree that in principle the pups angles should follow the string radius but I haven’t managed yet to get even volume response on any P bass I’ve owned, ever, mainly because there’s always at least one string closer to a pole piece which changes volume and clarity. There’s always one string louder than the others, so equal string height to pole or plastic goes out the window affecting the aesthetic of angles.

I had one with threaded saddles which allowed more precise spacing allowing each string to be as near as dammit between each pair of poles and that one recorded really well. 
We all know Jazz pups being flat are a compromise and it’s an art to play softer on the E and G unless you want to go through a compressor. Good old Leo even recognised this with Strats and staggered the poles so that everything sounded nice. There’s a lot more to it than just plugging in and making a noise. 

[Lozz196]

I`ve found in general to set the heights approximately (from the body) 2mm on E, 6mm on A & E, and 5mm on G, then adjust to the individual bass. But of course this is suited to my playing style, might not suit others.