This is my third bass. I'm primarily a five string player, but felt like I should get back to basics, and nothing is more back to basics than a sunburst Fender Precision. This one was made in Japan in the mid-80's, and when I bought it used, had been modified to accept thru-body stringing--actually, thru-body is the only option, because the previous owner installed those chrome covers over the bridge and pickup, and the bridge one is too close to the headstock, so with the cover over the bridge, the ball ends of the strings won't fit through the back of the bridge. Does that make sense? Anyway, thru-bridge stringing is okay as long as the chrome cover isn't on there, but I've left it on for cosmetic reasons (some of the paint is stripped off underneath the bridge cover, and there are the screw holes there).

Okay, so other than that, this bass is pretty nice. It's found its way into regular rotation among my three basses. I like the P-Bass because the strings are so far apart--this is good for dexterity and forces me to make every note count. Also I have to concentrate on making the dynamics come from my hands instead of on active electronics.

I bought this used, and when I got it, the action was way too low. I think the previous owner used loctite on the saddle screws, but I managed to raise the action by turning the truss rod 1/2 turn. Everything is fine now.

As for the sound, it's pretty standard P-Bass--muted highs and very solid lows. Great in a band setting. The Rio Grande pickup is pretty awesome and only cost me $50. The stock Japanese pickup was not in the bass long enough for me to compare it with the Rio, but who cares?

This bass is classic Fender--simple to use and very familiar. It's not the best choice for every style of music, but it gets the job done. Every serious player needs to have at least one of these things.

Construction	85%
Playability	80%
Appearance	95%
Sound	95%
Value	99%
Overall	95%