| Reviewer | Craig Boeker (3 yrs off and on over 12 years) |
| Manufacturer | Fender |
| Model | American Deluxe Precision '98 |
| Price | traded for mint Stingray 4 |
| Neck Type | Bolt-on Maple (jazz spec) |
| Fingerboard | maple fretted |
| Body Type | looks like alder |
| Finish | translucent red |
| Pickup(s) | 1 vintage P, 1 bridge humbucker |
| Controls | 3-band eq, volume, blend |
I find that the Precision tone can't get quite the traditional warm P-bass/Jamersonesque tone - probably a combination of the active electronics, maple board and either roundwound or groundwound strings I've used. The bridge pickup can add snarl/growl but doesn't quite achieve the punch of a Stingray. Don't get me wrong though, there is a nice range of tones available. I usually play with the blend at 50/50 or 25/75 in favor of the P-pickup.
The graphite-reinforced neck has been very stable - the only truss rod adjustments I've made have been for changing string gauges.
The only real improvement I'd like to see Fender make is an active/passive switch. I wish I'd been able to find one with a rosewood board when I originally traded my Stingray for it. Also, if you crave a different pickguard the screw pattern is not the standard Precision pattern (not to mention the control differences - I don't know if the pickup position is the same).
| Construction | 90% |
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| Playability | 95% |
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| Appearance | 85% |
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| Sound | 90% |
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| Value | 90% |
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| Overall | 90% |
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