It wasn’t actually the primary electrical bass, however Fender’s Precision was the genesis of the instrument the world is aware of right this moment. For greater than seven many years, the four-string workhorse has been a favourite within the studio and on phases, and the story of recent music can’t be written with out it.

Fender’s American Classic II line (VG, March ’23) takes a glance again on the 1954 launch of this elementary favourite, and goes detail-for-detail with this transitional model of the P-Bass. The ’54 mannequin misplaced the slab physique and black pickguard of its predecessor, however stored the Telecaster headstock, two-saddle bridge, and one-piece pickup.

Aesthetically, it’s a testomony to the suave simplicity and considerate engineering of Leo Fender and George Fullerton; the one superfluous function is the pickguard that lined the higher horn till the late ’50s. The easy wiring and bolt-on neck bear additional witness, and like the unique, the Classic II wears nitrocellulose gloss on the physique and neck.

The one-piece maple neck has 20 Classic Tall frets, conventional 34″ scale, and Fender’s “1954 C” form. A 7.25″-radius fretboard and 1.70″-wide nut proceed its blast-from-the-past enjoying expertise, however require acclimation by anybody migrating from a contemporary bass. Interval-correct reverse tuners and skunk stripe down the again of the neck full the classic bundle.

Similar to within the 1954 catalog, this bass sports activities a string-through bridge with two fiber saddles – a implausible contact, and a brand new expertise for many. The non-split, single-coil pickup was designed particularly for this mannequin and when paired with flatwound strings delivers actual time-machine tone – massive, fats, and elementary, it seems like the whole lot James Jamerson performed as soon as he went electrical, and looks like each nation report after Western swing left the charts. The thump is actual, and the dearth of ringing overtones places a laser deal with the center of the instrument’s output. It’s the defining function of the Precision Bass, and this reissue is devoted to its namesake.

Obtainable in two-tone Sunburst or Classic Blonde over its ash physique, the American Classic II 1954 Precision Bass might carry a price ticket on the greater finish for a standard-production Fender, nevertheless it’s an inexpensive ask for a nitro-finished U.S.-made instrument aimed toward a discriminating participant.

This text initially appeared in VG’s November 2023 situation. All copyrights are by the writer and Classic Guitar journal. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.