Fender's 75th Anniversary Precision Bass collection brings three limited-edition models and a new video series featuring some of the most recorded bass players alive.
In 1951, Leo Fender introduced the Precision Bass. Seventy-five years later, Fender is marking the milestone with three limited-edition models and a new video series.
Catch up on all the latest news here.
The 75th Anniversary Precision Bass Collection draws from every era of the P Bass’s history, with each model representing a different chapter. The American Vintage II 1951 Precision Bass goes back to the original – swamp ash body, nitrocellulose lacquer finish and a single-coil pickup that delivers the foundational thump the instrument was built on. It comes with a vintage-style tweed case and period case candy for the collectors among us.
The American PJ Bass takes a more refined approach: an alder body with a flame maple top, rolled fingerboard edges, a “Super-Natural” satin finish and a newly sculpted neck heel for comfortable upper-register access. It pairs a Precision Bass pickup with a Jazz Bass bridge pickup, giving players the P’s classic thump and the J’s articulate growl in a single instrument.
Rounding out the collection is the Player II Precision Bass, finished in Diamond Dust Sparkle and loaded with the new Thunderbolt Precision Bass pickup – a modern take on the P Bass voice with enhanced clarity and punch. It’s the most contemporary of the three and the one most likely to turn heads from across the room.
Alongside the new models, Fender is launching Lowdown on the Low End – a four-part video series filmed at the iconic Sound City studio in Los Angeles. The series brings together some of the most recorded bass players alive, including Lee Sklar, Freddie Washington, Bob Glaub, Geezer Butler, Nate Mendel, Matt Freeman, Tal Wilkenfeld and Justin Bivona, for interviews, conversations and jam sessions.
The players speak for themselves on why the P Bass has endured. Nate Mendel describes it as “the centre of gravity for the bass world,” while Tal Wilkenfeld points out something easy to overlook: “The idea that the electric bass is only 75 years old is amazing to me. It’s such a baby compared to every other instrument. So there’s so much more to explore.”
Learn more here.
