The new Stories Collection release faithfully recreates the heavily modified P Bass featured on almost 2000 albums.
Fender has unveiled the Lee Sklar Precision Bass, a faithful recreation of the heavily customised P Bass the legendary session player has carried through a career spanning work with James Taylor, Carole King, Phil Collins, Toto, Jackson Browne, Linda Ronstadt, Joe Cocker and Rod Stewart.
The instrument joins the Fender Stories Collection, which pays tribute to iconic musicians and their modified Fender instruments. Sklar’s original bass has featured on close to 85% of his recorded output, and Fender has worked to reproduce its distinctive modifications down to the last detail, including a slim, shaved-down ’62 Jazz Bass neck fitted with mandolin frets, dual EMG Active Lee Sklar P pickups, a Hipshot BT3 BassXtender for quick low-end tuning changes, a Badass II bridge for sustain and intonation, and a satin Heirloom nitrocellulose lacquer finish designed to replicate the road-worn look of the original.
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Sklar’s musical path began at age five, when watching Liberace perform on television set him on course to become an accomplished young pianist, earning recognition from the Hollywood Bowl Association by 17. His focus shifted to bass as a teenager after his father gave him his first electric bass and amplifier, and immersion in Southern California’s rock and folk scene through the 1960s eventually led to a chance meeting with James Taylor in 1969, the encounter that launched his decades-long session career.
“I’ve used this guitar on about 2,000 albums. It’s my go-to instrument when I go in the studio,” said Sklar. “That’s what made this project with Fender and EMG so meaningful to me… the most exciting part is knowing that another player can pick up this bass, make it their own and use it to create some music of their own.”
Justin Norvell, Fender’s Chief Product Officer for Guitars, said the release doubles as a celebration of both Sklar’s legacy and the Precision Bass’ 75th anniversary. “Whether you know it or not, you’ve heard Sklar’s playing,” he said. “His ability to weave in and out of different genres, moods and energies is unparalleled.”
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