As its name suggests, this is a short scale instrument. For one, if you can't afford an authentic vintage Hofner 500/1, Hofner has since made many different versions. To fully understand the role of the Precision Bass in the decade of its arrival, it’s important to understand the times and circumstances into which it was introduced. The 1970s saw straight rock and roll, hard rock, blues rock, country rock, psychedelic rock, glam rock, progressive rock, album rock, funk rock, jazz rock, folk rock, pop rock, soft rock, garage rock, Latin rock, heavy metal, Southern rock, avant-garde rock, pub rock, punk rock, post punk, punk pop, power pop, new wave, rockabilly, reggae rock, and even more. Alembic, Birdsong, Spector, and others are known to make short-scale models as well. (Hopefully GI's amazing editing team have made those video hiccups disappear!). As you'd expect, the Fender's alder body proportions have been downsized on this model too and it's amazing what a difference a few inches makes. Introduced in 1968, the Telecaster Bass had little to do with its elder six-string sibling; rather, it was essentially a faithful recreation of the original 1951 Precision Bass. Prime members enjoy FREE Delivery and exclusive access to music, movies, TV shows, original audio series, and Kindle books. Yes, definitely. With its modern takes, Gretsch is nodding to its classic shapes and styles in a way that is both respectful quality-wise and aesthetically pleasing. Also new were a smaller single-ply white pickguard, steel bridge saddles in place of pressed fiber saddles, serial numbers on the bridge instead of the neck plate, and a handsome two-color sunburst finish (like the Stratocaster). For while all the other great Fender products of the decade certainly affected music, the Precision Bass profoundly affected music. While the short-scale bass has obvious benefits for students and kids, it's been used by plenty of bass greats as well: Paul McCartney, Jack Bruce (Cream), Bill Wyman (Rolling Stones), Andy Fraser (Free), Glenn Cornick (Jethro Tull), Trevor Bolder (Spiders From Mars, Uriah Heep), Tina Weymouth (Talking Heads), Garry Tallent (E Street Band), Bruce Thomas (the Attractions), Gary Mounfield (Stone Roses, Primal Scream), Mike Watt (Minuteman, Firehose, Stooges) and many others. Fender Modern Player Short Scale Jazz bass. www.alembic.com. Beyond their ergonomic advantages, short-scale basses are known for their juicy lows and warm, resonant highs which make them a common choice for studio work. “On second glance we noticed something even odder. 0003) being a 1962 “Mary Kay”-style Precision Bass with an ash body and gold hardware; the instrument was logged in on May 15 of that year and logged out just under a month later, on June 22. With that new mid-’80s beginning under Bill Schultz, Fender started by concentrating on quality rather than quantity, beginning with a small number of vintage reissue instruments and redesigned back-to-basics modern guitars and basses dubbed American Standard models. There are deliberately banged-up Precisions and pristine ones; period-correct vintage models and modern iterations. Smith further relates how Johnson, Hampton’s bassist at the time, told Feather, “It’s no trouble at all. In a very real sense, there was far less for CBS to mess up on a Precision than there was on, for example, a Jazz Bass, a Telecaster, a Stratocaster or a Jazzmaster. Great P Bass type tone, nice necks, etc - just really cool basses. This article was originally published in issue #30, To read the article in its entirety, view the digital magazine, Our website uses Cookies - by using this site or closing this message you’re agreeing to our Terms & Conditions, Cookie Policy and Privacy Policy. Curiously, despite the Fender's small size, I was disappointed to find that it was actually a bit on the heavy side. Please check the fields highlighted in red. Back at Fender headquarters in the United States, the early ’80s was a busy time. The precocious youth taught himself to play it in a matter of days, and Brian Wilson became the bass guitarist in the band he formed with his brothers, Dennis and Carl; his cousin, Mike Love; and family friend Al Jardine. In addition to the Mustang bass, Fender introduced the increasingly popular Musicmaster bass in 1971 until discontinuing the model altogether prior to the Dan Smith overhaul at Fender in the early '80s. In 1999, Fender introduced the Hot-Rod Precision and the five-string American Deluxe Five Precision. Although capable of great musical subtlety in practiced hands, the Precision was perhaps the least subtle of all Fender instruments; a veritable musical battering ram that was felt as much as heard. Does this seem a curious thing to have done to the industry standard long scale Fender Jazz Bass? Soon, the EB-0's body would change to an SG shape. Take a look at Reverb's handpicked collection of funky vintage short-scale basses. Today, Fender’s widely varied bass guitar selection continues to feature several quality short-scale models. The dawn of the 1990s saw increasing production activity for new Precision Bass models. If you are looking for style and bang-for-your-buck, the G2220 (especially in Torino Green) might be the best way to go. More recent models of the Precision Bass include entries into the American Elite, American Performer Series and Player Series. Since then Fender has introduced a number of short-scale bass models including the recent Modern Player Short-Scale Jazz Bass, the Justin Meldal-Johnsen Road-Worn Mustang Bass, the hybrid Mexican-made Offset Series PJ Bass, or Squier's Vintage Modified Jaguar Bass SS or Bronco Bass. The Precision Bass was everywhere during first half of the 1960s, and it remained remarkably unchanged during this period, as opposed to the handful of periodic revisions and redesigns Fender imposed during the 1950s. “I wanted a Fender, but they just weren’t available,” Entwistle told Guitar Player magazine in 1974. “I think Jet Harris was the only person who had one then.”, Embedded content: https://www.youtube.com/embed/m6LvSN0xhP0. Most significantly, CBS appointed former Yamaha executive William Schultz as president of Fender in 1981. While prices have gone up on these over these, they are still significantly cheaper than vintage Hofners and are more than good enough for a professional. He soon sold it at the behest of Detours guitarist Roger Daltrey, who thought it kept blowing up speakers. Indeed, some of Wilson’s best-known and most epic compositions — and biggest Beach Boys hits — featured Precision Bass work from ace Los Angeles “Wrecking Crew” studio veterans, such as Larry Knechtel (Bobby Freeman cover “Do Ya Wanna Dance?”), Ray Pohlman (“Help Me, Rhonda”) and, most notably, Carol Kaye (“California Girls,” “Wouldn’t it Be Nice,” “Good Vibrations”). Between the mid-1950s and mid-1960s, several other makers introduced their own short- and medium-scale basses. For one thing, short-scale bass guitars sometimes use a slightly heavier string gauge than their long-scale brothers, which imparts a thicker tone. The album, Ramones, sent shock waves through the rock world and heralded the large-scale arrival of a reactionary new musical movement that had been brewing since rock was born two decades earlier. Accordingly, Fender Japan was established in March 1982 and began building quality Fender instruments while U.S production was reorganized. 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