Fender bass guitar guide

Did you know that Fender Musical Instruments Corporation (FMIC) is the world’s leading guitar manufacturer? Anyone with an interest in contemporary music would agree that the company name is synonymous with all things rock ‘n’ roll.

The Fender Precision Bass Guitar

Fender Precision bass guitar was where it all began, and this beauty is still one of the most popular bass guitars in the world. It’s used by thousands of musicians worldwide. This bass guitar features a ‘split pickup’ which is two, half single coil pickups with the coils wound in opposite directions to produce a ‘humbucking’ effect.

This Fender bass guitar is one of the most recognisable musical instruments in the world and the body is designed to be similar in design to the Fender Stratocaster electric guitar. Although the original Fender bass guitar was different to the Precision bass guitars found today, the design has remain largely unchanged since 1957, a tribute to the design quality generations of music lovers have admired.

The Fender Jazz Bass Guitar

The Fender Jazz bass guitar was introduced in 1960 and differs not only in appearance but also in sound from the Precision bass guitar. The Fender Jazz bass guitar features two simple single coil pickups spaced apart that produces a much brighter sound with more focus on treble, while the Precision bass guitar produces deeper tones.

The Fender Jazz bass guitar features a slightly different body designed to be similar to the Jazzmaster guitar that was released at the same time. Also the neck of Fender Jazz bass guitars is noticeably different from other Fender bass guitars in that it is much thinner and ‘quicker’.

Fender Custom Bass Guitars

Fender have produced many custom bass guitars over the years for various musicians. They all generally however fall into the two categories of bass guitar. Some custom Fender bass guitars have more or less equipment and different construction materials to appeal to specific musicians. Blink-182 bassist, Mark Hoppus has a signature Fender bass guitar that features the electronics and the neck of a Precision bass guitar, but with the body of the Fender Jazz bass guitar.

Credit: musicoomph.com

There are several different versions of these Fender Bass guitars around today, the main difference in price being where they were built. The Fender Bass guitars built in Mexico are the cheapest to buy, while the Japanese spec ones (less common in the UK) are next and finally, the American=made bass guitars are the most expensive. Generally, the quality of work, materials and finish is superior on the American=made Fender bass guitars, hence the price difference. That said however, Mexican made bass guitars are still high quality.

Want to get into playing bass yourself? Check out our second hand guitars and amps for sale and get started!

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