Fender Player Precision Bass - Buttercream with Maple Fingerboard Reviews

Great bass. I'm a current guitar player and we are always trying to find people to play bass so I thought I would try to learn bass.
So as always I went to Sweetwater and as always I got great service and a great Fender P bass.
Thank you Sweetwater

After setting this bass up I can honestly say it is an awesome bass. It plays like a dream but the sound of the Precision Bass is where it truly shines! It sounds incredible! I would recommend this bass to anyone who is considering getting one.

This bass is amazing to play. I'm running it through a Fender 500 rumble with 2x10 speakers. If you are looking for a bass, This is the one. It came setup perfectly and very well protected in its box. Thank you Josh and the team at Sweetwater. You guys rock!

I got this bass and it has some minor cosmetic issues on the neck - it looked as though some tooling had caused some small gauges on the side of the neck near the frets. I had another bass shipped to me and while it was cosmetically better, the original with the marks had the feel. I put on Labella flats and never looked back. Perfect in every way and probably the best value in a bass depending on what you are looking for.

This is a sleek, comfortable, and absolutely beautiful bass guitar. It plays like a dream and sounds like perfection. Check it out at Sweetwater.

I got tired of trying to playing bass lines on guitar so I purchased this bass and wow! This bass came setup PERFECTFULLY. String height and intonation spot on. The fit and finish of this bass is as good as any USA made Fender. I have several USA made Fender guitars and this is right there with them in terms of looks, fit, finish, playability, smooth neck and fret work. The P-Bass tones I love are all there, so yeah it sounds great and stays in tune!

Playing bass for me is not as easy as guitar and I have so much more respect for bass players. But now I'm hooked. I can't put this thing down. Thanks Matt and Sweetwater for another outstanding job. This is the only place I buy my guitars from.

Super comfortable player. As primarily a guitar player I asked that this bass be set up with light weight flat wound strings and the guys in the shop didn't disappoint. It was set up and plays to perfection!

It was a magic time. Just before the Bicentennial when KISS released Destroyer. I found the album by accident at Sears. Browsing through the vinyl selection that all department stores used to have. I saw the album art. It looked like the comics I liked to read. At first, I thought there were two women in the band. Then I looked more carefully and decided there was only one.

I couldn't stop thinking about that piece of art. I convinced my mother to buy me the album. By the time we got back to Sears, Destroyer was sold. So, I settled for The Originals. Also, with a provocative album(s) cover. The music was not disappointing. Very soon after discovering KISS I wanted to be Gene Simmons. Or a reasonable facsimile.

There was a bass guitar in a pawn shop window. $50. I asked my mother to buy it for me. Look at me, right? He wants everything! But my mother said no. Soon after she bought me a trumpet. I guess she figured that I couldn't become Gene Simmons playing a trumpet. Years later, after hearing Randy Rhoads, I got my first electric guitar. Somewhere in the back of my mind still lurked the aspiring Gene Simmons facsimile. It lay dormant for many years. I don't want to say how many. You can do math. A long time.

I recently wrote a song that I really like called "In the Sky." I thought it came out great. A very talented drummer friend of mine added his track. Then I asked the bassist with whom I usually work to add a bass line. After about three months there was still no bass. Then I saw the special offer on this guitar. I decided it was time to fulfill my destiny.

I cried when I finally held it in my arms after carefully unwrapping the meticulous Sweetwater packing. It was perfect. Louis Sawyer helped me immensely by suggesting that I take advantage of Sweetwater's setup service. I had the bass intonated at B flat. I play with my guitar tuned to B flat. Just like a trumpet as some of you might have realized and as a result are now chuckling to yourselves.

I plugged it into my Kemper right away and was able to play some simple ideas. Simple but the instrument made them sound fantastic. I thought, "Why not try to record that bass line now?" I did. It came out wonderfully. The tone is incredible. I get a very Geezer-like sound, which was exactly what I described to Louis.

I could not be more satisfied with this instrument. It is beautiful. It is easy to play. The balance is incredible. I chose the lightest one for comfortable playing and was afraid it might affect the tone. Louis assured me all was well. Louis is right about a lot of things. I highly recommend this instrument. Get it setup by Sweetwater too. You won't be sorry.

I can't say enough about how wonderful this bass is! I've been using it daily for over six months and I must say it has met my needs and exceeded my expectations. The maple board is smooth and snappy. The pickup needed only a slight tweak to balance the volume across the strings. I got the tusq nut and have to say that when I get my Lemmy on the drone strings sound beautiful! I have had about 30 different abasses throughout my career and love the 3 I have now, all Fenders.I have a USA Jazz bass and I prefer this Mexican Precision for it's outstanding playability. Finish, electronics, frets, and Fret ends are perfect. It's the perfect in between bass from my Mustang and Jazz. If I lost it I would replace it in a heartbeat. Beautiful in Buttercream with the maple board.... And the crew at Sweetwater? Outstanding customer service.

Bought this P-Bass about three weeks ago and couldn't be more satisfied. I'm 71 years old and haven't played the bass guitar in 40 years but recently got back into it to help out with the praise band at church. This bass is a classic and has been around for a long time. There is a reason for that as it plays and sounds like a bass should. I know a P-Bass is much more limited in tones than some other types of basses, but it has the exact sound I prefer. When I started playing bass, Motown was the music my band played and is the type of music I much prefer, so the P-Bass is just right. And the help and advice I received from my Sweetwater tech, Josh Trumm, was just outstanding. He has continued to help me with other purchases from Sweetwater (amp, strings accessories) and he was knowledgeable and timely in his responses to my emails. Great experience.

I've had nothing but great experiences ordering through Sweetwater and this bass did not let me down. For a price tag under $ this is one of the best precision basses in the market in my opinion. The pictures accurately represent the product that is delivered. The neck is thin and fast and the entire bass is very light. It's easy to play and gives me some great tone played through a rumble 500.

I get so many compliments on the color and it sounds fantastic. Love the way it feels

Fender continues to knock it out of the park with the Player Series. I bought a Player Jazz a few years ago and decided to add a P so I won't have to take my vintage '69 out of the house as much. I won't be so irrationally exuberant as to suggest this Player P matches the '69, but the race is closer than I would have imagined. Just a sweet, well, player. And sure is pretty.

The bass arrived with wonderfully low action and was perfectly intimated up and down the neck. I replaced the stock Fender stock strings with LaBella flats (which were in effect free as part of the $85 Sweetwater Bucks promotion) and got down to business playing along with some favorite tracks. What tone. I can't wait to gig with this bass for the first time in a few weeks.

As always, the Sweetwater experience was exemplary. I have no words left for this company. They are the best customer service retailer in the world, in any segment. Thanks, as always, to Dan Robinson and all the others who delivered a fantastic instrument, set up flawlessly, in just two freaking days.

Love it! Love everything about this bass! Look, fee, sound. Easy to play! Fantastic price! Beautifully built. Classic Fender bass!

This Fender Bass is really good. The fit and finish on my particular bass was pristine. Neck pocket was neat and fit perfectly. Color is exceptional (all be it a personal preference). The neck is beautiful and very playable. Bridge and tuners are very good and I don't see a need to change them. The pickup is excellent. Again, if your picky about that sort of thing...I guess you could change it out. I wont be touching it. I play bass for an outreach band and at church on our worship team. FOH guys said the bass lays perfectly in the mix. We use a large array JBL speaker system and the house rocks with the bass in there. Great tone.

I have read alot of mixed reviews about the current batch of Fender basses, but my experience with this one has been tremendous. I would buy it again in a heartbeat. Really excellent. And what can I say about Steve Dibblee? He is such a helpful and knowledgeable sales rep. Sweetwater has been my go to music supplier for 99% of my instrumental needs over the past 12 years. I cant recommend them highly enough. They have earned my trust and loyalty.

I believe this is the best value in a bass at the moment.

I have owned the Player Series P bass in Buttercream for a few months. I did change the bridge to the kickers bridge. However it plated fine stock, just a personal preference. Thanks Geoff and everyone at Sweetwater.

Played bass before but never owned one. Love the color and the tone of this bass. Really enjoyed going through the fender play app and learning the basics. I can't get enough while I play and continually find new bass patterns to keep me entertained.

It was out of the box ready.

I really started playing the bass in the summer of 2019. In January of 2020, my wife and I decided it was time to upgrade our instruments. So, we did our research and landed on the Player Series instruments (Buttercream pbass and Capri Orange tele respectively). They arrived on time and were packaged very well despite not shipping with a gig bag. The color of the bass is absolutely stunning and the satin finish on the back of the neck makes it much easier to play for an amateur like myself. I've had no issues with the bridge or tuners. I had Sweetwater restring it with flats because I love vintage bass tones and my goodness... It's honestly one of the best bass tones I've heard. I can't seem top put it down!! It would be hard for me to recommend an American-made bass over this one from a tone perspective.

This was a gift for my 16 year old daughter who is learning bass guitar. She checked out a fender mim Jazz bass in tide pool from her school to use over summer, but based recommendations from the Sweetwater team and as a surprise, I settled on a precision bass in buttercream. Perfect choice! She loves the new guitar and prefers the neck on the pbass to the jazz bass. She loves the color. Looks great hanging next to her natural casino and her Taylor acoustic. Playable right out of the box, the bass came a day early and packed to withstand the worst. The team at Sweetwater has earned my continued loyalty for instrument purchases. They are just the best. The fender soft case sold for this model is also very high quality.

This was the first time I purchased a bass online. Sweetwater service excellent as usual. Packing was excellent as well, double-boxed, molded padding, etc. A card was on the bass signed off by two people in evidence of the inspection check. I appreciate having a few serial numbers to choose from, with the weight.

I love the bass. Loving the buttercream color. I think the MIMs represent exceptional value. The bass played very well right out of the box. Possibly can use some set-up tweaking to get it to my preferred set-up. That's not a criticism of Sweetwater – a full set-up to your specs is not included in the inspection. I can do that myself. I would definitely not hesitate to buy another instrument from Sweetwater.

I’ve always gone for Jazz basses, but the time, I’ve wanted a classic P Bass tone and chose the Buttercream Player Series.

I couldn’t be more impressed by its tone and build quality. Sweetwater also prepared the instrument for playability out of the box, as always, with superior customer service and packing.

This bass is worth at least double its current price.

This is the P Bass you’re looking for!

I received this bass four weeks ago. I wanted to spend some time with it, prior to writing a review.

I have owned several MIM Fender Standard series PBasses and American Standard PBasses, over the decades. And I have to agree this new Player Series version is an outstanding instrument!! Absolutely an upgrade over past MIM standards.

The neck delivers on smooth playability, feels like home, in my hand.
The satin finish ( on the back of the neck) is perfect. The fret work is almost perfect, but required a teeny trimming and smoothing on a few frets, the high end side of the neck. Nothing bad .....no cheese grader effect. Admittedly, I am finicky about fret work.

The body is lightweight, feels perfect against my body and resonates beautifully. I love feeling the notes resonate through the body.

The pickups sound beautiful! The midrange notes ring and sing. The low end grunts, moans and groans.... gorgeously. Cuts through the mix. Our drummer said..." Dang, that baby sings like a whale song, when you do that"

I thought that was quite a testament for these pickups.

The hardware is nice. Tuners are good. But I will eventually upgrade and replace them with Hipshot tuners ( my favorite tuners). Because that's what I always do...lol : )

The Buttercream finish is beautiful, love it!! Well done, Fender!!

Sweetwater was very helpful with my order, and in getting my bass shipped out. These guys are always first class!!

Ultimately, this an outstanding instrument!!

I definitely recommend this bass to anyone interested.

Keep your hand on the neck, music is life

I can highly recommend this bass with one caveat, I have not compared this to other higher end Fender offerings of the P bass but I do own the Elite Jazz bass. As one would expect the corners are cut on the hardware. The tuners feel a bit weak and like there could be some slipping and the nut isn't great. That said there is absolutely nothing else I can really complain about. The neck feels wonderful and it plays and sounds great. I'm very impressed with the stock pickups. I actually ended up swapping out the N4s in my Elite Jazz to Lollars. And I bought this bass with an eye towards quite a few upgrades (rosewood neck, Lollar pickups, new harness, and likely a new bridge) as it is I'm actually going to keep it stock with the exception of the tuners which I will switch out with hipshot. I now have a rosewood neck, tuners, pickups, lying about so I'm just going to go ahead and build myself another p bass that looks like the custom shop sherwood green p bass and leave this one alone. It is that good.

Another thing I noticed is really how good the fender rounds sound on this bass. I swapped those out for La Bella flats and actually went back to the Fender Nickel Rounds. My favorite round is the Galli Nickel but these sound great on this bass.

I'm sure there are better p basses out there but for the price this is a true winner. The only better deal was the Custom Vibe Squiers from China from the last few years (not this year's models sadly).

Great bass for the money!!! Sweetwater is the best!!! If your looking for a bass, the Player Series is the best. Plays and sounds like a bass that cost twice the price!!! Nick Church you are the best!!!

Best bass I ever owned at this price range. There's nothing like a P-Bass. Never has been. Never will be.
I usually mod these cheaper basses as soon as I get my hands on them. No need with this bass. Lower the action and we're good to go!

I've owned a couple American P basses over the years and wanted to get that tone again to play on our worship team. I picked this bass up expecting something kind of decent. What I actually got was so much more than I ever expected! Every single thing about this bass is phenomenal...fit and finish, pickups, frets, hardware, neck, playability, tone, etc. I've even had pro bass players play it then buy one. Fender may have accidentally made the Player Series P bass too good!

I now own 2 of these basses for alternate tunings . I have had the buttercream for nearly a year and have gigged extensively with it . Now I just received the polar white model and it is just as awesome . My 2000.00 basses sit in their cases while these get all the fun time. Don't hesitate on picking one up for the price you cannot beat it.

Shout out to my very helpful and extremely knowledgeable sweetwater contact Greg Savino . Greg is always friendly and willing to give his experience and expertise on various topics of the music industry and equipment. Thanks Greg !

Was in for a MIA but when I tried this Player series, I was blown away. Neck is A1, and pickups are just fabulous. Tone goes from a defined motown sound up to a clear iron maiden style colour. And they are very quiet even if tone is dialed all the way up. Fender will definitely be cannibalizing the sales of their MIA counterpart. This Player series will make history IMHO

Let me start by saying I also own an American Vintage precision in sonic blue. This bass is hardly a downgrade in comparison, just different. It's very similar feeling to an American Professional but without the modern parts, which is a plus in my opinion. I threw on GHS pressurewounds, a mint guard and a thumb-rest, and it just looks stunning. The neck feels great (not just for the price, but period) and it's very easy to play - MUCH easier than the AV63, which has a big fat neck. This neck is very Jazz like. Easy to pop notes. I LOVE IT!

Taught myself to play drums originally, but decided I wanted to branch out and try to wrap my head around something with strings. This bass is wonderful for a beginner or a seasoned player. The range of sound is amazing (coupled with a Fender Rumble 100), and the look and feel are awesome, too.

Sounds better than i thought

I am really happy with this bass. I have a USA 50's reissue P bass and this Player Series actually plays better. The neck is absolutely perfect and the satin finish on the back of neck feels like silk. I play through a 1980's Peavey TNT combo amp with a 15" speaker and I can't believe the sound. I might buy the Jazz model next.

This bass is fantastic and as always, Sweetwater continues to be the best website to purchase all things music.

I"ve had this bass for about 3 weeks and am really impressed by the quality and craftsmanship that went into this bass. I"ve owned a 90s made in Japan P bass with a photo flame finish and this bass definitely is better quality than my MIJ. I"ve haven"t owned any Mexican made fenders prior to this so I can"t say if it"s better than the previous Mexican made precisions. The pickups sound great and I don"t feel there would be any need to upgrade them. The only thing I did to this bass was put some chrome flats on it, a mint colored pickguard, and turned the truss rod slightly for a little less relief. Play fantastic with no buzzing and very comfortable. Overall I am very happy with my purchase and Sweetwater"s customer service is great as well. If your looking for a good precision bass but don"t want to spend the 1000 plus for an American made model then this one is for you. And did I mention that the color is awesome too!

I've been a Fender Jazz player ever since I took up the bass seven years ago, but I've been wanting a Precision bass for a long time. This is my first one. The Players series just came out this year which I was totally unaware of when I went down to my local music store to try out some P basses. The salesman showed me a Players series and I sat there with it for about a half-hour totally entranced. The price was unbelievable... Unfortunately the store didn't have the color I liked. And when I saw it on Sweetwater in buttercream it wasn't in stock so I put myself on the waiting list. I have found that this bass has a lot to teach me and have actually become a better player with it. I can now duplicate tones of blues players much better than I could with my Fender Jazz. The construction is beautiful and I love the lacquered maple fretboard. The bass is very light at 8.3 lbs, but not so light that it slides down my shoulder when standing with a strap. The balance is perfect and it feels comfortable against my body. The nut width is the same as my Jazz but the thicker neck gives it that P-Bass feel. I normally like to use flat strings and this one came with Fender medium rounds. But after playing it for 3 days, the brightness has mellowed nicely and it now has a very full, rich tone with a nice growl on the low strings. This truly is a "player's bass". It's not only easier to play but it makes you a better player at the same time. Amazing.

Just got this beauty in today and have played it for a few hours, and recorded it. While this is a very reasonably priced instrument it looks great, plays great, and sounds excellent. I am over sixty years old and have quite a collection of fender basses, numerous pure vintage. While this is not intended to be a "top-o-the line" bass, it is an outstanding value.

I am retired from thirty years teaching at Berklee College Of Music and have see all levels of instruments in students hands. This new "Player Series Precision" is the answer to a commonly asked question by new students, and parents, "What is a good, high quality, all around music store bass to purchase?"

My new Butter Dream bass feels "right." The proportions and weight are like my old Fenders. The sound is good and solid. The quality of workmanship is great for the price. And, the look is killer. This a real winner product!

I recommend this bass, highly.

Jim Stinnett

This bass is very well built. The fit and finish is excellent. Playing it through my Fender Rumble 200 it sounds really mellow and the low E really is clear and crisp. The bridge is excellent. Some prefer a high mass bridge. This one is perfectly fine. Intonation is great. Pickups sound very good. No reason to change them out.

I play bass at a large church in Massachusetts through a speaker array. Bass to a tuner, compressor, preamp and DI straight into the board. FOH really like the sound. Its great through personal amp as well on smaller gigs. Only minor criticism is the tuners feel a tad on the low end side. But, if it bugs me enough, I'll upgrade someday. Seems to hold tune pretty well though. All in all, outstanding value. Love the color and the sound is pure Fender. I would buy it again if It was damaged or stolen. In a heartbeat.

Ok I know I didn't give it 5 stars, but I'm compromised. I have an American Standard Precision bass that is just the best bass ever EVER. That being said, this Player Series Precision is the second best bass I've ever had the good fortune of owning; and what's better? It's about $800 more affordable than its American-made counterpart. So the pickup is great, the finish is great. Buttercream is great great. Frets are not perfect, but for $675 they ARE worth it. Let me say this: I have an American-made Jazz bass & I like this Player Series Precision better. This bass is SO close to perfect it's nuts. I say it's worth picking up if you want an awesome Fender bass. Oh yeah, gotta go MAPLE.

This bass is amazing; This is a beautiful guitar (I purchased the Buttercream Yellow Bass) and sounds amazing. It has the warm low end of a P-Bass with the optional brightness with the Tone. The maple neck and fretboard are honestly my favorite feature, the fretboard is easy to get a feel for and the smooth neck allows you to move up and down the bass with ease. Main reason I"m giving this 4 stars is because the tuners are a bit touchy when trying to get into tune but once you get the sweet spot it"ll hold tune rather decently. I"d definitely recommend this bass, it was ready to go right out of the box as well. And of course, Sweetwater"s excelling customer support helped me with the shipping process along with answering any questions I have. Great bass, great company!

if you need a P bass these could be the one for you,
Special thanks to my sales rep Matt McGowen for making sure the one I wanted was in perfect condition ! he said it was and when it arrived I looked at the neck, the setup where in great condition ! -
the bass played great and sounds good - very happy with this bass

this cream with the maple neck is a good looking bass and it sounds good - very glad I got it !

This is the normal P bass we all know and it provides everything you want at an economical price. It sounds good, looks good, and is well built. These Mexican made guitars have really gotten better over time. The neck is very comfortable with no buzz. The hardware works well and is solid. Stays in tune well and really is the perfect bass for a gigging musician who wants all these characteristics and doesn't want to risk damage to a more expensive guitar. I saw this guitar recently being played at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, so professionals also have confidence in it when they play at that level.

the neck feels great in my hands and it balances well, but output is very uneven across the strings. the D absolutely screams and it's beautiful, but the rest are weak in comparison, especially that **** G. i lowered it as much as i could which didn't do much good, and i've raised the pickups to an uncomfortably close proximity. i order from sweetwater often, and this is the first overall bad experience i've had, which leads me to blame fender.

Fender couldn't put in an extra $5 to buy good stainless steel screws