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Precision Bass
Manufacturer	Fender
Period	1951 — present
Construction
Body type	Solid
Neck joint	Bolt-on
Woods
Body	Alder, Ash, sometimes poplar
Neck	Maple
Fretboard	Maple, rosewood
Hardware
Bridge	Fixed
Pickup(s)	One single-coil (1951 — 1957); One split pickup, pieces connected in humbucking mode (1957 — present); One split "P" pickup and one eight-pole "J" pickup (2 magnets per string) connected in humbucking mode (some later models); One split pickup and one humbucker (some later models).
Colors available
(Standard Series, as of 2007) Black, Brown Sunburst, Midnight Wine, Arctic White, Chrome Red, Electron Blue

The Fender Precision Bass, known as "P-bass" for short, is the first model of the electric bass designed by Clarence Leonidas Fender and brought to market in 1951.

Although the Precision Bass was first presented some 15 years after the original solid body, fretted, guitar-style electric bass produced by the Audiovox Manufacturing Company in Seattle, Washington, the Precision Bass was the first mass-produced and commercially successful electric bass. In its stock configuration, it is a solid body instrument equipped with one split-coil electric pickup. The Precision Bass is probably the best selling electric bass of all time and is still being manufactured today.

The Standard model P-Bass is sanded, painted and assembled in Ensenada, Mexico along with the other Standard Series guitars. The American Series (featuring the S-1 switching system since 2003) and Highway One (which feature '70s styling, BadAss II bridges with grooved saddles and a Greasebucket tone circuit since 2006) models are manufactured in Corona, California.

Similar to Jimi Hendrix's effect on the popularity of the Stratocaster, the early adoption of the electric bass was in part due to Bill Black's ownership. Double bassist on the first Elvis Presley recordings, Black was beginning to use a Precision Bass during the filming of Jailhouse Rock. Fender also delivered an early Precision to LA session bassist and arranger Shifty Henry.

The double bass (also called bass viol, contrabass, or upright bass) is difficult to play in tune, is physically cumbersome and difficult to transport. It was becoming hard to hear in increasingly large bands or in bands that included amplified electric guitars. With electric pickups, a small body and fretted neck, the Precision Bass overcame these problems.

The electric bass produces a timbre that differs from that of the double bass: it is a more focused, harder-edged sound, with less percussive thump and a more clearly articulated fundamental tone. By bringing the sound of the bass up in a band, the bass became more dominant in its role and transformed the beat and rhythm of pop music. James Jamerson, the legendary Motown bassist, is an excellent example; the Motown sound would not have been possible without the electric bass. Overall, the electric bass has allowed driving rhythms while still outlining harmonic structures and is essential to the evolution from jump blues and swing to rhythm and blues and rock music.

Evolution of the Fender Precision Bass: (left to right) 1951, 1957, 1959, 1962, 2004 standard, 2004 deluxe

In 1957, the body design was changed from one similar to the Telecaster to more resemble that of the Stratocaster guitar, with the edges contoured for comfort. Also the pickup design was changed, with a 'split pickup' or 'staggered' design being used. This design actually connected the pickups in a humbucking mode; however, Fender never emphasized this, as the Seth Lover patent on the humbucker had not yet expired. In the same year, the headstock and pickguard were redesigned. The original design, with a few updates, was reintroduced in 1968 as the Telecaster Bass.

Some Precision Basses made in the 1970s were also available with an unlined fretless rosewood or (usually) maple fingerboard. Notable bassists who played the fretless P-Bass over the years include Sting and Tony Franklin, both having their own Fender Artist Signature bass guitar. Fender briefly offered a fretless P-Bass in the mid-1990s as a part of the American Standard line, featuring a lined fretless rosewood fingerboard. The fretless American Standard P-Bass left the Fender pricelist at the end of the 20th century. The American Series Precision Bass (introduced in 2000) sports the S-1 switching system since 2003, allowing the split-coil pickup to be wired from series to parallel, giving the bass a brighter, snappier tone similar to a Jazz Bass. The Highway One is a moderately priced version (introduced in 2003) featuring Posiflex graphite support rods, '70s styling, BadAss II bridge with grooved saddles and a Greasebucket tone circuit since 2006. The Precision Bass has long been a favorite of rock bassists because of its fat, punchy, driving sound, especially when combined with roundwound strings and an aggressive pick-style playing technique (where the player uses a pick to pluck the strings rather than his fingers).

Many variants (sometimes with 21 or 22 frets on the fingerboard) and special-edition Precision Basses have been offered in recent years. Fender made an active 5-string version as a part of the American Deluxe Series range, featuring a split-coil neck pickup and a bridge humbucker until 2007, tuned BEADG, but also a passive short-scale version tuned EADGC called the Bass V in the 1960s. It did not achieve good sales, so it was dropped and Fender did not offer another 5 string until the 1980s when 5 strings came into fashion to accommodate its enhanced role as a melodic and rhythmic instrument.

Fender have also produced several 'Deluxe' or 'Special' models over the years which feature active electronics and/or a Jazz Bass pickup or humbucker at the bridge position in addition to the normal split-coil pickup. Both of these measures are designed to increase the tonal options available to a fairly simple bass. A brief attempt in the early '90s resulted with the introduction of the Precision Plus and Deluxe Plus basses in 1989 and 1991, featuring Lace Sensor pickups, fine-tuner bridges, 22-fret necks and passive or active electronics on certain models. The Fender Precision Bass is also a favorite for customizing. A popular add-on is the Leo Quan BadAss II Bridge.

• Squier '51
• Acoustic bass guitar
• Bass guitar
• Jazz Bass
• List of Precision Bass players