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Post subject: Question about Deluxe Precision Basses
Posted: Fri Apr 18, 2008 6:04 pm
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Hi.
First of all I was wondering what the difference between what they call a "Fender Deluxe Active P Bass Special" and a normal deluxe bass is. The "special" version seem to be around half the price, so I just want to know what the acctual differance is.

Secondly, what is the difference between a J and P neck?


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Posted: Tue Apr 22, 2008 4:37 pm
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Hello... The P-Bass Deluxe Special came in 2 versions, an "active" and a "passive". This refers to the electronics and pick-ups in the bass. Active's have a battery powered pick-up system. The passive has the more traditional regular pick-ups. I have the passive model. It's from '02. It was made in Mexico. The Deluxe P-Bass Special has a combination of features found on both the Precision & Jazz bass. It has the split pick-up from a P, but also a Jazz p'up at the bridge. The body & pickguard are P-Bass, but the neck is a Jazz. The Jazz necks are a little slimmer & narrower than a P neck. Many players with smaller hands prefer the Jazz neck. The P neck profile is a little beefier, but not too much. I really like mine alot. The pick-up combo lets you get more variety of sounds than you can get with the regular standard Precision. They cost much less than the American made basses. Try one out!!


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Posted: Tue Apr 22, 2008 7:34 pm
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Just to clarify: the "active" basses don't have active pickups. The pickups are the same passive pickups in any Fender bass (my active American Deluxe P has a Fender "Original '62" pickup in it right now): it's the tone controls that are active.


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Posted: Thu Apr 24, 2008 5:48 pm
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Is there such a thing as an American P Bass Special?


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Posted: Thu Apr 24, 2008 7:52 pm
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Yes, but not by that name. The American Deluxe Precision Bass has both P and J pickups with an active 3-band tone control.

It's awesome. I love mine.


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Posted: Wed Apr 30, 2008 11:47 am
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warnergt,

The earlier P-Bass Specials (the full name was "Precision Bass Special, California Series) were labeled made in USA (I have two, a vintage white and a sunburst, both maple neck). The MIA model was soon replaced with the MIM model.

As previously mentioned, it's a P-body/J-neck with P/J pickups, gold anodized pickguard and passive tone controls.

I love both of mine; the sunburst is bone stock and I modded my vintage white with gold Lace Sensors and a BadAss II.


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Posted: Mon Jun 02, 2008 8:29 am
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So this topic has answered a few of my questions regarding my bass. I know I have a mexican made precision bass special, white with gold pickguard. Im just now relizing that although it says "deluxe series" that that doesn't mean active pickups. The 3 knobs are in fact volume/volume and tone. So why stamp it with "deluxe series"? That's a bit confusing. Anyway, thanks for the info.


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Posted: Mon Jun 02, 2008 6:06 pm
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Correct, if your bass doesn't have a battery compartment, it's not active. It's "deluxe" probably because P/J p/u is considered a "deluxe" feature.


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Posted: Tue Aug 17, 2010 8:13 am
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Gravity Jim wrote:
The American Deluxe Precision Bass has both P and J pickups with an active 3-band tone control.


Right, but this config is available for the 2010 models. The earlier Deluxes had a double-coil Jazz Bass-type pickup similar to a humbucking soap-bar in the bridge position and lacked of an active/passive toggle switch. Also, they employed a different body style and a 22-fret neck with abalone dot inlays and a chrome-foil spaghetti-style decal.


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Posted: Tue Aug 17, 2010 11:21 pm
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In the early 80s, there was an American Precision Bass Special, which had a P pickup, pre-amp, gold hardware, and special design bridge.

http://www.vintageguitars.org.uk/adDetails/4

My friend had one, and it played real good.

A few years later, there was a MIJ Jazz Bass Special, which had P-J pickups, P body, J neck, and black hardware. There was also a fretless and an active version. I have a passive 85, fretted, all black.

The MIJ Jazz Bass Special was the inspiration for the recent Duff P bass.
http://www.fender.com/products/search.p ... 0146500323


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Posted: Wed Aug 18, 2010 3:55 am
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As the 1980s came into their end, many other "Special" and "Deluxe" P-Basses appeared on the Fender catalogue: from the short-lived JP90 to the Precision Bass Plus, the active Precision Plus Deluxe and the Mexico-made "Cowpoke" Special, with the latter being a cross between the MIJ 1951 reissue, the Precision Plus Deluxe and the JP90.

During the mid-1990s Fender redesigned the Precision Bass Plus with a 3-band active EQ, a dual-access bridge and a graphite-reinforced neck. The Lace Sensors were replaced by an original '62 Precision split-coil in the neck and a Bill Lawrence-designed doubled-up Jazz Bass pickup in the bridge. The 5-string Deluxe P-Bass V was made between 2001 and 2007.

Circa 1997, the Precision Bass Special was introduced, sporting a gold anodized pickguard, a P/J set and a Jazz Bass neck mounted on a Precision Bass body. It was renamed Deluxe Active P-Bass Special in 2006, boasting a 3-band active EQ and a dual-coil Ceramic Noiseless Jazz Bass pickup in the bridge.

Other core models included the Hot-Rodded American Precision Bass, the MIJ Precision Bass Lyte, the Lyte Deluxe with a humbucker in the bridge and the Zone, available in USA and Mexican-made versions, with the latter coming in 4 and 5-string formats.


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Posted: Thu Aug 19, 2010 1:32 pm
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i have a new deluxe active P and was wondering... being that is uses passives pickups and active EQ, when plugging in to a head would you suggest plugging it in "active" or "passive"? (since the pickups are no hotter than my regular J)....

FYI, the MIA active P bass special has a P neck, not a J neck.... the only way to get it with the slimmer J neck is the same MIM model i bought... (now if i could only replace that ugly gold pickguard)

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Posted: Sun Aug 29, 2010 9:28 am
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tailgunner wrote:
Correct, if your bass doesn't have a battery compartment, it's not active. It's "deluxe" probably because P/J p/u is considered a "deluxe" feature.


Some of the active EQ Cowpoke MIM P-Bass Specials have batteries in the control cavity, not a separate battery compartment. Mine did.


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Posted: Mon Aug 30, 2010 8:05 am
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kgerry wrote:
i have a new deluxe active P and was wondering... being that is uses passives pickups and active EQ, when plugging in to a head would you suggest plugging it in "active" or "passive"? (since the pickups are no hotter than my regular J)....

FYI, the MIA active P bass special has a P neck, not a J neck.... the only way to get it with the slimmer J neck is the same MIM model i bought... (now if i could only replace that ugly gold pickguard)

I suppose it depends on the amp, but my understanding is that it doesn't really matter, regardless of whether the pickups are active or passive. Most suggestions I've seen say you should just plug into the non-attenuated input (i.e., the "passive" input), as the actual difference in the other "active" input is negligible at best.

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Posted: Thu Sep 02, 2010 8:17 am
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thanks, any insight for replacing the ugly gold pickguard? i saw a post a while back with the name of a company and can't find it again.....

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