Fender Precision Bass
| Fender Precision Bass | |
|---|---|
 Fender Precision Bass |
|
| General | |
| Type | Electric bass |
| Manufacturer | Fender ; USA ( Japan , Mexico ) |
| production | since 1951 |
| Construction and materials | |
| Scale length | 34 in. (864 mm), long scale |
| Body | Solid body made of alder or ash |
| neck | Screwed maple neck |
| Fingerboard | Maple or Rosewood , 20 frets |
| saddle | Synthetic bone , width: 41.3-44.1 mm |
| Mechanics | 4 × left, open |
| Footbridge / bridge | Fixed, one-piece metal bridge with individual saddles |
| Pickups and Electronics | |
| Pickups |
|
| Tone control | passive
|
| Unless otherwise stated, the data come from the manufacturer's website (as of December 14, 2013) | |
The Precision Bass , also shortened to Precision or P-Bass - also widely known as Preci in German-speaking musicians' circles - is an electrically amplified bass plucked instrument that was developed by the American musical instrument manufacturer Fender Musical Instruments . The Precision was at launch in 1951, the first electric bass with solid wood body with no sound ( solidbody ) , which was industrially produced in series. The eponymous specialty (“precision”) consisted in its equipment with frets , which structurally provide a precise intonation . The way of playing corresponds to the guitar in contrast to the free intonation of the double bass . The Precision Bass has become a widely used electric bass model since the 1950s.
Development history
Acoustic bass plucked instruments with a fretted neck, such as the bass lute, have been known since around the 17th century. Another bass musical instrument with frets is the South Slavic folk instrument Berda , which is related to the double bass . In Russia, the three-string, fretted bass balalaika has long been a part of every ensemble. From the 19th century onwards, various acoustic bass plucked instruments were created in guitar form, but it is not possible to completely differentiate them from one another: the double guitar , the bass guitar and the acoustic bass guitar . Since the beginning of the 20th century, the US instrument manufacturer Gibson has been producing an acoustic "mando bass" constructed similar to the mandolin .
Electrically amplifiable predecessors
The development of electrically amplifiable bass string instruments began in the early 1920s with the double bass. A few years before the development of the Precision Bass , there were various attempts to amplify a bass electrically. One of the pioneers in this area was Lloyd Loar , who was head of the development department at Gibson from 1919 to 1924. One of his attempts consisted in picking up the sound of a double bass using a pickup on the bridge of the instrument.
In the 1930s, this was followed by an electrically amplified standing bass from the manufacturer Rickenbacker with an electromagnetic pickup under the strings. The Audiovox Model 736 Bass Fiddle from the 1930s, developed by the Seattle- based instrument maker Audiovox by Paul Tutmarc , is the first commercially manufactured, electrically amplifiable bass that was played horizontally like a guitar and equipped with frets . However, the commercial success of this predecessor of the electric bass remained insignificant.
The US musical instrument manufacturer Kay Guitars had also been involved in the development of the electric bass since the 1940s. There attempts were made to construct an electric bass by providing the body of an acoustic guitar model from the manufacturer with a prototype neck and a pickup. However, the company's designs only reached series production maturity in 1952, about a year after the Precision was launched . Kay released the K-162 "Electronic Bass" model that year, priced at $ 150.
Development of the Fender Precision Bass
At the end of the 1940s, the founder of Fender Musical Instruments , Leo Fender , had the idea of developing an electrically amplified guitar with a solid wooden body as well as a bass that should be as easy to manufacture industrially as possible. Such an instrument should not only be easier to transport than a double bass, but also easier to play. This idea was triggered by conversations between Fender and unemployed guitarists: Many guitarists could have got a job as a bass player, but could not cope with a double bass. Leo Fender said in an interview with journalist Tom Wheeler in the US magazine Guitar Player :
“We needed to free the bass player from the big doghouse, the acoustic bass. [...] Sometimes guitar players would have an advantage if they could have an instrument with frets that would make doubling on bass easier for them. "
“We had to free the bass player from this big dog house, the acoustic bass. […] Sometimes guitarists would have an advantage if they could have an instrument with frets that would make it easier for them to play bass as well. "
Since a guitar-like bass instrument without a resonance body was a complete novelty, Fender had to develop the concept of this bass himself, although he got advice and support from professional guitarists and bassists. In developing the Precision , he also relied on the experience he had made with the Telecaster electric guitar model he had also developed in 1950 . In the end, only the four strings and their tuning in fourths on EADG are left of the double bass model of the Precision Bass . The outer contour is similar to the body of the Telecaster guitar, but with an upper "horn" added. This should counteract the significantly higher weight of the headstock in the bass, and at the same time the longer lever. Whether the instrument hangs on the strap in a balanced way depends on the counterweight of the body, how the musician is carried and, last but not least, how well it is used to. Sales of the new type of instrument began in November 1951, and in March 1953 Leo Fender was finally granted a US patent for his instrument.
The components of the instrument
Instrument neck, fingerboard and saddle
The name Precision was chosen by Leo Fender for the instrument because the fingerboard of the instrument is equipped with frets like a guitar . This made it possible to hit every note with this bass precisely by simply grasping the string in front of a fret. In contrast, the double bass, which was used almost exclusively until then, has no frets and requires the player to learn and master an exact intonation. The neck of the Precision Bass has twenty frets that subdivide the fingerboard in semitone steps, and thus - over four strings tuned in fourths - a range of almost three octaves . The frets of the bass are made of nickel silver wire and inserted into precisely positioned grooves in the fingerboard.
The neck, headstock, and fingerboard of the early models were made from a single piece of maple , a material Fender chose for its stability and because it was readily available in the US market. Contrary to the tradition in guitar making, the headstock is not angled. The necessary pressure on the saddle is created by a string retainer attached for the D and G strings. The neck construction is provided with an inner neck tensioning rod (Truss Rod) provided. This metal rod, which can be adjusted from the base of the neck using an Allen screw, allows the curvature of the neck to be adjusted and thus the position of the strings. As with the Telecaster, it was inserted through a milling in the back of the neck, which was then closed with a strip of darker wood ("Skunk Stripe") . In later models, a separate fingerboard was glued to the maple neck and provided with frets after the tension rod had been inserted into the neck from the front. The neck construction of the Precision Bass is connected to the body with four screws and a metal cover plate on the back of the body.
At the head-side approach the fingerboard at the early was Precision -models a saddle made of bone inserted into the fingerboard; in later models, plastic was used for the saddle. While the width of the neck on the saddle was 44.8 mm in the 1950s, it was changed from the 1960s to 41.2 mm in favor of easier playability - since then the standard size for the neck width of four-string Precision basses.
Headstock and tuning machines
The narrow shape of the headstock of the first model from 1951 resembles that of the Telecaster . The four metal tuning mechanisms arranged in a row are inserted into the top plate ; Mechanics in open construction, which were manufactured by the manufacturer Kluson for the first series models . For the prototypes of the Precision , Fender had initially used tuning machines from double basses, which was noticeable up to the first series-produced instruments in that the turning function of the machine heads was similar to that of a double bass: Turning the machine heads clockwise tuned the strings higher, against the Clockwise lower. This was corrected after a few instruments had been made, and the functional direction of the machine heads was adapted to that of the Telecaster and other guitars.
Scale length
The Precision has a longer scale length than an electric guitar . Fender specified a length of 34 inches (864 mm) for it; the neck had to be correspondingly long. Legend has it that Fender took the measure from a physics book borrowed from his secretary Elizabeth Nagel Hayzlett. According to Fender's long-time employees George Fullerton and Don Randall, their own attempts were made with various sizes between 30 and 36 inches in order to achieve the best possible response. However, an actual relation to physics remains unclear. In the end, it was decided to use 34 inches as the measure that was just within reach. The scale of the Precision is roughly halfway between that of a Telecaster (25½ ") and the standard scale of the popular three-quarter double basses (40 or 42"). For this medium-length scale length, special strings had to be made with a suitable thickness and length. After first attempts with steel-wrapped gut strings and piano strings did not lead to the desired success, Fender finally ordered steel strings of the required length from VC Squier . The length of 34 inches is today's standard for long-scale E-basses.
The instrument body and its components
The solid wood body of the Precision Bass is typically made of alder or ash wood . A pickguard is screwed onto the front of the body to cover the routing for the electronics . Until 1957 this was made of Bakelite and from 1957 to 1959 made of anodized aluminum . The pickguard has been made of plastic since 1959 and attached to the body with ten screws. The first model series also had a chrome-plated metal plate on the front of the body to cover the compartment with the potentiometers , on which the two chrome-plated rotary knobs for volume and - to adjust the sound, the treble component were also located.
Because the resonance cavity is not required, the body of the instrument is relatively flat with a thickness of around 4 cm. It is larger in outline than the body of a Telecaster . Like the Telecaster , the P-Bass has a body cut ( cutaways ) to make playing in high pitches easier. The second is created by the elongated body horn on top. This was necessary in order to be able to move the screwed-on fastening button for a shoulder strap ("guitar strap") for the horizontal balancing of the instrument towards the headstock. The long neck of the bass and the heavy tuning mechanisms make the instrument top heavy when playing while standing. This should be counteracted by the further outsourced suspension point. The design feature was adopted in the Fender Stratocaster electric guitar model introduced in 1954 .
The body of the first Precision model series had neither millings nor clear curves on the edges, but rather resembled the body of the Telecaster in its "board shape" with only slightly rounded edges . In 1954, at the same time as the Stratocaster with a contoured body appeared, the Precision Bass was also given a shape with more rounded edges, angled armrests and a contoured back.
Cover caps of metal
Early versions of the Precision and their later new editions had screwed-on caps made of chrome-plated sheet steel over the bridge, which was fastened with three screws, and over the individual pickups (see photo on the right). The sheet metal cap over the pickup should shield it from electrical interference by means of a cable soldered between the pickup and the cap. However, this measure was largely ineffective. In the early models, a rubber string damper was glued into the cap over the bridge in order to approximate the sound of the instrument to that of a plucked double bass with rapidly decaying overtones.
Bridge and saddle
In the first models of the Precision , the lower ends of the strings at the bridge were passed through the body similar to the early Telecaster and anchored on the back of the body (see photo on the left). An advantage of this string attachment that cannot be overlooked is that the bridge only holds a fraction of the static string tension; The body itself takes on the greater part. This design feature was changed at the same time as the introduction of the more contoured body. From this version on, the strings were suspended in the bridge made of a steel sheet angle, which from then on had to hold the entire string tension. For the sake of greater stability, it was attached to the body with five instead of three screws. Another change affected the two saddles on the bridge: while these were still made of pressed fiber in the first model, two metal saddles were used from 1954.
Electromagnetic pickup
In 1957, the Precision Bass was fundamentally redesigned: It received a larger headstock, a less simply constructed bridge with four instead of only two metal saddles and a newly developed pickup model, the split coil . With this type of pickup, the magnets, their coils and pole heads are separated in pairs and instead of in a single one, they are housed in two separate plastic housings. By winding the magnet coils in opposite directions in pairs, disruptive background noises (e.g. hum due to interference from fluorescent tubes ) are suppressed. The split-coil pickup developed a stronger, more assertive and direct sound than the single coil previously used , which was susceptible to humming and could only transmit deep, louder tones to a lesser extent. The reason for this was the fact that the string vibrations left the magnetic field to the side when the attack was strong. This provided a kind of natural “compression” that also helped protect the amplifiers, which were still quite weak at the time, but also limited the dynamic range. With the new pickup, the strings now swung between two pole heads, which significantly improved the dynamics. Therefore, this new pickup model was one of the reasons for the continued popularity of the instrument to this day and it has played a key role in its characteristic sound. The original design with a simple single-coil ("single coil") pickup was re-marketed under the name Telecaster Bass in the second half of the 1960s .
Paintwork
In the first three years of production, the Precision Bass was only available in the body finishes “Butterscotch Blonde” (a semi-opaque nitrocellulose varnish in a light ocher yellow , which was first used by Fender for the Telecaster ) and in “Natural” (a colorless transparent finish). In 1954, at the same time as the body shape was reworked, a two-tone color gradient, the "two-tone sunburst " and individual special finishes on special customer request were added. It was not until 1957, when Fender began to use opaque DuPont paints, that the model was officially available in special colors at a five percent surcharge (“Custom Colors”, for example “Honey Blonde”, see photo in the info box above). But it wasn't until the beginning of the 1960s, when the demand for special colors continued to rise, that Fender Precision basses were also offered in the company's color brochures in the then fourteen body finishes.
Further development
In 1959, the Precision Bass was equipped with a rosewood fingerboard instead of the maple previously used, at the same time as all other Fender electric guitar models. The instrument had thus taken on what is now known as the “classic” appearance. Details of the P-Bass were changed and further developed over and over again in the following years, but without deviating from the basic concept. Little by little, additional models with active electronics instead of the classic passive electronics and with additional pickups in bridge position (mainly single coils and humbuckers ) as well as five-string and left-handed models came onto the market. Contrary to the reason for the original name "Precision" and fretless versions appeared (fretless) . However, the largely unchanged base model from the late 1950s remained the most popular. Similar to the Fender Jazz Bass , which was introduced in 1961, the sheet metal covers screwed to the top of the body over the bridge and the pickup have been dispensed with since the 1970s, as these proved to be annoying when playing and were therefore usually removed by bassists. Only with the new editions of models from the 1950s and 60s introduced in recent years are these cover plates reassembled because they are true to the original.
Meaning and success
The Precision Bass was aimed at its launch in 1951 to double bass players and guitarists alike. Bassists should be won over by the six times smaller dimensions and the more assertive sound of the instrument compared to the double bass, guitarists with the simple intonation thanks to frets. A first article in the music press about the new instrument appeared in early 1952 in the US magazine The Music Trade . After the instrument hit the market at $ 195.50, it initially sold sluggishly and was initially received with skepticism among traders and musicians. Due to its advantages, however, the Precision was soon able to establish itself as an alternative to the double bass of at least equal value in record productions and live performances.
Two of the earliest known Precision Bass players were William "Monk" Montgomery (brother of jazz guitarist Wes Montgomery ) and bassist, composer and arranger John Willie "Shifty" Henry . In the early 1950s, these musicians made a significant contribution to increasing the popularity of this new type of instrument. Another early electric bass player was Roy Johnson , who, like Monk Montgomery, was a member of Lionel Hampton's jazz big band . The unusual presence of “two guitars” in the orchestra image (the second “guitar” was the electric bass) caught the attention of the trade press for the first time. Among them was the renowned jazz magazine Down Beat , in which music journalist Leonard Feather wrote in 1952: “All of a sudden we noticed that something was wrong with the band. She didn't have a bass player. And yet - we heard a bass. "
Since the Precision was market-dominating for a long time (the first competing products were the K-162 "Electronic Bass" introduced by Kay in 1952 and the EB model and its successor, manufactured from 1953 to 1958 by the competitor Gibson ), it was used in the instrument specification on record sleeves For a long time not specified as "electric bass" or "electric bass", but as "Fender bass". Today it is one of the most successful musical instruments ever made in terms of circulation and circulation. The Precision Bass is used in almost all styles of popular music and has made their development possible in the first place. An example of this is the soul music of the US record label Motown Records . The Precision Bass, used by Motown studio bassist James Jamerson , played a key role in generating the typical “Motown sound” in the label's hit successes in the 1960s and 1970s . He used his “Funk Machine” christened P-Bass from the early 1960s, on which he never changed the strings (unless one broke). “Funk Machine” can certainly be seen as the most important Precision Bass in music history. Today it is considered lost.
One of the songs of popular music, in which the distinctive sound of the Fender Precision Bass is one of the clearest and - with and without electronic sound effects - can be known is that in 1971 by the British pop group Pink Floyd on their album Meddle published Instrumental piece One of These Days with the musically in the foreground bass playing by Roger Waters (right stereo channel) and David Gilmour (left stereo channel).
Modern Precision Bass model series
The manufacturer Fender now offers the Precision in various configurations (model series, pickups, number of strings, woods used), most of which are also available in different body finishes. A selection of modern Fender Precision series (as of 2019):
Models made in Mexico
- “Player” Precision Bass - basic model with simple equipment
- "Classic" '50s Precision Bass - new editions according to the specifications of 1957, optionally with polyurethane lacquer or cellulose nitrate lacquer
- “Road Worn” '50s Precision Bass - corresponds to the “Classic 50s” model with cellulose nitrate paint, but with artificial signs of aging
- "Deluxe" Precision Bass - model with active 3-band EQ, passively switchable without a passive tone screen, additional single-coil pickup in the bridge position ("PJ") and "BadAss-Bridge"
- “Artist” - signature models dedicated to well-known bass players: Steve Harris , Mike Dirnt , Nate Mendel and Roger Waters
Models made in the USA
- "American Performer" Precision Bass - model with mechanics and bridge in classic design, additional single-coil pickup in bridge position ("PJ") and height bezel with "grease bucket circuit"
- "American Professional" Precision Bass - model with a more massive bridge (with the option of stringing strings, string-through-body) and lighter machine heads
- “American Original” Precision Bass - models with equipment features from the 1950s and 1960s and cellulose nitrate lacquers
- "American Elite" Precision Bass - Premium model with active / passive circuit with 3-band EQ / tone screen and additional single-coil pickup in bridge position ("PJ")
- "Artist" - Tony Franklin Precision Bass; Fretless model with additional single-coil pickup in bridge position ("PJ")
There are also numerous copies, variations and further developments of the model from other manufacturers that are also selling successfully. One of them is Fender's in-house brand Squier , which offers inexpensive replicas of electric guitars and basses from the parent company under the label "Squier by Fender".
Bass amplifier: the Fender Bassman
Shortly after the introduction of the P-Bass , Fender brought out the first model of the electric amplifier specially designed for this bass in early 1952 , the Fender Bassman . It was a combo model with a 26-watt amplifier section in tube construction and a 15-inch speaker from the Jensen brand , both mounted in a wooden housing construction that was half-open at the rear. Although originally designed for bass amplification, the Bassman found some enthusiasts among electric guitarists in later years who appreciated the full sound and performance of the device, but preferred a variant of the device with four 10-inch speakers. The 5F6-A circuit on which the Fender Bassman is based later served as a template for the first " Marshall " brand amplifiers
literature
- Tony Bacon: Guitar classics - all models and manufacturers . Premio Verlag 2007. ISBN 978-3-86706-050-9
- Tony Bacon, Barry Moorhouse: The Bass Book - a complete illustrated history of bass guitars . German edition. Balafon Books, London 1996
- Paul Balmer: Fender Bass - Myth & Technology . PPV Medien 2016, ISBN 978-3-95512-132-7
- Bass Professor , journal for bass players. Issue No. 50, 1/2009, p. 102 ff .: “Fender Precision # 0052”. Presentation and test report of the Precision Bass with serial number 0052 from 1952. With large-format images and detailed photos of the instrument.
- Peter Bertges: The Fender Reference . Bomots, Saarbrücken 2007, ISBN 978-3-939316-38-1
- JW Black, Albert Molinaro: The Fender Bass: An Illustrated History . Hal Leonard Corporation, Milwaukee 2001, ISBN 0-634-02640-2
- Klaus blowing quiz: The Fender Bass . Media Press , Hal Leonard Publishing Corporation, Milwaukee 1990. ISBN 0-7935-0757-X
- George Gruhn & Walter Carter: Electric Guitars and Basses . Presse Projekt Verlag, Bergkirchen 1999, ISBN 3-932275-04-7
- Jim Roberts: American Basses - an illustrated history and player's guide . Backbeat Books, San Francisco 2003, ISBN 0-87930-721-8
- Richard R. Smith: Fender - A sound makes history . Nikol Verlag, Hamburg 1995, ISBN 3-937872-18-3 .
Web links
- Current Precision Bass model overview on the Fender website (English) accessed on June 1, 2009.
- Chronology and description of the Precision models from the 1950s at "Vintage Guitars", with images of original brochures from the 1950s (English). Accessed June 1, 2009
- Audio sample: James Jamerson on Fender Precision Bass on the electric bass specialist website notreble.com ( Adobe Flash required); Retrieved October 30, 2010. Isolated soundtracks of the piece Ain't No Mountain High Enough , with only electric bass and drums.
- Official website of the manufacturer Fender (English) accessed on June 1, 2009.
Individual evidence
- ^ Bacon, Moorhouse: The Bass Book , p. 9
- ↑ a b c d e Roberts: American Basses , p. 52
- ↑ a b Smith: Fender - a sound makes history , p. 101
- ^ Bacon, Moorhouse: The Bass Book , pp. 8 f.
- ^ Roberts: American Basses , p. 94
- ↑ Leo Fender, quoted from Roberts: American Basses , p. 52
- ↑ a b c Smith: Fender - a sound makes history , p. 103
- ↑ Tony Bacon, Paul Day: The Fender Book - A Complete History of Fender Electric Guitars , pp. 13 ff.
- ↑ a b Bacon, Moorhouse, p. 12
- ↑ Electric guitars . Special issue of the magazine Guitar & Bass , p. 128. MM-Musik-Media-Verlag, Ulm 2004. ISSN 0934-7674
- ^ Roberts: American Basses , p. 55
- ↑ a b Bacon: Gitarrenklassiker , p. 160 ff .: "Fender Precision"
- ↑ Bacon, Moorhouse, p. 13: "The Bass Story - A Dream Scale".
- ↑ a b c Gruhn / Carter, p. 133 ff.
- ↑ Bacon, Moorhouse, p. 10 ff .: "The Bass Story - Precision Construction"
- ^ Roberts: American Basses , p. 53
- ^ A b Tony Bacon, Paul Day: The Fender Book , p. 25th German edition, Balafon Books, London 1993. ISBN 1-871547-54-7
- ↑ Bass Professor , Issue No. 49, 4/2008, p. 112 ff .: "Bass Museum" - Fender Precision Bass
- ↑ a b Bacon, Moorhouse, p. 11
- ^ Adrian Ashton: Das Bass Handbuch , S. 7. Voggenreiter Verlag, Bonn 2006. ISBN 3-8024-0563-3
- ↑ a b c d Smith: Fender - a sound makes history , p. 106
- ↑ Bacon, Moorehouse, p. 16 f.
- ↑ quoted from Bacon, Moorhouse, p. 16 f .: Excerpts from an article in: Down Beat , 1952.
