January 14, 2021
I recently acquired a red 1990's Fender Squire Precision 4 string bass that is "Crafted in China". It is a pretty nice bass and has a fit and feel like a MIA Fender bass. However, the sound of the bass was not quite what I expected for a P-bass, so I took it apart to examine the components. The strings were old, so I bought some new Fender bass strings. After removing the strings, I removed the pickguard to take a look at the pickups and the volume and tone controls. The pickguard was in pretty rough shape and I was fortunate enough to be given a nice black, Fender Precision pickguard by a student. The pickups appeared to be made to Fender specifications, but the materials and workmanship were not what I would expect on a MIA Fender P-bass. The sound of the pickups also did not seem to have the full range of volume and tone control that I wanted. So I purchased a new P-bass pickup set from Fender that was manufactured to 1962 specifications, which includes, enamel-wrapped wire on the coils, alnico magnets and sealed, cloth insulation wiring. I also purchased replacement volume and tone pots from StewMac, which included a 47uhm capacitor and a new cord jack in the replacement kit.
I called a friend that does luthier work and asked if he had the time to work on the bass, adding the new parts and a general tuneup. He did not remove the neck or replace the tuning machines.But I do plan to replace the tuning machines eventually, but that can be a bigger job as the tuning post diameter on the "Crafted in China" Fender basses are smaller than what is on the Made In America, (MIA), Fender basses. This may require extensive work to resize the holes in the headstock to fit new tuning machines.
After getting all the replacement parts reassembled onto the bass, and spending some time playing, it is very close to what I was hoping for. All for about $136.
I live in Alabama, but have been living in Seattle for about 6 months and did not have a Fender bass with me (all of my Fender basses are at home in Alabama). I do have an Ibanez SDR305 5-string bass here in Seattle, but I really wanted a 4-string Fender bass and this one really fits my need perfectly for now, at least until I get home. I like the idea of a bass that I can modify and this one was perfect for that. You might consider getting a cheap bass and trying different ways to make it your own. Not only is it fun, but it is a great way to learn about what you like and don't like about different kinds of basses.
