CHOOSING YOUR

FENDER
ELECTRIC
BASS
THE NAME FENDER” ”
®

IS SYNONYMOUS
WITH ELECTRIC BASS

WHEN YOU PLAY A FENDER ELECTRIC BASS, YOU’RE

IN A CLUB ENCOMPASSING DECADES OF FANTASTIC
PLAYING IN ALL STYLES AND GENRES. IT MEANS
YOU MAKE A SOUND THAT IS THE FOUNDATION OF
MORE THAN HALF A CENTURY OF THE GREATEST
MUSIC THE WORLD HAS EVER HEARD. AN
IRRESISTIBLE SOUND THE WHOLE WORLD ROCKS,
ROLLS, SWINGS, MOVES AND GROOVES TO.
A SOUND THE WHOLE WORLD LOVES.
We know all this for one
simple reason: We invented
it. Until 1951, there was no
such thing as an electric
bass guitar. So when Fender
introduced the Precision
Bass® that year, it was not
just a new instrument, but
a new kind of instrument
that created a new kind
of musician—the electric
bassist. Who else can claim
that? The Precision Bass and
the sleek Jazz Bass® (1960)
profoundly revolutionized
music as the undisputed
worldwide standards for
electric bass sound, feel and
performance. Ever since,
bass players everywhere
have one or both.

Fender basses are

indispensable instruments.
If you were stuck on a
desert island and could
have only one bass guitar,
we’re pretty sure what the
name on the headstock
would be.
Why are Fender electric
®

basses so great?
BECAUSE THEY
ARE IDEAL FOR
EVERYTHING

You can play anything and

everything on a Fender
®

electric bass guitar

ROCK. FUNK. BLUES.
JAZZ. COUNTRY. METAL.
PUNK. ANY GENRE,
SUBGENRE, SHADE OR
COMBINATION OF THEM.
IF IT’S IN YOUR HEAD,
YOUR HEART AND YOUR
HANDS, THERE’S NO
OTHER INSTRUMENT
BETTER FOR BRINGING
IT TO LIFE THAN A
FENDER ELECTRIC BASS.
BECAUSE YOUR
SOUND IS THE
SOUND OF
YOUR IDOLS
YOU’LL SOUND LIKE
YOURSELF ON A FENDER ®

BASS. AND, BY THE WAY,

JAMES JAMERSON, JACO
PASTORIUS, GEDDY LEE,
STING, MIKE DIRNT, MARCUS
MILLER, JOHN ENTWISTLE,
STEVE HARRIS, ROGER
WATERS, MARK HOPPUS,
ADAM CLAYTON, WILLIE
WEEKS, DONALD “DUCK”
DUNN, JOHN PAUL JONES,
PAUL SIMONON AND
COUNTLESS OTHERS ALL
PLAY OR HAVE PLAYED
FENDER BASSES JUST
LIKE YOURS.
You’ll sound like yourself
on a Fender bass
BECAUSE THEY
ARE MADE TO
BE MODIFIED
 YOU’D LIKE A DIFFERENT-
COLORED PICKGUARD.
GREAT, PUT ONE ON.
YOU WANT DIFFERENT
PICKUPS. GREAT—PUT
’EM IN. THE NECK RELIEF
NEEDS A TWEAK. BY
ALL MEANS, DO SO. A
COUPLE MINUTES AND
IT’S DONE. WITH THEIR
INNOVATIVE MODULAR
DESIGNS, NO OTHER
ELECTRIC BASSES ARE
EASIER TO PERSONALIZE,
MAINTAIN AND
REPAIR THAN FENDER ®

ELECTRIC BASSES.

No other electric basses

are easier to personalize
Photo: Josh Giroux
BECAUSE OF
THAT TONE
AND FEEL
THERE’S SIMPLY NOTHING
LIKE THE POWERFUL SONIC
BOOM OF A PRECISION
BASS ; NOTHING LIKE THE
®

STRONG AND SPACIOUS

FEEL OF ITS NECK. AND
NOTHING EQUALS THE
DEEPLY SATISFYING
GUTTURAL GROWL,
MIDRANGE PUNCH AND
SINGING HIGH END OF
A JAZZ BASS , WITH ITS
®

CURVACEOUS OFFSET BODY

AND FAST, SLENDER NECK.
AND HOW ABOUT THE
ENORMOUS BEST-OF-BOTH-
WORLDS VERSATILITY OF
THE JAGUAR BASS, OR THE
®

STUDENT-FRIENDLY REACH
OF A MUSTANG BASS? IN
®

SOUND, LOOK, FEEL AND

MORE, FENDER HAS ALL
®

THE BASSES COVERED.

In sound, look, feel and
more, Fender has all the
basses covered
A look at the models
PRECISION
BASS
®
Our first was the
world’s first

THE PRECISION BASS (1951) PROFOUNDLY

TRANSFORMED THE SOUND OF POPULAR MUSIC
AND LIBERATED MUSICIANS FROM THE UNWIELDY
CONFINES OF THE UPRIGHT BASS, CREATING A
NEW KIND OF MUSICIAN IN THE PROCESS—THE
ELECTRIC BASSIST. IT QUICKLY BECAME THE
WORLDWIDE STANDARD FOR TONE, POWER,
PERFORMANCE AND EXCELLENCE. TODAY MORE
THAN EVER, OUR FIRST BASS REMAINS THE FIRST
WORD IN ELECTRIC BASS. A MUST-HAVE.
Notable features:
One split-single-coil pickup placed in just
the right spot is the heart of the formidable
Precision Bass tone. Other pickup types and
configurations impart even more tonal power
and character.

The two-horned contoured body is balanced

and comfortable—and is also one of the great
original Fender ® looks. A classic then and now.

The Precision Bass neck is thick, wide and rock

solid for a sure grip and comfortable feel.

Notable players: Eric Avery, Bob Babbitt, Bill Black, Douglas

“Dee Dee Ramone” Colvin, John Deacon, Kim Deal, Mike Dirnt,
Donald “Duck” Dunn, Bernard Edwards, John Entwistle, Bruce Foxton,
Matt Freeman, Simon Gallup, Colin Greenwood, Steve Harris, Dusty Hill, James
Jamerson, Alex James, Carol Kaye, Phil Lynott, Glen Matlock, Graham Maby,
Duff McKagan, Nate Mendel, Mike Mills, Pino Palladino, Joe Principe, Chuck
Rainey, Tyson Ritter, Andy Rourke, Troy Sanders, Ben Shepherd, Paul Simonon,
Sting, Bruce Thomas, Roger Waters, Willie Weeks, Pete Wentz, John Wetton,
Brian Wilson, Tom “T-Bone” Wolk
Sleek and supercharged with
dual pickups, a slim neck and
a curvaceous offset waist
THE JAZZ BASS HAS RULED THE WORLD OF ELECTRIC
BASS EVER SINCE FENDER INTRODUCED IT IN 1960. ITS
®

VERSATILE AND UNMISTAKABLE TONE ENCOMPASSES

A GUTTURAL GROWL WITH KNOCKOUT MIDRANGE
PUNCH AND SINGING HIGH END. THIS, ALONG WITH
EFFORTLESSLY SMOOTH FEEL AND OUTSTANDING
PERFORMANCE QUICKLY MADE THE JAZZ BASS THE
NUMBER-ONE INSTRUMENT FOR BASSISTS IN ALL
STYLES WORLDWIDE—A STATUS IT CONTINUES
TO ENJOY TO THIS DAY.
Notable features:
Distinctive offset-waist body shape
isn’t just curvaceously cool looking—
it’s also remarkable balanced and
naturally comfortable.

Two expressive single-coil pickups

provide the midrange growl and
clear high end for which the Jazz
Bass is prized. Other pickup options
provide even more tonal character
and versatility.

The fast, slender Jazz Bass neck is ideal

for fast-paced, fleet-fingered passages.

Notable players: Victor Bailey, Adam Clayton, Tim Commerford,

Herbie Flowers, Reggie Hamilton, Mark Hoppus, James Johnston,
John Paul Jones, Greg Lake, Geddy Lee, Marcus Miller,
Joe Osborn, Jaco Pastorius, Noel Redding, Sting, Verdine White,
Chris Wolstenholme, D’arcy Wretzky
JAZZ BASS
®
MUSTANG
®

BASS
Short-scale Fender bass
®

models date back to the

Mustang Bass (1966)
IT WAS THE LAST FENDER BASS GUITAR DESIGNED
BY LEO FENDER HIMSELF AND FOUND ITS WAY
INTO THE HANDS OF BEGINNERS AND PROS ALIKE
AS A SMALL INSTRUMENT WITH A BIG SOUND
AND AN IDENTITY ALL ITS OWN. IT REMAINS
THE QUINTESSENTIAL SHORT-SCALE FENDER
BASS MODEL TODAY IN A HANDFUL OF SPIRITED
MODELS TAILORED TO THE NEEDS OF MODERN
BASS PLAYERS, BEGINNERS AND VETERANS ALIKE.

Notable features:
The Mustang still has its most classic design
features—a small and comfortably offset
body and a short scale (30”) ideal for the
reach of students and beginners.

While physically small, the Mustang Bass gets

a big sound from its distinctive split single-
coil pickup design.

Notable players: Trevor Bolder, John Deacon, Jason Falkner,

Colin Moulding, Chris Murphy, Fred Smith, Wally Waller,
Mikey Way, Tina Weymouth, Bill Wyman
The Jaguar Bass (2006) gave
a stylish design nod to 1962’s
Fender Jaguar guitar
®

WHILE FIRMLY ESTABLISHING ITSELF AMONG

PLAYERS EVERYWHERE AS THE MOST SUCCESSFUL
AND ACCLAIMED FENDER BASS DESIGN IN THE
HALF CENTURY SINCE THE PRECISION AND THE
JAZZ. WITH ITS SLEEK CHROMED-OUT LOOK,
WEALTH OF ONBOARD CONTROLS AND GREAT
TONAL VERSATILITY, IT WAS SUCH A BASS HIT
THAT IT QUICKLY PROLIFERATED INTO SPECIALIZED
VARIATIONS INCLUDING SHORT-SCALE AND
HUMBUCKING-PICKUP-EQUIPPED MODELS.
Notable features:
The Jaguar Bass has a sleek, balanced and comfortable
offset contoured body that stylishly evokes its 1962
electric guitar ancestor.

The dual-pickup Jaguar Bass is Fender’s most tonally

sophisticated bass, with three chrome plates housing
active/passive, series/parallel and pickup on/off
switching, plus dual-circuit volume and tone controls.
Other Jaguar Bass models offer different pickup and
control configurations.

Jaguar basses features slim, fast necks and maple and

rosewood fingerboards, with stylish block inlays and
traditional dot inlays.

Notable players: Justin Meldal-Johnsen, Stefan Olsdal, Pino Palladino,

Tyson Ritter, Troy Sanders, Nick Seymour, Simon Young
JAGUAR
®

BASS
A look at the Series
STANDARD
Since 1987, Fender ® Standard series basses have steadfastly
fulfilled their mainstay role as instruments that deliver
great Fender sound, classic looks and smooth feel without
breaking the bank. These are attainable workhorse
Precision Bass® and Jazz Bass® models, all of which combine
time-honored traditional design with contemporary
features that continually make them performers with
excellent value.

BLACKTOP
™

Fender introduced its seismic-sounding Blacktop Precision

Bass and Jazz Bass models in 2011, expanding the sonic
horizons of both time-honored instruments with dual
humbucking pickups on the former and a powerful pair of
split single-coil pickups on the latter.

CLASSIC
The Classic series traces its origins to 1999 as a more
affordable take on the U.S.-made American Vintage series.
Its current Precision Bass, Jazz Bass and Mustang ® Bass
models are built with period-correct specifications and
features from the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s.

AMERICAN SPECIAL
The American Special Precision Bass and Jazz Bass models
were introduced in 2011 as an affordable pair of distinctive
U.S.-made basses with upgraded features, including special
pickups, circuitry, bridges and finishes.
AMERICAN STANDARD
This is it: the heart of Fender and the two archetypal basses
that have rocked the world for more than half a century—
the Precision Bass and the Jazz Bass. The original American
Standard series defined modern-era Fender quality from
1986 to 2000; the modern American Standard series
debuted in 2008 and encompasses, pure and simple, the
latest U.S.-built versions of two design classics.

AMERICAN DELUXE
The American Deluxe series has merged the best of Fender
tradition and modern innovation ever since its 1998
introduction. It infuses Fender’s two great time-honored
basses—the Precision Bass and the Jazz Bass—with
combinations of classic design elements and the latest
technical advances and most sought-after appointments,
such as special pickups and special wiring and control
configurations.

AMERICAN VINTAGE
The modern American Vintage series dates to 1998 and
arose from the earlier U.S. Vintage series of the early 1980s.
This series takes you back—these are archetypal U.S.-made
Precision Bass and Jazz Bass models with authentically
vintage specifications and meticulously period-correct
features from landmark years during the 1950s, 1960s
and 1970s.

FENDER SELECT
Fender Select series basses combine more than six decades
of Fender experience and expertise with a wealth of high-
end features and elegant design options for discerning
musicians everywhere. With choice tone woods, figured
tops, strikingly beautiful finishes, figured and quartersawn
maple necks, compound-radius fingerboards, specially
voiced Fender Select pickups and other first-rate features,
U.S.-made Fender Select basses are Fender’s top of the line.
FENDER.COM
© 2013 FMIC. FENDER®, ESQUIRE®, BASSMAN™, BLACKTOP™, SUPER-SONIC™, STRATOCASTER®,
STRAT®, TELECASTER®, TELE®, JAGUAR®, JAZZMASTER®, MUSTANG®, PRECISION BASS®, P BASS®,
JAZZ BASS®, J BASS® and the distinctive headstock designs commonly found on these guitars
are trademarks of Fender Musical Instruments Corporation. All rights reserved.

PN: 9951040319