Fender Bass Guitars A brief history and popular models
Fender introduced the Precision Bass (P-Bass) in 1951. The P-Bass was the first electric bass and was a smash hit. The Precision bass included a Slab double cut away ash body, a single coil pickup, one piece 34" neck (Maple). The early Pbass also featured large Kluson tuning machines heads. These were later replaced by conventional geared tuning machines. In 1957 the pickup was upgraded to a split double coil pickup and a wider head stock was added. The Fender Jazz Bass was introduced in 1960. The Fender Jazz Bass was designed to provide a mellower tone and featured 2 pickups and a 34" neck. The fingerboard was tapered and narrower than the Precision bass and the body was Alder rather than Ash. These are both excellent for collectors and players basses.