Fender Custom Shop Pino Palladino Signature Precision Bass, Rosewood Fretboard, Fiesta Red over Desert Sand

PLAYER'S PERSPECTIVE

We have to admit that we're a bit biased towards P-basses here at the shop. Something about a P-bass with flatwounds on it just feels so right, so perfect, and so simple yet more than adequate. Well, as far as P-basses go, legendary bassist Pino Palladino's signature P may be one of the best ones we've ever played! This is no exaggeration at all. This is an absolutely incredible P-bass that leaves absolutely nothing whatsoever to be desired. This instrument is the embodiment of Precision (pun intended!) and perfection, in our opinion.

The neck is instantly familiar and incredibly comfortable. The light sanding that they've done to the back makes it feel like you've been playing this bass for the past 10 years and it's already broken in and ready to rock. While it is a vintage-style neck shape, it doesn't feel chunky or bulky whatsoever. The '62 P-bass neck shape is somewhat revered as the holy grail of all P-bass neck shapes. It's not a big baseball bat and it's not a skinny toothpick. It's the Goldie Locks of P-bass neck shapes. It's just perfectly put together. The rolled fretboard edges, wonderful feel of the neck, and impeccable fretwork mean your left hand will never feel "worked". This neck is a true playground and you'll never want to get off of this ride.

Sonically this is one of the best vintage P-bass tones to come out of a vintage reproduction. Having had the fortune of playing an actual '62 P-bass in the past, we can safely say that this is the closest recreation for not only the feel but also the sound. You can really do it all on this bass. I mean... If Pino can use this bass playing with Nine Inch Nails or The Who, and then use the same bass for the John Mayer Trio or D'Angelo, then you know that versatility is definitely not something this instrument lacks. Sure, it's as simple of a design as we have in the bass world, but there's a reason why this iconic Leo Fender design still remains one of the most popular (if not the most popular) styles of basses ever! There's really no way to make this bass sound bad.

Enough praise cannot be bestowed upon the builders of this instrument and the features and specs that Mr. Palladino chose. It truly is incredible and feels amazing. What's the best vintage-style P-bass that money can buy? Yep, this one.

Details

When your resume includes Jeff Beck, The Who, Eric Clapton, Simon & Garfunkel, D'Angelo and John Mayer (to name a few), you're obviously doing something right! And when your bass is as special as legendary session bassist Pino Palladino's, it's no wonder the Custom Shop chose to reproduce his '62 Precision Bass. Featuring a light alder body, a C-shape straight grain maple neck with rosewood fingerboard, custom-wound pickup, tortoise shell pickguard and Thomastik-Infeld® strings - Pino's signature bass is made to his exacting specifications.

Fender®, Squier®, Stratocaster®, Telecaster®, Precision Bass®, Jazz Bass® and the distinctive headstock designs commonly found on the Strat®, Tele® & P Bass® guitars are registered trademarks of Fender Musical Instruments Corporation