Fender announces Roger Waters SIgnature P Bass
(Dave Molter | Posted 2010-10-02)
Not a head-turning soloist by any means, ex-Pink Floyd bassist Roger Waters still has his fans among bassists, if for no other reason than the quirky, funky bass line from "Money" on the Floyd's Iconic "Dark Side of the Moon." And of course the man behind "The Wall" is currently touring with a production of that groundbreaking show. Now Fender is giving Floyd fans a chance to snag a bass just like Waters'.
The new Roger Waters Precision Bass® is as tastefully tailored as Waters' own simple-yet-sophisticated bass work, with distinctive features including a black-on-black color scheme (black body and single-ply pickguard), Seymour Duncan® Basslines SPB-3 Quarter-Pound split-coil Precision Bass pickup, knurled black control knobs (master volume, master tone), brass nut, black bridge and strap buttons, vintage '70s-style "Fender"-stamped open-gear chrome tuners, and gasketed "F"-stamped neck plate.
Other features are a 9.5"-radius maple neck with vintage-style truss rod and slotted truss rod nut, maple fingerboard with 20 medium jumbo frets, a gloss urethane finish (body and neck), and deluxe gig bag.
No doubt about it, when Leo Fender debuted the Precision bass with its split coil pickup in the late 1950s, he got it right -- the P bass is still a workhorse among bands new and old, and nothing else quite sounds like a P. It's simplicity itself -- one volume, one tone; no preamp. It's up to you and your fingers to come up with a sound.
What I really like about this bass are the 1.75" nut-width (as opposed to the more common 1.6" width in today's stock P basses) the color scheme -- black with a maple neck is way cool -- and the use of the Duncan-designed Basslines pickup in place of the standard Fender version. Armed with abrass nut, this bass will growl, and with roundwounds played with a pick, it will cause chills to run down the spines of listeners. I Like the black-on-black body hardware choice, too -- so much, in fact, that I wish Fender had extended it to the tuning gears.
Best of all, though, I like the fact that although it's a sig bass, Fender has set the MSRP at $1199 USD, meaning it' sell for around $800. Now, that's affordable. Look for the Roger Waters P to hits store in November.
Specs:
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Body Material: Alder
Neck Shape: Thick "C" Shape
Number of Frets: 20
Fret Size: Medium Jumbo
Position Inlays: Black Dot Position Inlays
Fingerboard: Maple
Fingerboard Radius: 9.5" Radius (241 mm)
Fretboard: Maple
Neck Material: Maple
Neck Finish: Gloss Urethane
Nut Width: 1.750" (44.5 mm)
Scale Length: 34" (863.6 mm)
Neck Plate: "F" Stamped Neck Plate with Rubber Spacer
Truss Rod Nut: Vintage Style Slotted
Pickup Configuration: Single Split-Coil Pickup
Middle Pickup: Seymour Duncan® Basslines SPB-3 Quarter Pound Split-Coil Precision Bass® Pickup
Controls: Master Volume, Master Tone
Hardware Finish: Chrome/Black
Bridge: Black Standard 4-Saddle
Tuning Machines: Vintage '70s Fender® Stamped Open Gear Tuning Machines
String Nut: Machined Brass
Strings: Fender® USA, NPS, (Gauges .045-.105)
Unique Features: Thick C-Shape Neck, Brass Nut, Seymour Duncan® Basslines SPB-3 Quarter Pound Pickup, Black Hardware, "F" Stamped Neck Plate with Rubber spacer, '50s Spaghetti Logo Decal
Accessories
Case Gig Bags: Deluxe Gig Bag
Pickguard: 1-Ply Black
Included Accessories: Saddle height Adjustment Wrench
Control Knobs: Black Knurled
