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A "Best in Class" Precision Bass Goes Fretless with Unique Features





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Leo Fender designed and built the world's first electric bass guitar in late 1951 and every electric bass made since then is unquestionably a direct descendent. Although the Precision Bass, as it was eventually called, was almost flawless in its design, some players, like Tony Franklin, wanted the unique sound of a fretless bass plus the expanded tonal range available with an extra pickup. Not surprisingly, Fender was more than happy to build Tony a fretless Precision Bass, and now you can own a Fender Tony Franklin Fretless Precision Bass, too.





Lightweight solid alder body





Bass guitars are big and that can mean heavy, too. This Tony Franklin Fretless Precision Bass has a solid alder body, which is resonant, but relatively light, which you'll appreciate after two or three hours up on stage. It's also equipped with the Hipshot Bass Xtender for "Drop D" tuning on the low E string.





Maple neck with modern "C" shape





Leo Fender wasn't a guitar player, so he didn't really know that guitars weren't supposed to have maple necks. Eventually, the blond maple necks became a Fender trademark. The Tony Franklin Fretless Precision Bass has a nicely balanced maple neck with a modern "C" shape.





Unfinished ebony fingerboard





While Fender became quite famous for its blond maple necks and fretboards, Tony Franklin wanted something more in keeping with the old traditional upright basses. So the Tony Franklin Fretless Precision Bass features an unfinished ebony fingerboard, which is the perfect complement to the maple neck and helps give this bass its distinctive sound.





Two specially voiced pickups





While the Precision Bass has traditionally come equipped with just one split single-coil pickup, Fender equipped this Signature Series bass with an upgraded Precision Bass American Series pickup plus a Tony Franklin Signature Series Jazz Bass bridge pickup with hex screw lugs and ceramic bar magnets. This delivers a wide range of bass voicings, from vintage to modern.





Fender Tony Franklin Fretless Precision Bass Features:


Signature Precision Bass designed for Tony Franklin


Combines P Bass and J Bass pickups for a huge sonic range to explore


Unfinished ebony fingerboard sets a great playing foundation while enhancing snap and attack


Maple neck with Modern "C" profile plays smoothly without feeling cumbersome


Drop the low E string down to a D instantly with the Hipshot Bass Xtender Drop D tuning key