Fender Tony Franklin Fretless Precision Bass Review

Can't go wrong with this bass!

Originally I was considering the Lake Placid Blue version, but settled on the Black, mainly for the fretboard on the serial number I picked. The bass has the slightest neck dive, but I surmise that is due to the added weight of the Hipshot Extender D-tuner. Not enough to worry about. I think at this price point Fender could have gone with the Hi-Mass bridge for string through… read more capability (my only real wish for it), but understandably the vintage bridge is true to Mr. Franklin's original 1977 Firm bass, and he kept it spec'd for his Signature instrument (; I had actually emailed Tony and this is verbatim from his response). The instrument has a lot of tonal variations, and plays like I've had it for a long time. It is truly inspirational, and I look forward to creating and playing this bass for years to come.

---

Cancel Comment

No matter the style, this is my goto !

You think Fretless,you think Jazz only. Not on this bass! This rocks as well as it swings. This is actually one of the few bass's that you can use the pickup selector switch as a pedal to get different tones/sounds on the fly. Pickup all the way to the neck position, bold tradition P-bass boom ! Mid position switch, the tradition mid sweep bass tone used on a a lot of genre's… read more plus the freedom of a bit of the "MWUAH" for a kick to that traditional tone. Then throw it towards the bridge and you get the huge MWUAH fretless Jaco thing, except no volume drop because the pickup is really hot and punchy. A great and useful axe to have in your arsenal ...It wont sit around ! Although I didn't get the bass from Sweetwater ( because it I found one used at half off) I 90% of the time do buy from Sweewater.....Always my go to first for supplies.A great company

---

Cancel Comment

Growling Tiger, Hidden Gem

Like many other musicians who reviewed this bass, I had been mulling over whether or not to make this purchase for months. I primarily grew up an upright bassist but I do the vast majority of my gigging on electric, so I was hoping the Tony Franklin fretless P-bass would serve to bridge the gap between my stylistic preferences on the instrument and the need for me to assume an electric… read more role in most of my jobs. After playing it out for two weeks now, I have to say that, in my opinion at least, this may be the best bass Fender has ever made. Tone: I needed to raise the action just a hair and minutely loosen the tension on the G. But after I made these small adjustments, the bass opened up and began to sing with the type of growling sustain that upright players fall in love with--and what really blows me away about this aspect of the bass is that the growls are consistent in every position. It's super expressive in the mid positions but equally as defined in the lower and upper registers. I was also suspicious of the signature J pickup (in my mind, I had already decided to pull it out and replace it with an Aguilar). But after hearing how clear and defined this Tony Franklin pickup is, and the tonal range it gets in a passive setting, that dude is staying put. In fact, I rarely pull it off of the J setting. It sounds that good. Playability: I'm not sure if Tony Franklin was ever an upright player, but he nailed it in insisting that this bass have an unfinished ebony fingerboard. Aside from being responsible for 75% of the tone, the fingerboard on this fretless P plays quickly and articulately--plus it has the release and feel of an upright despite having a smaller scale. From a design perspective, this also makes the instrument unique in that I do not believe that Fender is currently producing any other fretless models with an ebony fingerboard. The only design flaw I see that inhibits the playability of this bass is the cutaway. It gets a little crowded around the high D/high Eb area but a deeper cutaway would have strayed from the traditional P body, so I get the decision to keep it standard. Electronics: Simplicity, simplicity, simplicity! I love that this bass is fully passive and the old school three-way blade pickup switch is a solid retro design choice. That being said, don't let the all-passive environment sway you away from this model if you are an active bass fan. I am, too; this bass has all of the tonal diversity of my 18V J/P and it pushes air like a vintage P bass. Even with the J pickup running solo, it doesn't lose volume. Also, if you're a pedal-head like I am, nothing brings out the clarity of effects like a passive instrument. I play an original early 80s Boss OC-2 Octaver along with Mr. Black's Fwonk Beta and they have never sounded better. As far as this instrument is concerned, less is more and then some... If you're on the fence like I was about buying this bass, do yourself a favor and pull the trigger. You won't regret it. I promise you.

---

Cancel Comment

This bass rocks!

Easily the nicest, best playing bass in the stable right now. The TF signature not only feels great to play and sounds fantastic, but it throws an attitude out there like no other instrument I own. It is visually striking, with the ebony neck and black-on-black body and pickguard, and seems to immediately demand attention on stage.Fender made a beautiful piece of gear here, with… read more craftsmanship to rival that of much more expensive custom shop basses. A nice range of tones is achievable with the pickup selector and tone, and I was surprised to find that I can quickly go from very aggressive and grindy to a more mellow, Jaco-esque vibe. I attribute some of that aggressive sound to the roundwounds, which give the bass a unique character. Fit and finish are top notch, straight and tight, the way a professional-quality axe should be. My bass featured an actual DiMarzio jazz pickup in the bridge position instead of the Fender-designed one that is mentioned in some descriptions and reviews. When I asked "the man," TF about this, he indicated that the intention was to bring the bass closer back in line with what his original fretless had on board. It sounds incredible.You can"t go wrong here, especially for this price point. It"s worth every penny. I can see this axe becoming my main go-to for most of the work I currently do. After focusing on 5-string for many years, it is nice to have a bad-a** fretless 4 to shake things up a bit; this bass accomplishes that and then some.As usual, thanks to Will and the Sweetwater crew for their excellent service and instrument set up. Simply amazing!

---

Cancel Comment

The best!

This bass is easily the best in my arsenal, and I have a whole stable of four and five strings. The build quality, playability, and sounds of this bass just blow me away every time I pick it up. It is as beautiful as it is easy to play. After selling my old Fender fretless Jazz back in the day, I wondered why I would ever need to replace it. After playing this in rehearsals, I can… read more say that it just fits into anything I am playing. It can sound like a P. It can sound like a J. It can take on a really aggressive sound when I dig into it, or it can have that mellow muaaaah that players dig in a fretless. It is just so easy to play. Now, all I must do is grow out a Tony Franklin coif, and I"ll be good to go. As always, Will Newbill and Sweetwater took amazing care of me, and set me up with a sweet deal. Thank you so much!

---

Cancel Comment

Delicious

Got this a while back! P Bass, Fretless P Bass, Jaco... what can't this little thing do? I was afraid the thicker P neck would get to me but you quickly get used to it (it might be slightly thinner). The ebony is holding very well against my nickel rounds and I play quite hard! Hardware is all solid except for the bridge which I might have replaced due to a problem with one of the… read more poles. Other than all of that, it's an instant classic that is EXTREMELY versality, the three-way and PJ config is definitely more desirable than a standard Fretless Jazz. Rock on! Special thanks to Tom and Dakota for all the help regarding this beaut!

---

Cancel Comment

Tony franklin bass

As the previous reviews before this bass is amazing. I was a little afraid at first but I had no problem finding my way around the board. Pickups are amazing and the bass plays so easy. I recommend this bass highly. Brian at sweetwater was fantastic. As in my other reviews the service there is just the best. There is no competition for sweetwater and fender as well. Both of you… read more keep up the great work!

---

Cancel Comment

Extremely versatile instrument

This is my second fretless bass, after a Spector Legend 5 Classic, and my third Fender bass, after an American Elite Precision and an American Deluxe Jazz Bass V. I have two other basses. The Tony Franklin is rapidly becoming my favorite of all. It's very easy to play, with a wide variety of sounds available. As one of the other reviewers commented about finding new voices, I find… read more that the more I play this bass, the more expressive it becomes. I will be trying flatwounds on it in due course (my Spector has Ernie Ball Cobalt flats which are superb) but for I'm really enjoying the versatility of the fitted roundwound Fender NPS strings it comes fitted with. The neck is a joy, pretty slim, modern-C shape and feels very slick under my fingers. The instrument is slightly neck heavy, but not a problem at all. Of course, it came beautifully set up from Sweetwater and almost perfectly in tune. Usual great service from my Sweetwater SE Andrew Plassman.

---

Cancel Comment

3 Great Tones

This is a lot of money for a P/J Fender bass....BUT.....this bass kills. Wanted to buy an upright bass for about the same money but we did not have enough space. I tested this bass with a Roland DB-500 and was completely blown away. Been playing for over 40 years. The TF Bass can do Jaco, upright bass and a very solid P Bass. The lack of lines was a concern, however I found… read more intonation to be very easy....easier than a lined fretless. Read on the web that unlined basses are easier to play and it is indeed true. Pickups are a little noisy so I used a Boss NS-2 and all was well. The 3 position PU selector switch allows quick access to the major tone groups. Plenty of "Mwah" sounds, particularly around the 12th fret (octave up). Part of the test was with my wife playing jazz piano and the TF tone was to die for. No adjustments out the box were required...in fact it was still in tune from the Sweetwater evaluation! I also own a mid-70s fretted P-Bass and this is a nice alternative. Bass is so good I am selling my Warwick Corvette, Ibanez Gary Willis, and Carvin LB-76F....all fretless 5 and 6 strings. Not really a rock and roll bass. Only con is the noise from the bridge JB pickup. This is an excellent bass which will expand your creativity...can not stop playing it! Also, I will only order from Sweetwater because of their excellent customer service.

---

Cancel Comment

Sweet Bass!!

This is an instrument that you can grow with. I'v been playing bass for 30+ years, and am not easily blown away. This bass does that for me. The more I play it, the more voices I find. I own several basses. This is by far the most expressive that bass I own. Plays great, sounds great, and is still confortable at the end of the night. It is wonderful in the studio, too. I am a very… read more happy owner.

---

Cancel Comment