Fender Duff McKagan Signature Bass Pearl White

Not white. Construction not worth the price tag

This is a great sounding bass that is easy to play and hold. I've been playing for 28 years and have gone through multiple guitars and basses, and this is by far my favorite bass to play. The different style pickups offer a lot of options to get the sound I want. Not to mention, being a huge GNR fan, it truly does sound like Duff!

This bass is fantastic. Even though it's called a Jazz Bass it really feels like a solid, chunky P Bass with a J bridge pickup. The wider neck is very sturdy and the instrument has great sustain. I also like the Fender TBX circuit. It's gives the bass a nice trebly presence that can cut through.

First the negative: I ordered this bass and had to wait 8 weeks for manufacturing backlog and delivery. When I picked it up in the Lewisville store my sales guy took it out and we inspected it closely. I found one flaw in the paint that Fender's QC missed, but I had to really look for it. I didn't want to wait another 8 weeks for a replacement so I accepted delivery. This is a vintage reissue, so there is no pocket rout for the truss rod adjustment. The neck has to come off. Not a huge deal if you know what you're doing, but be warned. Now the positives: It is beautiful. My wife gives no worries about my bass collection and even she loves it. I felt like Sofia Vergara walking around the Guitar Center because every customer and sales rep flocked to the bass. It's a looker. After I set it up with some heavy gauge Circle K strings and adjusted the neck, I plugged it into my GK stack and dialed everything flat. It sounds amazing. The 500k treble pot and SD Hot stack sound more like a Nordstrand or Lane Poor. Very bright, even, and transparent through the highest harmonic frequencies. The fundamentals are very present too. Play around with the pickups and switch and you can get a large variety of sounds from a vintage P Bass plunk, to jazzy noodling, to very beefy and bright slapping and popping. It sounds great on RHCP, Rage, Zeppelin; any style really. And yes, it can even sound like Duff on Appetite. It also has an amazing neck - very fast. And none of the fret buzz that plagues Fenders around the 17 fret, even with super low action. This thing has all of the win. I wish I could give it 4.5 stars for the paint issue but I love it too much already, so 5 it is...

I was so psyched when I ordered this, couldn't wait to plug it in and get busy with it. Unfortunately when I finally got it, I had a hard time getting the cable in (turns out there was a loose wire impeding the path). When I finally managed to get it in, the sound was poor at best, probably because of the loose wire. The tuners were loose and the bridge seemed flimsy. I replaced the tuners with a set of hip-shot, replaced the pick-ups with Bartolini's and replaced the bridge. It sounds really good now and it stays in tune like a champ, but I shouldn't have had to sink another 600 bucks on it. Where the hell is Fenders quality control? It's the first Fender bass I've bought, I do have a Fender amp that I love, but I will never buy another Fender bass.

When I purchased this baby I had not held it in my hands and when she arrived I was very impressed. The craftsmanship was very good. The feel of the bass was solid. The finish was clear. Then I plugged her in. That was when I was shocked. The sound was very full, rich and clear. By switching between the pickups and the tone controls I made her do endless things from bright slapping to hard rocking 80 sounds. The action was a little high a quick adjustment and I was ready to roll. The first time I used her on stage; this baby got a lot of attention!! If you are looking for a bass that does it all, this is your baby. I would recommend this bass for anyone who is serious about tone and sound!