Review: Fender American Standard Precision Bass vs. G&L LB-100, SB1

Gear Review/ Comparison

Yeah, yeah-- I can hear the Sheldon Cooper-types out there exhaling dismissively and asking, "P-bass?! How simple can a person be?"

Well this isn't your typical P-Bass review.  Today I will compare my Fender American Standard Precision with the latest G&L P-basses: the new(ish) LB-100 and the well documented SB-1, which I reviewed last year in, NBD! Ode to Donald "Duck Dunn" 

It was all a matter of timing that presented this unique opportunity-- to buy yet another P-bass: first, the fact that I was not getting along well in my 5-string adventure with the JB5 and decided to sell it on for someone else to enjoy.  Then came the announcement from Fender that it was replacing the American Standard series with the new Professional series.  Being the Christmas season, retailers were willing to sell off their stock of "outdated" Fenders at rock bottom prices to make room for the new series.  So I was presented with the opportunity to have an Olympic White, rosewood, tortoise shell USA P-bass shipped to my door via next-day mail(!)  Being a sucker for that classic look I placed my order... and here we are!

Why compare the Fender with G&L?

Outside the G&L factory in Fullerton CA.

More than just similarly styled instruments, G&L was created by Leo Fender.  "G&L" is short for George & Leo; George Fullerton, and Leo Fender; two men key to the early days of Fender guitars.  Additionally, G&L operates out of a facility which Leo built many of his classic Fender guitars.  Several of the original machines and practices used in the 1950s are still in use at G&L today.  

G&L Guitars is also the last place Leo worked until his death in 1991.  As an interesting side note, Leo's wife, Phyllis, is an honorary chairperson at G&L to help keep Leo's vision alive.  So there is a substantial connection with history at G&L guitars, which is partly why many people believe that a G&L is the closest instrument to Leo's originals that are available today.  However, don't get the idea that G&L is stuck in the past-- the company strives to improve it's products in keeping with Leo's continuous effort to improve his creations.  Another interesting side note is the two factories (Fender and G&L) are located a mere 20-miles apart from each other.  

The new P-bass:

First things first; this 2016 American Standard Precision is a fantastic instrument.  It sounds exactly like one expects from a P-Bass, and plays smoothly with a nice low action.  Its body is lightweight alder, and the rosewood fingerboard has a rich, dark red color.  

When playing for the first time, I discovered a rattle when playing open notes.  After much trouble shooting, I narrowed the problem down to the A string; it didn't have enough down pressure between the nut and the tuning post.  A common problem on newer Fender basses, required a small part from the Fender catalog designed to resolve the issue.  It is a washer that replaces the stock tuning peg washer and includes a string retainer/guide to sharpen the string break between the two points.
Also helpful eliminating rattles is to ensure the strings are wound as far down the peg as possible.  Since the stock strings could have been wound another wrap or so further down, I installed a new set of strings. Along with the new string retainer, the problem disappeared.  

The comparison. 

Fit & Finish:

How does the 2016 Fender American Standard Precision compare to it's G&L P-bass stepbrothers?  Let's start with the most obvious; the urethane finishes from each company are flawless.  There is however, one huge difference between the two builders in this regard; the number of different available finishes.  Fender offered three colors in 2016: black, white, sunburst. The new Professional series added olive green to its total of four colors.  G&L on the other hand offer 29 different standard colors, with an additional 16 "Premier" finishes and seven metal flake finishes. They also offer special, limited edition colors such as with the Detroit Muscle Series, which currently offer eight different colors.  

Fender neck pocket (left & right sides) with slight gaps

Fitment wise, for those who believe the neck pocket should be free of gaps, Fender slips a little compared to G&L.  The Fender has a slight gap on either side of the neck.  Several repairmen have told me this makes it easier for them to make slight adjustments to the neck over the years.  Personally, I don't mind it at all, as I can not discern any difference in resonance or sustain compared to my G&Ls, and it has proven stable during the last three months of playing with our band.

G&L neck pockets-- tight as a drum

G&L neck pockets are extremely tight, so much so  that you can remove the neck bolts then pick up the instrument by the neck and the body will remain in place.  Some believe this results in longer sustain and  improves overall tone.  Comparing the two though my rig, I don't notice any difference; each have long ringing sustain and each body resonates like crazy...


Fender and G&L approach neck attachment differently as well.  Fender uses the traditional method of four-bolts with the stamped neck plate.  G&L uses six countersunk bolts, allowing them to ditch the stamped plate.  The G&L appeals more to me for a modern bass, but I bought the Fender because I wanted a bass with a slightly more classic feel.  While the G&L feels better to me when handling the instrument, Fender's traditional layout does what it's intended to do nicely.  


Departing slightly from the classic design, Fender has modernized its tuning keys to be smaller and lighter, which potentially allows the instrument to balance better by minimizing neck dive.  This particular bass balances perfectly-- so in this case, it worked wonderfully.  G&L tuners favor the classic designs of yesteryear.

(L) Fender, (R) G&L

On the front side, the tuners appear pretty similar at first, but look closer and there are slight differences.  

(L) Fender, (R) G&L

Fender's tuning pegs are again smaller, but are of a slightly denser material.  G&L uses "Ultra-Light" aluminum tapered posts.  On the new Professional series, Fender has added more taper to its tuners than on the previous American Standard units.

Both use round string trees for the "D" and "G" strings.  Fender moved the trussrod to the end of the neck, while the G&L's is located behind the nut.  The grain patterns also reveals different neck types: a flatsawn Fender, and the quartersawn G&L. 

(L) Fender, (R) G&L

Bridges.  Fender has beefed up its vintage bridge and includes the option to string though the body.  The G&L bridge is my favorite of any on the market; it includes a protrusion on the underside that fits deep into the body. It also has a set screw on the right side that locks the bridge down keeping anything from moving.

Details, details...

Aside from the large, more obvious items to compare,  the less obvious details are important too.  Here are two or three points that become noticeable when playing with a band:

(L) Fender glossy finish, (R) G&L satin finish

Side markers.  Seldomly do I look at the face markers when playing live; it's the side markers that I use for reference, and this is one point where the Fender is lacking.  Each of Fender's side dots are positioned half on the rosewood and half on the maple, compared to the G&L which position its side dots completely on the rosewood.  On a dimly lit stage, the Fender dots are tough to see.  Conversely, G&L markers visually jump out do to positioning and use of a different material that reflects light better than those on the Fender.

(L) Fender, (R) G&L

Strap buttons.  While the Fender units are nice, the G&L buttons do a better job of keeping the strap in place because the top portion is wider.  Fender's are great if you use rubber washers to lock the strap down, otherwise G&L have the best non-locking buttons on the market.  

G&L buttons are also a bit shorter than Fender's, and don't protrude as far into the bottom of a gig bag.  Of course that is less of an issue if you only use a hardshell case.  

(Top) Fender, (Bottom) G&L

Cases become more important if you transport your instrument from home to a gig.  Again, this is one of those less obvious details at first blush.  Fender cases have molded plastic outer shells with foam inserts, and have a really comfortable handle compared to that which G&L offers.  G&L have long sourced their cases from the G&G case company, which are Tolex-covered plywood shells with padded inserts to keep the bass secure.  Fender's case is much lighter and more comfortable to carry around town.  Unfortunately, the case that shipped with my Fender is coming apart.  The foam insert in the top half of the case has separated from the plastic shell.  After a pleasant phone call, Fender's customer service arranged for a replacement to be sent.

Tone Report:

Tone is such a subjective thing, so I wont get too deep into the weeds here.  However, there are some characteristics that most people would notice, and I will attempt a bit of that here.  

If these four basses can be thought of in terms of a sound spectrum, with lower output and sweeter tones on the left, to higher output and more aggressive tones on the right, my ears rank them as follows:

Blue LB100 / Fender Precision / Purple LB100 / SB-1

Again, tone being very subjective and personal, it is difficult to give an objective report.  That said, each of these basses hit the classic P sound, and in the case of the SB-1, the P-sound and much more.  Also notice that the Purple LB100 is ranked more aggressive than the Blue LB100.  With the exception of the color, the two basses have exactly the same specs and strings, but the tone is more aggressive with the Purple bass; this is another example of an instrument being more than just the sum of its parts.

In the weeks to come I will post a video comparison of the four basses and you can let your own ears determine which tones you like best.  'Till then...

...Stay tuned & in tune!