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When Leo Fender first drew up the plans for the Precision Bass, he would have been astounded to think that his designs would become the accepted standard of bass guitar and that it would still be in production over 60 years later.

Naturally there have been some changes along the way, the most significant in 1957 when the slab body features inherited from the Telecaster were transformed into the sleek, curvaceous form that we know and love today. This was also the time when the split-coil pickup was introduced and the bass found its distinctive sound and feel.

In comparison, every other change over the years has felt like minor tweaking. Of course, the active electronics of the '80s models helped to improve the tonal spectrum, but these days the trend is to acknowledge the undeniable benefits of those early passive circuits.

Ideally named, the Precision did indeed offer bass players the chance to produce perfectly pitched notes. It also offered amazing portability over the prevalent acoustic uprights of the day, and bass playing became much more popular as a result.

Monk Montgomery is acknowledged as the first bass guitar champion, playing an original Precision with Lionel Hampton's band back in 1951 – the year the bass was introduced. For more on the early days of the electric bass click here.

Transatlantic impact

In Britain we had European bass guitars but were largely unaware of this revolutionary instrument until The Shadows came along and Fender guitars became a household name. Jet Harris brought electric bass playing into focus, and although new and distinctive basses were constantly appearing during the '60s, none seemed to have as much general appeal until the Jazz Bass appeared.

When the Jazz Bass debuted in 1960 it was initially advertised as the 'two pickup Precision', but this it most certainly wasn't. The Precision gets its distinctive sound from the over-wound split-coil pickup (more like a humbucker) while the Jazz was equipped with a pair of single-coil units.

The body combined elements of Fender's Stratocaster and Jazzmaster guitars to provide a twin cutaway design set at an offset angle with a startlingly narrow neck and fretboard. This created a visual sleekness about the Jazz design that also added comfort and ease of play.

Initially the pickups were adjusted by a pair of dual concentric (stacked) knobs, but these could be unreliable so were soon replaced by the two volumes and one tone control that we are familiar with today. Little else has changed.

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