Fender Honors a Studio Legend with the Lee Sklar Precision Bass
This year marks the 75th anniversary of the Fender Precision Bass, and the company is honoring one of its most important players. Fender has announced the Lee Sklar Precision Bass, a faithful recreation of the studio legend’s highly customized P Bass. Sklar has used the original throughout a career that includes hits with James Taylor, Carole King, Phil Collins, Jackson Browne, and many more.
“I’ve used this guitar on about 2,000 albums. It is my go-to instrument when I go in the studio. It’s the first thing I think about when I hear a song,” Sklar said. “That’s what made this project with Fender and EMG so meaningful to me. We put a lot of time, detail and care into every part of this bass, from the pickups and electronics to the feel and response of the instrument, to make sure it captured what I love about this guitar. At the end of the day, though, the most exciting part is knowing that another player can pick up this bass, make it their own and use it to create some music of their own.”
Designed in collaboration with Sklar, the Fender Lee Sklar Precision Bass has several key features that set it apart from a typical P Bass. First are its two active EMG Lee Sklar P pickups, which EMG introduced in the spring of 2026. They feature the EMG logo across the entire cover, just like the company’s first-generation production models, and were modified to recreate the tonal response of Sklar’s original bass.
The instrument also has a slim 1962 Jazz Bass “C”-shaped neck with mandolin-sized frets to accommodate Sklar’s fluid playing style.
Fender equipped the bass with a Badass II bridge and a Hipshot BT3 Bass Xtender key on the E string. Finally, its alder body is treated with a satin Heirloom nitrocellulose lacquer finish for a naturally worn appearance. It does not, however, include all the signatures Sklar has collected on his bass over the years.
“Without all that ink, it’s a lot lighter an instrument. You’re going to have to fill it up for ballast,” he quips.
Watch Sklar demo the bass in Fender’s official launch video:
The Fender Lee Sklar Precision Bass is available now for $3,499.99.
Fender Lee Sklar Precision Bass Photos:
Fender Lee Sklar Precision Bass Specs:
| Scale: | 34″ |
| Body: | Alder |
| Neck: | Maple |
| Neck Shape: | 1962 Jazz Bass ″C″ |
| Fingerboard: | Round-Laminated Rosewood |
| Fingerboard Radius: | 7.25″ |
| Frets: | 20 Mandolin Size |
| Inlays: | Clay Dot |
| Pickups: | EMG® Active Lee Sklar P |
| Controls: | Volume, Volume, Tone |
| Bridge: | BadAss II |
| Tuners: | Gotoh® Reversed Open-Gear with Hipshot® BT3 Bass Xtender™ |
| Color: | Aged Natural |
| Finish: | Satin Heirloom™ Nitrocellulose Lacquer |
| Other: | Custom Brass Retainer Bar, Dunlop Straploks |
| Case: | Vintage-Style Tweed with Gold Interior |
| Orientation: | Right-Hand Only |
In his time with No Treble, Kevin has met hundreds of amazing bassists and interviewed icons like Jack Casady, Victor Wooten, Les Claypool, Marcus Miller, and more. He's a gigging bassist performing jazz in Northern Virginia and bluegrass with The Plate Scrapers up and down the East Coast. Kevin appreciates all genres of music, from R&B to metal and everything in between. Connect with Kevin on Facebook and check his performance schedule on his website.
