WingedWords
Friend of Leo's
I borrowed a Japanese Fender Precision for a year or so for a band I was in. It was my first P Bass and I loved the sound and simplicity. It seemed to fit right in with many types of music, whether played live or recorded.
I decided to treat myself to my own Fender Precision for my 30th birthday. Like you, I wanted to try out a few basses and by the one I liked rather than order one online. I started with the cheapest American Precision (I think it was called the Performer) and worked my way up through the American Standard, Deluxe and vintage reissue. The vintage ones were my favourite and I tried two or three out in different shops. They were very nice.
I then saw a small guitar dealer online had a custom shop Precision. The weight was good, and I asked him about the neck (I prefer the normal wide P Bass neck) and all looked good. It was about 300 miles away, so a long way to go to try it out. Instead, I said could I buy it, and if I didn't like it, send it back for a refund, less 5% for his time. It would have cost me about the same in fuel and saved my many hours of travelling. He agreed, I got the bass and it was perfect! Very resonant, with a powerful but not overbearing sound. It's by far my favourite bass.
So long story short, definitely buy one!
Definitely a post that needs pics!