Fender's update on their American Deluxe Series of basses was quite ground breaking when it came out a few years ago. Despite having invented the Electric Bass back in 1951 and being on top of their game, Fender are not a company to rest on their laurels, so for 2016 they came with the new and exciting American Elite Series of basses and guitars.
At first glance these basses look quite similar to the previous American Deluxe series but upon closer inspection you start to see some coon new features that clearly make these the best modern Fender basses ever.
This is the Dimension Bass and it sports two powerful humbucker pickups and a clever system that lets you get 5 distinct (and great) tones using a Strat type 5 way lever. Cool. The active preamp has 3 very musical bands and offers even more sonic variations. This preamp operates at 18 Volts. The extra headroom will come in handy when you really push the bass and play the lowest notes while you boost the onboard Bass control.
But wait, there's more:
- You get the choice of thru the body stringing (maximum sustain) or traditional top load (more attack)
- Graphite reinforcement bars inside the neck
-Compound radius for more comfort
- Improved neck heel with a new ergonomic shape.
- Easier than ever access dual way truss rod using the spoke wheel at the base of the neck (you can use just about any tool for that)
- Two string retainers at the headstock to give the strings the perfect break angle (better tuning and none of that open A strange noise anymore)
- High quality case included.