kwmlondon

I have started singing.. Ebanol and iverol live together in perfect Cuprinol side by side on ibanez fretboard oh lord why can’t we?

It's all about what you can trademark. I guess Fender didn't take the threat from copies seriously when they were cheap and bad - they gave people a taste for the guitar and aspire to a Fender one day. The lawsuits started flying when Japanese manufacturers started making products better than the origina and they could no longer own the Stra, Tele, Precision or Jazz shapes as they were ubiqutous, but the scroll headstock was a feature they could control. Must have been an interesteding meeting when they decided they'd be better off licensing out the Fender name and just take a percentage - amazing how quickly a knock-off copy becomes a MIJ. I'm sure there are lots of lessons here.

I just wonder if Sire have a manufacturing system better suited to smaller runs - they're getting more and more niche with their instruments they must have a setup where they don't need to sell such huge numbers but can still turn a profit. I'm not an expert, but it'd be interesting to see how the whole supply chain works for the different companies.

I think that there is a consistent markt for Strats, Teles, Precisions, Jazz etc. Stuff like the paranormal series will have a market, but much smaller and once the people who want one have bought one there's no ongoing demand. Smaller makers can do well making niche products but Fender's business plan is built on big numbers so it makes sense for them to do the odd special edition or limited range and then move their huge manufacturing capacity back to products they know will sell in big quantities. Bear in mind that if a company gets it wrong that's game over. If you want to see a proper scare story look up the motorcycle manufacturer KTM and their woes through overproduction. https://www.wheelsguru.com/stories/ktm-financial-crisis/#google_vignette

I don't know if it's vanity so much really as just liking nice things. If you can have a really, really decent bass for £1,000 or one that's not much better, objectively, but has been custom-made for you by a builder you like at a cost of £4,000 is that vanity? I'd say no more than paying for antique furniture instead of going to Ikea. Some people will do it for the brag-factor, but lots of people are just really into art deco and are happy to pay for the privilege. One area though where it can really be worth paying more just for the brand is if you think you may not keep the instrument, even second hand. It can be really hard to move a bass on with a lesser-known name on the headstock because people may just not be aware of how good it is, but you can always shift a Fender if you ask the going rate - they are a known quantity.

It's always been diminishing returns though. A £250 bass will be a LOT better than a £125 one. The £500 bass will be a fair bit better than the £250 one but once you get past £1000 the improvements will be smaller. I'm being deliberately sweeping here though - there will be individual instruments that go against this and offer amazing value at a high or low price but I stand by the general point. There seems to be a sweet-spot about £500-750 ish where you can find a lot of manufacturers giving very good value. When I've spent more than that I'm very aware that it's very much because I WANT something rather than being logical about it. There's usually a perfectly good alternative a lot cheaper that does MOST of what the expensive thing does!

I must have misunderstood the person in the store then. My bad.

These look tasty. I had an SR505 - it was a gateway drug to 5-string madness. It was really rich and fruity. I'd love to try one of the higher-end ones.

Pure bass filth!

I hear great things about the preamps. The one I tried was afar eastern one and didn’t feel as nice as a Lakland, but that was just the ones in the shop and thad Darryl Jones bass had lovely rolled edges on the neck. Yummy!

You’re being very sensible and logical about this! I tend to be a lot more unhinged in my approach to buying a bass. Much more emotional.

Yeah, I've not tried the BB735 or 435 but they seem chunkier from all I've seen. They also have a more trad feel - the BBG5 I'm playing at the moment feels closer to Ibanez - not skinny but svelte of neck and 24 frets which can be handy if that's what you like. It's properly light too. About the same weight as my Stingray 4 string! This one's passive with the two single coils though, but the upside of that is plenty of space between neck and neck pickup. Me? I'd prefer to use an EQ pedal than active eq but if you're doing covers I'd say it's worth considering fitting the preamp of your choice anyway as you may need a passive tone as well as EQ. Downside of singles is slight noise when you move away from both on at the same time, not catastrophic but noticable. One thing though is that it does look "modern" and that can be an issue for some. Personally, I play a Dingwall in a punk group so I could not give a stuff but some people are very judgmental about this kind of stuff.

I’ve been kindly loaned a Yamaha BBG5 and it’s lovely. It is very easy in the hand and is super playable and if the TRB5 feels the same I’d definitely shortlist it- I think Chuck Rainey plays one. I tried a Sandberg in a store and it felt very, very well made. The tone of that particular model didn’t quite press my buttons but I was very taken with the quality. The Lakland Darryl Jones I played may be one of the nicest modern J- type basses with a 70s pickup layout. I thought it much nicer than a comparable Sadowsky, the rolled fretboard was super comfy and the pickups excellent. Even nicer than the Fender USA Jazz Pro II which was great but a bit polite (though I think their V-mod pickups are brilliant). On that basis I’d definitely shortlist an active Lakland.

I had an affinity Jazz. Nice piece of kit.

It does seem odd to have such a big crossover between the high end Sqiers and the budget Fenders, but they are a very successful company. I think they’ve probably done their market research and have a plan to protect the brand.

I skipped over to 5 stringers never to return. I tried a Dingwall in a store and that low B made me tingle. I’ve spent the last 4 years trying to get to grips with the extra string, extended range and fanned frets and I just can’t go back. It just feels right to me.

My brain isn't quite nimble enough to cope with a drop tuner but that's a really good way to deal with songs in Eb! Kubiki's E/D string is definitely the most elegant and brilliant way of getting an extended range out of a 4 string bass though.

The upside is there are absolutely fantastic instruments out these at better prices than collectible ones. I have a messed about with late 80s made in Japan strat that’s a fab guitar and not particularly valuable.

On the downside you’d end up with a bass that would be the same sort of quality as a 449 Squier, the upside would be that you can always sell it for decent money because it’s a “proper” Fender. In that light it’s not a bad purchase.

I’d assume I’d spilled some wine in the green reader.

More than happy to help. Hope it all went well!