[quote name='The Bass Doc' timestamp='1363109810' post='2008688']
The expression 'Leo got it right' is bandied about quite a lot.
I understand the view but being one of the very few people to have spent some time with him I can say that he wouldn't neccessarily claim that.
I met him at CLF Research in 1979 when he was producing guitars for Musicman and he was constantly trying to improve and develop his instruments. I would say the Stingray may well have been the first truly active bass to be a world-wide success and of course he went on to design some fine instruments under the G&L banner.
I can't imagine that any present day luthier of the more boutique/unique styled basses would denegrate Leo Fender's pioneering work since I guess they would accept they had to design [i]from [/i]something that went before.
For his part LF only claimed that he was lucky in producing the first production-run bass that 'caught on' i.e. that if any other company had beaten him to it [i]that [/i]may well have been how the masses would expect a bass guitar to be.
So, dear friends, we should respect the original innovater and at the same time be grateful that further innovations have come along to enable all tastes to be satisfied.
The fact that the Precision bass (along with it's derivitives) continues to be probably the most popular in the world to this day as far as numbers are concerned is a credit to the man but were he still alive he would no doubt be trying to improve on it.
Viva la difference! (as the Spanish would say, Rodney).
[/quote]
Listen to the Doc. He's got it right. Time to simmer down and let the thread fade away.