elom Posted June 4, 2007 Share Posted June 4, 2007 Having a mooch around on ebay as you do and I found [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1985-Fender-Japan-PERFORMER-BASS_W0QQitemZ330125219334QQihZ014QQcategoryZ4713QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem"]this[/url]. It's a Fender Performer. I've never heard of them before but I like the look of it. I'm not in the market to buy but I'm curious to know more. Any one got one or tried one? I think this will have to go on the ever-expanding GAS list! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vibrating G String Posted June 5, 2007 Share Posted June 5, 2007 When I was at BIT in 1985 Fender left one at the school and we all got to play with it. The general consensus was it looked funny, had a nice small neck and sounded very good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
douggy Posted June 5, 2007 Share Posted June 5, 2007 the guitarist from bloc party has the guitar version of these . from what i know they were a trile line put out and it never took off. doug Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elom Posted June 5, 2007 Author Share Posted June 5, 2007 I've just sat and watched this auction end with my mouse hovvering over the 'bid' button. I think I know what proper GAS is now. I'm off for a look around the house to see what I can sell on ebay (surely the wife doesn't need [i]all [/i]those shoes...) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Veils Posted June 5, 2007 Share Posted June 5, 2007 Hmmmm theres something about that I like. It would benefit from being a different colour methinks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean-Luc Pickguard Posted June 5, 2007 Share Posted June 5, 2007 [quote name='presoulnation' post='12362' date='Jun 5 2007, 10:34 AM']Hmmmm theres something about that I like. It would benefit from being a different colour methinks.[/quote] ...And maybe a different shape Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krazy_olie Posted June 5, 2007 Share Posted June 5, 2007 Surprised I've never seen that before. Not sure if I think it's amazing or a bit crap Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muppet Posted June 5, 2007 Share Posted June 5, 2007 Look at that headstock. I'm asure I've seen that logo before........ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neepheid Posted June 5, 2007 Share Posted June 5, 2007 Was this not the same thinktank that brought us the Squier Katana? [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/FENDER-SQUIER-KATANA-BASS-GUITAR-Made-in-Japan-1980s-NR_W0QQitemZ130120827443QQihZ003QQcategoryZ38079QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/FENDER-SQUIER-KATANA...1QQcmdZViewItem[/url] ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elom Posted June 6, 2007 Author Share Posted June 6, 2007 (edited) Okay, I've been doing a bit of searching around and this is what I've found out so far. All from the Internet so elements of it may be less than accurate! These basses were only ever made in Japan and were both released and discontinued in 1985 or 86 (sources vary). It was aimed at metal players (not a traditional Fender market) and they largely ignored it. I think that it was produced at the very end of the CBS years and when the ownership transferred to FMI they discontinued it. I've seen comments that there were only 200 sold but there is no credible evidence for this and it sounds a little hard to believe. It has a rosewood 24 fret board, 34" bolt-on maple neck, which is very thin and guitar like. The body is alder. Controls are: Tone, Volume, Pickup Selector Switch, TBX Circuit Control (Treble Bass eXpander but I'm not sure what it is). It was available in Burgundy Mist, Gunmetal Blue, Candy Green, White and Tobacco Sunburst. This is the best photo I've found and at least shows some of the colours that were available. I'll get me anorak..... Edited June 7, 2007 by elom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve Posted June 7, 2007 Share Posted June 7, 2007 I quite like the look of them, and I definately prefer the headstock design Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G-77 Posted June 7, 2007 Share Posted June 7, 2007 i had a Katana back then , it was fun and very pointy! I remember the neck was small and possibly short scale. Im sure it was very light and the body wood was a bit soft, but sadly i lent it out to someone ive not seen for a long time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wateroftyne Posted June 7, 2007 Share Posted June 7, 2007 [quote name='elom' post='13144' date='Jun 6 2007, 05:00 PM']These basses were only ever made in Japan...[/quote] They were designed in the USA and were initially MIA instruments. Production shifted to Japan after a little while. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elom Posted June 7, 2007 Author Share Posted June 7, 2007 Thanks for that - a key point that I was unaware of. I think I'll email those nice Fender people and see what they can tell me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krazy_olie Posted June 8, 2007 Share Posted June 8, 2007 [quote name='Muppet' post='12425' date='Jun 5 2007, 12:43 PM']Look at that headstock. I'm asure I've seen that logo before........[/quote] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elom Posted June 9, 2007 Author Share Posted June 9, 2007 The following is taken from a post that John Page, who set up the Fender Custom Shop, made on a Fender Forum: [indent]"Yes the Performer was one of my designs. Believe it or not, the Performer bass (designed before the guitar) was designed to be the Elite version of the Jazz Bass... yes that's right... it was going to be the top version of the Jazz Bass... scary huh? The shape of the instrument is derivative of the back of the Strat. Look at the waist cut on the back of the Strat and you'll see where the basic horn/body shape started. At the time (1982-3ish?) I was designing this, Fender was considered a pretty conservative instrument. Kramer, BC Rich and Jackson were building these radically styled instruments, so we wanted to get into that market. In my original design, it used a Strat stlye peghead and the pickups were a double Strat humbucking setup. I also designed the Fender logo on the Performer... I can't say that that a good thing, but it was kinda cool to design a new Fender logo. We got some comments that it looked like the peavy logo, which really pissed me off. The guitar that was produced was different than the original that I designed. I initially designed it to be made in the US, but it ended up being made in Japan. When that transition happened, things were changed. The peghead went from the Strat to the Swinger, for example, so I don't remember what pickup they actually went with. I angled the pickups to thicken up the top end a bit... and it looked cool. Well, at least to me, I like "off-line aesthetics". Why weren't they successful? Look, I was a designer in Fender R&D for years before I started the CS. I was always trying to design something new and different. When we started the CS, I tried to do the same. Reality is, the public wants Strats, Teles, P & J basses from Fender. So it's really tough to get them to accept any "new & different" designs in any great quantities. I'm afraid I have no idea how many were actually produced. I designed the five string version when I first came back to start the CS in '87. To the best of my knowledge there was only one protoype made by Fuji Gen Gakki. It was kind of a pinkish color and had the same basic features of the 4 string Japanese model. When I initially designed both bases, the were modified mustang coils, wound beefier and wired to be humbucking. When the four string version was released it used a single coil p/u under each cover. The original also was designed with a angular/massive/fine-tuning bridge, and a "lightning bolt" styled string tree. Both were prototyped but never released. I never heard of any instruments being destroyed for any legal issues... maybe another one of those "legends"? The idea behind the neck was simple, at the time a lot of bass players were guitar player converts. Bass playing style started to have more of a "lead guitar" approach, so the idea of a narrower neck was to help along those lines. The original proto went on the summer before it was released with the them "hottest" bands, Billy Idol (I don't remember his bass player's name) and The CARS bass player, Ben Orr. "[/indent] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Burpster Posted June 9, 2007 Share Posted June 9, 2007 (edited) Blue book states that production was limited to '86+7 and for 70% example its worth about $400----- So a bit optimistic me thinks! Also its not to everyones tastes is it? Ceartainly not mine.... but then life would be a bit boring of we all liked the same things eh? that being said 'tis only worth what someone is willing to pay..... e.g. there has been a GREEN PRS IV for sale on ebay for 4 months. No-one wants to pay what they are asking for it, I wont buy it as I know how much they paid for it as I watched it sell on the 'bay in US 3 weeks before it turned up in London for sale as NOS..... Pah!..... dealers! Edited June 9, 2007 by The Burpster Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elom Posted June 9, 2007 Author Share Posted June 9, 2007 [quote name='The Burpster' post='14794' date='Jun 9 2007, 09:00 PM']Blue book states that production was limited to '86+7 and for 70% example its worth about $400----- So a bit optimistic me thinks![/quote] 5 years ago you could have picked on of these up for about $250. However the price seems to have been rising pretty sharply since about 2004 and current prices seem to vary from about $650 in not great condition to $800/$900 for close to mint. But that's the crazy world of the Internet. The one I originally spotted on ebay does seem rather fully priced. I keep encouraging the rational side of my brain to explain that to the irrational side of my brain... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nik1093 Posted June 10, 2007 Share Posted June 10, 2007 [url="http://reviews.harmony-central.com/reviews/Electric+Bass/product/Fender/Performer+Bass/10/1"]http://reviews.harmony-central.com/reviews...ormer+Bass/10/1[/url] this is a review on the bass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattyB90 Posted June 10, 2007 Share Posted June 10, 2007 Headstock reminds me of Ibanez Sabre type. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muppet Posted June 10, 2007 Share Posted June 10, 2007 Apparently the EQ on the Performer was pretty good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elom Posted June 21, 2007 Author Share Posted June 21, 2007 [i]"Congratulations You committed to buy the following item: Fender Performer Bass, 1985 RARE Sale price: US $560.00"[/i] Woo hoo!!! Finally bagged one. It's battered and beat up but the seller claims it plays fine. I had lots of email conversations with the seller and he sent loads of photos of the damage so I took a chance on him being the honest guy he seemed. At least this way I wont worry about breathing on it too hard! Very happy with the price too. When it arrives I'll stick some photos up in Bass Porn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Burpster Posted June 22, 2007 Share Posted June 22, 2007 [quote name='elom' post='21650' date='Jun 21 2007, 11:19 PM'][i]"Congratulations You committed to buy the following item: Fender Performer Bass, 1985 RARE Sale price: US $560.00"[/i] Woo hoo!!! Finally bagged one. It's battered and beat up but the seller claims it plays fine. I had lots of email conversations with the seller and he sent loads of photos of the damage so I took a chance on him being the honest guy he seemed. At least this way I wont worry about breathing on it too hard! Very happy with the price too. When it arrives I'll stick some photos up in Bass Porn.[/quote] Yes please.... we'd like a look at that sir! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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