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Fender = boring and dull.


wateroftyne
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[quote name='Dingus' timestamp='1363031871' post='2007385']
I can't think of any . It would go against the whole Fender design aesthetic - I am reluctant to describe it as a philosophy - in the same way that it would undermine Alembic to produce a bass with a bolt -on neck . The significant point is however , that most bass players and bass makers broadly agree nowadays that a bolt on neck is best . As with most things , Fender got it right to begin with , thus negating the need for change .
[/quote]

I think most players agree a bolt on neck is best, but only if you want that traditional Fender sound ;) , which does seem to be very popular at the moment.

There's no question in my mind that neck-through designs produce the best response, immediacy and consistency over the whole of the neck (particularly ones using graphite / carbon fibre or multi laminated / engineered timber) but in doing that they lose a lot of the character of bolt on neck. It's also part of the reason Fenders are so inconsistent as their necks rely on a single piece of wood, some sound great, some not so great.

It seems guitarists and bass players are mostly a traditional lot and don't seem to embrace new technology, they'd seem to rather play something designed in the fifties. Some players (even the youngsters) describe Musicman as a modern bass (1970s) and Status Graphite or Steinbergers as futuristic (1981). :huh:

Coming back to the bass in question, I think it's great that Fender built something a bit different but the shape and design are crying out for a neck through construction, or at least an extended neck joint set further into the body. But maybe that's not what the AlienAntFarm guy wanted.

Edited by Fat Rich
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[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1363079734' post='2007885']
I don't know where to start disagreeing with this tosh. So I'll just leave it at that.
[/quote]

:lol:[size=4] Well, we [i]are [/i]on page three already... so it's about time we started making the same points that are posted on page one.[/size]

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[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1363084824' post='2008010']
:lol: Well, we [i]are [/i]on page three already... so it's about time we started making the same points that are posted on page one.
[/quote]

And then someone could start a similar thread so the same people can post the same opinions and restart the same arguments ;) :P :D

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[quote name='wateroftyne' timestamp='1363085125' post='2008018']
This thread has reinforced what I thought all along - Fender can't win.
[/quote]

I don't think Fender are too bothered about what we think of them. They're obviously a 'Marmite' company. Personally I love 'em. In fact I love 'em so much I even had a replica Fender P built... :D

PS: I do eat real Marmite, though.

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[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1363085311' post='2008023']
I don't think Fender are too bothered about what we think of them. They're obviously a 'Marmite' company. Personally I love 'em. In fact I love 'em so much I even had a replica Fender P built... :D

PS: I do eat real Marmite, though.
[/quote]

Yeah, I bought my Schecter because it was basically a P-bass (extra J-pickup not withstanding), but better than a MIM Fender for the money. But having tried a MIA Fender I realise I'm possibly missing out. A bit like that time when money was particularly tight and I decided to buy Vegemite because it was cheaper than 'real' Marmite...

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[quote name='EliasMooseblaster' timestamp='1363086691' post='2008063']
A bit like that time when money was particularly tight and I decided to buy Vegemite because it was cheaper than 'real' Marmite...
[/quote]

Oof, never again! Out of necessity I once bought Sainsbury's 'Yeast Extract' and had to get it out of the bloody jar with a knife! Once you've used Marmite's convenient squeezy plastic sphincter there's no going back! :D

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[quote name='EliasMooseblaster' timestamp='1363086691' post='2008063']
Yeah, I bought my Schecter because it was basically a P-bass (extra J-pickup not withstanding), but better than a MIM Fender for the money. But having tried a MIA Fender I realise I'm possibly missing out.[/quote]

From way back in the day (90's?) when I bought a MIM "Contemorary" Telecaster I was under the impression that MIM were US parts shipped to Mexico for the lower worker's pay rates to make a cheaper guitar but otherwise identical, so any noticeable difference is in the hands of who put it together, though as was once pointed out there's more Mexicans working at the US plant than there is Americans so it's a mute point.

Was I mis-informed, or is this not now - or never was - the case?

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[quote name='Big_Stu' timestamp='1363087998' post='2008107']
From way back in the day (90's?) when I bought a MIM "Contemorary" Telecaster I was under the impression that MIM were US parts shipped to Mexico for the lower worker's pay rates to make a cheaper guitar but otherwise identical, so any noticeable difference is in the hands of who put it together, though as was once pointed out there's more Mexicans working at the US plant than there is Americans so it's a mute point.

Was I mis-informed, or is this not now - or never was - the case?
[/quote]

No - generally speaking, the parts are sourced differently.

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Always liked that bass. I hated the band but Tye got a good sound out of it. Apparently he was/is a massive Primus fan and had honed his chops in a band playing their songs! It looks surprisingly crude now that custom, handmade instruments are everywhere but I bet it still plays like [i]buttah![/i]

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[quote name='wateroftyne' timestamp='1363085125' post='2008018']
This thread has reinforced what I thought all along - Fender can't win.
[/quote]

Fender already win every day that they sell a P or J bass.

There's no need for Fender to even think about changing any more. If I was running Fender as a business I'd be looking at making lots more of the same and perhaps buying up all the companies that were perceived as making a superior copy of our basses.

For those of us who don't want a Fender style bass there are plenty of alternatives available at all price points. When I am knocking Fender (or at least the Fender way of doing things) it's because I see what I consider to be design compromises that made perfect sense back in the 1950s, being applied to modern basses, without first thinking if those compromises still make sense in the 21st century.

The bass in the OP fails not because Fender made it, but because the only Fender-y thing about it is the logo on the headstock. TBH it's a fairly nasty looking thing irrespective of who made it. Of course if Fender came and offered to make me the bass of my dreams for free, even I'd find that hard to resist and would most likely come up with something equally inappropriate.

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[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1363086911' post='2008068']
Oof, never again! Out of necessity I once bought Sainsbury's 'Yeast Extract' and had to get it out of the bloody jar with a knife! Once you've used Marmite's convenient squeezy plastic sphincter there's no going back! :D
[/quote]

The squeezy thing is wrong, you just need a jar, with marmite in. And a knife, all the rest is just custom shop madness.....
:)

As to fender, the people who complain that fender only ever come out with the same tired old designs, and the people who scream "But it doesn't look fendery!?!?" when they do, are not the same people.

In case you thought they were.
:)

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[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1363089652' post='2008146']
... Of course if Fender came and offered to make me the bass of my dreams for free, even I'd find that hard to resist and would most likely come up with something equally inappropriate.
[/quote]
So, go on BRX, what could Fender do for you? I'm thinking maybe a custom shop Coronado with a set neck and your own chosen characteristics?

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[quote name='Dave Vader' timestamp='1363090062' post='2008152']The squeezy thing is wrong, you just need a jar, with marmite in. And a knife, all the rest is just custom shop madness...[/quote][size=4][quote name='EssentialTension' timestamp='1363090232' post='2008157'][/size]I hate that squeezy Marmite. What a mess and it's runnier.[/quote]

But then you get butter in the Marmite jar! ...Wait, is that what the 'plays like [i]buttah[/i]' thing is about? :huh:

Edited by discreet
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[quote name='EssentialTension' timestamp='1363090179' post='2008155']So, go on BRX, what could Fender do for you? I'm thinking maybe a custom shop Coronado with a set neck and your own chosen characteristics?[/quote]

I'm guessing that would be [i]way[/i] too affordable.

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