you cant beat fender, They got it right.....

[Prime_BASS]

[quote name='4 Strings' timestamp='1372865611' post='2130902']


You mean one that's adjustable for individual string height and intonation? Oh.
[/quote]

Along with adjustable string spacing, and thru body aswell as top loading, oh.....

[cloudburst]

Can't believe I'm getting sucked into this again.

But there are 2 statements in the title of this thread. One is pretty accurate and the other isn't. IMO

1. "Fender got it right first time". I tend to agree - they really got it MUCH closer than you could reasonably expect.
2. "You can't beat Fender". Well - you can. Depends on your criteria. A Steinberger will beat a Precision for transportability for example.

CB

[greyparrot]

wow i cant believe this tread is still going strong!! just called back after a few days to see this still up there! good stuff! great to read all your thoughts... i have this bass in the for sale (as i have 2 of them!) and selling one...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQJf47QbQkI

these are great basses (i think) but i think all fenders are, i recently owned a squire VMJ V cost like £220 ...what a bass! i don't think you can find much better at that price point...punches way above its weight... I like them all, the fancy jobs, like the one i'm selling, (as im looking to upgrade my car) the p basses, jazz basses squire mex usa they are all neat basses well worth the money... i think Fender got it right!!

[BetaFunk]

[quote name='timmo' timestamp='1372883410' post='2131225']
If they are so perfect, why are people selling them?
[/quote]
Simply because Fender owners want you to share in their joy at owning the best.

Edited July 3, 2013 by BetaFunk

[4 Strings]

[quote name='Prime_BASS' timestamp='1372884183' post='2131246']
Along with adjustable string spacing, and thru body aswell as top loading, oh.....
[/quote]

Here you go, pretty much identical to the US Jazz deluxe I swapped for a Stingray.

[attachment=138248:Fender deluxe bridge.jpg]

Just a variation on the BBoT theme. They had the multi-grooved saddles in the 60s, and all US basses are through body with the top loading option.

I know they're really crude, but that could be seen as elegant.

[Prime_BASS]

[quote name='4 Strings' timestamp='1372892998' post='2131461']


Here you go, pretty much identical to the US Jazz deluxe I swapped for a Stingray.

[attachment=138248:Fender deluxe bridge.jpg]

Just a variation on the BBoT theme. They had the multi-grooved saddles in the 60s, and all US basses are through body with the top loading option.

I know they're really crude, but that could be seen as elegant.
[/quote]

Fair enough but but still limited to very few models.

[slapmonsta]

Fender certainly got "something" right.As for the statement that you "you can't beat a Fender" I'm not sure I'd agree there...some of the horriblist,overpriced planks I've ever played have been US Fenders (at least the ones I used to have to sell were lol)..

It's horses for courses...I've got a jazz bass (at least it looks like a jazz...) that i use on the sort of gigs where you HAVE to "play a Fender"...it has a US Fender body and pickups,and the rest of the bits on it are made by other manufacturers who to put it bluntly-make far better stuff (in my opinion,of course....:-)

There's no doubt Fender's work,but they're ...well....a bit ...."dull..."...When i see someone playing one at a gig it reminds me a bit like watching a football match on holiday abroad-and the bloke sat in front turning round and telling you he supports man utd....:-)

Give me a Status S2 any day...(dons tin hat...:-)

[gsgbass]

When I was on the road with a few bands as a Roadie, It was amazing the abuse the Fenders took, and performed as a top playing bass, later that day, or at the next venue. Gibsons led in head breakage, out of the case, or in the case. The 17 degree angle on the head of a Gibson is a curse.

[abc]

[quote name='greyparrot' timestamp='1372237783' post='2123119']
After 30 years playing and going through some of the 'best' basses out there i still don't believe you can beat the fender p or jazz bass. Iv had basses costing 4k and some costing £40 its not the bass its in us to make the music. Iv played basses that have pre amps as sensitive as my **** and some dead as door-nails... I (personally) think you cant beat a fender. Right now im playing a fender usa p bass deluxe v and a line 6 variaxe (great) ... I think the fender is the best bass i have played in all ways, and while i know its a very personal thing... they really are the work horse of the bass world, at least for a jobbing bass player as i am.... yeah its nice to see exotic wood but paying 2k because of it and lets face it many end up for sale i simply cant see it anymore... i think id prefer a nice table top rather than a bass to look at for exotic wood... yeah it changes the sound...but at the end of the day Fender got it right...After playing pro for many years and using and selling many basses. You can get most tones in the fingers, where and how we play, anything else can come from the tone and amp controls, you can 'will the sound' out of most basses, rather than trying endless pre amp options.... This is just my view of course and i can say i have played everything from top end spectors to old p bass copies... personally i always come back to the work horse of the bass world... Fender.. and lets face it a nice one is by no mean cheap ! but i personally think they got it right. It could well be because 30 years ago the first bass i ever had was a kay p bass copy, so i guess i grew up with the shape and fender basses were the (and still are) the main axe for most players back then.
[/quote]

Now it would help if fender also put them together properly and reliably so.

[chris_b]

Fender got a lot right but what he [i]really[/i] got right was to invent a way of making musical instruments on an assembly line.

The method of production largely dictated the form. He made many good decisions (pickup placement was one of the best) but he was also lucky that the competition at the time missed a trick by not adapting their brands and adopting his manufacturing methods.

I guess they're all on the assembly line method now but they gave Fender such a lead that he became uncatchable.

[The Dark Lord]

[quote name='iceonaboy' timestamp='1373144779' post='2134177']
Fenders are great because they sound so good. You see ANY band on tv or at a gig and 9 times out of 10 , it's a Fender. Case closed !
[/quote]
Oh yes. Amen.

[flyfisher]

By debating all the good/bad points of fenders compared to other brands, this topic seems to missing the most important factor of all - iconic status. THAT is surely the reason that fenders are so popular?

There are all sorts of iconic products - want a luxury motor car, then get a Rolls Royce. Want a good MP3 player, then get an iPod. Want a good watch, get a Rolex. Etc, etc. All iconic products have their good points and bad points and all have their competitors, many of which will be better in some respects than the icon in question. But none of them are the iconic products they aim to compete with. Yes, a Lexus is a fine motor car, but it's not a Rolls Royce. I'm sure Sony make some good MP3 players, but they are nowhere near as cool as an iPod. Omega make perfectly good watches, but they're not in the same league as an iconic Rolex.

So If you want a bass then you can be sure that a Fender will not only do the job demanded of it - as proved by countless musicians over decades of live and recorded music - but you can also be confident that it will be widely accepted as the 'right' choice and will never be asked "what's that then?" when you open the case.

Of course there will always be people who choose to avoid iconic products (and iconic music come to that) for all sorts of valid reasons, but they will never detract from Fender's iconic status. Indeed, they may help to enhance it.

[leroydiamond]

Just picked up a used Custom Shop Custom Classic Jazz in excellent condition for 1350 Euro. Fender got it right!

[peteb]

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1373192024' post='2134453']
Fender got a lot right but what he [i]really[/i] got right was to invent a way of making musical instruments on an assembly line.

The method of production largely dictated the form. He made many good decisions (pickup placement was one of the best) but he was also lucky that the competition at the time missed a trick by not adapting their brands and adopting his manufacturing methods.

I guess they're all on the assembly line method now but they gave Fender such a lead that he became uncatchable.
[/quote]
[quote name='flyfisher' timestamp='1373201079' post='2134590']
By debating all the good/bad points of fenders compared to other brands, this topic seems to missing the most important factor of all - iconic status. THAT is surely the reason that fenders are so popular?

There are all sorts of iconic products - want a luxury motor car, then get a Rolls Royce. Want a good MP3 player, then get an iPod. Want a good watch, get a Rolex. Etc, etc. All iconic products have their good points and bad points and all have their competitors, many of which will be better in some respects than the icon in question. But none of them are the iconic products they aim to compete with. Yes, a Lexus is a fine motor car, but it's not a Rolls Royce. I'm sure Sony make some good MP3 players, but they are nowhere near as cool as an iPod. Omega make perfectly good watches, but they're not in the same league as an iconic Rolex.

So If you want a bass then you can be sure that a Fender will not only do the job demanded of it - as proved by countless musicians over decades of live and recorded music - but you can also be confident that it will be widely accepted as the 'right' choice and will never be asked "what's that then?" when you open the case.

Of course there will always be people who choose to avoid iconic products (and iconic music come to that) for all sorts of valid reasons, but they will never detract from Fender's iconic status. Indeed, they may help to enhance it.
[/quote]
I think that these two posts pretty much sum up (respectively) what Fender really did get right and the reason why a lot of top gigging players use Fenders...

[BetaFunk]

[quote name='peteb' timestamp='1373318505' post='2136201']
I think that these two posts pretty much sum up (respectively) what Fender really did get right and the reason why a lot of top gigging players use Fenders...
[/quote]
Well that's that sorted.

NEXT!!!!!!!!!!!

[4 Strings]

[quote name='Prime_BASS' timestamp='1372961250' post='2132222']
Fair enough but but still limited to very few models.
[/quote]
Actually, for the record it was the same bridge on the US Standard Jazz I just sold too, hadn't noticed. Must be on quite a few Fenders. The modern Fenders are quite sophisticated with their carbon rods at al.

[4 Strings]

[quote name='BetaFunk' timestamp='1373319725' post='2136229']
Well that's that sorted.

NEXT!!!!!!!!!!!
[/quote]

[size=4]"You can never trust a Gibson, they get it wrong"[/size]

[attachment=138660:Gibson-EB-Bass-Satin-Ebony.jpg]

[neepheid]

[quote name='4 Strings' timestamp='1373354748' post='2136445']
"You can never trust a Gibson, they get it wrong"

[attachment=138660:Gibson-EB-Bass-Satin-Ebony.jpg]
[/quote]

OK, time out. It's one thing to have a celebratory Fender thread - god knows it's happened before and it'll happen again. But when the "headstock fell off because I breathed on it" anecdotes and random but specific piss taking of other brands start appearing then that's when I hold up my yellow card. It's one thing to be happy with what you've got, but it's quite another to scoff at what others hold dear.

[Prime_BASS]

[quote name='neepheid' timestamp='1373364000' post='2136622']


OK, time out. It's one thing to have a celebratory Fender thread - god knows it's happened before and it'll happen again. But when the "headstock fell off because I breathed on it" anecdotes and random but specific piss taking of other brands start appearing then that's when I hold up my yellow card. It's one thing to be happy with what you've got, but it's quite another to scoff at what others hold dear.
[/quote]

That bass is disgusting though. Probably what would happen if a blind man tried to describe a Sabre bass to someone who'd never seen one before.

[neepheid]

[quote name='Prime_BASS' timestamp='1373365327' post='2136641']
That bass is disgusting though. Probably what would happen if a blind man tried to describe a Sabre bass to someone who'd never seen one before.
[/quote]

Did you even read what I wrote?

[4 Strings]

[quote name='neepheid' timestamp='1373364000' post='2136622']
OK, time out. It's one thing to have a celebratory Fender thread - god knows it's happened before and it'll happen again. But when the "headstock fell off because I breathed on it" anecdotes and random but specific piss taking of other brands start appearing then that's when I hold up my yellow card. It's one thing to be happy with what you've got, but it's quite another to scoff at what others hold dear.
[/quote]

'Twas tongue in cheek, I'd love a Gibson bass.

[Roland Rock]

[quote name='Prime_BASS' timestamp='1373365327' post='2136641']


That bass is disgusting though. Probably what would happen if a blind man tried to describe a Sabre bass to someone who'd never seen one before.
[/quote]

Each to their own. I think that Gibson is lovely, much nicer than a Sabre. Anyway, looks like this thread better stick to discussing Fenders!

[stingrayPete1977]

[quote name='neepheid' timestamp='1373364000' post='2136622']


OK, time out. It's one thing to have a celebratory Fender thread - god knows it's happened before and it'll happen again. But when the "headstock fell off because I breathed on it" anecdotes and random but specific piss taking of other brands start appearing then that's when I hold up my yellow card. It's one thing to be happy with what you've got, but it's quite another to scoff at what others hold dear.
[/quote]

I wasn't aware you were a mod?
That said I agree really, more fender bashing please

[Hutton]

Matt has got a good point here. It seems that we will inevitably have a I love/I hate Fenders thread every few weeks or so. So be it. For my part, I obviously love my Fenders but I also used to own one of the Gibsons that Matt now owns. It was a cracking bass but it just wasn't getting played as much as my precisions due to preference. Is that not the whole crux of this? Some prefer one thing and some another. It's not however the case that one bass is better than another it's just a different variation on a theme. It's fine to discuss the merits and otherwise of particular basses by expressing our opinions but it is utterly juvenile to come out with silly statements of the 'it sucks' variety. BTW Matt, I'm going to be moving to Aberdeen in the next couple of months. The big smoke beckons!

[neepheid]

[quote name='Hutton' timestamp='1373395190' post='2137126']
BTW Matt, I'm going to be moving to Aberdeen in the next couple of months. The big smoke beckons!
[/quote]

Heh, nice one. Taking over the place, one bassist at a time