How do you think about Fender?

[BigRedX]

I have quirky hair, but I wouldn't be seen dead in a pair of trainers!

[Guest MoJo]

[quote name='BigRedX' post='402795' date='Feb 7 2009, 01:40 PM']No I'm the guitarist playing the far more elegant Gus G1!

We sacked the bass player because he wouldn't get something more visually in keeping with the look of the band.[/quote]

[Guest MoJo]

[quote name='BigRedX' post='402793' date='Feb 7 2009, 01:38 PM']The reason the ACG pre-amp is the "current 'must have' modification" is because firstly it's very good and secondly because it does something different to conventional tone controls, which is why it was obvious that you'd never tried a bass with one in as you would never have made the 'observation' in the first place.[/quote]

A poor analogy obviously and I apologise again.

I do remember a similar fervoured interest in the J-Retro on Basschat's predecessor, Bassworld some time ago. They were being fitted to so many Bassworlder's basses at that time and rave revues ensued. I felt myself being swept along in the euphoria and forked out £170 for one for my Fender Jazz. One gig later I felt that it had taken away the essence of all that is a Fender Jazz. It was removed and sold on.

I must admit the love affair with Fender and their clones has been an on/off thing for me over the past 30 years. Every so often, I convince myself that the new XYZ bass is the one for me. I play a few gigs with it, put it on eBay and it's back to the P-bass. I have currently two P-bass clones that have been built from parts and they are the nicest basses I've ever played. The latest acquisition came from BC's very own Basswesty. It has such a slim neck and I have managed to get a really low action on it. I plays like butter and with it's J-type bridge pup has everything I need.

[chris_b]

+1 for Trainers.
-1 for quirky hair.
Sadly, I think I'm a bit too old for "goth birds"! Sigh!!

[7string]

[quote name='7string' post='402478' date='Feb 6 2009, 10:58 PM']The only Fender bass I've owned is the USA Urge which was a fantastic bass. I've never owned a Precision or a Jazz, preferring the feel and sound of other brands instead.[/quote]

Have to correct myself. I had a Fender '51 re-issue which was brilliant, but I still wouldn't buy the more modern versions.

[XB26354]

[quote name='artisan' post='402714' date='Feb 7 2009, 11:39 AM']if you bought your Fender new it comes with a tool for adjusting the truss rod without removing anything.basically its a 3/16" ball ended T handled allen key,fits right in dead easy,these come with all American standard & deluxe basses.[/quote]
I got mine just before Christmas, and it didn't come with this, it had a normal silver allen key. I have the T handled one anyway and it doesn't work with the deluxe because the allen bolt channel is too shallow and without removing the scratchplate it is at too steep an angle. Wouldn't have to mess around with this nonsense with a simple MM style truss rod.

[YouMa]

[quote name='BigBeefChief' post='402778' date='Feb 7 2009, 02:21 PM']The 3 nicest basses I have ever played are Fenders.

I don't want to look like a space man when I'm playing so I hate all this carbon fibre sh*t. I also refuse to put batteries in a bass guitar. Batteries are for TV remotes and my girlfriends rampant rabbit. I also don't want to sound like a guitar. Just a dull thump suits me.

Quirky basses f*** me off. The people who play quirky basses often have quirky hair. And probably wear trainers with a suit, just to look quirky. Just because you've got no personality and your parents ignored you, don't try and make up for it with a silly quirky guitar.

Spikey metal basses. What a load of sh*t. Everyone knows the mettallers at school were the geeks who played dungeons and dragons. Having said that, a lot of those goth birds take it up the arse, so maybe their on to something? Still, get a hair cut, take of your cape and get a f***ing job that doesn't involve breeding snakes or working in the IT department.

I genuinely couldn't give a f*** what its says on the headstock of a bass, I just think Fender got it right. Other manufacturers (like those c**ts at Warwick) seem to think "how can we make a design different from a fender?" as opposed to "How can we design a great bass?".

I played a Burns the other day. That was alright. Different but still comfy and doesn't make you look like a c***. Although I do look (and act) like a c*** naturally.

Fender copies. Fair enough. Don't see the point though really. I know Vintange do some decent cheaper copies. Wouldn't get one of these expensive ones though. Most of them take batteries. f***ing hate batteries. I've stopped using pedals because of them.[/quote]
Are you any good though?

[The Burpster]

[quote name='YouMa' post='402858' date='Feb 7 2009, 03:35 PM']Are you any good though?[/quote]

The idea is not to take Sean either literally or seriously, he is to the free world of bass players what Combat 18 is to free world of integrated society.....

[henry norton]

[quote name='BigBeefChief' post='402778' date='Feb 7 2009, 02:21 PM']The 3 nicest basses I have ever played are Fenders.

I don't want to look like a space man when I'm playing so I hate all this carbon fibre sh*t. I also refuse to put batteries in a bass guitar. Batteries are for TV remotes and my girlfriends rampant rabbit. I also don't want to sound like a guitar. Just a dull thump suits me.

Quirky basses f*** me off. The people who play quirky basses often have quirky hair. And probably wear trainers with a suit, just to look quirky. Just because you've got no personality and your parents ignored you, don't try and make up for it with a silly quirky guitar.

Spikey metal basses. What a load of sh*t. Everyone knows the mettallers at school were the geeks who played dungeons and dragons. Having said that, a lot of those goth birds take it up the arse, so maybe their on to something? Still, get a hair cut, take of your cape and get a f***ing job that doesn't involve breeding snakes or working in the IT department.

I genuinely couldn't give a f*** what its says on the headstock of a bass, I just think Fender got it right. Other manufacturers (like those c**ts at Warwick) seem to think "how can we make a design different from a fender?" as opposed to "How can we design a great bass?".

I played a Burns the other day. That was alright. Different but still comfy and doesn't make you look like a c***. Although I do look (and act) like a c*** naturally.

Fender copies. Fair enough. Don't see the point though really. I know Vintange do some decent cheaper copies. Wouldn't get one of these expensive ones though. Most of them take batteries. f***ing hate batteries. I've stopped using pedals because of them.[/quote]

Presumably the picture in your avatar was taken shortly after sharing the above views with the local goth and heavy metal communities. Laugh? You came back in stitches....

[mrcrow]

fender is a trade name
i dont think you will be getting original fender even if you had £4000 to throw around

i look on all fenders...and non boutique basses...as mass produced instruments
the criteria is engineering finish and quality control

nowadays every lad wants a fender...mainly the headstock is the flag you fly
and will put up with all sorts of diversions in approach on pups bridge and electrics

i really think the bass world is being pulled along by the real fenders...the strats and other models in the guitar arena

serious bass men wont fall or stick in the fender rut or gulley when they can have much better engineered instruments albeit at a cost..which does say something about the whole scenario

how much do you pay for nostalgia and marketing

Edited February 7, 2009 by mrcrow

[artisan]

[quote name='XB26354' post='402842' date='Feb 7 2009, 05:04 PM']I got mine just before Christmas, and it didn't come with this, it had a normal silver allen key. I have the T handled one anyway and it doesn't work with the deluxe because the allen bolt channel is too shallow and without removing the scratchplate it is at too steep an angle. Wouldn't have to mess around with this nonsense with a simple MM style truss rod.[/quote]

that is strange mine fits my deluxe P perfectly.

[artisan]

[quote name='bumnote' post='402755' date='Feb 7 2009, 01:36 PM']Depends on the model

60s and 60s re issues need the neck taking off which is a pain[/quote]

aha but i did say the American standard & deluxe models never mentioned the reissues

[risingson]

[quote name='BigBeefChief' post='402778' date='Feb 7 2009, 01:21 PM']The 3 nicest basses I have ever played are Fenders.

I don't want to look like a space man when I'm playing so I hate all this carbon fibre sh*t. I also refuse to put batteries in a bass guitar. Batteries are for TV remotes and my girlfriends rampant rabbit. I also don't want to sound like a guitar. Just a dull thump suits me.

Quirky basses f*** me off. The people who play quirky basses often have quirky hair. And probably wear trainers with a suit, just to look quirky. Just because you've got no personality and your parents ignored you, don't try and make up for it with a silly quirky guitar.

Spikey metal basses. What a load of sh*t. Everyone knows the mettallers at school were the geeks who played dungeons and dragons. Having said that, a lot of those goth birds take it up the arse, so maybe their on to something? Still, get a hair cut, take of your cape and get a f***ing job that doesn't involve breeding snakes or working in the IT department.

I genuinely couldn't give a f*** what its says on the headstock of a bass, I just think Fender got it right. Other manufacturers (like those c**ts at Warwick) seem to think "how can we make a design different from a fender?" as opposed to "How can we design a great bass?".

I played a Burns the other day. That was alright. Different but still comfy and doesn't make you look like a c***. Although I do look (and act) like a c*** naturally.

Fender copies. Fair enough. Don't see the point though really. I know Vintange do some decent cheaper copies. Wouldn't get one of these expensive ones though. Most of them take batteries. f***ing hate batteries. I've stopped using pedals because of them.[/quote]

That made for entertaining reading... and I'm not even being sarcastic.


I don't really mind what anyone has to say about Fenders usually (unless their opinion is misinformed or not impartial). I really love the feel, design, sound and usability that comes hand in hand with simplicity and good looks IMO. Fender's current QC control issues are a separate issue altogether, I don't subscribe to the idea that because their QC in some aspects of the company isn't great that this should be some sort of deterrent against the company, a company, that in all fairness introduced the world to what the electric bass guitar is still thought of today.

To argue that tonally a Fender is boring also doesn't strike me as too much to think about. I've heard countless records now where the Fender electric bass has provided the backbone of that track. Motown, Stax, Capital, Atlantic, Beach Boys tracks, MASSIVE amounts of bass lines have been recorded on Fender basses.

On the other hand, I probably wouldn't ever go out of my way to play something made out of carbon fibre, anything with a clinical sounding preamp, or anything more than 5 strings, because I'm just so sold on the idea that all I'll ever really need out of a bass is simplicity. All I need is a bass to compliment my playing and to be honest, Fender's usually tick all the boxes for me on that front.

Also worth noting is the fact that Fender don't really hold up much influence in the bass world right now. Sure there are companies that take Fender's designs and evolve them with their own ideas (Sadowsky, Celinder, Nordy's, blah blah) and make great sounding instruments, but it's sort of their own tangent. Then there's companies like MTD or Roscoe or whatever that really try and branch out with their own ideas concerning what a bass should sound like or look like, which is equally admirable.

I guess Fender is more of an idea that people either subscribe to or don't now, I think this is especially true of bassists. Just my opinion, like. x

Edited February 7, 2009 by liamcapleton

[Deep Thought]

Precisions (not Jazzes) do it for me. Modern basses don't. I see all manner of modern designs, sometimes I think 'Mmm, that looks nice' but I've no desire to own or play one. I owned an Ibanez SR500, probably considered by many to be a better bass in terms of weight, playability, range of tones, thickness (or thinness) of neck, type of pickups etc. etc. than a Precision. When I picked up the US Precision I now own and played it, I thought 'Well, might as well trade the Ibanez in, because I know it won't get played any more'. The Precision just suited me so well. I now own two and can honestly say I don't have any desire to own another bass, with the possible exception of an original '70's Precision. I tried a chap's Fodera Monarch a few weeks ago-gorgeous bass, great sound, but no use to me. I can treat a Precsion like a tool, I can dig into it with a pick and not worry about it. I know there are companies who probably make better basses, but I just can't get excited over them.
I've said it before and it's already been mentioned in this thread, Fenders are like Harley Davidsons. A classic design, largely unchanged apart from minor details for decades. Other companies make a similar product which probably does the job a lot better, but if you're into Fenders/Harleys, you don't want anything else, and if you're not, you don't understand why anyone would want one.

Edited February 7, 2009 by Deep Thought

[Bassassin]

[quote name='YouMa' post='402383' date='Feb 6 2009, 09:05 PM']Fender will still be around long after cort have dissapeared.[/quote]
Wildly unlikely. I think it's a lot more likely that Cort will be turning out licensed Fenders & Squiers long after US Fender production is knocked on the head. Cort is one of the biggest guitar manufacturers in the world and has been producing a multitude of high-profile brands - including Fender - for nearly 40 years.

To answer the original question, most products can be defined by a brand or brands, and bass guitars have, over the course of their history, become synonymous with the Fender name. They aren't the best basses ever made, but are certainly the best-known. And in such a brand-obsessed culture as the one we live in, it amounts to the same thing in most people's eyes.

Personally, I have a wide & eclectic taste in basses, and there's room for a decent Jazz or even a P alongside the Tokai Talbos & Kawai Sleeklines.

Jon.

[BigBeefChief]

[quote name='YouMa' post='402858' date='Feb 7 2009, 03:35 PM']Are you any good though?[/quote]

I'm f***ing rubbish.

See how bad I am at www.myspace.com/gimmeshelta

What a shameless plug.

But it's true. I'm bad but add a certain sex offender charm to the precedings.

xx

[Buzz]

[quote name='BigBeefChief' post='403151' date='Feb 8 2009, 01:26 AM']I'm f***ing rubbish.

See how bad I am at www.myspace.com/gimmeshelta

What a shameless plug.

But it's true. I'm bad but add a certain sex offender charm to the precedings.

xx[/quote]

It's true, he dresses up as Gary Glitter for the toilet circuit gigs.

[YouMa]

Even people who dont play guitar know fenders name,i bet none of them have heard of cort.

[ARGH]

Ok....

Read pretty much all the previous,and enjoyed some,though not all.....

If Leo got it soooooo right,why is there a massive replacement parts industry for Fender/EBMM...basically Leo/Leo's company's designed/made Instruments. WHY have I had to rip out the P/U,change the nut,replace the jack,scratchplate etc etc to make the instrument tolerable (I didnt have a ton of money when I got it in 01...I traded 2 instruments and a wad of cash for it).

The 96 P that sits,not 12 inches from my right hand essentially PAID for my house downpayment and morgage and bills and transport for the last 5 years....Its been through a court case,been dinged,dropped,thrown about...Ive had the frets stoned 3 times

Its also f***ed my spine and neck up,ok being a raging headbanger has not helped,but this has been the sheer fact that on 80% of my gigs that Ive got paid for,Ive played this Bass,and Ive played this Bass in many many different styles of music over that..Disco to Metal,Soul to Modrock....Its done it all. Why did I use it and still,try to,retire it??

The answer is simple,Its RELIABLE.....It always sounded good,the Sound guys loved it,it fitted into whichever gigs image I was doing...weddings to Death Metal,Pub gigs to corp shows for Pilots and charity freebies...

Thats the key to Fender over the years,they are RELIABLE..I dont want to argue about year x or part y (Though I still think the S1 switch was the silliest thing to put on a P,and I just dont feel confident about 3 bolt plates)..THEY ARE RELIABLE,horrid over weighty,ergonomically grim,old hat...underfretted,passive toned...4 stringed....f*** off RELIABLE.

And thats why they are still being bought,and will always be bought,I couldnt give a sh*t who 'owns' Fender now,I dont buy Fenders for the years or the image,I bought it because I knew IT WOULD WORK,Ive the one I love and I dont want to change it..If you dont like them,as I try not to,buy an Ibby or a Warwick or whatever fashion is dictating you should buy...or Mod it to hell and back..the parts are there,and have been for the last 30+ years.BUT DONT slag off summat that works,Slag the players,Slag the styles they play,the whole 'Rob Trujillo Plays a Fender..' Shocker a few months back...utter bollocks,its a f***ing instrument,some bods playing it,big whoop,christ GET OVER IT.....If it works for him/her/you..and you are happy.thats all that matters.


Only until I bought a Yammie 6 did I feel like 'It felt safe to stay in its case' because I had a 3 bnd active eq,less or a more balanced weight,and 2 more strings,and more frets.....Ive since gone Headless,but I wont slate a Bass thats put me a ton of cash into my pocket for whole lot less bother than anything else onstage.

[stingrayfan]

The F-word doesn't really do it for me. The three I owned felt like antiques. Prefer the post-P stuff like the ones listed below!

[leonshelley01]

When I bought my Jazz bass, I had gone in with the intention of buying an Ibanez SR500, but discovered I didn't feel comfortable playing it. I then tried every other bass in the shop in my price range and the Jazz just felt right. The pickups were poor and I've also changed the bridge, but it is comfortable to play and is very versatile. It also sounds like a bass as opposed to a baritone guitar like many modern basses.

I think Leo Fender just made good designs, which is why so many other manufacturers models are based on them. I own two Ibanez RG guitars, which are basically Strats with 24 fret necks, Floyd Rose trems and humbuckers.

Fender are like The Beatles and Bob Dylan. Both artists wrote great songs, they just didn't always record the best versions!

[henry norton]

[quote name='ARGH' post='403173' date='Feb 8 2009, 05:07 AM']WHY have I had to rip out the P/U,change the nut,replace the jack,scratchplate etc etc to make the instrument tolerable (I didnt have a ton of money when I got it in 01...I traded 2 instruments and a wad of cash for it).[/quote]

MY GOD, I SIMPLY CAN'T TOLERATE MY SCRATCHPLATE ANY LONGER!!!!! PLEEEEAAAASSSSEEEEE HELP ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[big cat]

Oh....4 threads for Fender

[ARGH]

[quote name='henry norton' post='403240' date='Feb 8 2009, 10:31 AM']MY GOD, I SIMPLY CAN'T TOLERATE MY SCRATCHPLATE ANY LONGER!!!!! PLEEEEAAAASSSSEEEEE HELP ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!![/quote]
It broke.....Cracked around the pots.it gave me and the singers kid a lesson in not smoking too....all new white on the underside,a sickly stained yellow on the other...and white on black with a black P/U looks odd to me.

Edited February 8, 2009 by ARGH

[Golchen]

I don't get on with Fender basses, but strats are my weapon of choice in the 6 string division.