Brand Fans

[Beer of the Bass]

I don't have a lot of brand loyalty - there are definitely flavours and styles of instruments and gear that I like, but there are usually multiple ways to get in the ballpark of those.

I suppose the place where I do have some attachment to one brand is with my Thomastik Spirocore double bass strings. They're an industry standard for that style of string (and used by several of my bass inspirations), nothing else does their particular thing quite as well, and every time I've tried others I've come back to them.

Edited November 18, 2021 by Beer of the Bass

[AndyTravis]

I started with a Yamaha BB there will always be something about them I love.

 

Never let me down.

[ezbass]

I suppose I’m a Phil Jones fan when I think about it. I originally bought a Cub (marvellous thing) then a PB300 to make the Cub gig-able, then a Bass Buddy to make a super compact rig and then a Flightcase for a variety of rigs (the Cub and Bass Buddy have long since gone now). Finding myself in sudden need of a new pair of headphones last week, I looked at PJ again (this time I did buy elsewhere). I reckon that probably makes me a fan.

[donslow]

On 17/11/2021 at 20:23, PaulThePlug said:

Ibanez and the SR... evolution not reveloution.

That super comfy worn pebble shape body... and that great SR neck... subtle headstock shape... totaly boring but i'd say near perfect.

If only they had a std passive P or PJ in the SR range like in the GIO's.

Think @donslow sorted a SR300 filled and re-routed to convert to a PJ some time back... just the ticket.

 Yup, filled with a PJ quarter pound set and still a go to bass…

 

I’ve tried other basses (lots of them too) and I just can’t get quite as comfortable with any of them as I do with my SR’s

 

Added to the SR300 that I had our very own @Andyjr1515 fill and route for me, I’ve since had another SR300 filled and routed with a MM pickup in the sweet spot, works a treat

[chris_b]

I'd rather not be a "brand fan", but some definitely seem to have "magic" in their designs.

 

Brands I've used over many years and bought more than one item, Aguilar, Thunderfunk, Barefaced and Bergantino.

[Bassfinger]

Even the brands that we're fans of, how may owe the basic underpinnings of their design to dear departed Leo?

 

The man was a figurative giant in our world, and long after his passing continues to he so.

[tegs07]

2 minutes ago, Bassfinger said:

Even the brands that we're fans of, how may owe the basic underpinnings of their design to dear departed Leo?

 

The man was a figurative giant in our world, and long after his passing continues to he so.

Agree with this. He also figured out a way to mass produce instruments and make them affordable. There are many sociological arguments why this is a bad thing but without Mr Fender and Mr Ford music would never have been so accessible and so varied in such a short time span.

[tauzero]

1 hour ago, Bassfinger said:

Even the brands that we're fans of, how may owe the basic underpinnings of their design to dear departed Leo?

 

The man was a figurative giant in our world, and long after his passing continues to he so.

 

The only thing that I can think of with my favourite brands (Warwick, Sei, Antoniotsai) is a 34" scale length.

[Old Horse Murphy]

I would have always considered myself to be a Fender fan, but I think I'm more of a Leo fan actually. Nothing else really quite hits the mark for me Bass-wise. 
 

I'm definitely a Mark Bass amp fan through and through and my pedalboard has always contained an EBS Compressor and Octaver.  
 

It's only on reflection that I realised I've probably been more faithful/consistent with amps and pedals than I have with basses and cabs. 

[LITTLEWING]

It is a strange thing and I can’t get in to any other bass than a Fender or a Squier either. I’ve had Yamaha, Ibanez, Westone, LTD, Epiphone, OLP and a Danelectro since the ‘70s but for some reason just can’t ‘become one’ with any of them. They all (mostly) sounded good and played just fine but Leo’s stuff always feels and sounds just right.

I have a theory it’s a lot to do with subconsciously hearing a P or J on nearly every track on the radio for years and it’s such a comfortable tone that simply ‘sits right’ our heads and nothing else will do.

Believe it or not, right now I’m gigging with a 2000 Squier Standard PJ with all original pups (turns out the split jobbies are actually Alnico which they fitted at one time) and it’s honestly like and extension of me and feels so damn right in my hands and ears.

The mind is a weird thing but once you can get around brand snobbery life’s a sunny day.

[Marvin]

I've never had the money to be loyal to a particular brand 🙂

 

I tend to buy the gear, at a certain price point, that will give me what I need in terms of playability, sound and to some degree aesthetic if possible. I do though, try to buy brands that hopefully have a good reputation and/or decent after sales network if something goes wrong. There are brands that if they go wrong you may as well bin as the parts or repair options are non-existent. That said, I do own a Sire v7 and I'm not sure how you get the onboard preamp sorted if it goes belly up.

 

If I had the budget for higher end gear I'd have to try it first, I think. I don't know where I'd start to be honest.

Edited November 21, 2021 by Marvin

[Bassfinger]

1 hour ago, tauzero said:

 

The only thing that I can think of with my favourite brands (Warwick, Sei, Antoniotsai) is a 34" scale length.

The general construction, use of woods, glued on fingerboards or one piece with skunk stripe, pickup type and placement, stylemof cutaways, comfort contours, the list is endless. 

 

All the brands you cite have at least some of these examples in their range, and some models a surprising amount.  Leo either invented, first applied or popularised many of the features on your favourite basses.  You have to go as left field as the original composite Steinbergers to escape most of these, and even then the scale length lingers like a fart trapped unfer the duvet.

[Crawford13]

I am a certified Alpher Fanboi. Just about all my instruments are made by Chris & Al. 

 

I love both of my basses, but the my Manta guitar is also a masterpiece, I never really enjoyed playing guitar until I got this instrument. Now I love it.

 

Not only do they make incredible instruments, but they are also great guys that are a total pleasure to work with.

 

Now I just need to find strings that I fall in love with, it's been a 20 year struggle...

[bagsieblue]

5 minutes ago, Crawford13 said:

I am a certified Alpher Fanboi. Just about all my instruments are made by Chris & Al. 

I think I've only just now realised where the Alpher name came from......

[CameronJ]

I’m a huge fan of Dingwall basses - I’ve had three in total and currently just own one. Phenomenal quality, innovation and attention to detail.

 

In more recent times I’ve discovered Xotic basses and am a serious lover of them. I currently have two of their “XJ” five string jazzes and absolutely love them. Made in Japan, flawlessly built, a neck profile that is perfect for my hands and proper “sound in my head” jazz tones.

[Sambrook]

I've always been a fan of products that do the job without much fuss and glamour (Toyota, for example).

   Over the years, I've really come to appreciate Indonesian Corts, Ibanez's, and Tribute G&L's. It occurs to me they may all come from the same factory...

   If so, I'm a fan of that factory.

[tauzero]

9 hours ago, Bassfinger said:

The general construction, use of woods, glued on fingerboards or one piece with skunk stripe, pickup type and placement, stylemof cutaways, comfort contours, the list is endless. 

 

All the brands you cite have at least some of these examples in their range, and some models a surprising amount.  Leo either invented, first applied or popularised many of the features on your favourite basses.  You have to go as left field as the original composite Steinbergers to escape most of these, and even then the scale length lingers like a fart trapped unfer the duvet.

 

General construction - neck-through, headless in the case of most of the Seis. Glued on fingerboards - that's not Leo Fender, that's centuries before him. In fact, none of your list applies.

 

I do get tired of those who insist that Leo Fender was god.

[Light Grenade]

Lakland basses have never let me down.

 

My first was a Skyline 44-01. It was great, but I always fancied a Fender P-Bass, Took a trip around the cities, tried multiple Fenders and ended up coming home with another Lakland, a 44-64 PJ.

 

It's perfect for me and I have zero desire to play, or buy anything else. 

Edited November 22, 2021 by Light Grenade

[tegs07]

7 hours ago, tauzero said:

 

General construction - neck-through, headless in the case of most of the Seis. Glued on fingerboards - that's not Leo Fender, that's centuries before him. In fact, none of your list applies.

 

I do get tired of those who insist that Leo Fender was god.

I think there is a world of difference between acknowledging someone’s contribution to music history and saying they are a god. Rickenbacker and Gibson got there first by making a bass that was smaller, lighter and louder and opening up more musical possibilities. However they were slower to build and expensive. It wasn’t until 1951 with the Precision bass that Fender managed to make this a cheaper and easier process to mass produce. Rock and roll and punk, metal and many other genres have frequently been a working class movement and it’s no surprise that cheap instruments were required. So thanks Leo. Music changed radically in the 20 years from 1951 to 1971 and the world changed with it. I like to think there is some a link between this.

Edited November 22, 2021 by tegs07

[neepheid]

9 hours ago, tauzero said:

 

General construction - neck-through, headless in the case of most of the Seis. Glued on fingerboards - that's not Leo Fender, that's centuries before him. In fact, none of your list applies.

 

I do get tired of those who insist that Leo Fender was god.

 

Oh you done gone done it now.  Chat grenade, incoming, take cover!

[tauzero]

3 hours ago, neepheid said:

 

Oh you done gone done it now.  Chat grenade, incoming, take cover!

 

Should I say something derogatory about Prince too, just to guarantee it?

[matski]

3 hours ago, tauzero said:

Should I say something derogatory about Prince too, just to guarantee it?

And why not add that Jaco was shite and that Adam Clayton is amazing?

 

[tegs07]

2 minutes ago, matski said:

And why not add that Jaco was shite and that Adam Clayton is amazing?

 

Jaco is certainly technically accomplished but I have never heard any window cleaners humming weather report songs whilst going about their work.

[Sambrook]

26 minutes ago, tegs07 said:

Jaco is certainly technically accomplished but I have never heard any window cleaners humming weather report songs whilst going about their work.

I beg your pardon- I frequently whistle the Birdland melody 'when I'm cleanin windas'....

[tegs07]

2 minutes ago, Sambrook said:

I beg your pardon- I frequently whistle the Birdland melody 'when I'm cleanin windas'....

You must be one bloody amazing whistler …