Fender brand preference

[fish slapper]

I'm in an MBA program and currently taking Marketing. We are studying brands and their loyal customers. Since I am a Fender fan yet I also own other basses, I wonder what everyone else's impression of this iconic brand.

[Stumbo]

Love

Hate

[A-Step-Towards]

Its just another brand. I have owned over 50 fender/squier basses, there are P bass "copies" that have that P or J tone , each individual bass varies as well , no bass sounds identical.

Overall i perfer a ric or a t bird over a fender, but I do own a fender P and its a nice bass.

[lakesguypaul]

I own a MIJ Precision Lyte Deluxe with active P\J pickups,i also have a Spector Q-4 and a Traben Array Limited, I love the Fender,It is the lightest and easiest playing bass i have ever owned and i have had just about everything in my 40 years of playing.I Gig with it weekly and it has never let me down,and i don't feel like i have bailed hay all night.

[Finbase]

Originally Posted by A-Step-Towards

Its just another brand.

+1 to that. There are numerous good Fenders. There are numerous bad ones, too. The production quality varies a lot IME.

[powmetalbassist]

Not a fan of their guitars or basses, but I did own a BXR 300 back i the late 90's/ It was a solid amp, but as I've grown so have my needs and wants in tone and such.

[msb]

I'm a Pbass kinda guy , but I also keep others around . A L2500 , a Ray , a Ric , a Rivoli , and a Longhorn .

[DogBone]

Fender is far my favorite brand, and for lots of reasons, although I do own a few other brands.

Some noble reasons I guess, like that I simply like how they sound, feel, look, and that their prices are not outrageous, and that they have a price point/product line even for young/entry level players.

Some reason not so noble I guess too, for instance the warm and fuzzies I feel at how folks, musicians and non-musicians alike, just seem to recognize Fender as a "good" bass.

Consider how many times a day does some bass player uncase a Sadowsky or Lakland, just to have folks think that they are just playing some knockoff until they can save up for the real thing?

Yeah, I know that's is wrong in so many ways, but you have to admit this scenario has got to be a buzzkill on some level.

[Nev375]

They started great, went through some phases of being not so great and are now pretty good again. However, they are overpriced for what you get.

[Ken J]

If you consider a Squire a fender then I vote “I own Fenders and other brands as well".

[tmw]

I'm a fan.
It's all I currently own.
Still have my first two Fenders ('78 P-Basses).

[bassbully]

I put I only own Fenders although most of mine are Squier but they are owned and made by Fender so...you know. I'm the kind of guy who goes for the name brand in some things that has stood the test of time and keeps on keepin on, levi's, Harley's, Mercury motors. I might not own all of these today but if I'm shopping I go there since they are a dependable, American made and have a long history of a being dependable products.
They might not be the flashest or even the best vs other brands but they perform. I look at Fender the same way and for my money they perform and have a history I know, and thats good enough for me.

[Orangeclawhamme]

Does a Squier count? I have one and an Ibanez ABG.

[Chris K]

IMO Fender designs have proved themselves, since many builders based their own models on them. But I also believe that a custom made instrument based on the best Fender replacement parts available and built by a good luthier, will be way better than any mass production Fender.

[bassybill]

\"i love fender basses\" / \"i hate fender basses\" - Google Fight : make this fight with googlefight !

[klejst]

When it comes to basses it is to each their own, that is why I don't really get threads like these. Of course not everyone is going to like certain brands of basses. I back Fender because it it's been a great brand to me and I play their Precision basses exclusively because I love to and love the tone, not because it's the "cool bass to play." I understand they may not be for everyone just like any other bass or piece of gear for that matter. Just find what you like and play it!

[Chris K]

Originally Posted by multiman

I think that's a bit of a fallacy. There's little difference between a mass production instrument and a hand built one in that even mass produced basses are built in part by hand and custom built instruments are built, in part, by machines.

True.
And you know, the machine work even is the most reliable part.

IMHO it's about

• the choice of parts; just about any Fender can be upgraded with replacement parts that are better than the originals, especially pickups;
• carefully and lovingly assembling the instrument; it takes the kind of time that production workers simply do not get.

[Twocan]

I consider them the best - in my price range

[AMJBASS]

I've owned MANY basses, but I do always come back to Fender(at any rate the design). I will likely always own a Fender as they work the best for what I am doing.

[Relayer71]

Your bias is coming through in this option:

I think Fenders are great but they are not for me.

Why not, "I think Fenders are ok..." or "I think Fenders aren't terrible..."? Surely some think Fenders are decent but not great. Just saying.