The thing with Fenders is...

[Lorenzop]

...they "sit" really tight in a mix.
It seems like they sit in their own little niche, supporting the mix without clashing against other instruments.
And they are more "felt" than heard, but you really notice smth. is missing when it's not there, smth "fat" that really fills up the bass frequency and adds dimension to a mix.

I know its been said before but it really struck me for the first tome yesterday as i heard this YT comparison video with Warwick Streamer:

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

I usually find fenders pretty boring soloed out as they seem "muffled" to me, and find other tones (from modern basses) more defined and interesting, but in the end mix a bass really shouldn't be jumping out at you anyways right??

The Warwick in the vid is def. punchier on its attack and cuts through the highs better, but even on cheapy Apple earbuds it just seems to "not fill the bass role" in the mix.

Am I crazy or do you confirm? Are there modern basses that "fill up the low freq" without clashing against the other instruments??

If so tell me cos I'm not actually such a Fender fan! ( well, at least I thought!)

[6jase5]

Great video to watch....not at all a Fender Forever Man! which I thought it was going to be.

Personally I think that it switches from Fender to Warwick depending on the song. I probably like the Fender sound better overall, but the W certainly works for some of the song choices he demoed.

Well made video, imho.

[esa372]

Originally Posted by Lorenzop

...they "sit" really tight in a mix.
It seems like they sit in their own little niche, supporting the mix without clashing against other instruments.

I know its been said before...

Yes, it has... because it's true.

Originally Posted by Lorenzop

...I'm not actually such a Fender fan! (well, at least I thought!)

I will never understand why people keep saying this.

[Stone Soup]

I think the Jazz Bass sounded better on all of it, myself. I found the Warwick to be very strong in the upper mids. It's just a matter of preference. The Fender sounds "right" to my ears.

[two fingers]

Originally Posted by esa372

I will never understand why people keep saying this.

So you are implying that to be a real bassist one MUST be a Fender fan? That would be no different than saying "I don't understand how people could NOT be a Model T Ford fan. After all, they really got the whole car game going, so not driving one makes no sense." Hmmmmm......

By the way, I AM a Fender fan. But I'm not going to tell someone else they are wrong because they aren't.

Sorry, back on topic. The video is nice. I do think that the bassist could have gotten rid of a little of the fret buzz in the Fender with a good setup. But, then again, he wasn't being paid to make the Fender sound good, now was he? But I actually liked the Fender better for most. However, there were a couple of time when the Warwick won out for me.

[Stone Soup]

Originally Posted by two fingers

So you are implying that to be a real bassist one MUST be a Fender fan?

Where in the heck did you pull that from?

[Emibass]

I´m not a Fender fan but love how Fender sits in the mix.

[Scott in Dallas]

Undeniable, AFAIC.

[esa372]

Originally Posted by Stone Soup

Where in the heck did you pull that from?

For real...

I'm talking about people saying, "I'm not a Fender fan, at least that's what I thought..." (which is, in fact, what I quoted).

I have seen it many times on this forum - "I don't like Fender, but I sure like the way they sound/feel/play/look!"

No one in this thread has said, "Fender started electric bass, so not playing one makes no sense."
What makes no sense is saying that you don't like something, and then saying that you like it. (Just look at post #7, above.)



Anyway, as you have said:

Originally Posted by two fingers

Sorry, back on topic.

[petrus61]

I think it's Precisions, namely traditional split single coils, that sit well in a mix, not really Fenders overall. For example, I seem to have trouble making jazz's fit in with anything other than a traditional three piece. Anything more than that (2 humbucker equipped guitars through Marshall half stacks) and I'm lost.
Never have that issue with a Precision.

[FunkMetalBass]

I thought the Fender sounded a bit thin, and in that respect, I think his Warwick sounded better in every song. That being said, I wasn't a big fan of the Warwick tone.

[portlandguy]

^Never have that issue with a Precision.

[two fingers]

Originally Posted by esa372

For real...

No one in this thread has said, "Fender started electric bass, so not playing one makes no sense."
What makes no sense is saying that you don't like something, and then saying that you like it. (Just look at post #7, above.)

Sorry. I misunderstood. I stand corrected. Cheers.

[bigchiefbc]

Originally Posted by Lorenzop

...supporting the mix without clashing against other instruments

...they are more "felt" than heard

...a bass really shouldn't be jumping out at you anyways right??

...it just seems to "not fill the bass role" in the mix.

Sorry, I just can't stand sayings like that. I can't stand the idea that bass is "supposed" to be a support role only, and shouldn't "stick out" or BE HEARD in the mix. I WANT people in the crowd (or listening to my music) to be able to hear what I'm playing clearly. Maybe that's why I never really got it on with any Fenders. I own a VM Jag bass because I wanted a well-made backup/practice bass for cheap. But I've struggled to make it sound how I like my basses to sound.

[Evil Undead]

Originally Posted by Stone Soup

Where in the heck did you pull that from?

+1

[TigerInATrance]

Originally Posted by Lorenzop

...but in the end mix a bass really shouldn't be jumping out at you anyways right??

This is not right in many cases. It's like saying that bass lines shouldn't ever stray from the 1 or be melodic, or that the bass player should never be out front and part of the show. It reeks of the old "quarter notes pay the bills" adage that's as relevant as June Cleaver bringing Ward his pipe, slippers and newspaper when he arrives home from work.

Fender basses have a place, but they are no Skeleton key, jack of all trades, be all end all, panacea of electric bass correctitude. They are traditional looking and sounding instruments that don't exude enough extroverted energy to get egomaniacal guitar players panties all twisted up in a bunch.

[Herrick]

Originally Posted by bigchiefbc

Sorry, I just can't stand sayings like that. I can't stand the idea that bass is "supposed" to be a support role only, and shouldn't "stick out" or BE HEARD in the mix. I WANT people in the crowd (or listening to my music) to be able to hear what I'm playing clearly. Maybe that's why I never really got it on with any Fenders. I own a VM Jag bass because I wanted a well-made backup/practice bass for cheap. But I've struggled to make it sound how I like my basses to sound.

Yeah, I'm not quite sure what he was getting at. I prefer the bass to sound just as loud & clear as any other instrument in a band.

[tdub0199]

I prefer the Jazz....

[jamestown94west]

I thought both basses sounded like crap. First of all, the Warwick is a rockbass, and if the fender is American, its some sort of reissue or custom shop, or something other than a plain ol standard model. So, its not really a fair comparison.

I own a nice parts jazz, and German Warwick. They both do entirely different things. I play one in one band, and the other bass in my other band. They are each suited to the bands I play them in perfectly.

[king_biscuit]

I preferred the Jazz Bass. I would like to hear a P bass in there too. Maybe he did play a P at some point, but I could only get through about 2 minutes of the video - it was way too long, and I could only take so much of that song he was playing along with.