• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

30 years from now, boutique or cheesy?

#61
Bet some you guys didn't know that 30+ years ago Fender was considered a boutique bass. And it was the one you HAD to have if you wanted to be considered a serious bassist. Now a original 50,s p bass can go for around 20k. Even if it was a total p.o.s that sat in someone's closet, because it couldn't be played by anyone that wasn't a powerlifter.
 
#63
DougD said:
Bet some you guys didn't know that 30+ years ago Fender was considered a boutique bass. And it was the one you HAD to have if you wanted to be considered a serious bassist.
Click to expand...

I don't buy that... plenty of pro musos used Hofners, Hagstroms, Gibsons, Yamaha, Wal... Many very high profile recordings were made without Fender Basses...

The main driving force was the muso union books in the US advertising "Fender Bass" players... everyone else did just fine.
 
#64
Fenders were never Boutique basses. That's laughable. They were modular, affordable, and disposable.
Remember the highly touted bolt on neck? Designed so that When, not If the neck warps It can simply be replaced

Leo fender was a genius that designed a cheap plank that was so playable and good sounding that it became the recording industry standard for decades, but Boutique? Never.

Just for the record I play Warwicks. I don't consider them to be Boutique either. They are ridiculously overpriced Professional instruments made in a Giant Factory in Germany. They simply give me the sound and playability that I prefer to use in my musical endeavor.

I suggest we put aside any reverse gear snobbery and play what we need to get our jobs done and be happy.
 
#65
frankie5string said:
I don't buy that... plenty of pro musos used Hofners, Hagstroms, Gibsons, Yamaha, Wal... Many very high profile recordings were made without Fender Basses...

The main driving force was the muso union books in the US advertising "Fender Bass" players... everyone else did just fine.
Click to expand...

Also, Many people don't realize that for a very long time the term "Fender Bass" was used in the music industry as a generic term for an electric bass. The maker of the actual instrument was irrelevant.
 
#66
Lesfunk said:
Also, Many people don't realize that for a very long time the term "Fender Bass" was used in the music industry as a generic term for an electric bass. The maker of the actual instrument was irrelevant.
Click to expand...

True... If I remember correctly it had something to do with the genius that Leo Fender was... he took his bass directly to the musos in Hollywood - in some cases giving them away to get the marketing "ball" rolling on them. Hence why the union rags referred to them as "Fender Bass Players"
 
#68
spade2you said:
I strongly disagree. That kind of crap shouldn't come from guitards, let alone other bassists. I may not agree with what you or other people use, but I defend your right to the hilt to use it.
Click to expand...

But why get upset/offended if someone doesn't approve of the gear you chose? They don't have to play it, let alone like it. The only opinion(s) that truly matter on the gear you chose is yours and perhaps your band mates.
 
#70
Alembics hold value because they are great instruments and generally a bit more tame in their styling - Explorer is about as far out as it gets, already a classic. Designs that are fairly symmetrical (SG-, Melody Maker-based) or more related to a classic (Henman) have a chance of holding value (link also features some ... expressive copy).

I wouldn't say the bass pictured fits those categories, and see it as pretty dated when we're all extinct and the talking apes discover it in a cave.
 
#71
Lesfunk said:
Fenders were never Boutique basses. That's laughable. They were modular, affordable, and disposable.
Remember the highly touted bolt on neck? Designed so that When, not If the neck warps It can simply be replaced

Leo fender was a genius that designed a cheap plank that was so playable and good sounding that it became the recording industry standard for decades, but Boutique? Never.

Just for the record I play Warwicks. I don't consider them to be Boutique either. They are ridiculously overpriced Professional instruments made in a Giant Factory in Germany. They simply give me the sound and playability that I prefer to use in my musical endeavor.

I suggest we put aside any reverse gear snobbery and play what we need to get our jobs done and be happy.
Click to expand...

Bought my first Fender bass around 63 or 64. (no I am not living in the old folks home yet). It was well worn and chipped and faded blonde. Can't remember if it was a Tele or Precision but remember I, (my parents), bought it and sold it in the hundred buck range. After I tried to rattle can refin it in to a poor man's Moserite. That was the Hotrod boutique because of a band called The Ventures. Bought the next great thing, a Fender Jazz around 1966/67. Maybe 150.00.
I still can't figure out why people pay 5 figures for those basses I used to own? Why a G&L from the early 80's is 800-1000 unless you think Leo was droolin on himself by then.
Boutique Schmootique! Classic Shmassich too. Great stuff right out of the factory today. Had an early 80's G&L L-1000 and a new L-2000 and sold the old one. New one sounded better. An old bass won't facilitate your abilities to the level of Jamerson/Dunn/Radle. Only you will grasshopper.
 
#73
LM Bass said:
Just for laughs -In 2050 there will be no electricity, so the only bass left will be one you can't plug in, and my double bass will still be singing.
Click to expand...

or bands can only play during day time, on a sunny or windy day, wearing solar panel hats or wind turbines sticking out of the PA ... the days of stage diving will be over due to chopped off limbs :cool:

but seriously, you have a point: chances are high that electric energy will be very scarce
 
#78
cassanova said:
But why get upset/offended if someone doesn't approve of the gear you chose? They don't have to play it, let alone like it. The only opinion(s) that truly matter on the gear you chose is yours and perhaps your band mates.
Click to expand...

I don't get offended, I just accept that that individual is very ignorant as my gear is tailored and finely tuned to my exact tonal goals and ergonomics. Quite frankly, I've responded to unsolicited opinions at local shops, with "hey, I didn't ask." Moreover, defending this sort of ignorance is more ignorance. Like I said, guitards and singers who couldn't even read a key signature, but consider themselves bass experts dish out this crap, I find it VERY stupid that fellow bassists also keep us down like that.

Faderoktopus said:
Yeah, 'cause that's the other option.:rollno:
Click to expand...

This is exactly what others are hoping for.
 
#79
Lesfunk said:
Fenders were never Boutique basses. That's laughable. They were modular, affordable, and disposable.
Remember the highly touted bolt on neck? Designed so that When, not If the neck warps It can simply be replaced

Leo fender was a genius that designed a cheap plank that was so playable and good sounding that it became the recording industry standard for decades, but Boutique? Never.

Just for the record I play Warwicks. I don't consider them to be Boutique either. They are ridiculously overpriced Professional instruments made in a Giant Factory in Germany. They simply give me the sound and playability that I prefer to use in my musical endeavor.

I suggest we put aside any reverse gear snobbery and play what we need to get our jobs done and be happy.
Click to expand...

They were in the 50's and ' 60's before the boutique builders started making a name for themselves. Yes plenty of people played other basses, but many in the music world considered Fender Yo be THE top of the line. This was before Wall, Alembics and others. And most back then really had to scrimp and save for a Fender. 2 to 300 dollars was a lot of money back in those days. Hofners and others were cheaper to buy. But that was WAY back In the day. Things were different than they are today, so the same boutique rules really don't apply.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back