Seeing that Fender with an FBass gig bag reminds me of something that happened years ago.
True story. I saw my first FBass here on talk bass; a photo of a BN5. The enhanced wood grain, wood pickup covers, and the body shape were just gorgeous. In fact, I thought it was the prettiest bass I'd ever seen. I did research and found that they are much more than a pretty face, so I wanted to try one.
I walked into Mammoth Music in Anchorage and not seeing any hanging from the wall, I asked an employee if they carried FBasses, or could order me one.
He scoffed and looked at me like I was an idiot and said, "You mean Fender basses. Yeah, they are over here."
"No," I responded politely, "I mean FBass...."
Before I could say any more, he interrupted me and said, "It's FENDER. They use an F for the logo, but the company is Fender."
I replied, "Actually, Fender uses the entire word 'Fender' for their logo. FBasses are different. It is a brand of high-end, boutique basses made by a guy named George Furlanetto. I'm looking for an FBass."
His superiority complex turned to contempt as he sneered, "There is no such thing as FBasses; you don't know what you are talking about. I play bass and I know: you mean Fender basses, and they are right here."
I didn't argue, but I did enjoy the look on his face when he noticed the logo was the word Fender and not the letter F.
Weeks later I returned to Mammoth Music with my newly arrived FBass in hand, and searched out that employee. When I found him I said, "Here, this will interest you." I walked him over to the bass amps and took out my BN5.
There were gasps around us, and a "crowd" of 4 others came to check it out. One of the people was their store manager; a good guy by the way.
I started talking about the 34.5 inch scale length for a better B-string, the push / pull hum cancelling pickups, and someone else commented on the pickup covers. We all agreed it had a beautiful shape, and the wood was striking.
I asked the employee who said he was a bass player if he wanted to try it. He declined. I plugged in and did Portrait of Tracy, then some Marcus Miller riffs to show off its slap tone.
I also took advantage of the situation to (politely) tell the store manager that I was in weeks ago wanting to buy an FBass BN5, and that this employee "helped" me. I said since he'd never heard of FBass, I thought I'd bring mine in.
Someone from group of spectators asked me if I was in a band yet, and if not, what would I think of being in a blues band. Before I could answer, that employee just turned and walked away without saying anything.
BTW, I declined on the band invitation; I didn't live in Anchorage but outside of it, and I had too busy a schedule to add another commitment.
At any rate, that Fender vs. FBass confusion on the Steve Bailey model reminded me of that story.
