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Did I 'Help' Or Not ---------

SurferJoe46

SurferJoe46

Feb 22, 2010
9,057
763
The Bitterroot Mounts, Montana
#1
Two Latino guys (bear with me here, it is necessary to know they are Mexican) in a pawn I usually visit - a father and son - and they are looking at some poor quality p-clones on the hooks, so they ask me which is the best bass in the store.

I pointed out a very nice '02 Fender P in that soft Lake-Flaccid Blue (not my fav color) and some earned road-rash.

I show them and they look pretty disappointed, so I plugged it into a Fender Rumble and fire it up. Nice tone- good feel - nice action- pots are clean and responsive - but they aren't too happy with the scratches on the back and a few small dings on the face.

It was marked at $285.00, but I know I can get it down to $225/$250 if I wanted to.

Gawd - it was a NICE bass - even one I would be proud to own although that blue color looks weak to me. So I asked them if they'd like to go to GC and they said: "¿Qué? ¿Cuál es ése? "

It's just 4 miles down the road so they follow me and we get there just as it opens, and I can see from their disappointed faces that they can't see the immensity of the place from the front door. This store is pretty big inside, but outside it's just two doors.

Once inside their eyes just froze!

We walked over to the "Thunder Room" where the basses are hung and I grabbed a White/Black/Rosewood Fender Squier P-Bass and fire it up on my favorite (Acoustic B-450) amp.

Ooooooh. Gobs of tone and power! It's also a little cheaper than the used one and it doesn't have any scratches - so that's a biggie with these two.

The father is being helped by the son - who is the English speaking person of the two, and the father wants to learn to play Norteño (North Mexican/US border-style) music which I like a lot.

I get to thinkin' that I shouldda had them get that older-but-scratched Fender P at the pawn, but what do you guys think?

Reasons FOR the Squier P:::
1) New
2) It sparkles
3) It's a Squier by Fender, although that is NOT a problem for me
4) Warranty​

Reasons FOR the Fender P:::
1) Road Rash (Did I say that?)
2) Funk is pre-installed
3) It's a full-on Fender
4) I like it a lot, even w/o a warranty​

To them - the 'New' and 'Sparkles' means a lot. I can understand that - and I'm sure glad that I talked them out of the 'Pretty" P-clones even at GC.

I told them you don't take a stick on a bear hunt and if they showed up at a Norteño jam with a Chinese-/Korean P-copy, they might not get on the stage, even if the other players are all cousins and uncles.

Class counts!

Whatchuthink? Did I screw them up? :help:
 
#5
StuartV said:
I'm confused. Isn't a Squier a "Chinese-/Korean P-copy" ?

And I assume the Lake Flaccid P you were looking at is a MIM Fender?
Click to expand...

Semantics.

The fact that Fender now allows the 'by Fender' on the Squier head means something new I feel.

Again - the MIM Fender P is kinda straining at gnats too. I certainly love the MIM J-Deluxe I just got, so I think that point is moot. And why not? It has a MIA neck and MIA electronics.

The new Squiers are really a giant step (I couldn't spell 'quantum') upwards as I see it.

No - I was trying to keep them from the glitzy no-names on the heads and those that are logo'd with Sharpie marking pens.

11969433.jpg
 
#10
FunkMetalBass said:
I still don't think it was necessary to know that they were Mexican.
Click to expand...

Yes it was.

They are the epitome of coolness and their music style is important.

If they were Viennese and needed a softer, mellower musical instrument, it would have gone the other way. I would have then recommended an Ibanez or a Hofner or something more conducive to their music.

But Norteño requires a good fill and great punch and the P would do that in spades!

I am going to play some with them - by their invitation - when they get somewhat more set up, so it isn't a slam or a dig at the people, but an accolade.

Mexicans are great people, but feigning insults because of the reference is short sighted I believe. If I didn't like them, then why would I even offer to help?

I even asked here if I might have given them bad advice - so what's that really mean? I have a conscience.



I think you got it all wrong.
 
#11
SurferJoe46 said:
Semantics.

The fact that Fender now allows the 'by Fender' on the Squier head means something new I feel.

Again - the MIM Fender P is kinda straining at gnats too. I certainly love the MIM J-Deluxe I just got, so I think that point is moot. And why not? It has a MIA neck and MIA electronics.

The new Squiers are really a giant step (I couldn't spell 'quantum') upwards as I see it.

No - I was trying to keep them from the glitzy no-names on the heads and those that are logo'd with Sharpie marking pens.
Click to expand...

Sorry. I wasn't trying to dig at what you were saying. I just was confused about which way you intended those remarks. Whether you were trying to steer them towards or away from a Squier and towards or away from a MIM Fender.
 
#13
OK - I got a few requests for some references to Norteño music, and I have a semi-sample for you. The camera work will make you dizzy and of course it is sync'd to the recording, but you can get a general idea.

This is 'sorta' the same, but it has a lot of variances to the general Norteño music.



....those are just a few samples.
 
#14
Munjibunga said:
We found "that guy." It's inevitable.
Click to expand...

Some people seek out opportunities to be offended (or to be offended on behalf of others).

If they had been WASP Yuppies and you had acknowledged that would anyone have commented on it?

If youhad commented that it was a sunny day would the sun have been offended?

Political correctness sucks.
 
#15
Yeah man, you helped them out. You should feel good. It was like Talkbass w/out being on the computer :)

I once helped an older guy who was just starting on bass from almost getting duped into buying (actually, financing) a $1299 Warwick from a pushy salesman at GC because he said that's the BEST playing bass in the store. I was just sitting in there trying some amps out on a Squier VM Precision. The salesman took the bass down, showed the guy how sweet you can look slappin and poppin all funky on the Warwick (knowing damn well the guy just needed something to learn on and couldn't even play yet). When salesman finally put the Warwick in the guy's hands, the poor guy looked terrified- like he was afraid he'd break the bass or something.

When the salesman walked out of the bass room to go grab a brochure for GC's (rad totally affordable :rollno:) credit card application, the guy asked my opinion on the 'wick. He then mentioned he really didn't want to finance $1300 on a brand new bass, he didn't even know how to play, and his wife would kill him if he spent that much...

I said, "you know man, you're just starting out, the new Squier VM's and Classive Vibes are great basses to just get a feel for the instrument. It might need some new strings and a set up, but this will do you just fine for learning on." We switched basses, I let him play it (instead of SHOWING him how to play it), and he ended up buying it...

I didn't mean to rob the GC salesman from his fat commission check, but c'mon - you try and push a $1300 bass on someone who literally can't play a single scale?

The buyer had no clue what was better, just what something costs (most people assume high cost = always better). The salesman couldn't believe it when he came back to see the guy walking to the register with the Squier VM Precision in his hands and me sitting there fumbling around with the 'wick.

Then he tried and pitch the sale of the 'wick to me right then and there :eyebrow:
 
#16
I think you did a great thing. I was in a local guitar store once and a mom and her teenage son walked in. Within about 20 minutes or so the salesman had them looking at a $ 1200 bass....the kid had never picked up a bass before. While the salesman was busy confusing the pair...I picked up an Ibanez sr and started messing around on it. The mom walks over and looks at me...looks at the bass and says " Excuse me...what's the difference between that bass and the one the guy was showing me?" I turned to look at her and said..."around 800 dollars". She ended up buying the Ibanez sr. Her kid loved the color and the fact that the neck was thinner and the bass was light weight. I also suggested she look in the classifieds for decent used amp. She was really happy....the salesman....less so.
 
#17
I think that with some of the PMs I'm getting here, that I'll take this to the "Miscellaneous" post area.

I'll try to show some of the heavy influences that I feel are so indicative of the Mexican and generally South American music style - even some of the more "Wasp-ish" and white-guy acceptable music.

You should know that most of the early Mexican music came from German Oom-Pa-Pa Bier~Garten style, and that's where you might get some deja-vu feeling for it.
 
#18
Munjibunga said:
We found "that guy." It's inevitable.
Click to expand...

Munji, I think you're "that other guy," as this is the second time within a week you've quoted one of my posts and made reference to me being "that guy."

It makes me smile. :)

SurferJoe46 said:
Yes it was.

They are the epitome of coolness and their music style is important.

If they were Viennese and needed a softer, mellower musical instrument, it would have gone the other way. I would have then recommended an Ibanez or a Hofner or something more conducive to their music.

But Norteño requires a good fill and great punch and the P would do that in spades!

I am going to play some with them - by their invitation - when they get somewhat more set up, so it isn't a slam or a dig at the people, but an accolade.

Mexicans are great people, but feigning insults because of the reference is short sighted I believe. If I didn't like them, then why would I even offer to help?

I even asked here if I might have given them bad advice - so what's that really mean? I have a conscience.



I think you got it all wrong.
Click to expand...

That was about the most intense response to a fairly pointless post on my part. My argument still stands, though - it wasn't necessary to know their nationality, even though you claim it was. What was necessary, however, was the style of music the son wanted to play.

I realize you have a conscience, but then you unnecessarily bring up race again in your rebuttal. Now it appears as though race does play a card, even subconsciously.

I'm more confused coming out of this thread than I was going in. Congrats on suggesting a bass that works well with the style of music.
 
#20
FunkMetalBass said:
My argument still stands, though - it wasn't necessary to know their nationality, even though you claim it was.
Click to expand...

Perhaps it wasn't absolutely 100% necessary, but then again, neither are most details people give that help to flesh out a story, and I don't see why you apparently view it as a distasteful remark. I'm not offended when people refer to me as Latino. In fact, I'm proud of my ethnic heritage. As long as the reference to race isn't in a derogatory context, what's the problem with identifying someone as who they are?
 

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