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"Do you play a Fender?"

#81
In my experience most singers/guitarists are only aware of two kinds of basses... Fender Americans (good) and Everything Else (crap). Now as we all know (wink wink) high quality boutique or specialty builders only make guitars and guitar amplifiers so anything non Fender is surely a "cheap" "knock off" "junk" instrument. I mean what sort of company names a bass after a hat?

You should send them a thank you note. By cutting you off now they've saved you many hours of frustration and wasted time.
 
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#84
Matthew_84 said:
One of my CL ads got replied to last week by an originals band and their only question to me was, "Do you play a Fender?"

I replied with "No, but my bass sounds very much like a Fender. It has similar woods, pickups, and passive electronics/controls."... There has been no reply since.

Will this preference over Fenders eventually stop?
Click to expand...

Why do you assume they have a Fender preference? Perhaps they wanted a non-Fender sound and after you insisted your bass was very Fender-sounding they passed on you on that basis...?
 
#90
Suppose they required that you show up with a Fodera? Then maybe this would be a signal to re-assess priorities and the budget.

But "a Fender"? If that's the bar they're proposing, it's not like it's so uncommon an expectation as to be un-achievable price of admission to the fray. I guess I'm not understanding the problem. Jeez, doesn't this come up on TB often enough to indicate that every EB player should just have at least one Fender bass in the quiver?
 
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#91
Do you play a Fender?

I have some parts basses that are jazz and p-basses ... they look like Fenders, but they have preamps and 5 strings and other mods ...

I would have no use at all for a 4 string p-bass or a 4 string jazz bass ... other than to Frankenstein them into a bass that i could use.
 
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#92
It may be nice to respond with "I actually have a few basses and one of them is my old (doesn't matter if it's really vintage or actually just less-than-new and you've had it for more than a year, it's just to feed the guitarist's ego and imply that you like old Fenders) Fender Precision (or Jazz, or Jaguar, or...). I usually bring a couple of basses to auditions, do you have any preferences?" This makes you look like a bassist with a Fender and a team-player attitude, and you get to buy another bass.

Or when confronted with "Do you have a Fender?" you could always ask the bandleader "Since we're playing with stereotypes, do you have an overinflated ego?". Might be tough to get the gig after that one though.
 
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#93
Is this a stupid question? Yes.

... But, devil's advocate...

There is a bias about this in the industry, and it ain't just with crumby little bands on CL. From Nashville sessions to headlining world tours, there are some gigs you just can't get without a Fender. Is it just? Course not. Is it reality? Absolutely.

Fender makes good basses in any price range. Are you paying for the name? Yes. Why? because people want Fender.

If I were trying to make a living playing bass, you bet your ass I'd have a Fender P. It's just good business. Some people in this thread need to get off their high horses and realize that some things (i.e. food on the table) are more important than defending gear choices to a band leader. Cripe's sake! It's gear! Make some music and be happy you have the opportunity to do so! Even better, get a Fender and book some paying gigs!
 
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#94
pacojas said:
call me crazy, but if a guitarist doesn't show up with a Strat,.. i get bummed-out! seriously,... if it's not a Strat it better be a Les Paul. :eek:
Click to expand...
kan I still b in ur band?

D8LB6dC.jpg
 
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#100
Unless you read the label on the headstock my jazz basses could well pose as Fenders, though nothing about them are (except maybe the body shape). It's true a lot of people listen with their eyes - other musicians and band leaders more so than the audience it would seem - but if someone were to dismiss me just because of the brand of my bass without even taking a few minutes to listen to me playing then that is not a person I would be interested in working with anyway. Thanks and goodbye. :)

EDIT: For the record, I do have a Fender Precision, but it would probably not be accepted in this scenario since it's a 5 string. ;)
 
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