"Do you play a Fender?"

[Sputnik Monroe]

YES ...

My standard rate for bringing out my Fender gig basses is X$$
The rate for bringing out my vintage Precision or Jazz Bass is XX$$$
A period correct backline is available ... Prices by request.

 

[shawshank72]

Its major BS.
Started a thread myself about this same problem not long ago.
My Peavey Fury and Yorkville bass gear didnt live up to his hearing with his eyes attitude.
Stupid people in the world.

 

[AltGrendel]

Should have told them you own a Ritter. That would have confused the heck out of them.

 

[CS]

Some bands basically just don't know what they are doing. Years ago I auditioned for a funk band that had an ad that stated no Mark King soundalikes. I was in the control room watching the guy one before me play Dune Song on a JD MK sig into a Trace 4x10 stack. He got the gig...? Played sub in a band where the leader told me to play long notes with lots of compression. I turned my compressor off and played staccato. He turned to me and told me that was exactly what he wanted.

So on topic, this band probably couldnt tell the sound of a Fender v a Musicman v a Wal or anything else. Unlike Lenny Kravitz, they probably wont be paying enough money to invest in a Fender (P or J or not bothered?).

Keep looking...and good luck

 

[jassthebass]

I do play a Fender but that's 1 of 3 that I have (Mansons & a Gibson too).

However I would choose which one I would play !! And no one has ever asked me to play a specific one !!

How odd !!

 

[Jamvan]

*All precentages completely made up

As 68.3% of percentages are.

 

[Jamvan]

Just starting out again and didn't want to pay for the real deal (ok, let's be honest. My wife wouldn't let me spend what I want to...). Hunted down a Squier VM that had been tweaked, likely for this very reason.

No flames please as it will be fully disclosed if I ever sell it.

 

[groooooove]

Sounds like you're better off not dealing with them. Smile and move on.

yah.

i've dealt with plenty of this- i play mostly on a 6 string ambonya burl bass.. definitely doesn't look like a fender..

the dudes who have that "4 string fender only" thing are usually not dudes you need to impress. the real great players, or the pros who are working all the time, don't care at all.

that's been my experience at least.

 

[Nephilymbass]

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? Sure, I understand why a bassist would prefer a Fender over an Ibanez or whatever, but why does it matter so much to non-bassists (such as band leaders, producers, etc)?

Is it a passive vs. active thing? Because there are active Fenders, and a lot of passive basses that aren't Fenders. Even so, are these people aware that most active basses can be switched to passive?

I have a feeling this preference is because of tradition, but if that's true, then is only 4 string passive Fenders wanted, or are active 5 string Fenders just as acceptable, as long as it's a Fender? Are Dimensions and Modern Players equal to P's and J's to these people, are or they viewed as "not as good"?

... It just drives me nuts, because I've owned Fenders, but likely won't again. I just find other manufacturers make basses that are much more comfortable for me, which allow me to play better on them than on any Fender I've tried. Is this not better?

I've now owned 2 fenders, 3 musicmans, a peavey, An ibanez, 4 warwicks, and a conklin. Whenever I'm shopping for a new bass my guys reply is, "buy what you want we know you can make anything sound good"

 

[DavC]

my Warmoth says ' licensed by Fender ' ... though you'd need to take it apart to see that ...

and are they implying a MIA Fender . ?

 

[gidbass]

Yup. Squier by Fender that is.

 

[Crazy_Jake]

I don't think it 's a matter of simply knowing what sound you will get out of a Fender - does the person playing the bass know how to use their EQ to get a good sound out of the bass? Just because you have a Fender does not equate to a good tone imo. Having a good instrument regardless of the brand on the headstock, and knowing how to use your EQ to get a good sound is much more important then "if you use a fender"
Your better off without them... move on...

 

[gln1955]

I don't think it 's a matter of simply knowing what sound you will get out of a Fender - does the person playing the bass know how to use their EQ to get a good sound out of the bass? Just because you have a Fender does not equate to a good tone imo. Having a good instrument regardless of the brand on the headstock, and knowing how to use your EQ to get a good sound is much more important then "if you use a fender"
Your better off without them... move on...

And if they say they want a Fender sound, ask them if they want a Jamerson Fender sound or a Jaco Fender sound. Odds are they will have no idea what you're talking about.

 

[Alan Ace Cooper]

Fender's, Devon's and LakLand's is about it for me. I have one sound guy (out of 3) at my main gig situation - He has Fender Precision Bass Fever - If it's not a P Bass, it's no good. Something doesn't sound right, can you change this, blah, blah, blah… To which I say - I'm NEVER GONNA SHOW UP FOR THIS GIG WITH A P BASS, SO FIND A WORK AROUND!! I have Devon active 5 basses because they cut through in situations when there are low end horns, upright bass and many other instruments on stage. I have a LakLand Darryl Jones, which is passive and gives that wooly tone if I need it. I have 3 Fender Jazz Basses, all with various versions of EMG active pickups. I love Fenders and I can give you Fender - but if the gig feels like it needs something else…. You can live with it, or I can go home.

 

[lfmn16]

Next time, casually reply, "yeah, I have a Fender". If you get an audition, bring your Fender-like bass; and if asked, your Fender is in the shop. After the audition, you should have a good idea if you want to play with these guys, and then decide if you want to go out a get a Fender if they insist.

I can see a "Squier" - "Fender" logo swap here!

+1

Everyone is reading some kind of nefarious intent on the part of the band. Maybe they just don't know any better and if someone shows up with a good bass and gets a good sound, they'll just say, cool.

The other thing is that as much as some people don't like it, the BL gets to set the parameters of the band. It doesn't mean he's a dick just because he like the sound of a Fender bass.

Maybe instead of being confrontational, you could just say, "I have a lot of different basses and try to work with the band to get a sound that fits the music."

 

[MultiScaleMale]

Why is everyone up in arms when a bandleader requests a certain brand / instrument? "You're better off not playing with them." is the common response. No you're not, you didn't get the gig because you didn't meet the bandleader's request. I've been pretty lucky with open mindedness with bands, but if someone makes a request, I'll meet the request and maybe bring along another bass that I'll suggest that we try at some point. I just don't see the point in shooting yourself in the foot at square one.

 

[drummer5359]

This thread does bring up an interesting point in my mind.

I've been gigging a long time and most of the players over the years in electric bands (I play in acoustic trios as well...) have played Stratocasters, Telecasters and /or Gibsons. Right now the guitarist in one band plays a few different Carvins, they sound good and I don't care. But, now that I think about it, this is the first guitarist I've played with that has not played a Fender or Gibson. Ever.

Maybe part of the reason that guitarists expect Fenders is that they play Fenders.

 

[bassrich]

My response:"I like my Washburn better but yeah I do have A Fender P-bass that I use for backup"

 

[danosix]

I once heard a story similar about Lenny Kravitz. Maybe it was from this board, I dunno. Basically if you showed up with anything other than a Fender passive four string he dismissed you.

Personally, I get it. I am a designer by trade, and aesthetics are important to many people (including myself). I don't think this makes them bad, or stupid, or shallow. It's just a preference.

I also play guitar and sing in a band. I care what the bassist plays. I wouldn't want anything active, or anything more than four strings. I wouldn't care if it was a Fender per se, but I would prefer something that leans 'classic.' Ric, Epiphone, Gibson, Guild, Mosrite, Hagstrom, Ampeg, etc...

That being said, I wouldn't want a drummer with a rack or too many pieces, or a guitarist that plays a Floyd Rose equipped guitar, or a PRS, Ibanez, Jackson etc. It's just a matter of having similar tastes to your bandmates. Nothing wrong with that. You wouldn't see Paul Simon hiring Lars Ulrich. No biggie.

To be fair - Lenny is high profile enough to demand what he wants (regardless of whether it makes sense) and since he is totally going for a 60s vibe, anything other than a 4 string passive bass would be inappropriate (especially visually). Having said that, I know he loves his EB3, so I don't think that story is entirely true - though I'm sure he insists his players have vintage style instruments for the look.

 

[gln1955]

Why is everyone up in arms when a bandleader requests a certain brand / instrument? "You're better off not playing with them." is the common response. No you're not, you didn't get the gig because you didn't meet the bandleader's request. I've been pretty lucky with open mindedness with bands, but if someone makes a request, I'll meet the request and maybe bring along another bass that I'll suggest that we try at some point. I just don't see the point in shooting yourself in the foot at square one.

I would say people have that reaction because the question raises two red flags

1. The BL may be a micromanaging control freak
2. The BL doesn't understand the bass and what can be done with any particular bass tonally.

If either of these are true, it can make for a frustrating band experience. Whether that is cause to avoid that band altoghether is an individual decision.