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Does liking Fender instruments make you Unoriginal?

#162
VSN_Guitars said:
Photography was elevated to art recently in the skewed world we live in now. In a world turned upside down. In a world where family values, tradition and real creativity does not mean anything anymore. In a world where DJ's playing iPods are headlining music festivals and autotune is not a novelty but a necessity. And you are right, it is not about the camera but how well you can use phtoshop to tweak what your camera shot. Up till recently photography was a trade, something that was taught to people in the same institutions that taught them how to repair shoes or a refrigerator.
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???

No. The opposite is true. Photography has been grossly devalued as digital cameras have become proliferated, and respect for the medium has declined. What would happen if Cartier-Bresson tried to start a career today? (Oh, and I'm a film shooter with a darkroom, so I get the whole Photoshop hate. It's disgusting.)

To the original question: no. Making unoriginal music makes one unoriginal.
 
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#165
FatboyJ115 said:
There is just something about them, every time I play a Fender Jazz Bass in a store it sounds so sweet to my ears. Whats other peoples opinion on them as a whole, I mean, I know some Fenders aren't that great while others are amazing. Since it's all in the setup with them I've heard. From the Jazz Basses I've played they've all sounded amazing.

I'm sure there's other Higher quality Jazz basses out there but are less common/available.

But what's TBs view on Fender Basses?
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They are nice music instruments.
 
#168
One of my favorite anecdotes about gear was a Chet Atkins story. Apparently, a journalist was interviewing him and went on and on about his guitar, his tone, his gear, and how it sounded amazing.
Chet picked up his guitar, went across the room, put it on a guitar stand and asked, "How does it sound now?" ;)
 
#170
FatboyJ115 said:
There is just something about them, every time I play a Fender Jazz Bass in a store it sounds so sweet to my ears...
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Nobody can or should tell you what to do, but if it were me and there were a bass that always sounded "so sweet to my ears" when I played it, then I would probably try and get that bass; I'd worry more about my wallet than its label.

But your concerns seem to be more about product design styling than playability or tone. So as far as being original/unoriginal goes, there are at least three ways to think about this:

1. Just play as well as you can and don't worry too much about the gear. The two main Fender designs are classic and common enough to be style-neutral at this point, like a blank canvas. In that way, I would rather hear someone say "that guy's playing is cool" than "that guy's playing a cool bass".

2. There are about a bajillion configurations of body finish, pick guard, fretboard, inlays, headstock, etc. You can make it your own, kind of like classic car enthusiasts can make a version of a '57 Chevy or '66 Ford Mustang that you've never seen before, even though you've seen many, many Chevys and Mustangs before.

3. Being different just for the sake of being different is just as useless and silly as being a conformist for the sake of conforming. Things have their own merit, and sometimes (sometimes!) a thing is well-liked because it is a good thing, and not because the uncool masses have been duped into liking it. True story: as a pretentious college radio DJ in the '90s, I snoozed on Elliott Smith's solo stuff because he became so popular so quickly (and his fans were obnoxious at the time). Years later, I gave the records an honest listen, and he became one of my favorite songwriters. Learn from my mistake.
 
#173
gjohnson441496 said:
It's not the bass.
I'm a photographer. I often hear after a session, "What kind of camera is that? It takes great pictures." I know the clients mean well, but it's not the camera, it's the skill, ability and gift of the artist.
The same with music. You've probably heard it before... A professional musician can pick up a cheap instrument and make it sound fantastic, whereas a novice with a $10,000 vintage Fender Precision sounds like (fill in the blank).

I love Fender basses, I just do. But that doesn't make them the end all of all musical instruments. I'd like to have a Rickenbacker 4003w because I love the way they sound played with a pick.

It's not the instrument that matters, it's the player.
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3/4ths of it is the player. That's not to say some people don't Just dislike some basses. I've played some high quality Ibenez basses that don't compare to my cheap Mexican p bass. But I don't like Ibanez basses.
 
#174
PianoOfDoom said:
???

No. The opposite is true. Photography has been grossly devalued as digital cameras have become proliferated, and respect for the medium has declined. What would happen if Cartier-Bresson tried to start a career today? (Oh, and I'm a film shooter with a darkroom, so I get the whole Photoshop hate. It's disgusting.)

To the original question: no. Making unoriginal music makes one unoriginal.
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These are my art pics of my american standard jazz bass!

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#175
PianoOfDoom said:
???

No. The opposite is true. Photography has been grossly devalued as digital cameras have become proliferated, and respect for the medium has declined. What would happen if Cartier-Bresson tried to start a career today? (Oh, and I'm a film shooter with a darkroom, so I get the whole Photoshop hate. It's disgusting.)

To the original question: no. Making unoriginal music makes one unoriginal.
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Nowadays it's a thin line between photography and computer art. I live in Monterey Ca., the home of what is referred to as the "West Coast School of Photography" beginning with Edward Weston in the 1920s. It's interesting to see how the rules are changing in photography shows and contests trying to decide how much photoshop can be allowed in a specific category before in goes out of the photography category and into the computer art category. If Cartier-Bresson was starting out today his work would probably be considered boring, and needing some HDR treatment, use of the sharpening tool, etc. etc.. We don't need a "decisive moment" any more, it just has to "pop' and be overly dramatic and over the top, like the rest of modern culture. Jim
 

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