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Explain me the 'Fender is God' thing

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#221
I'll just preface this by saying that I've only used Fenders or upright in the studio, but...

I've only done about 2 dozen studio gigs. Compared to the thousands of live gigs I've done, those 24 aren't going to define which bass I play.

btw, one studio date I did had drums, two guitars, upright, percussion, accordian, violin, cello, and piano tracking live...there was no rush. The engineer just dialed in the sounds as we set up/warmed up, and we were ready to roll pretty quickly.

Time is an issue, sure, but some of you guys are making it sound like people are flying around, sweating with an eye on the clock.
 
#222
savit260 said:
I'm pretty sure that any decent engineer can get a good sound out of any quality bass.

How long this takes is what I'm refering to.

Fenders are know comodities to most engineers, and they are familiar enough with them where they can (or at least should be able) to dial in a good sound right quick.

Something else that they are not familiar with may take a good bit longer to get right.

When time is money, this makes a difference. I'm not suggesting everyone use a Fender, just that a Fender (know commodity) can allow you to getting down to making the music with a bare minimum of fuss, and time.


Earlier on in the thread I mentioned that same issue with vocal mics, at a show I played at The House of Blues in Boston recently.
Time is money, and no matter how good that Telefunken mic was, getting a good sound out of it quickly just wasn't happening.
Now.. in a studio you certainly have more time to get this type of stuff right, but the pricipal is exactly the same.

A sure Beta 58 is a know commodity. When they finally stopped ripping thier hair out with the Telefunken, and replaced it with a Beta 58, we were in business in less than 2 minues.

I'm sure with enough time they could have got that Telefunken to sound great, but we didn't have that kind of time.


Same can be true in the studio with a bass. Do you have the time? Studio time isn't cheap. If you don't mind spending the extra money, that's great, but personaly I want to get the music done, efficienlty as possible :) (only speaking for myself, as I don't enjoy being in the studio AT ALL) :)

I've never heard any engineer say they couldn't get a good sound out of a non Fender, it's just how much time is going to get used up dialing it in?
Click to expand...

I guess another thing I should have added is that getting a good bass tone is always in relation to everything else. You can get a bass to sound perfect, then ya add a bunch of stuff and suddenly everything that was working...is pure wrongness!!!

Several years ago, I recorded a track with a band using a fretless Cirrus 5 and the neck pickup. The band and I were stoked with how great things were sounding. We added some synth orchestration with lots of classical strings and woodwings. All of a sudden the bass VANISHED. Spent a lot of time trying to fix the bass and got nowhere. Spent a few minutes on the woodwinds and strings and all of a sudden the bass was back. So, sometimes getting the right bass sound may be about other instruments. Later I used the same bass w/bridge pickup on a totally different sounding track (Revelation) and without doing anything whatsoever, the bass track absolutely killed!
 
#225
savit260 said:
I'm pretty sure that any decent engineer can get a good sound out of any quality bass.

How long this takes is what I'm refering to.

Fenders are know comodities to most engineers, and they are familiar enough with them where they can (or at least should be able) to dial in a good sound right quick.

Something else that they are not familiar with may take a good bit longer to get right.

When time is money, this makes a difference. I'm not suggesting everyone use a Fender, just that a Fender (know commodity) can allow you to getting down to making the music with a bare minimum of fuss, and time.


Earlier on in the thread I mentioned that same issue with vocal mics, at a show I played at The House of Blues in Boston recently.
Time is money, and no matter how good that Telefunken mic was, getting a good sound out of it quickly just wasn't happening.
Now.. in a studio you certainly have more time to get this type of stuff right, but the pricipal is exactly the same.

A sure Beta 58 is a know commodity. When they finally stopped ripping thier hair out with the Telefunken, and replaced it with a Beta 58, we were in business in less than 2 minues.

I'm sure with enough time they could have got that Telefunken to sound great, but we didn't have that kind of time.


Same can be true in the studio with a bass. Do you have the time? Studio time isn't cheap. If you don't mind spending the extra money, that's great, but personaly I want to get the music done, efficienlty as possible :) (only speaking for myself, as I don't enjoy being in the studio AT ALL) :)

I've never heard any engineer say they couldn't get a good sound out of a non Fender, it's just how much time is going to get used up dialing it in?
Click to expand...

Your post is mostly speculative since you only have studio experience with a P bass. Also, a P bass may not be the best choice for a given track. It just might be worth the time to dial in something else.
 
#226
Bass Viking said:
Your post is mostly speculative since you only have studio experience with a P bass. Also, a P bass may not be the best choice for a given track. It just might be worth the time to dial in something else.
Click to expand...


Having spent time speaking with engineers on the subject isn't speculative, nor am I the only bass player that I know that's ever been in a studio ;) We talk ya know. :) Also, I've actualy been in a studio when I wasn't playing bass. (gasp) imagine that. :) I don't exactly live in a bubble here. :) ... and I was carful in my wording. I was talking about the time issue, and how it relates to me personaly.

Read it again. I didn't say anything about P basses being the best choice for everything. Words mean things. I even went out of my way to make that clear.

Here's the highlights. :)
savit260 said:
I'm pretty sure that any decent engineer can get a good sound out of any quality bass.



Something else that they are not familiar with may take a good bit longer to get right.

. I'm not suggesting everyone use a Fender,







(only speaking for myself, as I don't enjoy being in the studio AT ALL) :)

I've never heard any engineer say they couldn't get a good sound out of a non Fender, it's just how much time is going to get used up dialing it in?
Click to expand...

It may be worth it to you to spend the extra time, if it's needed. For me personaly (read that again... me not you) I'm fine with a P bass. It works, it's quick, and everyone's happy. :)
 
#227
savit260 said:
Having spent time speaking with engineers on the subject isn't speculative, nor am I the only bass player that I know that's ever been in a studio ;) We talk ya know. :) Also, I've actualy been in a studio when I wasn't playing bass. (gasp) imagine that. :) I don't exactly live in a bubble here. :) ... and I was carful in my wording. I was talking about the time issue, and how it relates to me personaly.

Read it again. I didn't say anything about P basses being the best choice for everything. Words mean things. I even went out of my way to make that clear.

Here's the highlights. :)


It may be worth it to you to spend the extra time, if it's needed. For me personaly (read that again... me not you) I'm fine with a P bass. It works, it's quick, and everyone's happy. :)
Click to expand...

Gotcha, it just struck me as odd that the only example you gave was about a microphone in a non-studio situation.
 
#229
Mark4 said:
In the beginning, Fender created the Precision and the Jazz... and they were good.
Click to expand...

Would that then make Music Man "Cain" and G&L "Able"?







:hiding:


I know I am a day late and a dollar short here, but I want to comment on an early post.

I'd leave any shop that persists on shoving any brand down your throat, especially after you told them not that brand. A good shop should be finding out what you are looking for in a bass and helping you find that bass. Most shops have more than one line, there are choices.

Now if you were dead set on some cheezy, cheap piece of junk.....(Hey, wait...dudes here have said that about my SX's...so what do I know?)

Seriously, you need to know why you'd want a 5'er. Curiosity is why I bought mine, and so far the B string is an amusement and mostly a thumb rest...but I am still really learning so again, what do I know?

If you play a lot of stuff where you need the low B (or a High C) then yes, get one.

As to the current line on studio bass work and p basses, I've spent no time in a studio, so.......
 
#230
Hmmm, i can only go off my experience here so...My first bass was a Peavey Dynabass LOVED IT, at the time it was perfect for me 17 with a paper route ya'know? One day when Dean basses just came out I saw a select 5 mint for 200, bought it and LOVED IT. My first year with a touring band, i still had the DEAN but later fell in love with a Warwick thumb 5. Forward to now, my forth year in a touring band and Im rocking a EB 5and a Jazz mim...? Yes I was one of those i dont want a Fender or EB because EVERYONE has one kinda guys.

I said all that to say this. I played all those basses that 'fit' me at the time due to money and taste. In search for the 'perfect' tone I had to lay my pre concieved notions down and find a bass that 'fit' me. Low and behold it turned out to be a EB 5 and a Fender jazz, karma? Maybe. GOD knows i spent days trying out boutique and lesser known to get away from the F or EB brand.

Besides,the real reason I picked my latest axes is simple...they sound GOOD!
 
#231
The first bass I had ever see was a Fender Jazz! Until 4 years ago I had never owbed one. I have had plenty of basses over the years but never a Fender Jazz. Then this group I was working with only wanted me to play a fender Jazz so I picked up a USA model and HATED IT! Just didn't feel good to me and didn't have the tone I wanted so I sold it. But the demand for having on in the tool shed was still there so I tried a model that was MIJ (Made in Japan) and now I have 4! All MIJ. I still have not found an American made one that I like..
 
#232
I personally find Fenders to be a little over-rated.

IMO Fender has that God like status among basses because from the 50's through 80's there wasn't much competition. I don't think they had any competition at all in the 50's. Though there is much more competition today you still really don't see it in the retail chains where most people buy their basses. You primarily see Fender, Ibanez, Spector, and if you're lucky, you'll see a Lakland hanging on the wall.

People in general do not like change and are hesitant to buy something they've never heard of. So in the long run, its about name recognition, they see a Fender and think "oh they've been around forever, they must be good basses."
 
#235
Bass Viking said:
Gotcha, it just struck me as odd that the only example you gave was about a microphone in a non-studio situation.
Click to expand...


Well, it's a recent example from a few weeks ago, so it's stuck in my head, and the exact same pricipal applies, and also not exclusive to "bass".



Sure Beta 58/ or sm58= pretty standard vocal mic for live applications that sound engineers are accustomed to working with.

Fender= Pretty standard bass guitar that sound engineers are accustomed to working with.


Getting a good sound in short order is nice in either situation, and probalby more critical in a "live" setting. You just don't have that much time to be messing around "searching" for "the sound" during a limited sound check at a venue, nor do I (note: I'm talking about me, myself and no one else here) want to be running up the bill while the clock is ticking in the studio either. ;)


I don't bring my own vocal mic to the studio. ;) I don't think that would go over too well. ;)
 
#237
Mikio said:
or maybe they've been around forever because they ARE good basses :ninja:
Click to expand...

Well they are pretty decent basses but I stand by what I said, I do think they are slightly over-rated.

Most people would take the Fender over a better quality/sounding instrument they never heard of solely based on the name, thats all I meant by that. Didn't mean to imply Fenders are crap because they're not.
 
#238
Read:

9b2b_8.jpg
 
#240
They came first that's about all...




Ok not really :p. They weren't the first but they hit the market early and they hit it HARD. Between good marketing and a quality product they were able to make enough of an impact to cement their place in bass history and people like history especially when it's good.
 
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