Explain me the 'Fender is God' thing

[JoshuaTSP]

clapton played both Fender AND gibson.

 

[lucas vigor]

fenders arent that awesome, the hype is just hype in my opinion. I prefer warwicks to most fenders. Maybe guitar places keep pushing them on you because its their most carried brand of bass. Its all your own opinion though, some people pay 14000 for vintage fenders. Maybe there is an actually reason behind that.

To me, it also matter what Fender you are talking about, because they have basically 6 levels: Squires, Mex, Japan, American, Custom, and Vintage.

Squires suck. I would actually prefer an SX.
Mex: suck as well. I know, because I hate mine and it even has Fralin PUPs!
Japans: You can find some really good ones! Marcus Miller and the Sting (which I own) though I make the caveat that I did Mod my Sting with a duncan SC PUP.
American: I have yet to find a bad one.
Custom shop: I swear, my cousin has one that is just insane! Sustain and tone for days!
Pre CBS: I have played 4 in my life, and all 4 had tone to die for! (With the added benefit of "Mojo" ....whatever that is!).

As far as Warwicks, they are all really good basses. For the most part, when I think Warwick I am thinking about a bass made in Germany by fairly skilled workers, utilizing arguably really good wood and other components.

Link Removed

 

[Sav'nBass]

Fender was quite simply the first to hit the marke

In the beginning, Fender created the Precision and the Jazz... and they were good.

Honestly 9 out of 10 basses have a Fender pickup configuration (P, P/J, J/J) and the Fender's have a signature sound that is the classic bass sound. Of course the Fender sound isn't for anyone, but it seems to fit most people well. The fact that most people play Fender (#2 bass maker in the world behind Ibanez now, although each company is geared toward different price ranges) means that most people are going to recommend what they know.

Fender was quite simply the first to hit the market....everything that has come after gets compared to the yardstick that is Fender....it's hard to fight 50 years of marketing and image

Producers and engineers know what they sound like and know what to expect from them as we have had 50 years worth of recordings to prove it....

Pretty much.. there was a time when Fender was electric bass.. when if you played bass you either played a Fender or an upright for the most part.. IMO there are other basses out there that sound and feel better than any Fender.. but of course all of that is subjective.. but it is interesting to me that particularly if you consider that a MusicMan bass is technically a Fender too, since he designed it as well.. like GE said... pretty much any bass that you will play has been touched by Leo Fender.. and there are certain things that will not change in order to get a good sound.. like where you would place the pups & bridges etc.. to get the best sound for bass.

That's my take.. and as others have said.. it is all up to you. I have a 77 Jazz that I have not played in about 7 years... mainly because I am just into 5s now.. but my point is that it is all about you.. and what feels good to your hands and your ears.. especially nowadays where so much can be done to manipulate the sound. Ironically Leo Fender also created some of the the first hybrid tube/solid state amps..

Fender is a proven commodity.. and yeah.. truth be told a lot of it is marketing..

 

[steamthief]

Of course you're dead right. That's why "brand" of bass doesn't matter.

I'm not saying Fender is the greatest here - just saying that those who think the make of bass you play is important are totally mssing the point. And they should come and tell us why Fenders aren't great when they're even close to some of the Fender players who've done what they can't even dream of.

In other words - are you Jamerson or Jaco? No? Then stfu about Fenders, your opinion isn't worth ****.

Damn. Now that there's moderation.

 

[ButtUglyJeff]

Gibson would kill for this kind of attention...

 

[bass-flyer]

Mex: suck as well. I know, because I hate mine and it even has Fralin PUPs!

Just curious ..... is it a MIM Standard P or the MIM Classic
'50s P?
I have two '50s P's and I love 'em.
I did like my '01 Standard P, it played well, but the pups, tuners, etc are MUCH better on the '50s P's.

 

[JimmyM]

Gibson would kill for this kind of attention...

then gibson should build a bass that a majority of bass players like as much.

btw, they get plenty of attention in guitarland, which pretty much dwarfs bassland, so don't feel too sorry for them.

 

[BassyBill]

Damn. Now that there's moderation.

Hee hee. I guess you may have a point there, even though I'm not a mod for this forum (only Amps). Sorry if I reacted badly to some of the comments in the thread - people are, of course, perfectly entitled to their opinions, even when they're wrong.

Anyway, most of the time, I'm pretty placid.

 

[5StringBlues]

gibson should build a bass that a majority of bass players like as much.

Oh man,I just love my G3!


Too bad the ************* headstock won't stay glued on.........




So,yeah,I got ( and love ) a few of them Fenders......

 

[Rob17]

GIBSON SG !!!!!!

Now that's a good looking bass.
The Fender design, to me, looks as if it was made by a 4 year old.
Way to simple.
The only fender I like a little bit, is that marcus miller thing, but that's just because Mike Dean (from COC) had one and made it sound awsome.
I'll never own a fender.

 

[JimmyM]

I am of the opinion that you have to be both good, AND use good quality gear. It's a point I made on the SX threads before: Top race car drivers don't drive a Yugo, unless it is heavily modded!

oh good, the race car analogy again! that would work if we were racing basses around the stage instead of making music with them. i've played my sx basses in 10,000 seat arenas before with bowzer. number of people who complained that i was using a cheap bass: 0.

 

[mikeswals]

The Fender design, to me, looks as if it was made by a 4 year old.

And those Gibson short scales look like they were made for a 4 year old. (sorry man, had to do it)

 

[lucas vigor]

oh good, the race car analogy again! that would work if we were racing basses around the stage instead of making music with them. i've played my sx basses in 10,000 seat arenas before with bowzer. number of people who complained that i was using a cheap bass: 0.

So what you are saying is that in almost every field of endeavor EXCEPT bass playing, good equipment or gear matters?


Golf...they use the best clubs. Tennis, the best rackets. Running, the best shoes, construction, the best power tools, college, the best books, classical music, the best instruments. Target shooting, the best guns, archery, the best bows. Boxing, the best gloves, cuisine, the best ingredients, filming, the best camera...but when it comes to bass any old bass should work...and not just work but be exalted here on this forum? That makes no sense whatsoever.

 

[behemecoytl]

Sure the gear is quality and sounds great and "sits well in the mix", but I think what most Fender enthusiasts are loathe to admit is that it comes down to aesthetics-- we just like the way Fenders look.

to me, Fenders look awesome. they sound great too, but other basses also sound great- but they don't look like Fenders. I played a Warwick Corvette at GC once and it felt great, played like a dream, sounded perfectly low... but it didn't look like a Fender.

my friend calls it "patina" or "mojo" and to some, Fender has it and others don't. it's an illogical, superficial preference of raw attraction. some people like Van Gogh, some prefer Rembrandt. i like Fender because P-basses and J-basses are things of beauty.

(of course, Sadowskys and Laklands also look quite nice)

 

[Sav'nBass]

So what you are saying is that in almost every field of endeavor EXCEPT bass playing, good equipment or gear matters?


Golf...they use the best clubs. Tennis, the best rackets. Running, the best shoes, construction, the best power tools, college, the best books, classical music, the best instruments. Target shooting, the best guns, archery, the best bows. Boxing, the best gloves, cuisine, the best ingredients, filming, the best camera...but when it comes to bass any old bass should work...and not just work but be exalted here on this forum? That makes no sense whatsoever.

I think what he is saying that the player is a factor... Tiger Woods with crappy clubs ... is still Tiger Woods.. (Even if he hasn't been Tiger Woods lately...).

Sure gear matters... but I have seen enough killer players playing cheap gear.. and enough crappy players woth grewat gear.. to know that there is a balance to be had... (as I am sure we all know...) and for most of us it all boils down to preference... I happen to lie the sound and feel of my Schecter better than my Jazz .... but that's me... Fender is Fender though... and that in itself will always have some umph to it just based on the history unless they just start to put out totally garbage basses & guitars, which I don't think will be happening any time soon.

 

[MegaSwing]

You mean Fender ISN'T God?

I'll do some research and get back to you.

 

[lucas vigor]

know that there is a balance to be had... .

This I agree with, and it is what I was saying a few posts back. A decent medium quality bass is all you need for most stuff. An American Fender fits that description. I personally would never want to own or play a bass that costs 1000s of dollars (Ritter, Alembic, Fodera)....yeah, I am worried about the damage too!

But my point was (and has always been) the glorification of a bass so cheaply made that is exhibited only on this forum. It's almost like a cult! The SX seems to be only a good beginner's bass, or a platform for a heavy amount of mods. Other then that, crowing about how you leave your Sadowsky at home yet gig or record with the SX seems somehow, suspect!

 

[Burlington]

GIBSON SG !!!!!!

Now that's a good looking bass.
The Fender design, to me, looks as if it was made by a 4 year old.
Way to simple.
The only fender I like a little bit, is that marcus miller thing, but that's just because Mike Dean (from COC) had one and made it sound awsome.
I'll never own a fender.

Is today opposite day?

 

[jackajesusfreak]

Haven't read the whole thread but I'll play the devil's advocate 'representative'. There are many in here that will testify to the fact that the old Peavey basses will stand next to a Fender all day long!

 

[JoshuaTSP]

Haven't read the whole thread but I'll play the devil's advocate 'representative'. There are many in here that will testify to the fact that the old Peavey basses will stand next to a Fender all day long!

I'm glad those peaveys are standing next to the Fenders....because I'm not sure anyone could hold one up next to a fender all day long without pulling a muscle or slipping a disc!