I play a fender p-bass n a metal band. my whole plan plays nothing but fender. my only qeustion is whether the fender aerodyne is worth the price its $930us. i was lookin at a schecyter that was 200 bucks cheaper and it seemed like a better value to me. i guess the only thing that bothers me is payin a grand for a japanese guitar. am i being paranoid?
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Fender Aerodyne is it worth it?
- Thread starter Snyper Bob
- Start date
your whole plan plays nothing but fender? what does that mean?
doesn't matter whether it's japanese or not. what matters is whether it's worth that price to you based on what it is.
if you do end up wanting one, they are on sale now at musician's friend. if you call in and ask for the special pricing, they'll give you a price that's not advertised online.
doesn't matter whether it's japanese or not. what matters is whether it's worth that price to you based on what it is.
if you do end up wanting one, they are on sale now at musician's friend. if you call in and ask for the special pricing, they'll give you a price that's not advertised online.
Is your band sponsored by Fender or something? 
From what I've heard Fender Aerodynes are ok but not great for the money. Search for "Aerodyne" and you'll find a bunch of information around here.
And be aware that if you take the risk of being the one guy in the band playing a *gasp* non-Fender, you can probably find some better deals.
For instance, supposing you dig the looks of the Aerodyne (black on black, no pickguard, white binding) and want something loud and aggressive-sounding, I can think of at least these two, much cheaper, alternatives:
Cort C4H
Ibanez SRX390
Look them up, there's lots of good info around.
From what I've heard Fender Aerodynes are ok but not great for the money. Search for "Aerodyne" and you'll find a bunch of information around here.
And be aware that if you take the risk of being the one guy in the band playing a *gasp* non-Fender, you can probably find some better deals.
For instance, supposing you dig the looks of the Aerodyne (black on black, no pickguard, white binding) and want something loud and aggressive-sounding, I can think of at least these two, much cheaper, alternatives:
Cort C4H
Ibanez SRX390
Look them up, there's lots of good info around.
I've had two Aerodynes. My first one fell off my strap and cracked in half. I just bought the second off evilbay for 500$ and it's definitely worth that. I don't think it's worth the big price hike to 940$. It's a great bass, but compared to other thousand dollar investments, it's not much. Try to get one used, or contact me if you want a broken one.
I have a friend who has one. It isn't the best bass in the world, nor is it worth $900+. Honestly if you play in a metal band and are willing to spend that much money go with a Warwick. I got my Corvette at guitar center for about $650 and have played on basses that go for twice that, and still don't play as nice or sound as good.
If you want the Aerodyne, I suggest waiting for the price to drop. Fender has been lowering prices on many of its bass models. They haven't lowered the price on Aerodynes yet though.
There's Gretsch drums. Fender owns Gretsch but apparently its only their guitar/bass division.
Ok, I might be in the minority here, but I love my Aerodyne jazz. It's my main axe for gigging and I have a good vinyage P and excellent USA jazz to compare it to. The Aerodyne is lighter, faster, more comfortable than any bass I've tried. It's P/J config is utterly flexible for tone alterations on the go, and I get consistent "wow" comments from all the sound techs. It also looks smashing. Aerodyne live all the way - my USA P & J basses tend to be used in the studio exclusively. My experience anyway.
Thanks for the heads up. I like the looks of the Aerodyne, but never had a chance to play one to see what they were like.
Yup, me too. I really dig the looks, have never had a chance to see one in person either.
I picked up a well-used one from Craigslist today...I'm pretty impressed. Ever since selling my fretless J (don't really play any genres now that need it), I've been hankering for the jazz neck and body. The Aerodyne is one of those basses that just fit me right...everything feels natural on it after years of playing the standard J-bass. The light weight is a bonus, and I'm sure I'll appreciate it when I start gigging again.
The stock pickups seem good enough at the moment, although I've only run it through my Pandora and my Peavey combo. Greater variety than my Epi T-bird, which is all about the serious low-end...and more substance than my Spirit. If you can find one used, I'd say pick it up and give it a spin.
The stock pickups seem good enough at the moment, although I've only run it through my Pandora and my Peavey combo. Greater variety than my Epi T-bird, which is all about the serious low-end...and more substance than my Spirit. If you can find one used, I'd say pick it up and give it a spin.
The aerodyne is that one bass that I have a relationship with at guitar center... one of these days I'll own one... as others have said, it's fast and blast to play, very easy and natural if used to jazz necks. The one I've played is just a jazz pickup configuration and to dial in your sound is super easy and quick. I would love to have one, but I can't see paying max over $700 for one... that's a portion of me being cheap and a portion of just plain being practical. I still find it to be a sexy bass though...
I was thinking about purchasing an Aerodyne, mainly for the P?J configuration. IMO you're better off saving for a tad longer and buying the Reggie Hamilton P/J Sig, much better bass. That's what I did and I have never looked back.
I have an Aerodyne J-Bass and I think it's a really nice bass. I love the way it feels and I love the P/J configuration. The only gripe I have, is that the Jazz pickup is a bit noisy on its own.
I see Aerodyne J's pop up on Craigslist over here every once in a while. The lowest price I've seen on a used one was $400. So, I would say NOT to buy one at $940. It's just crazy. Instead, I'd look around and buy a used one and use the rest of the money for something else.
I paid $700 for mine, but only because I'd never seen one with the same finish since it's a Japanese non-import. I love how it looks.
It's one of those basses that gets people asking me about it after gigs.
I see Aerodyne J's pop up on Craigslist over here every once in a while. The lowest price I've seen on a used one was $400. So, I would say NOT to buy one at $940. It's just crazy. Instead, I'd look around and buy a used one and use the rest of the money for something else.
I paid $700 for mine, but only because I'd never seen one with the same finish since it's a Japanese non-import. I love how it looks.
It's one of those basses that gets people asking me about it after gigs.
I bought a non import before they became popular and and got the price jacked up 2 or 3 hundred.
I really love the bass. If you like Fender basses you will love the Aerodyne thats all I can say.
I really love the bass. If you like Fender basses you will love the Aerodyne thats all I can say.
