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Fender fanned fretboard. Bets accepted...

#61
Les Fret said:
Because they don’t have to. Plenty of other brands that make them. Fender guys don’t care for fanned frets.

Let them make more 22 fret J and P basses first.
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Obviously they do not have by no doctor's order. Neverteless it would be something beautiful and innovative amyway. 22 frets: they tried already to add frets (rhino "boner" Jazz and other active PJ models). So, they improve, try. Only they do it slowly. So the original question. Personally I was requesting (shouting in the dark, obviously) for a Coronado reissue and everybody were "naaa, they will never do it." Then a few years ago one day I could buy my own sunburst reissue!
 
#66
2F/2F said:
This is so wrong. It's actually more like the opposite, in these particular cases. Fender, or at least Leo Fender, was the first, or at least very early, to mass produce the innovations that you name...which others then went on to refine over the decades.

1. Factory fretless Fenders were released in '69/'70. They were also offered by Music Man in the '70s, and G&L. First, the only person who really knew of Jaco at that point was Wayne Cochran. Second, Jaco didn't even de-fret his bass until after Fender had just released a fretless model. Hmmm. Who's the innovator in that case? The development of the fretless electric bass had absolutely zero to do with Jaco. It's popularity? Yes. But not its innovation.

2. The Fender Bass V was released in 1965. It was tuned E–C, and featured a normal width bass neck (i.e. cramped string spacing). It was modified over time by other companies, for B–G tuning and wider necks. It is the not-so-distant ancestor of the modern-style 5-string electric bass. Fender innovated; others refined.

3. A Leo Fender owned company, CLF Research, working for Music Man, designed and mass produced the "+1" headstock – a design that later became the norm for five string basses. Again, Leo and his team innovated; others liked the idea and adapted it.

Fender took a shot on some of this stuff early, and can be called innovator, despite their designs being rather primitive. Others improved and refined an existing idea; they didn't innovate.

I get what you're saying, because the modern day Fender company is basically just coasting on Leo's and George's (and several other important company players') innovations...but "technological innovation" is the wrong angle to attack from. The Fender company, and the other companies Leo Fender ran, were among the most innovative companies of all time in the field. If you feel the modern-day Fender company is "conservative," then I can get behind that statement...but not that they have not traditionally been an "innovative" company. They have traditionally been quite innovative...just not very refined, a lot of the time.

The bottom line is that if Fender feels that something is worth a lot of profit, they'll do it. I would venture to guess that there isn't a huge market for fanned fret basses...but they might stick their toe in that water at some point, just to try to cash in a bit, if feasible.

Personally, I like Fender as a fairly traditional, conservative manufacturer. Obviously there is enough demand for such a thing to support it, so...whatever. Let them do what they do best, and turn to other companies if you don't want the traditional "Fender thing."
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Good points. Truth for me is in between, as always. Still they are slow to catch up with new tech innovations. Eventually we'll see a fanned frets Fender...
 
#70
No matter how many times Harley tries to make an electric motorcycle, they will never sell enough to make the retooling and development costs worth it. It's hard when you are a "heritage" company to know how much innovation is enough to stay relevant but to not innovate before your customers are ready for the change. I think Fender is smart enough to stay out of the fanned fret game unless it became much more popular.
 
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#71
Deano Destructo said:
Yeah, I was speaking more toward an actual production model and not one off customs as was the case with Zomora's 6'er.

I'd never heard of the Heartfield Steve Bailey model though. I know it's not the case but unless is says Fender (oe even Squier) on the headstock I struggle to think of it as the same company.
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They absolutely did make a Fender Steve Bailey 6 string....with "Fender" on the headstock.
Screenshot_20220309-061548_DuckDuckGo.jpg
 
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#73
My guess is that electric stringed instruments on a mass scale have about another 30 years or so before being phased out altogether. Fender won't get around to it by then. People who are 30 now will be the "get off my lawn" crowd (not unlike boomers today) who will never allow it.

Just like boomers want Fender to stick to the P and J .....and even go back to colors that were offered in the 60s, today's 30 somethings would scoff at a fan fret Fender near the end of the guitar era.
 
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#76
Not sure if you knew this but the other basses in your OP are straight up Fender copies, modified just enough to avoid lawsuits. Fender doesn’t need fanned frets to sell basses. Dingwall needs to separate themselves to sell basses. Good brand but do you get that important difference?

Also I’m not sure Jaco was “famous” in 1969. Playing but not famous.

And as a lifelong Fender player and owner, no offense but more complicated fret work is the absolute last thing Fender needs in their production right now.
 
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#77
Avezzano said:
22 frets: they tried already to add frets (rhino "boner" Jazz and other active PJ models). So, they improve, try.
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I meant 21 frets not 22 (my mistake). As they have on the Elite and Ultra. But not on the standard P and J basses. They should use 21 frets as a standard on all models. Why 20 frets? Never understood the logic behind that. Same goes fot strats, they have 21 frets but should have 22 frets. I need that high E on bass and that high D on guitar!! :)
 
#78
Avezzano said:
So, Fender has always been so slow, to adopt new concept in bass that were already applied by others (Ibanez, Yamaha or boutique manufacturers.) I mean: I am not talking about new but traditional models maybe different from P or J (there were lots of "meteors"). Been there, done that. I am talking instead about some technical innovation. Examples:

1) fretless. The first Fender fl was long awaited, when several brands had their ones out already. And, btw, it actually was... a Precision! When Jaco was already famous! Then, only after a lot of time finally they come out with a Jazz fretless.

2) 5 string basses. Following this "small shop" huge innovation, Ibanez was one of the first to sell a moderately priced one, with the RB885; then several other brands came. Fender was as usual a lot late to come out with a fiver.

3) 4+1 headstock. Same long delay to put in production the first headstock 4+1

Sure I am leaving out some other thing (anybody?) Now: when will Fender come out with a fanned fretboard model? Bets accepted.... be fair :)
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Meh I personally am not all over the fanned fret system, what I would love to see Fender try one day though is the multi-scale bridge system, especially for the 5 string models - should sound killer and in line with some modern sounding instruments. Perhaps make 2 versions of the Jazz Bass line, the classic and modern sounding (like Sadowsky for example).

And I'm not thinking something like the current classic vs standard series, but rather all in as far as modern goes and then keep the classic line obviously.
 

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