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Fender Flea bass thoughts

#41
I was in L&M on Bloor in Toronto on the weekend. Something caught my eye on the wall. As I approached, I noticed that the pink mojo vibe I was getting from this bass was suddenly wearing off as I realized it was a relic. I picked it up and it felt good. Didn't plug it in though. The need to have a brand new bass look old and have marketing associations with Flea just didn't sit right with me.

Yesterday, I was in Guelph Music. There was a Getty Lee Jazz on the wall. Nice bass. The white pick guard would have to be switched out. I could put my own wear marks on it over time. Even though it also has marketing associations with a famous person, I could see myself taking it home. [I'm trying hard not to hijack this thread with another road worn/relic discussion].

For all I know the two basses above might sound and feel identical. Just my experience. Yours may differ.
 
#44
I will never understand the attraction to a factory relic'd bass. If I'm going to spend money on something, I want it to be new and shiny, not worn down by some factory worker in Mexico... I am seeing it in my day job working in cabinetry as well. One of our clients had their master bathroom renovated. The cabinets she selected were done in a "worn" finish. So basically we installed $16,000 worth of cabinets which looked like they needed to be replaced - bare wood showing the edges of all the doors and the corners worn down even more... I just don't get it.
 
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#45
FugaziBomb said:
I will never understand the attraction to a factory relic'd bass. If I'm going to spend money on something, I want it to be new and shiny, not worn down by some factory worker in Mexico... I am seeing it in my day job working in cabinetry as well. One of our clients had their master bathroom renovated. The cabinets she selected were done in a "worn" finish. So basically we installed $16,000 worth of cabinets which looked like they needed to be replaced - bare wood showing the edges of all the doors and the corners worn down even more... I just don't get it.
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Was it the factory workers wife(who built the Flea) that wanted the reliced cabinets?
 
#47
FugaziBomb said:
I will never understand the attraction to a factory relic'd bass. If I'm going to spend money on something, I want it to be new and shiny, not worn down by some factory worker in Mexico... I am seeing it in my day job working in cabinetry as well. One of our clients had their master bathroom renovated. The cabinets she selected were done in a "worn" finish. So basically we installed $16,000 worth of cabinets which looked like they needed to be replaced - bare wood showing the edges of all the doors and the corners worn down even more... I just don't get it.
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Well, since:laugh: I'm a poseur and a big phony, I love them! :):D
 
#49
Lesfunk said:
Well, since:laugh: I'm a poseur and a big phony, I love them! :):D
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What is it that you find appealing about them? My issue is that I don't want to spend money on a new product that is essentially damaged out of the box. Part of what I love about buying basses is the shiny new-ness of them. If it was a true vintage bass, I'd be less inclined to care, as finding a mint 60s Jazz would be a tall order. Please don't misconstrue my tone; I'm not in any way judging your aesthetic tastes or insinuating my preferences are any more correct than yours. I'm just trying to seek a little enlightenment as to what is the draw to factory relic'd gear.
 
#50
FugaziBomb said:
What is it that you find appealing about them? My issue is that I don't want to spend money on a new product that is essentially damaged out of the box. Part of what I love about buying basses is the shiny new-ness of them. If it was a true vintage bass, I'd be less inclined to care, as finding a mint 60s Jazz would be a tall order. Please don't misconstrue my tone; I'm not in any way judging your aesthetic tastes or insinuating my preferences are any more correct than yours. I'm just trying to seek a little enlightenment as to what is the draw to factory relic'd gear.
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I like the worn in feel of the nitro finish on the neck and body.
In the case of the flea jazz bass specifically I like the pickups they use as well as the concentric pots.
Besides the feel, I like fooling people when they oooh and ahhh over it and ask me what year it is.
I have shiny, beautiful basses too
 
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#51
Lesfunk said:
I like the worn in feel of the nitro finish on the neck and body.
In the case of the flea jazz bass specifically I like the pickups they use as well as the concentric pots.
Besides the feel, I like fooling people when they oooh and ahhh over it and ask me what year it is.
I have shiny, beautiful basses too
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I feel exactly the same way. I have the flea(and love it) but I have a brand new fender Pbass with everything finished in nitrocellulose.....and it looks, sounds and smells great.
 
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#52
IMG_0034.jpg
This is my beautiful shiny one.
 
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#55
I've had mine for over a year, and I love it. (strung with Slinky Flats) It's my 1st MIM, and only the 2nd Bass I've ever bought sight unseen. (GC 45 day return policy) No two Basses are alike - each has its own mojo - but mine nails it!
Who am I to say? I bought my 1st J-Bass, a '67, 35 years ago. I also have a '66 J, custom-shop Jaco, J-Bass Special, and a Roscoe Beck (if that counts). "I play them, and I cherish them".
Right now, the Flea is my favorite J-Bass, and also the lightest, at just over 8lbs. The vintage stuff can stay at home.
Flea's great, but I could care less that it's the "Flea" Bass - I've just always wanted stack-knob J-Bass, but a vintage one i$ going to have to wait for now. Not my 1st choice of color, but it kind of grows on you.
I like the neck profile - it almost makes my '67 seem "chunky" in comparison. I have my action set lower than factory, with no buzz. It's really smooth - not quite as "bright" as the '67, (but in a good way) possibly due to less windings in the CBS-era pickups.
The only downside is the stack knob wiring configuration can be a little more prone to noise than a standard Jazz, but adding shielding will make for a good winter project.
 
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#56
FugaziBomb said:
I will never understand the attraction to a factory relic'd bass. If I'm going to spend money on something, I want it to be new and shiny, not worn down by some factory worker in Mexico... I am seeing it in my day job working in cabinetry as well. One of our clients had their master bathroom renovated. The cabinets she selected were done in a "worn" finish. So basically we installed $16,000 worth of cabinets which looked like they needed to be replaced - bare wood showing the edges of all the doors and the corners worn down even more... I just don't get it.
Click to expand...

Every bass with a sunburst finish has a "worn" finish, to make the instrument look as if it has spend 50 years in the sun...
The majority of owners of reliced instruments aren't even aware of their factory relic'd bass. I'm not into reliced instruments too but I've calmed down my voice since I became aware of my artificial reliced instruments.
 
#57
I love it’s look and the concentric knobs. I played one in the store and thought it sounded rather muted. In tone, I thought it was much like a mexican jazz bass. I am not a huge fan of mexcan jazz basses but I liked this bass so I ended up purchasing a used custom shop jazz that was similar in style. I absolutely love the tone in the CS.

B3EBB31C-165F-42B1-8A12-D9BC286D86D2.jpeg
 
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#59
DirkP said:
Every bass with a sunburst finish has a "worn" finish, to make the instrument look as if it has spend 50 years in the sun...
The majority of owners of reliced instruments aren't even aware of their factory relic'd bass. I'm not into reliced instruments too but I've calmed down my voice since I became aware of my artificial reliced instruments.
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Sun burst finishes are not supposed to look worn at all. Its actually supposed to affordably mimic a high gloss "French polish" style finish in which multiple thin layers of shellac are applied to wood in order bring out the grain and produce a sort of chatoyancy. That style of finish was really popular on European string instruments at the time (violin, cello, etc). It was also used by Fender to hide unflattering end grain in the wood they were using.
 
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#60
FugaziBomb said:
Sun burst finishes are not supposed to look worn at all. Its actually supposed to affordably mimic a high gloss "French polish" style finish in which multiple thin layers of shellac are applied to wood in order bring out the grain and produce a sort of chatoyancy. That style of finish was really popular on European string instruments at the time (violin, cello, etc). It was also used by Fender to hide unflattering end grain in the wood they were using.
Click to expand...

Hmm...
Wikipedia says this:
Sunburst is a style of finishing for musical instruments such as electric and acoustic guitars and electric basses. At the center of a sunburst-finished surface is an area of lighter color (often showing the wood grain underneath) that darkens gradually towards the edges before hitting a dark rim. Among the best known examples of a sunburst finish are the Gibson Les Paul guitars and the Invalid Link Removed. It was originally intended to imitate an aged French polish finish, as applied to classical string instruments such as violins, as well as to enable the use of wood with less attractive edge grain on high-end instruments.[1]
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Sunburst (finish) - Wikipedia

O.K. aged is not the same as worn but both imitate age, aren't they?
 

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