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Fender in General

#21
bad_ai said:
Anyone wanna converse about this? Thanks. Bad A.I.
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All the other stuff these guys have told you is valid but, from the references in your post, I’m guessing you’re a geezer like most of us here. That said, here’s what I’m gonna tell ya. Basically the bass you’d most likely be happy with is the Fender MIM Mustang PJ that’s currently available. It’s short scale which makes it easier to play and it’s lighter weight when compared to a 34” scale length bass. With the right strings, pickups & set-up it sounds great. Even with those “improvements” you’re under $1000. Plus, once you get bored with it, it shouldn’t be a problem to sell it as short scale bases are coming into their own these days. YMMV... :smug:
 
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#23
I'm gonna let you in on a little secret. I'm a Fender fanboy. I currently own 1 Custom Shop Precision, 3 American Jazzes, 1 American Precision, 2 Japanese Precisions, and 1 Mexican Precision (and a Mexican Strat). Guess what? They all sound fantastic. I will say, the hardware of the American basses are worth the extra price IMO. But, if you can deal with less than perfect bridges and tuners and such, get a Mexican. You also could look for a used American or Japanese Fender as I find their quality to be outstanding. I have an 80's Japanese Precision that I'd put up against my Custom Shop ANY DAY.
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#24
The way basses are made today - CNC machining, etc., the "workmanship" on any Fender made today (the precision with which things are done) is leaps and bounds better than what they made in the 1960's. It doesn't always make a better functioning musical instrument, as wood is such a variable thing, but you have a better chance at getting a good instrument today from pretty much any of Fender's product lines than you did in 1960 coming out of the Fender shop.

There are 2 things that make old Fenders cost more:

1) Wood does age, and with age, it tends to get more resonant, which often makes the instrument "sing" a bit better. This is especially true in the neck of the instrument. Torrefied wood (aka baked wood) can do a very good job of getting the same kind of result (with a more stable neck) if you're after this on a new instrument. But, there is that second thing:

2) Supply and demand: Due to nostalgia, people tend to like old things (sometimes, just the appearance of being old is enough). As there are less old basses than people that would like them, the price goes up. It's really not any more complex than that. Note that, as we all age, and old people are replaced with new people, the demographics of this are not guaranteed to continue. 20 years from now, a pre-CBS Fender may be worth lots more. It might also be worth far less.

If you want a great musical instrument, look for one amongst the new ones - you'll probably spend less money, and probably get a better instrument. If you want a trip down nostalgia lane, or want to brag about how old your bass is, you'll need more in your checking account.
 
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#28
bad_ai said:
New here. Used to dabble with bass many years ago and I got the itch to look to purchase. Couple of my friends from high school's parents had I guess original Fender basses, one a Precision and another Jazz from the 1960's so I'm told. I looked at some on Ebay and they're asking prices are well upwards of $10,000, well beyond my budget. Makes me think about all these secondary and tertiary models from Korea, Mexico and they're cheap relative to one of these Fenders. I want to buy on sound, tone and not price. I want a bass to sing but I don't think the cheaper ones would do that and can only be a waste of time and money since resale of such must be bottom barrel -- barely good for firewood. Anyone wanna converse about this? Thanks. Bad A.I.
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you can still get a good deal on a newer model fender bass guitar which will play and sound fine..the older ones have and will continue to go up in price..play an old and new one behind a curtain and listen..the difference may or may not be recognizable to many people..especially with the differences in amps and cabinets and pickups..and playing technique..let alone sound processors..pick up some of those fenders up and play them..I am sure there is one you will like..
 
#30
My main players are all $2k and up basses, but I was very impressed with a Squier VM JAzz Bass 70's I bought used for under a hundred bucks to part out. I played it a bit first and it sounded pretty good. It needed a setup but I could see the instrument was credible sounding and playing.

For $350.00 brand new, I would consider that bass if my champagne tastes weren't so spoiled with Dingwalls, Warwicks and Kiesels. :-)
 
#35
Wekcome to TB!

First thing you need to figure out is if you actually like the sound of a Fender bass. Not everyone is in love with that particular vibe. Then you’ll want to think about which Fender. There are basically two models in the music mainstream: the Precision and the Jazz. Both have some underlying sonic similarity. But they’re also both very different animals, each with their own followings and detractors.

So to summarize, two questions:

  1. Do I like the sound of a Fender bass?
  2. If yes, do I prefer the Precision or the Jazz more - or do I like both equally?
So try completing the above homework assignment and report back. We’ll be better able to help you once you know a little better where you stand regarding Fender basses.
 
#36
Blaze Barlow said:
you can still get a good deal on a newer model fender bass guitar which will play and sound fine..the older ones have and will continue to go up in price..play an old and new one behind a curtain and listen..the difference may or may not be recognizable to many people..especially with the differences in amps and cabinets and pickups..and playing technique..let alone sound processors..pick up some of those fenders up and play them..I am sure there is one you will like..
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That's what I'm thinking. There is the amp aspect to this, too, since I've nothing at the moment. But where to buy? Growing up in a large metropolitan area that had local mom and pops, Guitar Center is all there is. If I were a professional like Victor Wooten I couldn't buy there primarily because those guys are low wage and/or commission McDonald's types. Can't talk about sounds as I've unfortunately discovered. Granted sound is subjective but the times I did visit some mom and pops they had instruments catering strictly to real musicians. I say "real" in the sense they were about sound like McCartney and they knew all the stuff to get his sound if it was theirs, too. I want to sound like one guy who played on Joni Mitchell's early stuff. I mean, ridiculous musician. The finest less-is-more playing I've ever found and lyrical as Hell. I want the sound now as opposed to working up and spending all this case on basic, secondary straight up to the right stuff for how I want to sound. That sound would be big, bad and clear enough to play essential to anyone's anything. Like Zappa's record, one size fits all.

Oh. Then I'm going to need an amp. Now, that at this stage doesn't have to be 1000 watts. Just something where I get the sound for practice reasons. I'm not ready for any prime time 'cause I ain't got no ax at all yet.

Thank you for your consideration, suggestions, advice. PS. Beyond Guitar Center and the like, where is there to try out the top of the line stuff with intelligent staff? Or am I asking too much in these days and times?
 
#37
tyohars said:
Hai @bad_ai, you should check Sire V7. I have it both with MIJ Fender P, and for the price, it's no brainer. I can compete the built quality between those two. Where'd you live? Because your name sounds like Indonesian name. I can help you to choose basses if you're in Indonesia.
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Haha! No. My name here is meant to be "Bad A.I." like Terminator run amok or actually doing what it's designed for. How can I hear these things? And just as comparison from what I'm reading, G&L, all Fender's designs, don't make instruments in other countries. I suppose their prices on a comparative basis to a Lakland USA made is less for what I can only determine to be top grade quality and only that. I have a complaint about the greed aspect of Guitar Center, Sam Ash, Musician's Friend like the're a conspiracy based upon the WalMart business model of having all these disposable beginner's models which should have never existed to begin with. That might have been better for instrument makers because certain woods available in the 40's - 60's are no longer available. Maturity of certain wood species like the Brazilian rosewood Fender used initially aren't available, forested out of existed, protected, etc. There's no substitute for that, is there? I actually don't know. But there was something in those instruments that must have everything to do with prices asked on Ebay. You get a '64 Fender Precision and that's all one needs. The instrument was like the old Hammond B-3's. There were no intermediary. And the premier stuff ordered from a catalog or online with a limited three day return policy isn't enough time to get to know an instrument. I was in marketing for many years and this aspect of musical instruments grates my nerves raw and the policies of these stores even more so.
 
#38
Welcome! I was like you 8-9 years ago when I got the itch to reignite a long dormant love of bass. Here's what I found-- It's a whole new brave new world out there! Look through the classified here and you will see some of the most beautiful and ridiculously expensive bases you can imagine. It isn't just Alembic anymore. Fender isn't just a company that offered a few knockoff Japanese cheapies-- the Japanese basses are considered high quality now and we look down on the Chinese, Mexican, and Indonesian basses. And there are some amazing 'new' companies, my favorite being G&L. If you like Fender and Music Man, G&L is the completion of Leo's vision. Lakland, Warwick, Spector all make phenomenal basses with their own vibe and made available in both US and knock-off versions. For most companies, the knockoffs are the best deal by far. My "Tribute" G&L has beautiful CNC cut body and neck, as well and the same electronics (pickups and preamp) as the high price US versions have. And we still have the oldies around-- Peaveys (though they are far from the old boat anchors of the 70s), Ricks (pretty much the same), Ibanezes (going in many directions at once), Gibsons (people still don't seem to like them), Yamahas (people still don't know about them).
Do yourself a favor and check out a few real guitar stores (not GC). You will find something that will sing to you in a way you never dreamed possible!
 
#39
Rather than make any brand or model recommendations, I will share my opinion (and it's only one man's opinion) about the whole American/Japanese/Mexican Fender product subject:

You can find a good or bad one regardless of where it is made. Don't fall into the geographic craftsmanship trap. Find nearby music stores, or people you know who play bass, play as many as you can, and make up your own mind.
 
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#40
40Hz said:
Wekcome to TB!

First thing you need to figure out is if you actually like the sound of a Fender bass. Not everyone is in love with that particular vibe. Then you’ll want to think about which Fender. There are basically two models in the music mainstream: the Precision and the Jazz. Both have some underlying sonic similarity. But they’re also both very different animals, each with their own followings and detractors.

So to summarize, two questions:

  1. Do I like the sound of a Fender bass?
  2. If yes, do I prefer the Precision or the Jazz more - or do I like both equally?
So try completing the above homework assignment and report back. We’ll be better able to help you once you know a little better where you stand regarding Fender basses.
Click to expand...
Definitely a Precision but there are huge distinctions between a genuine '61-4 in this context against any Custom shop one is paying $5000 for what one will never get toward the other. Can't get Brazilian rosewood and even if one could it might not be of the maturity Fenders originals had. I read today Fender on a small number of Precision's used mahogany bodies in 1963 but ash and poplar. Poplar! I guess it comes down to which of either sounds the best to my ears. A 1963 Precision or a 2018 Custom shop Precision? The woods on the prior were mature to begin with. That has changed, I think, with all makers. I am saying, too, without having any or either in my hands to feel and hear differences, how can I know? In terms of other manufacturers who make what are essentially P's and J's, I can't know until I might meet at a place with vintage and newer and various amps that replicate what I wish to sound like for myself. Then there is a purpose for all my folderol. This has all become an intellectual pursuit for things I'll probably never have nor can afford. Lately I relax to my old record collection and get very excited about them all which happen to have been produced in the 50's through the late 60's. Hate Disco but some of those guys played awesome on those records but not enough to get me jumping up and down. I'd like to have a sound that makes others jump up and down. That's the bottom line for me. We'll see....
 

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