Do you know if the master built is shielded?
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Fender Master Built review out
- Thread starter SamJ
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Do you know if the master built is shielded?
Sound reasoning.
Scott probably recouped the 7 grand with that video alone.
It really comes down to how much people's time is worth.
The master builder who made that bass, Vincent Van Trigt (hope it's the right name), also made basses for Jason Momoa and other players who can pay top dollar to secure his time.
Like the poster above, it's like hiring Gordon Ramsay to cook a basic meal. It's not worth 7 grand but the builder has to price himself that high because he can only work on one instrument at a time, probably, so he works for the highest bidder.
Roger Sadowsky will make you a Will Lee bass for $8k. Along with AC, Fodera, Ritter, Wal and many more, these handmade basses are in a league where $7k is the budget. I wouldn't buy one but I believe it's fine if some one else does.
I have always been of the mind that you get what you pay for plus the added benefit of ordering the bass the way you want it, materials measurements etc. If I were a busy pro that logged thousands of miles every year and owned valuable pre-CBS Fenders I didn't want to take on the road I would probably go this route but as it is I bought an American Vintage Hot Rod Precision (P/J) about 5 years ago and the things sounds and plays better than any other P bass I've owned. If I could change anything on it I would get a J neck for it which I still may do but this bass has a compound neck which I really like so that probably won't happen. But as it is I can think of plenty of vintage basses I'd rather have, not necessarily Fenders although I would like a nice early single Tele.
People talk about basses as tools here, if I bought one of those I would probably classify it as a tool.
People talk about basses as tools here, if I bought one of those I would probably classify it as a tool.
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You can't buy regularly priced fodera: let's say 1K to 2K.Then how does Fodera justify its prices? It's a bass, not a bassoon
Fodera has no need to find ways to explain why its 7K bass is better than its 2k one. Fender IMHO should try better to convince me its 7k bass is that better than its 2k one.
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Right, didn't think of that! In fact
I'm selling an MIM Precision neck locally for the price of a new Squier bass
Hey come on , for $7000 you're getting that neat presentation folder (mini) with the build sheet, isn't that worth it? Seriously, I'm not against spending that kind of money on a bass, my last Fodera build cost $9K, but I don't think the Master builds are worth the price jump. I'm not even really a fan of Custom Shop. I ordered one many years ago and after waiting 9 months, I was very disappointed with the fit and finish. That led me to Roger Sadowsky's shop, which is where I would be spending $7K on a "Custom" bass if I was to order another one.
But, many people like Fender Custom Shop basses and to them, they're worth it. Is a Bugatti Veyron worth $1.5 million? Of course not. But if someone wants one and is willing to pay that price, then that's the value of it.
Edit: This bass did sound very sweet when Scott played it, but i think Scott could play a baseball bat and it would sound sweet.
But, many people like Fender Custom Shop basses and to them, they're worth it. Is a Bugatti Veyron worth $1.5 million? Of course not. But if someone wants one and is willing to pay that price, then that's the value of it.
Edit: This bass did sound very sweet when Scott played it, but i think Scott could play a baseball bat and it would sound sweet.
The difference with Fodera, compared to Fender for example, is that Fodera carves and hand finishes their bodies and necks from pieces of tree trunks. The neck blanks might be pre finished, but i've been in one of their "wood rooms" where there are some sizable pieces of wood you can choose for your bodies. These are very labor intensive instruments. Vinny hand carves necks with a chisel. They make the wooden pickup covers by hand. You won't find that going on at Fender.Then how does Fodera justify its prices? It's a bass, not a bassoon
I don't know if a Master Built is shielded. But I know my 2020 and 2021 MiA were not. But I assume being a master luthier they would at least offer it as an option.
Of my current 3, it's by far my favorite ... unique tone, butter action, amazing fit and finish... and by far the lightest (7.9lbs)..
Maybe once I get my Wal I've been waiting on for 3 years that line up will change..
I wouldn't trade mi
fully shielded, all cavities.. even the pick guard and battery compartment .. (uses single battery 9v).
Nailed it. Fenders business model is basically to have tiers of similar instruments that appeal to every class of wealth and musician. I'm sure the idea is that a player can get the entry level model and upgrade with the brand as they progress.
Squire > Player > Pro > Ultra > CS > MB
I bet many of us have actually gone in that order to an extent. Start the brand loyalty young and combine that with Fenders deep history in music… They know very well what they're doing.
By all means spend the $7k on the Master Build, it'll be amazing. I do agree though that you could spend $500 on a player, custom order hand wound pickups by StoneWall for example, get a bone nut, buy a hi-mass bridge, get some quality tuners, and then maybe dress the frets and have it setup… tada! Your P-bass is also amazing and it will cost $5500-$6000 less.
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Well, I know it's a statement painted with a broad stroke, but for example, I can't tell you how many times I've heard, "I would never own that bass because the headstock looks weird" or something along those lines.That's really funny... Buying FENDER instruments simply to impress others?
I have several Fender products, but see them more like a Corolla than a Merc. Dependable, kind of boring, acceptable for most any occasion, and you'll see a lot of them out there in the wild.
Also, Michael Dolan's old shop is right near me, which is now Bob Groat's shop and has been for about 20 years. I went in there when it was Michael's and he had built a master built Michael Dolan Fender Pbass for a customer who DEMANDED the headstock say Fender on it and not Dolan. I found that to be SO insulting, as did Michael. I think we would all agree that a Fender player would be most likely to do something like that to show he has a Fender. I couldn't see any other brand where someone is so insistent (I was going to say insecure) about what the headstock says.
To each his own. It's your money, and that's why there's chocolate and vanilla, Nike or Sketchers, Lexus or Mercedes, etc. I see what you mean about it being more like a Corolla. Good analogy !
A master built Fender is not in my future, but I can understand the appeal. The better an instrument is made, the better it will intonate, it will take an overall better set up, it will resonate better, etc. All of these improvements are subtle, but real. I played a Squier of mine at church today. It is a really good sounding instrument, but the set up and playability are far below my Carvin or US Geddy Lee. I doubt if the audience hears much difference, but I can tell the difference the moment I touch it.
Before ordering that bass, I had a chat with Dennis Galuzka for 10 minutes where he explain to me how he wouldn't put a signature in anything that he didn't completely assembled and pick the parts out himself. He later sent me photographs of the various pieces of Ashwood, various pieces of maple neck, we decided on one piece body versus two piece body etc… we argued and fought (joking here but he had strong positions) over which preamp to use, whether to make it active or passive, whether to use Ebony or maple fret board, to put a zero fret or no zero fret etc ..
This is not an off-the-shelf bass that somebody slaps their signature on after a quick quality control check.
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I completely agree with this.
Saying for the 100th time I really love Fender and I knowingly go out of my way and knowingly pay more than I probably need to for a bass (and guitar too) because I really want mine to be a Fender. But ask a 13 year old aspiring player if it needs to be a Fender. It did when I was a l'il baby. But there's no kid in the world mowing their neighbor's yard to save for a Fender. I think that's ultimately going to be what gets the brand in trouble. They can have a fit and finish issue on mine, even if I pay $2,100 or more. I'll deal with it because to me, that brand is worth having. But if those things that you wouldn't tolerate on a $500 axe don't get addressed before all the lifer players age out they'll go down as a company. That's what happened to Oldsmobile and Pontiac and it's happening to Gibson but you can see they're digging out of it.
I've had a CS and it was fantastic and I would absolutely not hesitate to pay for a Master Built, I've bought basses in that price range. And I mean it, Fender is my favorite brand. But I just bought a Kiesel, in every way it is better, fit, finish, components, and more oh my God the neck is silk. And that Kiesel came set up with low action and shielded and I didn't have to pay anyone to fix anything.
So if I'm CMO of Fender I'm asking that kid what is important to her. Because a Master Built should be exceptional. But a MiA or MiM should be too. Because a $600 Ibanez is smoking. And guys like me who will pay an extra Grand to have that decal are a dying breed.
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