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FENDER MODERN PLAYER TELE

#261
Bongolation said:
No, but it's just as off from an actual aged vintage finish. That was my point. I was nearly beige.
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The actual vintage "blonde/butterscotch" finishes I've seen from on actual '50s Fenders range from barely off-white through various shades and intensities of yellows/browns/oranges to a dark brownish orange so anywhere in that range is fair game for a "vintage" style finish.

Perhaps a less shiny finish or a bit of faux relic work would help it look a bit more aged.
 
#262
mongo2 said:
The actual vintage "blonde/butterscotch" finishes I've seen from on actual '50s Fenders range from barely off-white through various shades and intensities of yellows/browns/oranges to a dark brownish orange so anywhere in that range is fair game for a "vintage" style finish.
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I've never, ever seen a real one -- and I've seen quite a few over the past decades -- that looked anything remotely like the "schoolbus yellow" or the MP Telecaster I saw last week.

This is no accident. FMIC marketing told me some years ago it was a conscious decision in order not to devalue the authentic looks of their pricier actual reissues. The idea was to "suggest, but not duplicate" the vintage colors, as I remember the explanation.

They have no problem getting the authentic aged or new colors perfectly on their high-end stuff, you'll notice.
 
#263
Bongolation said:
I've never, ever seen a real one -- and I've seen quite a few over the past decades -- that looked anything remotely like the "schoolbus yellow" or the MP Telecaster I saw last week.
Click to expand...

Still, definitely not "schoolbus yellow"

Here is a link to bunch of school bus yellow stuff on Google images:

school bus yellow - Google Search

Here's a link to the color on the actual instrument and it was less vibrant in person:

Fender Modern Player Telecaster Bass Butterscotch Blonde/

Here's a part of one of the paint chips from the google link on top of a part of the instrument photo:

View attachment 264486
 
#265
Well here goes....:hiding:

1. Neck pickup solo, tone open
2. Bridge pickup solo, tone open
3. both pickups full, tone open
4. bridge pup full, neck pup half, tone open
5. bridge pup full, neck pup half, tone half
6. both pickups full tone closed.

Quality is OK... I can't slap to save my life, go easy on the noob!



Strings are stock, Fender nickel coated steel rounds, .45 - .105
I'm playing fairly close to the bridge for clarity.... you can make it fuller and far softer with small changes in fingering style. But yous already knew that. I'll do a comparison when I load her with flats - till then I'll have to concoct a pickstyle sample. unfortunately it'll likely be like the slap... out of time. Next time a drum machine I must use!

P.S. recorded using audacity and Zoom B2.1u pedal.

>>> I posted the above in the P bass forum for comparison.
It's me playing sloppily with different tone/vol variations. Direct in only. THIS BABY IS DARK!:D
I don't know Enough to compare it to P/PJ/Jazz tones but the bridge full and neck 1/2 give a delicious honky bark. It's a chunky tone. I like it. I like it a lot. I like big tone :D
 
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#266
Bongolation said:
Finally saw one of these last week.

Answered my question about the color at last -- way off, maybe as far as the notorious "schoolbus yellow" on the MIJ '51RIs.

Fender is doing this on purpose, but it seems silly to me.
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I saw a butterscotch MP tele before I picked up my sunburst. Quite yellowy butterscotch. Not neon or close though...

I'm not gone on light coloured bodies and maple necks. The beauty in the wood & paint, as well as the hardware, IMHO, comes from contrast... harsh or not. The black guard on the butterscotch TB is sweet. I might get / make one for my sunburst. I'll post pics if I do. :)
 
#267
I played one of these today at a local GC and I really dug it, especially the feel of the neck. I thought GAS was gone for good when I got a Spector, but this bass spoke to me, in both feel and tone. The fretboard had some really nice figuring in the maple. The jack needed tightening!
 
#268
Gonna resurect this thread rather than start a new one.

Hey folks, I've been away from TB (and all other bass media) for a couple years but seeing a pic of this bass in a sweetwater catalog brought me back here. The original Mudbucker Telebass was the bass that dragged me repeatedly into Chicago Music Exchange in college and I've dreamed about it ever since. Almost bought the squire version, but I've held out for something from "Fender". (yeah, I'm that shallow...)

I love big pups at the neck, and even more when there's one at the bridge also. In the years since then I have since settled on a '79 Peavey T-40 and a custom franken-decade-w/darstars style bass as two of my main players. So following that exposition, my question is this:

Can anyone tell me how this bass sounds compared to a...
Peavey T-40
...or an...
Original Fender Mudbucker Telebass
...or any...
Bass with darkstars in the extreme neck and Bridge?

I'll keep looking around to play one in person, but I still stop into music stores now and then, and I've yet to see one.

Thanks in advance.
 
#273
Eilif, good to have you back on "the low end". Did you see "Plunger's" post (3 posts above yours)? That'll give you an idea. This baby is dark, but it can also growl quite nicely. I love mine, and it was an impulse GC buy. :bassist:

"The jack needed tightening!"-steamthief: Last night I accidentaly stepped on my cord, and it came off the jack, with the jack cover! It's incredible how Fender has these QC issues. :crying: I mean, even my Ibanez SDGR, which cost me a fraction of what the Fender did, is built like a tank compared to the Fender. Sad, really. If the old man could see this he'd weep.

"Looks like a bass for those who can't get a Rickenbacker 4005." Totally different animals. And I have the Ric.
 
#274
jbossolo said:
Eilif, good to have you back on "the low end". Did you see "Plunger's" post (3 posts above yours)? That'll give you an idea. This baby is dark, but it can also growl quite nicely. I love mine, and it was an impulse GC buy. :bassist:

"The jack needed tightening!"-steamthief: Last night I accidentaly stepped on my cord, and it came off the jack, with the jack cover! It's incredible how Fender has these QC issues. :crying: I mean, even my Ibanez SDGR, which cost me a fraction of what the Fender did, is built like a tank compared to the Fender. Sad, really. If the old man could see this he'd weep.

"Looks like a bass for those who can't get a Rickenbacker 4005." Totally different animals. And I have the Ric.
Click to expand...

This bass needs to come shipped with a screwdriver, needlenose pliers, and glue. Happy at least to see I'm the only one thus far who had a rattling tuner problem, but the jack, knobs, and pickups needing adjustment all seems to come standard.
 
#275
jbossolo said:
Eilif, good to have you back on "the low end". Did you see "Plunger's" post (3 posts above yours)? That'll give you an idea. This baby is dark, but it can also growl quite nicely. I love mine, and it was an impulse GC buy. :bassist:
Click to expand...

Thanks,
Unfortunately I don't have speaker hooked up right now. Wires came undone, and they're behind the desk and I'm lazy...

I did read the descriptions though and it sounds like my kind of sound. I was just hoping someone could compare it to my favorite bass tones to get a more specific idea of the tone.

Called around last night and a GC a bit further out has one, so I'm going to head out there today with my T-40 and maybe my franken-decade and see how it stacks up.
 
#276
Just got back from GC.

Before I left, I spent some time with my T-40, and I brought along my main player, the FauxDecade-Franken-DS'd-T40Necked-MahoganyMonster...
mortonme-Copy.jpg

... to compare it too.

Except for the one knob that was missing the chrome, the MP Tele seemed like a well assembled instrument. Good action, no notably sharp frets. The 2 tone sunburst was nice, and the neck was comfortable. Though not quite possesing the same round soulfull thump, it had a much wider range of tones than the old mudbucker teles I'd played before, .

However...

It couldn't hold a candle to the brown bomber in tone, range, clarity, playability, etc. I really wanted to fall in love, but I couldn't find anything it could do that I couldn't do better on the Franken or my T-40. The only points in it's favor were the Fender name, undeniably cool style, and lighter weight, though I like heavy basses, so that's not saying much.

I'll be earning a bit of extra $ this summer, and if I can get it for <$400 at a Memorial Day sale or somesuch, I may pick it up anyway and see what I can do with it. If I didn't have the basses I do, I would probably want the MP Tele but this visit definitely deflated most of my GAS for it.
 
#277
Took mine to it's first gig last night. Been holding out for lots of reasons, mostly cuz of my new Bongo though. Played through one of the mini ampeg stacks. As much as I'm annoyed by the quality issues, I gotta admit this bass smokes. It sits real nicely in the mix, sounds deep and rich, and has a great neck and action. I really wish Fender would get their sheeeiiit together.
 

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