Sort of like what Coke tried do do with "New Coke" years ago. Major fail. And besides, if you're a Fender player, the rest of those basses are just plain ugly. IMHO
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I prefer styles that start from scratch over the attempts at tweaking Fender designs, which to me just end up looking “off.”
Ovation must have made a small comeback about 10-15 years ago. I remember them being a hot topic in the guitar community, so much that I thought it was a brand new design. I had no idea it was so old. I never could get past how much the plastic body would slide around on my torso. Perhaps they should have used rhino liner.
I have the same paint job on my heartfield DR. Probably came from the same factory.
...ya don't mess around with the 11 Herbs and Spices...ya just add Tenders, Xtra Crispy and toss a lil sauce around.
7ENDER!
7ENDER!
Fender did buy Kubiciki and seems to have totally lost interest in producing them. I think this is a major failure on Fender's part. They did the same with Guild, though Guild has recovered on its own.
If only I could locate a reasonable priced Kubiciki Key Factor. Sorry, reverse location of the tuning pegs just creeps me out.
As I recall SWR was quite successful. I don't know why Fender discontinued the line. My Super Redhead is my go to for small/medium venues.
stevieg
Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't SWR fairly transparent sounding? If they were, then I'd think they'd be in fashion right now, and good competition against the manufacturers that are releasing transparent sounding gear.
No, they had a pretty major mid scoop. On some of their amps you could dial it out, but it resulted in increased noise and just didn’t sound all that great when you did.
The relaunch of the Heartfield line would be awesome. The DR5’s were killer basses and ahead of their time really. With updated graphite reinforced necks, the balanced outputs, active EQ, 5 and 6 string extended scale lengths….they could really knock out some excellent instruments at reasonable prices by updating some designs already in their stable.
Just for further clarification, is that their heads or cabs? I was referring to their cabs being transparent sounding.
Oh, well no commercial bass cabs have flat response, and even the ones that are designed for that aren't 100% flat, either, unless they enlist the help of DSP. I think some people think of cabs with jacked up tweeters as sounding "transparent," and that's how SWR had that reputation for a while.
They may sometimes look a little off, but I have a dream of one day having a 6 lb PJ, so if it takes having a body that looks off, I'm there
It’s almost as if the OP has no idea of the history of FMI. They spent a shipload of money developing, manufacturing and marketing the Dimension Bass line just a few years ago. They are excellent, attractive instruments, more or less FMI’s take on a Music Man StingRay.
They were a complete failure in the marketplace, and quickly dropped from the line.
Fender’s latest foray is Fender Japan’s re-release of the Katana Bass.
And it wasn’t that long ago (2009) that Fender was still making the American Deluxe Jazz Bass V with the smaller body style introduced in 1990 as the US Plus Series Jazz Bass Plus V, with active electronics and Bill Lawrence designed SCN single-coil noiseless pickups. Put this alongside a regular Jazz Bass, and you will immediately see the dramatic difference. This model was in production from 1998-2009, at least. I’m a little unclear about the mid-1990s, but I think the Plus went from 1990-1994.
They were a complete failure in the marketplace, and quickly dropped from the line.
Fender’s latest foray is Fender Japan’s re-release of the Katana Bass.
And it wasn’t that long ago (2009) that Fender was still making the American Deluxe Jazz Bass V with the smaller body style introduced in 1990 as the US Plus Series Jazz Bass Plus V, with active electronics and Bill Lawrence designed SCN single-coil noiseless pickups. Put this alongside a regular Jazz Bass, and you will immediately see the dramatic difference. This model was in production from 1998-2009, at least. I’m a little unclear about the mid-1990s, but I think the Plus went from 1990-1994.
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FTR, that is not a “Fender Kubicki Jazz Bass”, it is a Fender Jazz Bass Plus V. The only thing Kubicki about it was that Phil designed the preamp.
I have never in my life owned a traditional Precision Bass or Jazz Bass, and I can confidently state that I never will, because I have never liked either of them and never will.
My first bass was a 1992 Fender Jazz Bass Plus V Ash, at the time Fender’s top of the range model, and it remained my main bass for almost 20 years. It was widely criticised by people for “not sounding like a Jazz Bass”, due to its Fender Lace Sensor pickups and Phil Kubicki-designed active preamp, but I never got anything but compliments on my tone from other musicians.
The 2004-2009 Fender American Deluxe Jazz Bass V (a couple of posts above) is, for me, the epitome of what a bass ought to be. It is, essentially, the updated version of my old Jazz Bass Plus V. Some body style, updated electronics, a little closer in appearance to the original Jazz Bass, with a pickguard and chrome control plate, but with four knobs and an active preamp hiding under them. It is so obviously not a traditional Jazz Bass that I hope Boomers despise it, so prices stay reasonable in the future.
In fact, I will even say that this body style is the only body style Fender ever produced that I find attractive, and that includes guitars as well as basses. I think ever other Fender that came before it is ugly. Even the Dimension isn’t quite as pretty, though the Dimension is my second favorite Fender. Neither the small body Jazz nor the Dimension were designed by Leo—horrors! The only guitars and basses designed by Leo I think are truly beautiful are the StingRay bass and guitar, and maybe the Espada.
My next two basses will be the 2004-2009 American Deluxe Jazz Bass V, one fretted, one fretless, though likely Warmoth versions of it, since Warmoth still makes it, and that means I can get Custom Shop quality without the Custom Shop price. And if I hit the lottery, maybe I’ll pick up a couple of Fender American Deluxe Dimension Bass V models, just because they are awesome basses that silly Boomers refuse to play “because it doesn’t look/sound like a Precision Bass or a Jazz Bass”.
And if I can’t get that, then I’ll get a Sandberg California TT5, which is nearly identical, and still almost nothing like a traditional Jazz Bass or Precision Bass.
My first bass was a 1992 Fender Jazz Bass Plus V Ash, at the time Fender’s top of the range model, and it remained my main bass for almost 20 years. It was widely criticised by people for “not sounding like a Jazz Bass”, due to its Fender Lace Sensor pickups and Phil Kubicki-designed active preamp, but I never got anything but compliments on my tone from other musicians.
The 2004-2009 Fender American Deluxe Jazz Bass V (a couple of posts above) is, for me, the epitome of what a bass ought to be. It is, essentially, the updated version of my old Jazz Bass Plus V. Some body style, updated electronics, a little closer in appearance to the original Jazz Bass, with a pickguard and chrome control plate, but with four knobs and an active preamp hiding under them. It is so obviously not a traditional Jazz Bass that I hope Boomers despise it, so prices stay reasonable in the future.
In fact, I will even say that this body style is the only body style Fender ever produced that I find attractive, and that includes guitars as well as basses. I think ever other Fender that came before it is ugly. Even the Dimension isn’t quite as pretty, though the Dimension is my second favorite Fender. Neither the small body Jazz nor the Dimension were designed by Leo—horrors! The only guitars and basses designed by Leo I think are truly beautiful are the StingRay bass and guitar, and maybe the Espada.
My next two basses will be the 2004-2009 American Deluxe Jazz Bass V, one fretted, one fretless, though likely Warmoth versions of it, since Warmoth still makes it, and that means I can get Custom Shop quality without the Custom Shop price. And if I hit the lottery, maybe I’ll pick up a couple of Fender American Deluxe Dimension Bass V models, just because they are awesome basses that silly Boomers refuse to play “because it doesn’t look/sound like a Precision Bass or a Jazz Bass”.
And if I can’t get that, then I’ll get a Sandberg California TT5, which is nearly identical, and still almost nothing like a traditional Jazz Bass or Precision Bass.
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