Fender Rascal Bass....in Production??

[jd56hawk]

I really like the bass but what's up with the cutesy name? Something along the lines of Mustang or Jaguar would be nice, but Rascal? What next, Scalawag, Scamp, Meanie?
I realize every bass can't have a perfect name like Thunderbird, but come on Fender, I can't hear the word rascal without picturing this.

Then again, it might be the first Fender I buy.

 

[howlin]

Hello all.
I just managed to get my hands on the Rascal for the first time to do a demo. Safe to say, it's very, very good.

Your demo or the bass? Seriously, do they pay you to do this? You need to watch some Ed Friedland demos. He's very consistent and thorough. You left out one of the most important features and that's the push/pull pot that activates the neck & bridge pickups + all three pickups when engaged. Also, don't change your picking technique every time you change pickups. Play the bass on each pickup varying the techniques before you change to the next pickup. Got it? Now go do it again . . .

And P-U-L-E-E-A-S-E state the nut width in all of you demos. That's one of the biggest concerns a knowledgeable shopper should have right out of the gate regarding purchasing any guitar or bass on the internet. Is it too thick? Is it too wide? I waste a lot of time [doing your job] trying to track down that info.

 

[mark_random]

Cool demo for one of the coolest basses Fender ever made, at least visually. As everybody around here, and probably elsewhere too, just want Fender to make Ps and Js and most think shortscale basses are the work of the devil himself , the Rascal probably won't last more than a year or so. I hope i'll have the opportunity to grab one.
Mark_ramdom, did you tried it with a strap? How is neck dive? And weight?

Hey. I didn't try it with a strap, but I can't imagine that it would be unbalanced. It seemed really stable on my knee!

 

[mark_random]

Your demo or the bass? Seriously, do they pay you to do this? You need to watch some Ed Friedland demos. He's very consistent and thorough. You left out one of the most important features and that's the push/pull pot that activates the neck & bridge pickups + all three pickups when engaged. Also, don't change your picking technique every time you change pickups. Play the bass on each pickup varying the techniques before you change to the next pickup. Got it? Now go do it again . . .

And P-U-L-E-E-A-S-E state the nut width in all of you demos. That's one of the biggest concerns a knowledgeable shopper should have right out of the gate regarding purchasing any guitar or bass on the internet. Is it too thick? Is it too wide? I waste a lot of time [doing your job] trying to track down that info.

Hey. Thanks for the feedback. I'll bear it in mind. Cheers.

 

[Matt B]

Your demo or the bass? Seriously, do they pay you to do this? You need to watch some Ed Friedland demos. He's very consistent and thorough. You left out one of the most important features and that's the push/pull pot that activates the neck & bridge pickups + all three pickups when engaged. Also, don't change your picking technique every time you change pickups. Play the bass on each pickup varying the techniques before you change to the next pickup. Got it? Now go do it again . . .

And P-U-L-E-E-A-S-E state the nut width in all of you demos. That's one of the biggest concerns a knowledgeable shopper should have right out of the gate regarding purchasing any guitar or bass on the internet. Is it too thick? Is it too wide? I waste a lot of time [doing your job] trying to track down that info.

Wow. Lighten up. It's a quick few minute 'demo' not a complete review...

And not a bad demo.

 

[RED J]

Pretty good demo. GAK's reviews are some of the better out there. Ed Friedland really is the grand master reviewer, going through all the styles very thoroughly. I'm not going pick hater, but for me, when a bass is reviewed mostly or exclusively pick style near the bridge, I mostly hear the clank of the pick and don't hear all that much of the differences in the settings. This bass has my attention though, I've always thought a short scale "Stratobass" would be a cool idea. Looking forward to more demos as they come out. Thanks Mark.

 

[khutch]

Now go do it again . . .

And P-U-L-E-E-A-S-E state the nut width in all of you demos.

The man does us all a big favor and this is the thanks he gets? I could not tell you the neck width or thickness at the nut on any of my basses, it is that critical to me! If you need more information it will come with time. If you had asked nicely, perhaps Mark would have told you. Most of us are grateful to Mark for taking the time to do this and post it because it gives us a lot of information we did not have before.

I really like the bass but what's up with the cutesy name?

I like Rascal better than Mustang or Bronco, actually. I also like the bass better than a Mustang or Bronco. Much better! Would it help if you pronounce it RAH-scal like Mark does, almost like Roscoe to my Chicago tuned ears?

Did anyone else notice that it's part of the CLASSIC PLAYER series? That's a guitar line and I can't recall a single other bass in that line.

Classic Player, Modern Player, apparently even Fender marketing can't keep them straight! On the other hand there are both guitars and basses in the Blacktop line so there is a precedent and if they are going to make Classic Player basses then one bass or another had to be the first.

 

[jd56hawk]

The man does us all a big favor and this is the thanks he gets? I could not tell you the neck width or thickness at the nut on any of my basses, it is that critical to me! If you need more information it will come with time. If you had asked nicely, perhaps Mark would have told you. Most of us are grateful to Mark for taking the time to do this and post it because it gives us a lot of information we did not have before.



I like Rascal better than Mustang or Bronco, actually. I also like the bass better than a Mustang or Bronco. Much better! Would it help if you pronounce it RAH-scal like Mark does, almost like Roscoe to my Chicago tuned ears?



Classic Player, Modern Player, apparently even Fender marketing can't keep them straight! On the other hand there are both guitars and basses in the Blacktop line so there is a precedent and if they are going to make Classic Player basses then one bass or another had to be the first.

Too late now, but "Wave" might've been a good name.
Regardless, if I see one by me and it's around $800, I can see myself putting down a couple hundred on layaway, even though the most expensive bass I own right now cost me a mere $400!

 

[JazzBass1949]

Dope!

 

[jd56hawk]

Hello all.

I just managed to get my hands on the Rascal for the first time to do a demo. Safe to say, it's very, very good.

Nice video. Perfect way to showcase this bass...simple and to the point.

 

[mark_random]

Hey. Thanks for the good feedback!

 

[Christian Joseph Allbee]

Probably the closest thing to a Stratocaster Bass that we'll be getting.

 

[Joe Nerve]

Your demo or the bass? Seriously, do they pay you to do this? You need to watch some Ed Friedland demos. He's very consistent and thorough. You left out one of the most important features and that's the push/pull pot that activates the neck & bridge pickups + all three pickups when engaged. Also, don't change your picking technique every time you change pickups. Play the bass on each pickup varying the techniques before you change to the next pickup. Got it? Now go do it again . . .

And P-U-L-E-E-A-S-E state the nut width in all of you demos. That's one of the biggest concerns a knowledgeable shopper should have right out of the gate regarding purchasing any guitar or bass on the internet. Is it too thick? Is it too wide? I waste a lot of time [doing your job] trying to track down that info.

???? Where the hell did that come from?

Ya might want to take a look inside yerself and see what's eatin at you, because it seems pretty clear I think to all of us that that was completely uncalled for. I too was grateful for the quick and concise review.

 

[khutch]

Probably the closest thing to a Stratocaster Bass that we'll be getting.

Yeah, I can see that, although the Fender/Squier VI are also close to being Stratocaster basses. The Rascal does slant the bridge pickup like the Strat but the wrong way! The Rascal also looks kinda like a bass version of the VI, which is an odd concept given that the VI is already a bass....

 

[awilkie84]

Classic Player, Modern Player, apparently even Fender marketing can't keep them straight! On the other hand there are both guitars and basses in the Blacktop line so there is a precedent and if they are going to make Classic Player basses then one bass or another had to be the first.

The Classic Players are Mexican made, and usually feature modern takes on true to form classic guitars, nothing usually off the wall or different from a standard strat or tele.

 

[awilkie84]

Yeah, I can see that, although the Fender/Squier VI are also close to being Stratocaster basses. The Rascal does slant the bridge pickup like the Strat but the wrong way! The Rascal also looks kinda like a bass version of the VI, which is an odd concept given that the VI is already a bass....

It's slanted backwards to cut back on the harsh highs that the G string would have. Some strat players do the same thing. Gives more balance.

 

[hover]

Mark_Random, thanks a bunch for the review!

Gotta say tho, not enough slappy-bippity...can you get with one of Carvin's demo-masterminds? (I'm totally kidding around).

Cool sounding cool looking bass! But really, what are the dimensions on the pickup adjust screws? (KIDDING)

 

[I am Soma]

Your demo or the bass? Seriously, do they pay you to do this? You need to watch some Ed Friedland demos. He's very consistent and thorough. You left out one of the most important features and that's the push/pull pot that activates the neck & bridge pickups + all three pickups when engaged. Also, don't change your picking technique every time you change pickups. Play the bass on each pickup varying the techniques before you change to the next pickup. Got it? Now go do it again . . .

And P-U-L-E-E-A-S-E state the nut width in all of you demos. That's one of the biggest concerns a knowledgeable shopper should have right out of the gate regarding purchasing any guitar or bass on the internet. Is it too thick? Is it too wide? I waste a lot of time [doing your job] trying to track down that info.

You are a turd.

 

[groooooove]

???? Where the hell did that come from?

Ya might want to take a look inside yerself and see what's eatin at you, because it seems pretty clear I think to all of us that that was completely uncalled for. I too was grateful for the quick and concise review.

+1

sure, its not an ed friendland review. but we got to hear the bass... and for that i (and most of us?) are appreciative.

telling him to "go do it again" is really uncalled for. if you need to know things like nut width, or about the electronics you seem to already understand, ask politely!

carry on, folks. looks like a cool bass.

 

[audreycashin]

Here's the guy who made it

Is that Dan Smith's kid?