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Flea Basses on Musiciansfriend

#41
This looks like something they would have thought up during a drunken binge.

"Wow man, how are you going to design the bass?"
"Not sure dude. What do you think?"
"Why not do something crazy? You're known for being crazy."
"You're right. Let's make them bright pink, green and blue!"
"Right on, dude!"
 
#43
silky smoove said:
NPO's still make money to pay their employees. I wouldn't be surprised if Flea was making money as an employee of the company from all of this.
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The way this usually works is it creates an income tax credit for a contribution of value to a NPO/NFPO.

That's how I personally know it works at one of the major gear corp's "Artist Endorsements." They do it without pay, but there's a rather complex contribution to a charity of their choice. Nice tax fiddle that works two ways.

At star level, tax credits are better than cash and can be insanely inflated by NPO/NFPO recipients.

No, he's not doing it "for free." If he is, it's because he has an inept accountant.

Based on a life of personal experience, I'm a firm believer in "Cohen's Law," which simply states that "all charities are rackets."
 
#45
Has anyone actually played one of these basses? Should we not stash the pitchforks and torches until someone can actually say whether it's a good bass or not? I'm not mad on the looks but there are plenty of ugly boutique basses too, I'm sure their quality isn't diminished just because I think they're visually hideous ;)
 
#46
Doctor J said:
Has anyone actually played one of these basses? Should we not stash the pitchforks and torches until someone can actually say whether it's a good bass or not? I'm not mad on the looks but there are plenty of ugly boutique basses too, I'm sure their quality isn't diminished just because I think they're visually hideous ;)
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Agreed. And people are doing a lot of butt-talking in this thread making assumptions and questioning his motives because it looks like he might earn a few shekels off of them. Hey people, this isn't the USSR and Marxism. Do any of you work for free? Didn't think so. Flea owes nobody anything.

Yeah, it really sucks to have a Stingray-style bass available for $400, doesn't it? OK, so it's not pretty color schemes. But at least you can get it in black. That one doesn't look bad.
 
#47
I got to check out the Fleabass yesterday at the PALM Expo, Beijing. They had all four colours in both scales and surprisingly the colour scheme looks a lot better in person. The hardware seemed ok (chunky through-body bridge), finishes were nice but the maple in the neck definitely looked streaky in that Asian maple way. Not sure about the sound, but definitely didn't look like they would handle any better than a Squier Standard, and at the Musiciansfriend price, I don't think they'll fare that well. The shortscale, however is tiny and looks like a lot of fun.
 
#48
Why is it that every time a Fleabass thread is created it ends up with the same arguments?

Yes, it's an ugly bass, but for all we know it could sound like a Modulus. Until we get our hands on them and play them, we won't know.

I'll swing by GC when these things come out and give one a try, but until then I'm reserving my opinions on tone. But as I said earlier, it is an ugly bass and I think the glued on pickguard will come back to bite the bass in the butt.
 
#54
I actually really like the pink and green one... the price does seem out of line for something made overseas, but the market will ultimately determine their worth. If no one bites at $500, for the long scale, we might all get deals for them on clearance! :)

Oh, by the way, coincidentally, I bought a Pedulla off of Craigslist for $500 a couple weeks ago, so if you keep your eyes open, quality instruments with out "bent necks" can be found in that price range, if you venture further than the local Guitar Center.
 
#55
IbanezATK said:
Everybody is ragging on these, and nobody has played one...

What if this bass is stellar?

I hope it gets kids off of Rockband and Guitar Hero!
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+1

Keep in mind that these basses are made for young kids..I would assume in the 7 year old to teenager base....they might be a little more but how many of you remember your first bass that wouldn't stay in tune and you probably gave up on it pretty quickly...a lot of kids get a less than ok first instrument and usually quit b/c it won't stay in tune, or it buzzes or whatever...so at least this is hope.

The 'ugly' bass, but lets take a look at history and what kids think is cool (the colors are even similar :D):
european_toys_haba.gif

kids-banner.gif

toys.gif
 

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