I LOVE/HATE - CAN'T STAND/CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT A FENDER

[Gravedigger Dav]

it seems to me there is a lot more anti Fender/anti P sentiment than for any other maker or model. I know why it is.
I remember when IMB was the big dog in the computer world. Everybody hated IBM. They had all sorts of stories going around about how IBM was crap and everything else was super, how they were overpriced, etc. etc. etc. Now, everyone hates Microsoft and I hear the same biased statements about them. It is the old envy problem. Everyone wants to bring the big guy down. Those who hated the big dogs didn't like the fact they are the standard that everyone goes to. It was once a saying that no IT manager ever got fired for choosing IMB.

Fender is and has always been the big dog among bass makers. Like choosing IBM, showing up with a Fender is always acceptable. Fender is better than many makers and, of course, there are some that are better. I don't necessarily mean custom makers. G&L (IMHO) pays more attention to detail and turns out a more consistent product. And this thread is not an argument about the relative quality of builders. It is about unrational, biased attitudes.

So le'ts talk about the quality factor perception. After CBS took over Fender, the Pre CBS instuments were considered the very best and all the CBS stuff was crap that an uncaring corporation foisted on us for an evil profit. Now those instruments are considered valuable collectables and excellent instruments. There have been other periods of the new stuff sucs and the old stuff is great as well.

There have been a lot of advancement in technology and Fender hasn't always been on the leading edge. But again, that is more a matter of what you are looking for. If you are looking for true vintage, you get a Fender Precision, string it with flats and play it through a B-15. That is vintage. As you move from that, it becomes less and less vintage.

It is certainly okay to like other makes even more because they are more suited to a style or preference, but anti-Fender fervor is irrational and unbiased.

 

[jd56hawk]

Never wanted one until this year.
But now...
Pink one was built by a fellow board member. Logo changed. Couldn't resist buying it. Bought it before the FSR and the P bass. It gets a lot of love from other people.

 

[Gorn]

If I only owned one bass, and I do, I'd want it to be a Fender. What I'd like is my active Fender Jazz, a Musicman Stingray, and a passive PJ of some sort. If I owned all three and could only take save one from a house fire, it'd be the Fender.

 

[fuzzychaos]

I remember when IMB was the big dog in the computer world.

IBM and, yes they WERE the big dog. Then innovation happened and IBM was pushed out of the consumer market, for the most part.

I have a problem with Fender in that every one that I have owned (ordered new) has had abysmal quality control, though the US ones are less likely to be bad. So, I will buy a Lakland, Sadowsky, Lull, Carvin, Spector, etc. before I'll buy another Fender. These are, IMHO, far superior in every way. Yes, they are not vintage instruments, but I don't care about vintage. I care about what sounds and feels good to me, and so far, Fender isn't it. I don't really understand this obsession with vintage sound either, but that's just me. I think there are better sounding modern amps and basses. I never liked any flats until I tried TI and they are pretty nice, great for recording. I still play roundwound mostly though.

 

[Gaolee]

I have a P. It's a great bass. I usually play the upright. The cover band likes it better when I play the Ric. I think the Gibson sounds better than the Ric. Carrots are excellent and I like them a lot.

 

[petrus61]

It took me a while to appreciate Fender and specifically the Precision Bass for what it can do. 20 years ago, I thought that "more" was what I was looking for: more frets, more electronics, more strings...it took me buying a Precision on a whim and playing it in a band to understand that "more" wasn't what I wanted after all. I always stayed away from the Precision because I had never tried one in a band setting, but when I did it was an epiphany.

Now I suddenly had "less". Less electronics, less fancy wood, less fussing with eq and less desire to play anything else. The Precision just worked for me and I suddenly found myself not worrying about my tone or being able to hear myself the way I envisioned...it was all right there. Stripping away the bells and whistles allowed me to focus on the music and actually allowed me greater control of my tone and its nuances. I do like and am open to trying other basses, but very few come close to the utilitarianism and practicality that a Precision affords me, so my forays into trying to use other bass guitars are always short lived.

They work for ME better than anything else I've used so far and that's really all there is to it. Other basses aren't better or worse, they just aren't a Precision Bass.

 

[drummer5359]

I own nine American Fenders, (Five of them are Precisions.) a 1990's EBMM Stingray and a new Rickenbacker. As a drummer, I always loved hearing and seeing the guy playing bass next to me using a Fender and still do. You know what you are getting, no surprises.

As I got deeper into playing bass myself, I played other brands. (Jackson, Peavey, Squire, Washburn and Schecter) When I got around to owning a Fender, it was like finding a comfortable chair to sit in. I like playing my Stingray, as to me it's another flavor of Fender. My new RIC is getting a lot of time in my hands, it has it's own sound, feel, style that appeals to me.

But, at the end of the day a Fender is like your basic meat and potatoes diet. It's not the fanciest or the most exciting meal, but it's like my musical comfort food.

Your mileage may vary.

 

[mark beem]

I love my Fenders! Have two currently; AVRI '63 Precision and '09 Road Worn Jazz

On the look-out for a used Road Worn '50s Precision

Wanna get a tort pickguard and order a rosewood neck for it.... Instant Pino bass!! LOL!

 

[96tbird]

Nothing quite feels like a Fender. The way they hang, look and play (at least my J and P) is just right.... For ME. I simply do not like most coffee table bass aesthetics. Just my opinion, but I never would cut anyone else's taste down. To each his own.

I hope this doesn't turn into a troll-fest, but it will.... the poll sets it up as such.

 

[blowinblue]

I'm so overcome with emotion at the very mention of the name Fender that I'm unable to vote. Hopefully I can pull myself together before the day is over.

Oh, just relax. It's all in good fun. I have (and love) my 'Fender-looking' bass.

M. M.

 

[esa372]

I have two - great basses.

 

[Mattrill]

Too me, I absolutely love Fenders. I've only ever owned Fender - shortly going to be trying out a Hofner Verythin which I hope I like.

Fender were the birth of the electric bass and will always have that iconic image. There might be good and bad ones but too me Fender will always be my favourite bass maker and the most iconic

 

[tangentmusic]

I have more Fenders than anything else.
2 P's
3 J's

 

[friendlybass]

I have 2. Love em. Also love my Gibson and carvin. Am about to love my first build (I hope!). Like anything you can get a great one or a poopie one. So try before you buy!!

 

[friendlybass]

Talkbass just change sh*t to poopie, I'm rolling on the floor

 

[Old Blastard]

Have three MIJ Fenders, two from the mid-80s and a 2010 Jag Deluxe. I love them, but I also have a bunch of other basses I love just as well. They're like Harley Davidsons, they're iconic, they're good products and a lot of people won't own anything else or will never own one. My Drakes were actually cheaper than the higher end American made Fenders.

 

[Pandastylebass]

I am a Fender convert, I was so against them for years out of pure ignorance, now I own 5

 

[blowinblue]

Personally, I favor the P/J configuration. It makes for a silky smooth sound.

M. M.

 

[jim777]

Completely ambivalent to fender. I would play a nice one, but wouldn't go for one over a comparable bass simply on name alone. All else being equal I would much prefer Carvin, actually.

 

[Neveragain55]

There were a few choices you left out but I know you’re tired of hearing that by now as I’m sure others have also pointed that out already.

I would have picked:

“I’m not crazy about them but I respect Fender as a company and the people that play them”

The main three reasons why I’m not crazy about them is their weight, neck profile and lack of 24 frets.

Of those three, the neck profile is my biggest problem, as I have very small hands and every Fender I’ve ever picked & tried to play just didn’t suit me.

I get the whole 60’s 70’s "sound" thing, their popularity, and huge following, as well as the fact that they’re the most recorded bass ever, but to be fair that’s only because Leo was there first.

In other words it’s all relative.

(not slamming Fender, please calm down)

If the first bass ever made was made by Leon Zender, then "Zender" basses would have the notoriety, fame, and distinction that Fender has.

If Fender bass guitars didn’t come along until the mid-80’s along with dozens of other basses, their legacy & contribution to music and the music scene in general would be vastly different.

Lastly as wonderful as Fenders are (and they are) many other bass manufacturers have been able to (yes copy) that basic Fender "formula/blue print" and more or less duplicate the vintage sound.

Also there are many other bass manufacturers out there that have come up with totally new designed basses that not only sound good, but are also able to dial in that vintage, funky, growly, burbly, farty sound that Fenders are famous for.

Conclusions: Fenders, "great basses"…………but not the only kid on the block - with lots of stiff competition.