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.
I've had an epiphany regarding all things Fender not so long ago, and I absolutely respect all who love & enjoy Fender basses.
I also think it's silly to slam Fender or people who like/use Fender basses.
Having said that, I will admit that Fender sort of reminds me of Harley Davidson in many ways: first kid on the block, huge cult following......not a very good product for many years until Harley regained the company back in the 80's, and really turned it around.
Fender was a good product out of the gate, but set against todays standards...........maybe not so much.
Lets be honest Fender basses have always been from the beginning very basic, and the reason why there's such a huge following is because Leo's bass was the first real-world electric bass that you could plug into an amp and actually hear unlike the stand up double basses that were dragged on stage and nobody could hear.
They were revolutionary in that vain to be sure.
The reason why Fender can make the claim that it's the most recorded bass ever isn't all that amazing or special when you consider that of course it had to be - because it was the first full-on production electric bass.
If Leo Fender made his first bass in 1990 years after some cat named John Smith made the first electric bass back in 1951, then that "Smith bass" would enjoy that title, and that's just the truth, no smear to Fender at all.
The other honest to God truth here is that there are several other guitar manufacturers that make basses that absolutely destroy Fender in terms of better price, quality, sound and just about every other field you can think of - but because they're not "Fender" bass guitars they are largely dismissed by the Fender crowd and written off as pretenders.
These pretenders are amazing, and it would be nice if these brands got the true recognition they deserve, and it would also be nice if the Fender crowd finally admited that there is life after or besides Fender.
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