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Is Fender overrated?

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#201
Snakeman 1066
Just a thought but I sold my stingrays for similiar reasons but a mate just bought an Indonesian built SUB with a beautiful slender neck very much like a nice jazz bass neck. I didn't measure it but I couldn't stop playing it. In olympic white as well and brand new for a QUARTER of the money he spent on a used early 90's ray.
Thought you might like to know?
 
#202
In answer to George Strings ... 'your Squier is not a Fender'
In that case nor is anything made after CBS took over. I agree with Ed Roman. Everything from there on is a copy of the original.
If you disagree then explain please how the factory makes one an is and one an isn't. My silver series Squier says Fender on the headstock. Ok it was made in Japan under liscence from the the company which is called Fender but to me it's no more or less a real Fender. My 1960 p bass most definately was.
I think by now that the designs have become so ubiquitous its more a matter of any Fender design being as much a 'fender' in function if not in name. My JHS 'vintage' brand p bass is still a Fender type bass and as an instrument sounds like you would expect a good example of a p bass to sound. It actually sounds better than my 1960, 1971, mid 1970's, Korean plywood early 1990's, JV series p bass and my silver series Japanese Squier from 1992. They were all P basses and all Fenders in spirit if not all in name.
The only one that I know for sure was a Fender built one in the truest sense (ie made under supervision of the man himself ) was the 1960.
In my opinion ,for what it's worth, It's the design that makes it a 'Fender' more than the logo these days.
Thank you Leo for the p bass. You make me smile every day.
 
#203
awilkie84 said:
Only because people tout them as the end all & be all of basses. In reality, they probably cost MUCH less to manufacture than one of those customs.
Your argument also is based on the point of people flipping basses. If someone's buying a bass for life, they're not going to care about resale value.
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That's me, I really couldn't care less about resale value, I like my Fender(s) because I like them, period, and I plan on keeping them around as long as possible. If at some Point I find the urgent need to sell them, having a good resale value is a bonus, but not something I buy a bass for.
 
#205
awilkie84 said:
No and needed. Fenders only retain their high resale value because of the fanboys who hold them in such high regard, despite being old technology paired with cheap production methods & sold for higher profits than most other companies.

If the fanboys would realize that they're paying for nothing more than a mediocre instrument and a name emblazoned on it then the prices would drop & Fender would be recognized as the rehashing cash grab that they are.
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Wow. So you must be one of the very few bass players smart enough to avoid the Fender scam. Good for you.

Almost every single bass player on almost every single note of recorded music is a dumb dumb if I follow your thought process.

So you are seriously saying that 90+% of all bassists in the world are stupid fanboys that play crap basses only because of a headstock logo? Okie dokie.:rolleyes:
 
#206
Baird6869 said:
Wow. So you must be one of the very few bass players smart enough to avoid the Fender scam. Good for you.

Almost every single bass player on almost every single note of recorded music is a dumb dumb if I follow your thought process.

So you are seriously saying that 90+% of all bassists in the world are stupid fanboys that play crap basses only because of a headstock logo? Okie dokie.:rolleyes:
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I've got four main basses including a Brooklyn NS2, a US lakland 4-94, your old pre-EB stingray, and an 2012 AVRI 62 p bass. I would be very hard pressed to pick a favorite out of those 4. The plain old fender holds its on against all of them. I'm right there with my fellow fanboys!
 
#207
Fenders are damn good bases. I currently own two of 'em. However, I do agree with all who say they're over priced. You can find a comparable or better bass for less money. It probably won't hold its resale value as well as a Fender but you'll save money on the purchase. If you want to replace your Squire I'd recommend looking at a Yamaha BB424 or a G&L Tribute JB or SB-2. You can probably get one of these used for a steal and you'll sound as good or better than I do playing my $1,300 Fender American P-bass. Good luck!
 
#209
Baird6869 said:
Wow. So you must be one of the very few bass players smart enough to avoid the Fender scam. Good for you.

Almost every single bass player on almost every single note of recorded music is a dumb dumb if I follow your thought process.

So you are seriously saying that 90+% of all bassists in the world are stupid fanboys that play crap basses only because of a headstock logo? Okie dokie.:rolleyes:
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I would disagree, fender does not have 90% of the bass guitar market. Nor has 90% of recorded music utilized a fender. I have been playing for over 20 years and I would guess approximately 15-20% of the bassists I know play a fender. I will concede that back on the50s 60s and maybe even in the 70s
90% of music was probably recorded on a fender. Not anymore. Fender is a huge corporation that is concerned with profits. CEOs keep their jobs by maintaining a profit. Fender will sell a low end instrument with their name on it to turn a profit. They established the bass guitar as a real instrument and have been very good at promoting their brand.
 
#212
bmc said:
So, after 11 pages, have we reached any conclusions yet, other than Jamerson, Babbit, Geddy Lee, John Paul Jones and countless others were idiots?
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I think that every battle about a "good" and "bad" guitar has NO sense. Basically there is no brand, that would like to sell unplayable instruments. Mostly just need some work, and then its again playable. At least to me.

But situation in USA is different than here. Fender is YOUR brand, so to me its nothing wrong with playing a bass that was made in your country. The situation in my country is different. There was a kind of mania that started in late 70's - earlier people often played eastern European instruments, and wanted a Fender only if they liked a shape of it - nothing more. In the 80's having a "Fender" or "Gibson" headstock logo was a signal of prestige, richness, and western contacts. People then started to buy Fenders, or at least their copies from Japan or Korea. For those who couldnt afford them, there were luthier copies, often made using hardware of commonly produced guitars. Nowadays most people who plays rock wants a Fender, but again - not everyone can afford it. But its simplier now, to buy a chinese copy, and change the logo. And there is nothing with "I play Fender because I like the look of it" or "I play Fender because of the sounding". Basically there is a small amount of people that REALLY love the look and the sounding. For many of them not "Fender is beautiful" but "Beautiful is the Fender" - they're just closed for a P and JB design, and if something doesnt look like it - it sucks. Same thing with the sounding. Not a Fender sound - bad sound.

So, to me its not like "Fender sucks", because I played a Fender a few times, and I think its a good bass. But I cant agree with the statement, that is common here "You dont have Fender - you cant be the real musician". And this is what I'm against of.
 
#213
Fender basses aren't bad but sometimes you do have a hit or miss on the quality of them, I used to own a 2008 Fender USA Jazz Bass and well i do miss that lil baby lol, wouldnt mind getting another Fender Bass altought i do love my G&L Asat more than all so i would get a Fender just for options on basses like i want to get a nice Rickenbacker also to have in my arsenal :bassist:
 
#214
The conclusions obvious but no one here wants to admit that it was a stupid question.
If you love Fenders then obviously not if you don't rate them then yes.
I love 'Fenders' but I don't use them cause my Squier isn't really a Fender, apparrently, nor my other p bass cause it doesn't say Fender on the top. That must make me a wannabe fanboy. haha.
Maybe it's cause I'm from the uk
Trollin', trollin', keep those questions .......
 
#215
Freekmagnet said:
Pretty much every single bass ever made is directly influenced by a Fender P bass or J. Therefore, it is impossible for the Fender bass to be overrated.
Is it worth it to go and pay $1000+ for a 2013 AmStandard Precision when you could buy a perfectly good Squier for a couple hundred bucks or a Dave Pushic for a base price of $900? I can't even answer that question for myself. Would owning a 2013 AmStandard Precision be something to be proud of? I can't answer that either. Nowadays, the Fender brand is just a logo stamped on to a headstock in a few different factories all over the world.
If you're buying a Fender, you will be buying a tried and true piece of gear that will work in any playing situation. Their product was perfected a long, long time ago. One thing you can say for sure about Fender, is that you know what you're getting for your money.
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chuck norriss said:
It's not overrated; it's the standard. Coca Cola, Heinz 57, Tabasco, Fender. You don't have to like it.
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Absolutely..

JetBlackJazz said:
Invalid Link Removed
Dave Pushic custom bass, base price- $900 (+ about $400 for higher end fb, lams, and woods)
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Hmmm Well if I ever decide to get a custom bass I will definitely look here..
 
#216
The phrase "overrated" is like the words "selling out". It gives some people a good feeling to chuck them around without any level of self control. "Black Flag sold out when they went all slow with My War" or "Henry Rollins is overrated".

It is difficult to rebuild a good argument for or against a point when the original "overrated" comment is such a monolithic and brainless statement to begin with. I'm surprised this thread hasn't been locked!
 
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