Is It Really Too Much to Ask?

[oZZma]

Isn't that what the Camaro evolved into? For example, IRS on a Camaro?

GM listened. And to further the analogy, one can get a Camaro in any number of flavors, from plain-jane to justplainstupidfast. If this was Fender, we could get a p-bass the same as we could with G&L, with a boatload of options at a fair and limited extra charge, not the crazy upscale pricing of the Custom Shop.

Hehe

 

[Wulfensteiner]

Dear Fender,

I would like a 3 color burst "P" (without a damn J pick-up coming along for the ride) Bass - with a Jazz Neck!!

Is that really too much to ask?

Signed,

Frustrated Bass Player...

View attachment 3267536

This...but with a "Jazz" width nut (Bound and Blocked would be nice)

Seriously Every Fender I own has been modified by me because they don't make what I want....I have never been able to buy an "off the shelf" Fender that I didn't have to modify

My dude, here's my suggestion. Forget the price tag, yeah? Why not just find something you don't need to modify from the get go?

 

[Wulfensteiner]

Lol...again that is exactly the point...I want a Fender P bass...with a jazz neck...and I'm tired of having to buy the parts to assemble them myself...

I'm going to go right ahead and assume that EXACTLY the reason they won't do it is BECAUSE they won't make quite as much money that way

 

[Wulfensteiner]

That's what makes Fender basses so good, you can make them into whatever suite you. ... No ones ever said that about Ibanez, Yamaha, Musicman, etc. ... And the reason Fender's are working mans basses.

I've heard people say that about EVERY type of bass. Because you can modify EVERY type of bass to what suits you. Not dogging Fender, I have one arriving imminently, but they ain't the only game in town..

 

[okcrum]

Is that really too much to ask?

...I have been doing it myself for 35 years...

After 35 years, it should be evident the answer is "Yes".

 

[pedroims]

Lakland has a P with jazz neck

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[nilorius]

There could be a different basses with different combinations made after 1 - 10 years later, but that not depends on you only.

 

[Wulfensteiner]

Or the opposite. I've had a '73 P neck for my '76 jazz for the last 35 years.

I've never heard of people doing it the other way around! Most prefer the hockey stick neck, not the baseball bat
I'd love to have a play around with that '76 Jazz.

 

[jfh2424]

Actually, I think Leo Fender did think about you and your needs. He insisted that every bass could be modified; he made sure necks were bolt on so they could be changed with ease, so the customer could be happy. Sounds to me like he didn’t feel that it was reasonable to expect one company to put out exactly what every player wanted but he wanted to make sure that players had options to reach the goals they wanted.

I think the only thing he didn’t foresee is making all this possible while some people just wanted Fender to do it for them. For someone who was clearly a trailblazer and who looked beyond the status quo, he probably thought it was enough to make a product that would allow everyone to go beyond the status quo of his own creations, with minimal effort.

Very few people think about their customer’s needs the way Leo Fender did. We are lucky that he designed the first mass produced bass.

Your conundrum could be far worse if we were talking about a different product.

John

 

[Paula Warren]

One thing I have to say regarding this thread. Despite someone’s frustration I learned more about the Fender bass and Leo Fender from responses. Looking forward to when my Fender bass arrives. Thank you all.

 

[eastcoasteddie]

Fender never has (and perhaps never will) manufacture an unlined fretless Jazz V.
I made one myself courtesy of a Warmoth neck.
I’m not complaining...

I would also like to eventually ditch the Squier body for Swamp Ash Warmoth body, too...

 

[mellowinman]

That's the point....I have been doing it myself for 35 years....I wanna be able to walk into a damn shop and Buy what i want off the shelf...there is obviously a demand...so why don't they do it?

I currently have a Dee Dee Ramone "P" Bass Body, With a Geddy Neck, and a Geezer Butler pick-up....I call it "Fan-Boy"

I would like a traditional "Burst" set up much the same...basically a Duck Dunn that isn't Red (Cause I really Dislike Red)

Sorry. You can't have it. First World Problems!

 

[buldog5151bass]

That's the point....I have been doing it myself for 35 years....I wanna be able to walk into a damn shop and Buy what i want off the shelf...there is obviously a demand...so why don't they do it?

I currently have a Dee Dee Ramone "P" Bass Body, With a Geddy Neck, and a Geezer Butler pick-up....I call it "Fan-Boy"

I would like a traditional "Burst" set up much the same...basically a Duck Dunn that isn't Red (Cause I really Dislike Red)

There obviously is not enough of a demand. You want something custom. Buy a jazz. Buy a new jazz neck from Fender for $199. Either keep the P neck in case you want to sell the instrument, or sell the P neck for $199.

All of us should have our desires settled so easily.

 

[Vinnie Boombatz]

Is that really too much to ask?

Apparently it is.

 

[pigpen1]

What can I tell you, you can't always get what you want. Surely similar situations have cropped up in non-bass related things in your life.

Fender, in my opinion, are the kings of almost giving people what they want.

 

[bdplaid]

I disagree as well, the fretwork on every MIJ I own was impeccable out of the box

I've never owned a Fender MIJ. But every bass I've played from Japan was better in that regard.

That's your opinion - I disagree...

Not exactly my opinion - measure the fret levelling on a new fender vs what a good fret level should be. And have a look at the woods used. Warmoth and USACG are better.

Yeah, IIRC, he habitually bashes Fender with his *opinions*, but stated as if they were facts... Personally, I don't think he knows *** he's talking about...

That's your opinion! And for the record, I don't habitually bash Fender. One of my NBD threads is nothing but praise for the new Player series, which I like a lot. Except I changed the neck on it for a Jazz neck...

The reason I am hard on Fender is because I want this iconic American company to succeed. I believe they can do a lot better than they are. But I believe most Fender customers don't really know what an awesome bass plays like. Hint: It's nothing like an out of the box MIA.

I also think Fender is not keeping up with the market. Using G&L as their closest rival, G&L makes their basses like customs, whereas Fender builds a take it or leave it" bass for a pretty hefty chunk of money.

But again, I make these criticisms because I want them to succeed.

The totality of this thread is comical.

"I want a Fender, but I don't like what Fender makes"

"Then buy something else"

"But, I want a Fender"

That's funny!

Any warmoth to me completely buried any Fender I have tried)...
People get stuck on that logo at the end...

I'm all about sound and play-ability (I'm assuming like most) and with being said...Fender comes up short to the wood quality, fretwork and aftermarket parts over building a warmoth.

Others are stuck on a decal.

Totally true. My experience as well.

Totally agree with most of the above

Now try to sell your $1500.00 Warmoth after market...when suddenly an inferior instrument sells better...

True, and every new Fender I bought I also sold at a huge loss.

You are still gonna lose money on any new bass. Plus you can part it out. But why must it be Warmoth or nothing? My build is a mighty mite body and neck and the quality is great. I got Aggie pups on sale, nice bridge, custom harness and Hipshot Ultralights and all in, less than 6 bills. I'm very happy. Anyway, there are lists of options out there for you without dropping 1500.

I did this as well, Mighty Mite neck and body. While the resulting bass was on the heavy side, It sounds absolutely killer and plays like a dream. The resulting bass is like a low cost boutique - less desirable woods but killer hardware and electronics make it awesome. And easy to assemble.

That's what makes Fender basses so good, you can make them into whatever suite you. ... No ones ever said that about Ibanez, Yamaha, Musicman, etc. ... And the reason Fender's are working mans basses.

That's such a misnomer about Fender and the working man's budget. Maybe true of the MIMs (which many guys, including myself, think are better). But $2K for one of the MIA's? That's getting into Lull, Lakeland, and Musicman territory.

Ask and ye shall receive (you have to pay for it too...).

NBD-Fender P-Bass Content

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$3800? That's not what the discussion is about. That's breaching the stratosphere of Sadowsky territory, where you can get anything you want for the money. And IMO defeats the idea of Fenders being an off the shelf "everyman's" bass.

 

[FunkySpoo]

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You're welcome!

Nice selection and decent enough prices but good god what a nightmare of a site to navigate through. I couldn't find a way to filter all the guitar stuff so I wouldn't have to scroll through 27 pages to find a bass body. Seriously drop down menus aren't anything new or ground breaking.

 

[bassdude51]

For about $600 to $800, you should be able to build exactly what you want!

I highly recommend Allparts necks which are about the closest we can get to an exact Fender and they have your bound and blocked neck. They are MIJ and are super high quality! (Aftermarket decals are found on the net.)

With time and patience and searching, you can find a nice light weight body and build your "dream P" @ around 7.75 to 8.5 lbs.

Good luck and keep us informed.

NEW Fender Lic 75 RI Jazz BASS NECK 1975 Tinted Maple Black Inlay Binding JMF-BB | eBay

NEW Fender Lic Allparts 70s Style Jazz Bass NECK Parts Maple Pearl Block JMF-B | eBay

 

[twinjet]

That's the point....I have been doing it myself for 35 years....I wanna be able to walk into a damn shop and Buy what i want off the shelf...there is obviously a demand...so why don't they do it?

If you come, they will build it... Fender Custom Shop.

 

[Acoop]

"That's such a misnomer about Fender and the working man's budget. Maybe true of the MIMs (which many guys, including myself, think are better). But $2K for one of the MIA's? That's getting into Lull, Lakeland, and Musicman territory."
[/QUOTE]

Are we 'just' talking only about MIA Fenders? ... I'm not. ... There are people around the world playing and swapping out parts of Fenders made in China and Indonesia. ...
I'm saying, I can go out and buy a late 60 to mid-70's Fender bass neck, (which I'm into) install it onto a MIM Alder body, slap in Lollar, Fralin or Aguilar pickups, hipshot tuners and bridge and be up and running with a custom bass in no time. And, if I'm lucky, get it all for $1000. ... No one does that with any other manufacturer.
You won't see a 1972 Yamaha bass neck selling on Reverb or a 1985 Ibanez body. ... But you will Fenders. ... I wouldn't buy any Fender bass, CS-included, and expect it to stay that way forever.
Some people still buy Levis one size too long so they can roll up a cuff.