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Loyalty to Any Specific Brand?

#121
I have played/owned many basses over the past 30 years Fender, Rickenbacker Peavy, Ibanez, Alembic, BC Rich, Dean, Epi, Music Man, Yamaha, Schecter, to name a few and I always come back to my Fender Jazz Basses. I currently own 3 Jazz basses and I use them almost exclusively.
 
#123
I'm not loyal to any specific brand. some have basses that jump out more than others. one of my friends is loyl to jazz style basses. anything with that body shape, pickups and neck profile, he'll go for it. but me, Fender precision even copies, gibson thudnerbird/rd/ripper/les paul triumph. Spector ns2. I know if i'm tosing up between different brands for a smae type of bass i.e. semi acoustic, or emg equiped, ill try them all out if i can, and get the best for me. meaning comfort/playability, tone and price.
 
#124
Finding some of the stuff about Rics are not factory faults has made me more loyal. But I only buy used, so my thoughts don't really count.

I know my '03 has been reliable as a rock and I used my late father's small inheritance he gave me to buy it for around 800.00 almost ten years ago. Finding out it was built the week he passed only makes me like it more.:)
 
#125
Since 2000 I have played Ibanez and Fender. I had several others basses but I kept going back to Ibanez. Until I got a Warwick in a stupid good trade. Now almost everything is gone except for my Warwick Corvette short scale and corvette std and I can't see myself playing any other brand

That is until............ya I have a serious GAS issue that keeps changing what I play every few months/years lol. As long as it is short scale.
 
#127
I don't feel a particular loyalty towards a brand, but I prefer to play instruments built by individuals or small companies, people I can relate to.
I've played the Stick since 1990, met Emmett Chaman several times and I feel very loyal too the company (and I am an agent).
My main bass is built by a luthier in Naples who has become a friend, Gaetano Costanzo, the neck is by Status, mostly a one man company, and I've had very good contact with Rob Green.
Scott Smail of Grove Guitars is building me another bass, also with a Status neck.

I like to relate to the person/persons behind my instrument, I feel it gives it more soul. Anyway, whenever possible, I prefer to pay my money to a person, not a big corporate.

I also have Yamaha, Epiphone, Music Man and other brand basses: I feel no loyalty or obligation whatsoever, I just play them.
 
#128
I guess I'm a Fender guy. My first bass was a gift--a MIA Jazz. But my last 4 basses have all been different brands. Still, I always come back to that Fender. I gotta tell ya--when you're new to this forum and tell people you're not into Fenders so much, its like telling people you don't believe in God or something!
 
#130
As to loyalty I own about 10 Fenders so I guess you could say I like'em, but my main bass after 95' was a early Gibson Tobias Killer B 5'er. Then I went on a quest to replace my long time friend of 45 yrs, a 57' P Bass I had to sell to save the mortgage on my house in a divorce. Long story short I bought another 10-12 bass trying to replace it only to learn that it was a futile search with no happy ending or light at the end of the tunnel. BuT I bought a Ken Smith, a Jerzy Drozd, an Elrick, A Roadworn P, a MIA Fender 59 RI, a Cowpoke Bass, a Duff McKeegan MIJ Jazz Power bass a MIJ P-Lite, ...some modded to the hilt, and built or rehabbed a 62' PB body with all tricked out components. (And more) In this experience I learned that I will never replace a bass I spent four and a half decades with and that I put all but one blemish on. (Second owner in 67) BUT I found that I strong affections for a few builders. Michael Tobias, Elrick, Jerzy Drozd, and Ken Smith, and I am recently wanting a Lightwave available locally........and so it goes......on and on and.....
 
#131
Oh yea if I had the scratch to buy a new bass I could personally spec. The list would be short and in no particular order would be MTD US, Jerzy D. Ken Smith, Elrick. I would also buy a Sadowsky before I would ever consider buying a MIA Fender Custom Shop. There prices are absolutely stupid. I built my 62' (original body) P Bass with modern components (Audere 4band Pre) which both plays better (all Nitro fin.) and feels better than 3-5K Custom shop stuff to me.
 

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