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Modern Player 2.0 basses are on fender.com

#103
1) Sometimes I worry that I'm getting too close-minded. I saw the MP P and J basses and just thought "yuk! If I want a P bass, then I want a P bass and if I want a J bass, then I want a J bass." Neither of the MP P or J basses are really a P or J bass. So, I've wondered if I've become one of those crotchety old guys that can't appreciate new, cool stuff, just because it's "different".

This Dimension has shown me that, nope, I have not become that crotchety old guy. Those other MP basses are just lame (IMO). But, I really like this Dimension.

2) I like the body style and the p/g. I'm glad that it's not a P body or a J body and yet, it's still a nice-looking shape.

3) I am pretty much only interested in playing 4 stringers when I'm playing music that calls for an old school bass. At which point, I'll most likely reach for my G&L SB-2 (as my Bass For When A P Bass Is Called For). Any other time, I just prefer to have a B string on tap. Since the Dimension is really not an Old School type of bass, I would really only be likely to buy one if it were a 5 string.

4) I'd be even more likely to buy if it were Made In America. Call me jingoistic, if you want. I don't mind. But, I prefer to buy MIA when I can and my current herd is all MIA. I would certainly consider non-MIA, but if an MIA version were available, I would spend the extra money - and be more likely to buy.

5) I liked the sound of it in the demo video. I wonder what the wiring is. The specs don't say. From the sound, I speculate that all 5 different options are wired in Parallel. That leaves me wondering how it would sound with some different combos of the coils wired in Series.

6) Did anybody else notice that during the whole demo video, the player never touched the G string? Given the whole StingRay "weak G string" discussion, it did make me wonder a bit if not playing on the G in the demo was purposeful. And no, I don't spend my free time watching 9/11 videos, looking for the proof that the WTC was blown up from the inside. :)

All in all, if I got one of these it would have to be a maple board. And if I liked it enough, I would trade bodies for CAR or Black, or just have it refinned to a color I like. Being an alder body, maybe I would get lucky and it would have some nice-looking wood underneath and look good with a trans or burst finish.

I think I would also want to mod it. I think I would change out the rotary knob for a tone knob. Then add a 5-way selector switch (or more, if possible) and wire a position or two to have some combo of coils in Series.

I think a MIA 5-string, with a Tone pot and at least one Series wiring option available would turn this bass into a SERIOUS contender to compete with the EBMM StingRay and Sterling. Personally, I would consider the fact that it's passive to be an advantage, to offset the EQ advantage that the active EBMMs bring to the table.

Looking forward to laying hands on one at some point in the future!
 
#106
I liked it as soon as I saw the pic. I like that each coil position sounds different enough that the concept isn't just a dumb gimmick.

Also, I think it's good that it's passive, as active elecs on basses in that price range usually aren't all that great. I'd rather that Fender put the money into a decent passive pickup than a cheap active setup.

I'd like to check one out, although I'd be more interested if it were MIM.

And bravo to Fender for expanding their range of bass models even farther.
 
#107
bkbirge said:
Do you guys tweak your truss rods often enough to have a truss wheel? In 30+ years of playing I don't think I've ever adjusted mine. I'm sure it's been done on the 2 or 3 times I've had people work on my basses for various reasons but it's a rare thing.
Click to expand...

Chef pretty well covered it, but I wanted to add on.

I thought my basses had low action. And I never needed to adjust the truss rod once my basses were setup. But, I recently learned that what is low to me is medium, by other's standards. I got to try out a couple of basses that belong to another TB'er and I learned what LOW action really is. Now that I've seen what low action really is, I can see where, while I've never needed a truss rod adjustment, a bass with truly LOW action could easily do as Chef described and flatten out just ever so slightly and have the strings totally buzzing out on the frets. On one of my basses with medium action, it would still play just fine and I probably wouldn't even notice.
 
#108
Didn't say anything about how it sounded. Just saying that the guy seemed to use it more as a thumb rest. That's fine, but I think a little more demo of the B would be in order. Especially as the Fender B string is often questioned.
 
#109
Templar said:
I'd like to check one out, although I'd be more interested if it were MIM.
Click to expand...

That's interesting to me. The quality of Squier instruments (i.e. high) has left me feeling like, if it's made outside the U.S., then I really don't care where it's made. I would be just as interested in MIJ, MIK, MIC, as I would be in MIM. Not to imply that MIA is automatically excellent. My preference for MIA is jingoism, as I posted earlier, not an assumption of quality. So, for anything else, my personal opinion would be to not assume any specific level of quality and to evaluate each individual instrument on its own merits. So, MIM wouldn't mean any more to me than being made in any other country outside the U.S..

Why would MIM be more interesting to you than wherever these Dimensions are being made? (which we are ASSUMING are made in China?)
 
#111
I really do like the concept, if it were MIA it would be very high on my list. I'll try it out when I come across one, but I'm not likely to buy it.

The problem with putting out a new model made in China, Mexico, Korea, etc... to see if it is popular, is that a lot of the people that would be interested in a new different model won't give a Chinese version a chance.

My wanting to buy America products when possible isn't about to change, I'm not the only one.
 
#112
For anyone that's curious, watched the MP Jazz demo with my bass handy - the demo's rotary switch appears to be in the 'middle singlecoil & bridge humbucker' position. No idea why they didn't do a demo of all the settings, or at least showing the contrast between the two humbuckers engaged against the singlecoils.

The tones available are a lot more and a lot better than the one on display there.
 
#114
Yeah, a fair amount, the tone looks to be about half way rolled off in that video which is certainly more than I've been using. Now I've not had the bass long, but when I'm looking for a bright sound, more often than nothing I'm rolling off the middle pickup and using the bridge as a single coil. Pretty much the opposite of that video, in fact.

I'm surprised they're marketing a product with a 4-way rotary selector and not even touching it in the demo, frankly.
 
#115
Since we know the following:
Pup coils/posts have a fairly wide variation in tone
Pup selector position seems to give pretty constant volume

And some here like the idea of a version:
Made in USA
Something like an onboard Audere 3 bans EQ with a passive bypass (pups seem hot enough)

Sooooo, who's going to call the Custom Shop? I bet they've already talked about it.
 
#118
Body shape is ok. Pick guard is ugly and useless. It's more just decoration than anything.

Sounds interesting through. The demo clip on youtube suggests there may be some possible tone tweaking on this. No tone control is kinda odd.

Based on looks, I wouldn't buy it. Based on youtube demo, sounds cool - will need to try one out.
 

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