Flea got himself a handful of CS basses like that a couple of years ago. The idea was to emulate Stingrays with a Fender as he's been a Fender endorser since Modulus hit the skids, but still digs the Stingray vibe.
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To me a bass is a tool to make music, and looks are secondary.
I appreciate that Fender finally offers the bass that Flea actually
plays live. It is a combination of Jazz/Stingray with 18V preamp and a
single HB, and expands the offerings by Fender nicely (i.e. it is not just
another Jazz bass with a different color....)
Cliff Bordwell
Commercial User
Just need a new RHCP album now.
there is some info and general chit chat about it here:
New Fender Flea sig.
(not to be forum police or anything
)
New Fender Flea sig.
(not to be forum police or anything
)
When the pink stack-pot Flea sig appeared on the scene there were photos of Flea gigging and noodling away on this Jazz-Ray bass. Lots of people were saying they should have built that as the signature model. It looks like they were listening!
Hmmmm.... I’ve never said this before, but it needs a pickguard.
I seem to recall that Flea left Modulus before they folded. They continued to produce the Flea model, rebranded as the 'Funk Unlimited'. Some discussion was had over the initials of the new bass at the time, as if it inferred some acrimony between the two parties. Flea moved on to that honkey-tonk budget bass, and backed that product for a little while before it disappeared.
On the subject of Flea and his basses, what did he record 'Californication' on? Was it a Modulus?
He was certainly playing Modulus at that time (I was a huge fan when that record came out), but I don’t know if he also played other basses on the record.
Not going to knock Flea on the Fender endorsement but I still wish EBMM would have really reconsidered making a signature model for him way back in the 90's. I also wish they would have just made this new Fender-ray his only sig model.
I want to design the Tick Bass..........just like the Flea Bass, but sucks
If I remember correctly I believe the reason Flea stopped playing Musicman years ago is because they would not give him a signature bass, I believe I read was a policy of theirs back then. But now it seems like EBMM can't issue enough signature models, at least on the guitar side of things. His Modulus was based on a stingray, this new Fender is based on a stingray, his failed attempt to start his own bass company was built around a single pickup sweet spot bass, his tone by and large is quintessentially Stingray driven. Why doesn't he just bury the hatchet and go back to Musicman. I'm sure all he'd have to do is call and they would send him 12 signature prototypes the next day.
Just seems silly to me, like John Mayer signing with PRS and having them build him a Strat. The other thing I have noticed is Fender has really not put a lot of effort into promoting this thing. When his signature Jazz bass came out it was plastered all over everything, music stores, magazines, websites. You couldn't move without seeing a promo for the Flea Jazz. I honestly feel like they built that in the CS for Flea to keep him playing Fender but never really wanted to issue it because it's basically broadcasting that yeah Flea is a Fender artist on paper, but still prefers the stingray sound.
Just seems silly to me, like John Mayer signing with PRS and having them build him a Strat. The other thing I have noticed is Fender has really not put a lot of effort into promoting this thing. When his signature Jazz bass came out it was plastered all over everything, music stores, magazines, websites. You couldn't move without seeing a promo for the Flea Jazz. I honestly feel like they built that in the CS for Flea to keep him playing Fender but never really wanted to issue it because it's basically broadcasting that yeah Flea is a Fender artist on paper, but still prefers the stingray sound.
I don't care for the matching headstock with that color palette. I would've gone maple headstock with a maple fretboard and a Shell Pink body. YMMV.
I also found it interesting that Lane Poor's people are again making pickups for the new Fleas.
In the most recent RHCP Premier Guitar Rig Rundown, Flea had his new Fenders in his quiver along with a handful of Modulus basses.
NicJimBass
Flossin'? I thought your name was Munson!
From my understanding, they've always had signature guitar models, or at least from very early on. Flea didn't just want a sig bass, he wanted the StingRay to be his sig bass. There were a ton of famous players before him (Bernard Edwards, John Deacon, Pino Palladino, Tony Levin, Louis Johnson, to name a few) that used the SR. To then give him that particular model as a signature would be doing a disservice to all those before him. They still don't do signature basses, for the most part. The Big Al was based on the Albert Lee sig, John Myung has a custom Bongo that a lot of people have called a sig, but it's never been released, and Joe Dart has (potentially) a sig model, but I don't know if it's a one-off or will actually become a legit sig. There's also been talk of a St. Vincent-based bass, but I haven't heard much lately.
I hate to admit it, but it looks really cool (only hate to admit it, because I'm not a huge flea fan).
I like it!! Wish they made a more affordable one like a MIM or MIJ or even a Squier version of it...
I'd like to see a Mexican version. And if this is Mexican, then I'd like to see a $600-$800 version.
