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New Fender Gold Foil

LowEndOperative

LowEndOperative

✓ᵛᵉʳᶦᶠᶦᵉᵈ
Supporting Member
Oct 8, 2013
1,644
2,579
Downriver
#1
It seems as though the pickup is finally wide enough.

www.chicagomusicexchange.com

Fender Limited Edition Gold Foil Jazz Bass Black Sparkle w/Gold Foil P

Inspired by the garage rock bands of the sixties and the cult classic guitars they played, the Gold Foil Collection combines timeless Fender® designs with the dazzling style of a bygone era.The Gold Foil Jazz Bass® features an alder body, mid '60s C"-shaped maple neck with bound ebony...
www.chicagomusicexchange.com www.chicagomusicexchange.com
 
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#3
I always find it curious that the marketing focus is on the gold foil appearance rather than whatever is unique about the electronics, design, and construction that make them unique. Or is it all just a "regular pickup under the covers" scam? Ever-so-much-more-so? hehe
 
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#5
bholder said:
rather than whatever is unique about the electronics, design, and construction that make them unique
Click to expand...
Bill, Bill, Bill - "whatever is unique... that makes them unique..."?? Oh, come on, Bill, lame. "I are a E1Ler", ah-yup. My only defense - hadn't had my coffee yet! 🤪
 
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#9
It's a CME FSR in an unusual configuration, so what? There are undoubtedly players who'll love its unique feature set. It's not for me, but there are a few things that line up with my preferences, subjectively anyhow....

Pros:
> Ebony board with neck binding.
> For a single pickup bass, the pickup location is in my fave sweet spot. If I didn't care for the gold foil pickup, it looks like maybe a TV Jones might drop right in? OTOH, maybe I'd love the stock foil pickup.
> Matching headstock paint is always a plus in my book.
> Lollipops don't offend me at all, and niether does the fact that it says Fender on the headstock.

Cons:
> Not crazy about sparkle paint jobs. Not seeing alternative finish schemes on the site.
> That one-piece pickguard looks cheap to me.
> Not a tort hater at all, but that tort looks wrong with that finish, somehow.
> Would prefer a P shape body, but the Jazz shape isn't a deal breaker.
> $1300 + tax seems a bit "gouge-ish".

But that's just me. At this point in my GAS journey, I have to feel like I'm really getting my money's worth. IOW, did more than enough "bass sampling" to know what I might like. YMMV
 
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#13
LowEndOperative said:
It seems as though the pickup is finally wide enough.

www.chicagomusicexchange.com

Fender Limited Edition Gold Foil Jazz Bass Black Sparkle w/Gold Foil P

Inspired by the garage rock bands of the sixties and the cult classic guitars they played, the Gold Foil Collection combines timeless Fender® designs with the dazzling style of a bygone era.The Gold Foil Jazz Bass® features an alder body, mid '60s C"-shaped maple neck with bound ebony...
www.chicagomusicexchange.com www.chicagomusicexchange.com
Click to expand...
I was never a fan of these basses. They are certainly not worth the price they command. You are basically paying a premium price for a reduced quality bass. The early versions of this bass were terrible. The plant in Mexico couldn't even line up the bridge correctly. LowEnd Lobster on Youtube did an excellent, and very brutal review, of those basses. I can think of better things to do with $1,200 than blow it on those monstrosities.
 
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#18
I saw this and found it humorous.

Long on looks and aces in the tone department, the Fender Gold Foil Collection combines the enduring charm of midcentury mail-order guitars with the style and playability of an authentic Fender.
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Someone on Facebook posted about his new gold-foil bass and at first, I thought it was a old post from 2023.
Seriously, they're still selling that but they stopped making this?
PhotoCollage_1766349085517.jpg
 
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#20
funkinbottom said:
Kinda broad general statement. I think it would depend on the PU. I have a pair of Curtis Novak H22 gold foils on a bass I built, and they are by no means weak or papery sounding.
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I'm in the process of putting together a parts bass and I'm really considering one of these in the P position.

Mind sharing pics of your bass? The basses I've seen with 2 H22s usually have them in roughly jazz position or PJ — I think EB0 / P positions might be a nice alternative.
 
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