New Fender Tribute Models

[JGbassman]

Signature models do sell, and in fact a model called the Les Paul has done pretty good for Gibson. That being said, I feel Fender is more based on traditional styles. They made it work, and stuck to it.

Branching out for them is more complex, akin to another brand called Harley Davidson, where the popular sales come from looking rearward in traditional styling.

I’m a Fender guy, and love the brand. If I’m looking to buy a Fender, a tribute bass does not hold much interest for me. That being said, I do own 2 different Fender tribute model basses, but I bought them because they covered a traditional bass with build characteristics I was wanting, but because it was an artist model. I got my Jaco sig because I was wanting a fretless Jazz. I liked the nitro finish and neck profile. I didn’t buy it to sound like Jaco or emulate his playing style (that would have been a lesson in frustration). The second tribute bass I have is a CIJ Geddy Lee. Why? Love the neck profile and look. I got it used and beat up, so I replaced the pickups and electronics. It plays beautifully, but there again, I would have bought a bass with the same profile without the signature probably faster.

Ironically, I do play in a Joan Jett tribute band, and our Joan has two signature JJ melody makers. I found the correct stickers, and we make them pretty close clones. It helps that our stage set is almost an exact replica down to the type of cough drops she puts on her amp. In the tribute band business, getting the sound and look right equals success. If I was in a Rush tribute band, darn right I’d be playing a Geddy Lee sig. The sig basses mentioned in the OP do not hold any interest with me, nor have I seen a trend in grassroots mods to emulate them. I don’t think they would sell but a handful.

Fender has made a lot of signature guitars which have done well. Eric Clapton’s blackie and SRV strat are two I can think of. Guitarists seem to be more swayed in that direction, to display or to play, it seems to be more received.

Us bassists seem to be a little more traditional and reserved. We are happy enough to bring our cutting edge feather light amps to the gig, and plug in our 50’s reissue P bass.

 

[primusfan1989]

I think Fender could sell some tribute models.
Do you agree?....or am I a kook?

Berry Oakley Tractor Jazz
Mel Schacher Mudbucker Jazz
Billy Sheehan Wife Precision

I doubt they would, like Billy is hooked up with Yamaha so I don't force him working with fender. Like Id be interested in the other two but I feel like it would be such a small part of the market that it wouldn't make sense for them.

 

[Deleted member 271037]

I would love to see Fender do more semi-weird basses like the Pawn Shop/Parallell Universe series. Or release them as cheapos in the Squier Paranormal series for that matter. If the price isn't insane that's the kind of stuff I would click "Add to basket" almost without thinking about it.

But of course, guitarists get all the cool quirky stuff from Fender. For the company that invented the electric bass (at least for mass manufacturing) their selection of basses is surprisingly lame compared to their selection of guitars. When they do a "quirky" bass it's usually more like "whooooa, we put jazz bass pickups in a P-bass body" or "WHOOOOOA, we put a HUMBUCKER in a MUSTANG!!!". While the guitarists get all these quirky, unique looking designs with cool colors.

 

[Ric5]

Chris Squire Franken p-bass

 

[Frank77]

Come to think of it, signature models are usually done for two different kinds of players:

• Pop stars (regardless of skill level, re: Adam Clayton, the Blink-182 guy, etc.)
• Technical monsters / studio legends.

Sheehan would obviously fit in the second category (but it's an unavailable option), and the other two *probably* don't fit in either, so the potential for mass appeal / profitability would be too low for Fender.

 

[JakobT]

While I agree with this, they saw fit to make an Adam Clayton signature Jazz Bass that is just green Jazz, who's gonna run out and buy that when it is exactly the same as the Jazz they already own? I guess the idea is that if it costs nothing then why not.
With the Dimension they were up against the StingRay, they had to make something as good or better if they were going to copy it. Not sure if that happened.
I don't know how well the newer Fender Flea Bass (with MM pickup) is selling but it is a truly different model to the other products they offer.
I thought it was a really nicely executed idea, the changes from stock Fender are good.
The neck is different and it sounds different. But maybe they will lose money on that one too.


Spent 13 years in the manufacturing end of the music business and we tripled in size for the first 3-4 years and then doubled in size each year for the next several years, and grew every year for all the years I was there.
The company is still going strong 30 years after I left.
We did tons of custom work, but we were not making guitars.
Sold four locations of my last business five years ago, and have time to chit chat with you.
...but I really appreciate the lesson on the principles of business.

The development and production effort of a signature Jazz like the Adam Clayton is minimal in comparison with a completely new line like the Dimension. That is probably why the Adam Clayton signature is still current - it still makes money. Also, while the Dimension line was obviously intended to compete with the StingRay, I suspect that it tended to compete with Fender’s other products instead.

 

[Stranger Danger]

I think Fender could sell some tribute models.
Do you agree?....or am I a kook?

Berry Oakley Tractor Jazz
Mel Schacher Mudbucker Jazz
Billy Sheehan Wife Precision

Not really. I know who those guys are but i don’t think that would create a lot of buzz with the younger generation

 

[Raoul_Duke]

Budweiser could try making champagne, too.

I think the market share for people who want a non-traditional Fender bass is too small for them to do it successfully. Well, I guess that depends on how one defines “success”, because those Dimensions were solid instruments.

 

[Schmo_bass]

The Nate Mendel P is an example of a well done tribute that’s worth while - not just a signature and colorway.

It has enough distinctive features (body, finish, neck, pickup) that makes its unique and interesting as an instrument, while still being a P.

Same with the Geddy of course!


Jeff

 

[dbsfgyd1]

So ....kook.

Fender makes two models of basses... forever.
Very rarely does Fender do anything different, for example the Adam Clayton Jazz Bass is a green Jazz bass with a signature on the headstock.
I assume you are familiar with what these three basses were after they had been modified into what became iconic basses by these three bass players?
These three models would not at all be the the same old, same old...and I bet fans of these three iconic bass players would get a boner to have a bass that looks/sounds like the one each of these guys played.
These basses won't sound like a Jazz or Precision, which might scratch the itch for lot's of people who have a room full of Jazz and Precision Basses (like lot's of people here do).

Agreed.

More importantly, there are no Tribute Basses that are remotely going to play and or sound anything that might be played the “Heroes” they are named after. Sure, they might look like it, as you can always put lipstick on a pig, but at the end of the day, it’s still a pig.

 

[magyk8ball]

Are you thinking a tribute bass is not necessarily a signature bass? No signature or marketing mention of the artist?
Youre Really just thinking that Fender could manufacture and sell some odd-ball basses, and maybe some of them have some of the configurations these artists used?

or, is a tribute bass the same as a signature model? Fender attempts to make as exact of a copy as they can, slap the artists name on the headstock, and markets accordingly?

 

[Relsom]

I don't think they'll sell to the point that it will be profitable for Fender to offer them.
... but to suggest as some have done in this thread that Billy Sheehan is more well known or has had a more significant impact in rock and roll than either Berry Oakley or Mel Schacher..... now that is kooky.

 

[alaskaleftybass]

Chris Squire Franken p-bass

View attachment 3922291

View attachment 3922292

This is interesting. I love everything Chris Squire. Is there a story behind this bass? Did he use it live? Thanks!

 

[slagheap]

fender is owned by an investor group and run by accountants, attorneys, marketing consultants. they're insatiably greedy but incredibly risk adverse - lots of cognitive dissonance, thus everything is decided by committee. nothing counts but the bottom line. nothing. think of the movie industry and how decisions are made, what gets shelved and what gets green lighted - very similar.

 

[Paul New]

Great idea! I would like to see them build and offer something like Roscoe Beck's take on the Fender jazz.

 

[Smooth_bass88]

I was just looking at Fender's website. Not seeing anything called the Tribute Models.

 

[Qlanq]

If the OP is talking about a G&L type Tribute line, Squier?

 

[trothwell]

While I agree with this, they saw fit to make an Adam Clayton signature Jazz Bass that is just green Jazz, who's gonna run out and buy that when it is exactly the same as the Jazz they already own?

Well, their standard lines don't currently offer that shade of green, or a standard passive Jazz with the block inlays on the fingerboard, or with the lollipop tuners. I can readily see someone wanting to buy that particular model to get those features. I might have bought one myself, but tend to prefer against signature models that literally have a player's signature on the headstock. (Nothing "wrong" with it, just personal taste.)

But! You probably could buy a standard line Jazz and it would play and sound pretty much identical.

 

[Lesfunk]

Fender does Already produce many artist models.
Pino, Sting, Geddy, Marcus, Jaco, Tony Franklin, JMJ, Mike Dirnt, flea (2 models), Duff, Steve Harris,
Nate Mendel, Adam Clayton...
They even made a Dennis Dunaway.

What I’m saying is they can’t make them for “everyone” but they produce a lot already

 

[Ric5]

This is interesting. I love everything Chris Squire. Is there a story behind this bass? Did he use it live? Thanks!

Chris played the bass or a few years in the late 60s, he used it live and on videos, I don't which if any of the studio recordings this bass was used on.

Chris got divorced in the early 70s and his ex got custody of a few of his basses, this one included, currently I think the bass belongs to a collector.

In this video Chris is playing keys and Tony Kaye is pretending to play bass



the bass appears in this video as well



and here he plays a 21 fret 4001