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Oh. It's not a Fender...

#161
Geez, some people get pretty bent out of shape over this topic:smug:

It is what it is. My Dad, who is 70 years old asked me recently; "What's the best bass you can buy, Fender?". If I asked him to name one more bass manufacturer out there, he MAY have said GIbson. Other than that...... people simply don't know. Don't care, really. Everybody has heard of Fender, so they must be great, right?

I dig Fenders, I just don't own one anymore. I prefer my Lakland P & J's, although I could easily make due with a Fender and be happy with it.

2 guys I play with a lot think the King of all Basses is Rickenbacker. They prefer when I bring my beat up, 28 year old Ric than either of my Laklands, or my Stingray. So be it.:p

Me..... I just like basses. Playing 'em, looking at 'em, and listening to 'em. Whether it says Fender or Hondo on the headstock.:cool:
 
#164
vilkai said:
That's not an opinion shared by professional luthiers. Just do you know.
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Certainly not, since they're in competition with them. That's like asking your plumber to recommend you a plumber.
But I don't believe there is such a thing as "the best". Only the best for the individual, or the best in the individual's opinion. Play what you love and don't look back.
 
#166
I was in a wedding band MANY years ago, and the leader of the band thought that Fender was the only bass made. He actually bought a P-Bass for whoever was the bassist in his band to play.

I was playing a G&L at the time, and I tried to explain to him that this bass was as much a Fender as his Pbass.

He didn't get it.
 
#167
rayzak said:
Geez, some people get pretty bent out of shape over this topic:smug:

It is what it is. My Dad, who is 70 years old asked me recently; "What's the best bass you can buy, Fender?". If I asked him to name one more bass manufacturer out there, he MAY have said GIbson. Other than that...... people simply don't know. Don't care, really. Everybody has heard of Fender, so they must be great, right?
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I agree....

Guys it is really no big deal.

The average person thinks Penn fishing reels are the best, lionel trains, rolex watches, coach hand bags, Harley Davidsons. I could go on and on, most people don't know everything about everything. They simply know what is most well known to them and that's it. Any of you who are freaking out probably have the same bias with some item not related to music, you live and you learn.

Instead of going all nutz-o on someone why not just explain what it is and why you own it?:bassist:
 
#168
ster said:
Yup, happened to me a few years ago when I had my Spector Euro.
"How come you don't have a Fender? He asked. After I explained that there are many other great basses and some cost way more that Fenders. He looks at me like I have no idea what I'm talking about and then says, "But Fender is the Cadillac of guitars." I just walked away.
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Yes, every one should be driving a Cadillac. Or at least have one in the garage.
 
#169
vilkai said:
That's not an opinion shared by professional luthiers. Just do you know.
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Yes and no.

Many of today's 'top luthiers' started by repairing instruments. Of course the bulk of those instruments were Fenders and Gibsons. Many of them saw the same repairs time after time and in repairing those things learned from the experience. They had working knowledge of why instruments failed, were undependable, etc. It makes sense that those people went on to build their own instruments that didn't have these problems. Guys like Roger Sadowsky and Sheldon Dingwall, Mike Lull have had their hands on more Fenders than most of us will ever have the chance to touch. There's no doubt that they could well tell us why and how these instruments are not the best.
 
#170
BurningSkies said:
Yes and no.

Many of today's 'top luthiers' started by repairing instruments. Of course the bulk of those instruments were Fenders and Gibsons. Many of them saw the same repairs time after time and in repairing those things learned from the experience. They had working knowledge of why instruments failed, were undependable, etc. It makes sense that those people went on to build their own instruments that didn't have these problems. Guys like Roger Sadowsky and Sheldon Dingwall, Mike Lull have had their hands on more Fenders than most of us will ever have the chance to touch. There's no doubt that they could well tell us why and how these instruments are not the best.
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This is true, but it could also be said they (the luthiers and repairmen) may have a prejudiced view as the only Fender instruments they may generally see are the ones with problems. And, since there are so many Fenders around, they will see more of those than any other brand. I would say that there are probably at least as many Fenders out there that have no inherent problems.
 
#171
true (albeit roughly remembered) conversation with bar-room trolly musician at a gig some time ago :

BRT - what kind of bass is -that-?
me - custom conklin
BRT - why not a fender?
me - because fender doesn't make 7 string basses.
BRT - with that many strings you should play a guitar.
me - the extra strings are lower than bass, much lower than guitar (demonstrates by hitting low f#). /imitates tarzan guitar twiddly twiddly twiddly, bass boomy boom boom.
BRT - fender was good enough for blubble blubble (don't remember who he said, some big name guy)
me - blubble blubble doesn't play in my band and couldn't play my songs
BRT - but he actually makes money with his gig.
me - and you actually paid to hear me play.

at this BRT got something of a glaze in his eyes and just walked away.

i don't get this often, but when i do it's a great source of the mega-lulz.
 
#172
I play Fenders. I have had a ton of other basses over the years, but for me, I keep coming "home".

Interesting story. Last month I played an outdoor gig in Staten Island. One of the cops there for security saw my Jazz bass, and came over and asked if he could check it out. I said sure. No joke, the only thing he looked for was the serial number so he could confirm that it was MIA. I think he would have locked me up if it were anything but MIA!
 
#173
Pet Sounds said:
Has this ever happened to anyone else? I played a Labor Day festival gig, and somebody came up to me during a break and said he liked my bass and thought it was a Fender, but upon closer inspection he saw that it wasn't. "Oh, well. Whatever works, I guess," he said, as if I was slumming by playing a Lakland Duck Dunn model. This has happened about three times in recent years, twice with my Lakland and once with my Music Man Stingray. ("Is that a Fender?" "Well, no.")
I don't really care what people think, but I find it interesting that Fender apparently has such good marketing that folks don't realize there are brands out there that are at least as good. Anybody had that experience with reaction to their non-Fenders?
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Part of the dues we continually pay to play electric bass. It's surprizing how many musicians will say the same ignorant stuff.

And no I didn't spell surprizing wrong, even though my spellcheckers flashing warning signs...

Cheers,
Cameron
 
#176
i showed up to a gig one time and the keyboard player said "we used to fire guys that had more than 4 strings, and dont you have a jazz bass?" i of course had a non fender 5 string and all i said was " i used to fire keyboard players that play with their left hand."
 
#180
lfbassguy said:
i showed up to a gig one time and the keyboard player said "we used to fire guys that had more than 4 strings, and dont you have a jazz bass?" i of course had a non fender 5 string and all i said was " i used to fire keyboard players that play with their left hand."
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THANK YOU. See, I think the bigger problem is that many people, be they other musicians or even non-musicians, view bass players as being lesser musicians, followers not leaders, less technically adept, and less experienced/newer to music for whatever reason.

You can find evidence of this everywhere; Guitarists complaining about bass tone interference, band leaders complaining about "busy" lines when in reality anything less would be root notes, and of course your choice of bass gear being dictated by people that don't even play bass.

What basses did Paul McCartney, Jack Bruce, Stanley Clarke, Tony Levin, and even Krist Novoselic make famous? NOT Fenders. Geez.. People can't seem to remember this at ALL.
 

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