This thread is very diffuse.
Gonna hazard that all those jazz-types favoring Foderas are looking for a clean, full-range sound, with a lot of dynamic range, touch sensitivity and well-centered pitch. These are highly-evolved players, often playing in a context where subtle details will be noticed and appreciated, so no surprise that they cotton toward axes that can provide and support that kind of nuance. These axes may also be unforgiving if technique is sloppy. Also gotta say that R&B players seem more open to the high-end approach - probably a function of realizing advanced slap/pop techniques, and super-slick production values on a lot of commercial stuff…I've never seen a rocker play a Tobias, but have seen high-end R&B players with a 535 in hand, and sounding great in that situation.
Fenders won't get you that. The classic J and P bass sounds don't go to the frequency extremes, and have more of a pillow effect, both in the mix and, to my mind, with respect to pitch, especially the rosewood boards. Sounds great in many, many rock/pop/country contexts - slots nicely with the drums, makes everybody feel good and play better, and we're all so imbued with that sound and experience, I totally can see engineers loving the familiar (and passive) Fender classics, and contractors/bandleaders making decisions based on Fender expectations. And maybe a bit less likely to expose technical sloppiness...
Maybe Sadowsky splits that difference - you surely do see a lot of pro players using those instruments, in a wide range of contexts. You pay more, but the craftsmanship and quality control are superb (full disclosure - I've hosted a Sadowsky as my #1 for the last 5-6 years). Ditto for Lakland - great craftsmanship, superb necks/fretwork on the USA axes, but also deeply rooted in the Fender tradition.
Leo's march toward active electronics, via the Stingray and L2000…an interesting development. Strike me dead for saying it, but I've wondered whether as he got older, normal hearing loss started to affect his judgment re volume and tone. Stingray and L2K are both valid sounds, and the L2K is particularly interesting as it seems like it was intended to bridge the old P and J virtues and the brash focus of the Stingray, but they definitely push a lot more to the brighter, higher-frequency side of the spectrum - corresponding with loss of hearing high-frequencies as we age. Of course, music was changing as well, and with slap/pop and other techniques, and more prominence for the bass, a brighter sound with more focus and snap made sense.
So back to the OP and the L2K. A product priced around USA Fender product. More modern capability, but not quite able to fully mimic the classic Fender sounds (me, I think its the pickup magnets being ceramic rather than alnico, but I may be full of it). Not gonna deliver that something extra that the jazz heavies want or need. Some periodic QC difficulties over the years. Limited budget for advertising and comps/endorsements as compared with Fender. Limited dealer network. Limited changes to product line, although that seems to be changing with the new "M" series axes…and maybe they didn't need to do a lot of change because the L2K got so many things right from the get-go. But the net effect is seeing way more Fenders out there in all kinds of commercial music, to this day.
Gonna hazard that all those jazz-types favoring Foderas are looking for a clean, full-range sound, with a lot of dynamic range, touch sensitivity and well-centered pitch. These are highly-evolved players, often playing in a context where subtle details will be noticed and appreciated, so no surprise that they cotton toward axes that can provide and support that kind of nuance. These axes may also be unforgiving if technique is sloppy. Also gotta say that R&B players seem more open to the high-end approach - probably a function of realizing advanced slap/pop techniques, and super-slick production values on a lot of commercial stuff…I've never seen a rocker play a Tobias, but have seen high-end R&B players with a 535 in hand, and sounding great in that situation.
Fenders won't get you that. The classic J and P bass sounds don't go to the frequency extremes, and have more of a pillow effect, both in the mix and, to my mind, with respect to pitch, especially the rosewood boards. Sounds great in many, many rock/pop/country contexts - slots nicely with the drums, makes everybody feel good and play better, and we're all so imbued with that sound and experience, I totally can see engineers loving the familiar (and passive) Fender classics, and contractors/bandleaders making decisions based on Fender expectations. And maybe a bit less likely to expose technical sloppiness...
Maybe Sadowsky splits that difference - you surely do see a lot of pro players using those instruments, in a wide range of contexts. You pay more, but the craftsmanship and quality control are superb (full disclosure - I've hosted a Sadowsky as my #1 for the last 5-6 years). Ditto for Lakland - great craftsmanship, superb necks/fretwork on the USA axes, but also deeply rooted in the Fender tradition.
Leo's march toward active electronics, via the Stingray and L2000…an interesting development. Strike me dead for saying it, but I've wondered whether as he got older, normal hearing loss started to affect his judgment re volume and tone. Stingray and L2K are both valid sounds, and the L2K is particularly interesting as it seems like it was intended to bridge the old P and J virtues and the brash focus of the Stingray, but they definitely push a lot more to the brighter, higher-frequency side of the spectrum - corresponding with loss of hearing high-frequencies as we age. Of course, music was changing as well, and with slap/pop and other techniques, and more prominence for the bass, a brighter sound with more focus and snap made sense.
So back to the OP and the L2K. A product priced around USA Fender product. More modern capability, but not quite able to fully mimic the classic Fender sounds (me, I think its the pickup magnets being ceramic rather than alnico, but I may be full of it). Not gonna deliver that something extra that the jazz heavies want or need. Some periodic QC difficulties over the years. Limited budget for advertising and comps/endorsements as compared with Fender. Limited dealer network. Limited changes to product line, although that seems to be changing with the new "M" series axes…and maybe they didn't need to do a lot of change because the L2K got so many things right from the get-go. But the net effect is seeing way more Fenders out there in all kinds of commercial music, to this day.
