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Vintage Old Fender - I don't get it.

#342
taurus1 said:
it wasn't because it was junk, he just liked really huge strings and high action.
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A bit off topic, but I have always been of the mind that a good guitar is one which can have high action, and still be very playable. Not the other way around.

IMO the trick to good tone IS heavy strings and high action, but as you mentioned most people have trouble with a set up like that. It's what separates men from the amateurs lol, got to have strong fingers.

Heavy strings, w/wound 3rd, are tone monsters, but they need lots of room to vibrate.
 
#347
The original patent sketches for the Fender Precision Bass.
Yep, Leo got it right.

220px-Fender_Precision_Bass_patent_sketch.jpg
 
#350
Anything that makes a vintage bass sound good or feel good can be measured and recreated in a new instrument, except the happy accident of a uniquely effective piece of wood, which is no more likely to have occurred in the 60s than it is today.

So the difference between a $3000 NYC Sadowsky and a $10,000 60s Fender is rarity, exclusivity, and the way it makes the player feel.

Now go buy what you want and can afford.
 
#351
Jeremy James said:
A bit off topic, but I have always been of the mind that a good guitar is one which can have high action, and still be very playable. Not the other way around.

IMO the trick to good tone IS heavy strings and high action, but as you mentioned most people have trouble with a set up like that. It's what separates men from the amateurs lol, got to have strong fingers.
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Vintage Fenders are cool but... you don't really believe all this do you? High action and men vs amateurs? :eyebrow::D
 
#352
metron said:
Vintage Fenders are cool but... you don't really believe all this do you? High action and men vs amateurs? :eyebrow::D
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He must be young. He must not realize that the high action that he thinks makes him a man right now will likely cause joint pain in his hands when he is older and limit his longevity as a bass player. Take care of your hands (and back, shoulder, etc.) when you are young. Trust me on this.
 
#353
Showdown said:
He must be young. He must not realize that the high action that he thinks makes him a man right now will likely cause joint pain in his hands when he is older and limit his longevity as a bass player. Take care of your hands (and back, shoulder, etc.) when you are young. Trust me on this.
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I absolutely agree with you, although I know that there is a school of thought about high action. Many doublers tend to be high action guys, and Patitucci is one of those (but his tone never sounds like high action tone to me). Will Lee is a high action guy too. Stanley Clarke.

Gary Willis is a low action guy; he says to turn up a little more, set your action a little lower, and play with a lighter touch to give yourself more headroom for dynamics. I really get that.

Me? I don't play enough these days to maintain good callouses. So low action, light touch is the only way to go; otherwise I destroy my hands whenever I do have a gig. But I was like that even when I was playing more.
 
#355
Jeremy James said:
A bit off topic, but I have always been of the mind that a good guitar is one which can have high action, and still be very playable. Not the other way around.

IMO the trick to good tone IS heavy strings and high action, but as you mentioned most people have trouble with a set up like that. It's what separates men from the amateurs lol, got to have strong fingers.

Heavy strings, w/wound 3rd, are tone monsters, but they need lots of room to vibrate.
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Jookbox said:
Gotta love a guy talking out his butt.
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Well, I don't know :scowl:

I have tried the low action thing. Even went to a GTG where all the cats had ALL the COOL BASSES with LOW, LOW acton.

My technic did not match :hmm: It was a mess. And they laughed at my action, couldn't understand why or how I played that way on my basses :spit:

I do like the strings driving the body or wood a little so I like them a little high. I feel that with the strings low, I am only hearing the sound of strings and pickups. But with the strings a little higher, driving or vibrating the wood maybe some of the wood sound is contributing more to the tone. But I don't think my basses are unplayable :rollno: BTW I am a doubler

Signed:
A guy talking out his butt :D
 
#356
dkelley said:
Yea... There is a lot of physics that is disregarded in assumptions made without knowledge. I've found pocket tightness makes little if any difference. I assumed it would matter some, but instead the alignment of how you bolt it on matters far more to tone.
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It is just aesthetic. I think a poor neck pocket fit looks terrible and a great neck pocket fit is a thing of beauty. It is a sign of how shallow I am as a person. Plus, I don't mind high action and also play upright, so words sometimes come out of my butt, too.
 

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