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Vintage Old Fender - I don't get it.

#361
NorCal Dog said:
definitely needs some love

will pickup a balanced set of light gauge strings, intonate, & do a setup

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even if the op "doesn't get it", I sure do.
I've never seen a pickguard with a wear pattern like that,
amazing bass, congrats!!
 
#363
Vintage Fender guitars are more about tone. Think Stevie ray or Jimi Hendrix.Kurt Cobain used almost exclusively Fender guitars.Billie Joe Armstrong also used Fenders. Fenders have their own style and sound. If you're not into that sound, or styles then it's not the guitar for you. They're great for jazz, blues, classic rock, alternative and punk... and can't really do metal that well, but that's all up for debate because Yngwie Malmsteen can rock out some Neo-Classical metal, and he uses a Fender strat.
 
#365
pnchad said:
The whole reason for the 'invention' of the EB by Leo was to make it easier to play and easier to haul around.
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Leo wanted to sell basses to make money. He especially wanted to sell electric bass guitars to electric guitarists.

pnchad said:
it's NOT macho to play hard just dumb
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All depends on how hard. ;) :D :eek:
 
#366
All the reasons in the world may keep you from appreciating them, but NONE of that makes it less fun to have one.

I can't say they are definitely better than all the rest, but I'm still not convinced they aren't either.
So far, it continues to draw a crowd. Always sparks a ton of conversation, and captivates people's attention when it's played by anyone, as long as its not me.
I've yet to put it in a players hands and not see an immediate smile ear to ear, and watch their face light up the room,
It's has a way of bringing out the real player of who ever plays it, sparks lots of memories for older guys. And all in all keeps the room very happy.

If that's not magic, what is?
You can deny it until you're blue in the face, but these basses definitely do 'something' that new basses just don't do. (Not that I've seen)
Mental or real, it happens, and that I'd assume is why they'll always retain their following.







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#367
Jookbox said:
Gotta love a guy talking out his butt.
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Sorry but that is just my experience. Why do you think jazz players prefer heavier strings? Why would anyone, Stevie Ray Vaun, bother with 13's, if 9's sounded better? Why does Peter Buck use 13's on his Rics?

Try a set of strings with a wound 3rd for even better tone, but you'll probably claim that came out of my butt also :hmm:

More metal, more mass, more vibrational energy etc. Simple physics. All things being equal heavier strings will produce more volume, thus more tone, than lighter strings. But of course if someone uses a set too heavy for their style then of course they will sound worse than with a lighter set.

I guess this came out of my ass also?

"In a nutshell, I tell students to get the heaviest strings that their fingers can handle. Why heavy strings? Heavy strings = More mass, More mass = More sound. One key ingredient to Stevie Ray Vaughn’s huge sound was that he generally used .12 or .13 gage strings. Since heavy strings create more tension across the fingerboard he detuned the whole guitar down a half step to help with the stiffness and thus was still able to achieve those monster blues bends. On the other hand, if your preferred style is shred guitar, you’ll probably want to go with a lighter gage (.9’s or .10’s) in order to execute those sweep picking and two finger tapping licks."

Link Removed
 
#369
Is this a guitar thread or a bass thread?

I'm happy that some people have found their manliness in the gauge of their bass strings. Who would have thought to look there?

I don't feel less masculine with my light gauge strings, light touch, and increased head room from higher volume settings. Maybe I am.
 
#371
Jeremy James said:
More metal, more mass, more vibrational energy etc. Simple physics. All things being equal heavier strings will produce more volume, thus more tone, than lighter strings. But of course if someone uses a set too heavy for their style then of course they will sound worse than with a lighter set.

I guess this came out of my ass also?

"In a nutshell, I tell students to get the heaviest strings that their fingers can handle. Why heavy strings? Heavy strings = More mass, More mass = More sound. One key ingredient to Stevie Ray Vaughn’s huge sound was that he generally used .12 or .13 gage strings.

Link Removed
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the difference between a .013 and a .010 string is 0.003 (3000ths of an inch ), the thickness of a human hair.
the string vibrates over the Strat pole piece which is about 1/8 of an inch across.
we're not talking about a lot of mass here.

EVH used .008s and had tone that certainly wasn't lacking in any way. I'm not saying that there isn't a perceivable difference, I'd be curious to here a side by side comparison to really know.
 
#374
I haven't read the whole thread but I'll just say that everything has its place and certainly the vintage instruments have a unique tone to them that defines a certain mood.

I've attached two files, one is an Ibanez ATK800e - a very nice modern sounding instrument.

The other is a really old Fender P also with very old strings. You can't get the Fender to sound like the ATK or vice versa. They both sound good and are useful to me in different ways.
 

Attachments

#376
PDGood said:
I've attached two files, one is an Ibanez ATK800e - a very nice modern sounding instrument. The other is a really old Fender P also with very old strings.
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Let me start by saying I like the sound of both basses. I think the P sounds great. Now, I don't want to sound like a jerk here, but I don't think it sounds any better than any of the P-Basses I've owned in the past--and none of them were what I would consider vintage. My oldest one was a '79 that was far from original. It had Duncan SPB1 pickups in it. One of my others was a MIM model. Both sounded like a P Bass should; very much like your bass does.

The point I'm trying to make is that tone is not something that can only be found with a vintage instrument. The right bass and the right pickups make the right sound...
 
#377
1SHOT1HIT said:
All the reasons in the world may keep you from appreciating them, but NONE of that makes it less fun to have one.

I can't say they are definitely better than all the rest, but I'm still not convinced they aren't either.
So far, it continues to draw a crowd. Always sparks a ton of conversation, and captivates people's attention when it's played by anyone, as long as its not me.
I've yet to put it in a players hands and not see an immediate smile ear to ear, and watch their face light up the room,
It's has a way of bringing out the real player of who ever plays it, sparks lots of memories for older guys. And all in all keeps the room very happy.

If that's not magic, what is?
You can deny it until you're blue in the face, but these basses definitely do 'something' that new basses just don't do. (Not that I've seen)
Mental or real, it happens, and that I'd assume is why they'll always retain their following.
Click to expand...

+1

I retired my vintage J from gigs about four years ago. Since then it's been a constant parade of basses, including all the usual TB suspects - Sadowsky, MTD, Lakland, and many more; even a couple of Roadworns. Some very good basses and I'm pretty happy with what I'm gigging now. But the guys in the band are always asking me when the J is coming back, and keep telling me it's the best bass they ever heard.

/rick
 
#378
I haven't read all 19 pages of this but I own a 63 p bass,a 70 body with a 66 neck p bass,a Squier p from 83,and a 72 Jazz. I don't know what it is about the 63 but it is the best sounding bass I have ever owned.Not the best playing but the sound is amazing. It is beat to hell and has been my main bass for the last 12 years. I bought it from some meth heads that had it hanging on the wall of their mobile home as a decoration. The 70/66 mutt sounds the worse of the 3 p basses I own. The Jazz is a good solid sounding Jazz I have owned since 1991.They all sound good and all sound and play different. I wish the old Fenders weren't worth so much as I can't afford any of them and wish this relic crap would stop. There is some kind of magic that my 63 has that other basses I pick up don't.
With all that said I just took delivery of a USA ATK from another member on here. It is a great playing and sounding bass. It plays much easier than any of my Fenders.The 63 still wins as far as tone. In the end play what sounds and feels good to you.What comes out is an expression of your soul and that is what matters.
 
#379
Its not about the tone but the scarcity of the instrument. And because certain big name players may have used the same instrument. Case in point.a 59 les Paul, they aren't that great a guitar over all, the technology wasnt available to make them as precise as guitars can be made now, the coating process they used at the time wasn't as durable as today's poly urethane but yould be lucky to find one of those under 15 grand. Because Jimi page used to play one.
 
#380
Its the same reason why people want 55 Corvette, 69 mustangs and cameros, 1971 datsun zs, a Mercedes s500 hammer, Etc. None of these cars are particularly very good to drive, but the nostalgic value makes them more sought after than a 2013 Camry which is a superior car specs wise than all of those cars combined.
 

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