- Jun 30, 2010
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- musician/artist/owner - Gildaxe
Man, those early fingerboards were thin! No question that this contributes to the way they sound. (more maple with almost a veneer of rosewood)
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Vintage Old Fender - I don't get it.
- Thread starter darwin-bass
- Start date
Man, those early fingerboards were thin! No question that this contributes to the way they sound. (more maple with almost a veneer of rosewood)
What the OP doesn't get is that there are only so many surviving pre-CBS Fenders out there.
Pre-CBS is a historical benchmark, before Leo sold the company.
While a '65 or '69 might be a really nice old bass, it is not pre-CBS.
I could agree with the OP if he were talking a 70's 3 bolt Fender.
That's where the use of the term vintage doesn't mean much, except to the people who own one.
Pre-CBS is a historical benchmark, before Leo sold the company.
While a '65 or '69 might be a really nice old bass, it is not pre-CBS.
I could agree with the OP if he were talking a 70's 3 bolt Fender.
That's where the use of the term vintage doesn't mean much, except to the people who own one.
Personally, I don't think the term vintage means much of anything outside of a collector's symbol. If a bass looks, plays & sound good, who cares if its 3 months old or 60 years old?
I collect vintage Fender fours, and I play them. All the collectors in my network also play their basses, and sometimes play them professionally, but usually have other basses just for gigging. It is a hobby, just like any other. Smaller than muscle cars, bigger than baseball cards, and a better investment than either. But there is something special about strapping on my 52 Precision, or my 63 Jazz, or any of the many others. There is nothing like it. Perhaps it is mental. Perhaps it is what we grew up with. Perhaps it is the historical value. There have been a lot of good thoughts tossed around here, and some others....lol. To me, it's the whole package, it just sounds and feels good, both to my ears, and to my soul. If you can pick up an play a pre CBS Fender bass and it does nothing for you, check out muscle cars or baseball cards.
Who cares? The owner and his insurance company!
The producers and engineers in a million dollar studio who's jaws drop when they hear a good one played right.
The producers and engineers in a million dollar studio who's jaws drop when they hear a good one played right.
Walk into any legit recording studio with your newfangled basses, lovingly uncase them, wipe them off, and put them on their stands, then follow the engineers eyes as he subltly directs your attention to the beat up old p bass in the corner. It may or may not be the appropriate device for the track you're laying down, but you certainly should consider having a good Vintage Fender in you toolkit.
There's something to be said about being a grown arse professional and having the right tools in your arsenal.
There's something to be said about being a grown arse professional and having the right tools in your arsenal.
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I had a producer choose my 2010 Classic 50's P sound over his vintage 60's P (actual vintage, not an AVRI) when I was laying a track down last summer. Vintage does not always means good. It may mean expensive, but monetary value does not entirely dictate good sound or quality.
That has more to do with the sound tech being lazy & accustomed to P-basses & nothing to do with your "newfangled" bass being crap & immature.
As I've said in many threads like this one:
No one in the crowd, not even other bass players, can tell what year, make, and model your bass is, whether your P p'up is overwound, what kind of amp you are using, what brand of tubes you have, or what size your speakers are. All they hear or care about is your playing ability.
I also do not buy into the older is better, but I can understand why some do. For the music I play, that old school thump n bump isn't needed or wanted.
I would gladly pay someone a few hundred for a '76 Fender something, P or J, just so I can say I own a bass as old as me, but never will it be something I would shell out thousands for just cuz I got to have that tone. I will never pay that much for a bass, not when so many sound just as good to me for a fraction of the cost.
It should be noted that I am indeed tone deaf, so there's that. LOL
No one in the crowd, not even other bass players, can tell what year, make, and model your bass is, whether your P p'up is overwound, what kind of amp you are using, what brand of tubes you have, or what size your speakers are. All they hear or care about is your playing ability.
I also do not buy into the older is better, but I can understand why some do. For the music I play, that old school thump n bump isn't needed or wanted.
I would gladly pay someone a few hundred for a '76 Fender something, P or J, just so I can say I own a bass as old as me, but never will it be something I would shell out thousands for just cuz I got to have that tone. I will never pay that much for a bass, not when so many sound just as good to me for a fraction of the cost.
It should be noted that I am indeed tone deaf, so there's that. LOL
No one is implying All vintage Fenders are good ones.
Or that all new basses suck.
Or that all new basses suck.
punchdrunk, you know, not all songs require the P bass sound ... many do, but far from all. It would be a bit boring if every song recorded used the same bass, wouldn't it? 
mark beem
Wait, how does this song start again??
Very nice!!
FretNoMote, I absolutely concur, all I'm saying is that I wouldn't consider anyone's (especially studio cats) arsenal complete without one. Sometimes you just gotta whip out your big boy bass on a track or two... Sometimes a Zon will do, or even a spiffy new Ibanez. It's all about showing up to work with the right tools for the job.
I think he's being very optimistic.
I don't mean to be negative, I think it's a bad ass bass. I just don't think that's in the realm of what they actually go for. Doesn't matter anyway.
Chef
In Memoriam
Agreed...vintage instruments can be special...but they can also be stinkers...just like every era of production. Which is which is up to the player.
