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What is it about Fender?
- Thread starter Holliwood
- Start date
In part, the Fenders suit a style of playing that is more for the band and the song, assuming you're not doing exotic atonal jazz.
The boutique basses and some of the other not-so-custom designs come and go, according to the times. The late 80's started the neck-through, hippie sandwich wood block craze, active pickups and better cab design, but most of those never sat well in a mix. It was either "look at me", or "hear me, fear me".
Fenders just work. They will work in Jazz, rock, blues, country, metal- They'll work with any amp, any cab, and Helen Keller back at the sound board.
Fender 5 strings suck, so for that reason alone I don't have one, but I have been toying with the idea of "going retro" and getting an old P or Jazz bass and adding a drop tuner.
The boutique basses and some of the other not-so-custom designs come and go, according to the times. The late 80's started the neck-through, hippie sandwich wood block craze, active pickups and better cab design, but most of those never sat well in a mix. It was either "look at me", or "hear me, fear me".
Fenders just work. They will work in Jazz, rock, blues, country, metal- They'll work with any amp, any cab, and Helen Keller back at the sound board.
Fender 5 strings suck, so for that reason alone I don't have one, but I have been toying with the idea of "going retro" and getting an old P or Jazz bass and adding a drop tuner.
If there is a Jazz bass in this world, be it 4 or 5 string, that works with drop A just as good, if not better than my Schecter, I just might get it. Otherwise, I'll problebly never own a Fender as the ones I tried only work in standard E.
LwoA Bassist said:
I use my squier jazz in drop b and it does alright, although this is not any lower than stock. I've used my Fender MIM jazz in A before and it does pretty decent, although I've changed the pickups. My Schecter and Ibanez SRX do better for low tunings, though. I usually just leave my P's and J's in standard.
I dont really think I could call a Precision forgiving.
To me the tone is so defined and clear that if I flub a note
everyone notices. I also said that if you have bad technique then the P bass will highlight that because of how well it sits in the mix.
To me the tone is so defined and clear that if I flub a note
everyone notices. I also said that if you have bad technique then the P bass will highlight that because of how well it sits in the mix.
"Helen Keller back at the soundboard" ...ha ha ha ha ha...we all love our soundmen, don't we? Very funny.
Fenders are awesome, but I have a distinct preference for seasoned versions of the Jazz or P. The 70's seemed to be really good years. If I am buying a newer bass I look to Lakland. The necks are very comfortable if you have big Mitts like me. I still have mucho love and respect for Fender. I kinda consider Laklands awesome copies of Fenders. I guess if Leo made the 1st electric bass then they are all copies right? LoL.
People love Fender so much because of the name on the headstock. Period. They're good instruments but they aren't THAT good.
A G&L is a superior instrument in every way yet Fender outsells them by a bazillion to 1. People want that name on the headstock.
People want to feel a part of the history of Fender and many people want to play the instrument that their favourite player plays.
^^This. Since I only play 5s, this probably explains my lack of enthusiasm for Fender. Not that I haven't tried!
One style/slap tone is still very desirable and classic: Fender J/single coils--->fresh round wounds--->Ampeg SVT. Particularly the 'pop' part of the style/tone. Obviously there are other bass manufacturer's who utilize single coil's and wood combo's that replicate that same vibe. Funny thing is, every other year or so Fender changes the windings, magnet sizes, etc. of their pups. That may add to the collectability factor.
I like my Fender j for its tonal exibility. I can play softest ballades or slap as hard as I want
love mine for this reason too!
I resisted Fenders for the longest time! Been playing since '90 and avoided Fender 'til about a year and a half ago. I bought a MIM jazz as a back-up, it quickly became #1. Now I have a Am Std. Jazz and my Am Std. P will probably arrive this week. Everything else has been sold.
To me it's the sound, I used to use all kinds of EQ to get the sound of a straight-up P.
To me it's the sound, I used to use all kinds of EQ to get the sound of a straight-up P.
I hope that no guitar spot feels that way when I trade in my '96 American Standard P Bass in order to get a white blonde American Vintage '57!
I have two P's, a Jazz and a Musicman.
I like vintage sounds. Both Fender and Musicman give me that!
Sounds like Leo knew how to make basses, although I wasn't impressed when trying out G&L's. To each his own with that one!
I like vintage sounds. Both Fender and Musicman give me that!
Sounds like Leo knew how to make basses, although I wasn't impressed when trying out G&L's. To each his own with that one!
Because Fender was the first to the game and did a good job at what they set out to do. Historically it's the most recorded and most gigged bass ever, it's what people think of when they picture "electric bass". There may be better choices, but you will never be told to "stop playing that Fender".
not only are Fender basses my favorite, the Strat and Telecaster are amazing guitars! they all scream, "Butta"!!! 
That seems high, but another thing is that Fender is the most copied bass as well. That adds a sense of legitimacy to Fender. Cut off the headstock and probably half of the non-Fender basses out there will look like Fenders. Well, I guess if you cut off the headstock they would look like Steinbergers, but you know what I mean.
