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When were Fender's bad years?

#21
Originally posted by air_leech

buy your Fender because thats the best bass FOR you to express your music through and not because your idols/friends/every guy in the 'hood plays one.

and regarding the quality control issue, Tuomas did wisely, try them all and buy the one you like the most, don't buy the first one you see just to have a Fender, after all this bass you could keep your whole life so choose wisely if you will still want to play it and feel comfortable with it half a year from now.
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I agree. I played a ton of different brand basses before buying my Fender. It should be based on what "feels" right to YOU.
 
#22
I don't think it's so much that people dislike Fenders, but that they realize that there's so much more out there that's available. Hard to imagine that Fender used to be the best thing around. They're still hard to beat for certain things, and of course you still have folks who claim they're still the best all-around. All a matter of opinion. I don't think there's much doubt that they reside on the lower end of the scale when it comes to consistency.
 
#23
I'm probably into a grey area here but I'll ask anyway.

How many people who say that Fender's from xyz period are good, bad or otherwise actually played those instruments when new? The reason I ask is I think quite a bit of the bad rap is coming from people looking at older instruments and not taking into consideration how they were kept.

On the new Fenders, what are the problems people are seeing? I know I've grabbed a bunch off the wall at a chain store that felt like crap but I also know I really don't like Fender strings and none of those basses were set up for me. I honestly have not come across a new bass that appeared "unadjustable" and I've looked at literally hundreds. But that's simply setup and strings...does that make a bass "bad"?

I'm not challenging anyone's experience's...you know what you've seen. I'm just wondering exactly what that was? The sheer number of basses produced since the 50's would mean you're going to see more of them than any other brand I can think of, in all states of disrepair.

I tried a used Alembic last week, the fretboard had shrunk and the frets were protruding from the sides. I've seen this quite a bit. Had the same thing on my Lakland when it was shipped from Alaska to Maryland.

Are they (Alembics and Laklands)crap?

I'm not making excuses for Fender, I'm truly curious as to how much of this is experienced and how much is anectdotal?
 
#24
fender hit some tough times in the seventies. the musicmans were way better than the fenders in that era. It showed. I beleive that pre-cbs fenders are the best basses ever made. I just bought a brand new american precision for $560. It sounds great. If you are going to spend that much money on a bass, (in my opinion) go for a musicman, rickenbacker, new fender or pre-cbs (you can get one with a refinish for dirt cheap because w/ a refinish they aren't worth $hit), g&l, or a warwick. Get the bass you like. Have you ever played a 70s fender? who knows, you may like it.
 
#25
This is what I'm talking about. I checked out both Fenders and Musicman in the 70's. The MM was a newer design with a different sound... another choice "besides" Fender ;)

I don't recall the Fender hard times basses during that period but from what I read and hear it wasn't a good period. OTOH my 78 Jazz is my favorite Fender:D

Just wondering who actually played the bad basses of that period?
 
#26
My brother bought a new Precision in 1979 and I played on it quite a few times in the months after he bought it.It had a maple fretboard/neck and black pickguard/parts.It was made out of very heavy wood,whatever the kind of ash that can be very heavy is.Consequently,it was very uncomfortable for me to play standing with it.The pickup just plain didn;t sound good,kind of mid heavy and woofy(how's that for objective scientific analysis?)I had played on older,not necessarily pre-CBS P's before this one and remembered that more than one of them had a sound close to,if not exactly like,the sound I'd heard on many records,open,warm and that characteristic noise when you land on the note a little off.This one wasn't even close,and mercifully he sold it after about 6 months.Now,this is one bass,not a whole production year or even run,but I can affirm having had a P.O.S. Fender in my hands that was made in the late seventies.
 
#27
I've owned 3 '70's P basses (2 '74's and a '78) and all three have been really great sounding instruments (although not as good as my G&L SB-2! :) ). I'm also baby sitting a '75 maple board Jazz that one of my students left with me indefinitely while he does an extended cruise ship gig (poor me!). It is also a very fine bass.

I have certainly played quite a number of pretty questionable '70's Fenders in shops though.

I think many have said it well. There do seem to be some very fine examples of Fender basses in any era but you do need to evaluate each one on its own.
 
#28
In 1974 I bought a brand new Fender Jazz - all maple neck, sunburst. I bought it sight-unseen, through a friend who was travelling to London. It was VERY heavy, had the famous dead spot, and sounded pretty bad - all midrange and mud.

I sold it 2 weeks later and bought a Ric.
 
#29
I think that nearly all the experiences mentioned in this thread match my own and to summarise this, I think you need to try before you buy with Fenders probably more than anything else. If you are buying without seeing then you're probably better off getting a new one that you can return - the late 90s has seemed a much better period for quality and most of the US-made Fenders I've tried recently are pretty good.

The question is why somebody buys a 70s Fender - if they're looking for a vintage "investment" bass then they're probably going to get ripped off anyway. The best idea is always to buy something that feels and sounds good to you and not to worry whether you've got a "classic".
 
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#30
I never tried a pre-CBS Fender when new...I was only 7 in '65. I played 70s Fenders when new, but I was too inexperienced, young, naive and over-awed by actually playing a Fender to form an informed opinion at that time.

Anyway, Fenders are clunky compared to slimline zippo whizz basses. But they sound like Fenders. They have solid block colour finishes, and are in no way as exquisite as those Conklins John T shows us. The pickups buzz. They have big ugly tuners, and bent simplistic bridges. The wood often has aesthetically displeasing flaws in it. They are essentiallu unsophisticated instruemnts. The strings they come with are lousy (IMO Fender can't make strings).

But they are the only basses that give the sound I want.

I also notice that people tend to say, "I have tried 56,789 Fenders and they all sounded and played crap." You rarely get a more precise rejection that that. The point is that they way Fenders feel and play is part of the deal. Part of what you do to get the sound. If you don't want that sound...well, don't get the Fender, whether Geddy Lee plays one or not.

Sting gets a great sound on his P. So does Duck Dunn, etc. So do I.

Andy



[Edited by Andy Daventry on 02-10-2001 at 09:25 AM]
 
#32
Thanks guys, that's what I was looking for. V-Ray, I've never played an Ash P bass but your scientific description sounds accurate;) Too bad we didn't have better straps back then. That same heavy Ash sounds pretty good (in most cases) with a Jazz.

Andy, my sentiments exactly about Fenders. They're "just" Fenders, no more, no less.

Brooks, did your 74 have flats on it?

Bruce, there's a simple reason as to why some people are buying 70's Fenders....they're increasing in value. They're getting older, the basses made before them are increasingly hard to find and expensive, these are the next in line. OTOH I think it'll be a loooong time before the late 80's/early 90's Fenders increase in value.

Back in 1997 I could buy a new Fender Jazz Deluxe 5 for $750. Now, the two 97's I bought used are going for more than that. Who knew? ;)
 
#35
Fender's bad years were from about 1949 through 2001. Hey, wait a minute, those were also Fender's GOOD years!

The point is, there have been great Fenders produced every year they have been in production, and there have been dogs every year.

Fender's quality control is so wildly inconsistent that I would never EVER buy a Fender via mail order. I'd have to play it first.

Unlike my Sadowsky... I had never even SEEN one in the flesh, let alone played one, when I ordered mine from Bass Northwest.

I _knew_ it would be perfect, and it is.

Michael
 
#38
Originally posted by Munjibunga
I'll bet you there are more people that like (and play) Fender than there are that dislike Fender. And I'll bet that more people (including pros) play Fender than any other brand. And more PEOPLE play Fender than any other animal.
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You know full well that this doesn't mean a damn thing. More people in the US drive GM automobiles than any other maker, but that doesn't make them any better than, say, Audi automobiles.

C'mon, you're a TB veteran. Post something better than this.
 
#40
Originally posted by Brad Johnson

Bruce, there's a simple reason as to why some people are buying 70's Fenders....they're increasing in value. They're getting older, the basses made before them are increasingly hard to find and expensive, these are the next in line. OTOH I think it'll be a loooong time before the late 80's/early 90's Fenders increase in value.
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Brad - I wasn't asking why people are buying these - what I was getting at was the intention of the buyer. My view is that you should buy a bass to play and that suits you, no matter what anybody else says about it being a "good year" or whatever. If you start looking for "investments" and aren't as knowledgeable or lucky as yourself ;)then my view is that most people are going to get ripped off - of course they can always sell on to another "sucker"!

My view is that late 90s Fenders can be just as good as a 70s bass and to just try as many basses as you can and find the best one, regardless of ideas like "investment", "vintage" or whatever.
 

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