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Who agrees?

#161
Coeball said:
Are fender inovating or just churning out the same good idea. For example, the only major changes to their new line of basses I can see is lighter tuners and pole pieces being flush with the pickups. Whilst these changes are welcome they are not innovative.
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I agree they are not innovating. But what was the last successful innovation in guitar that you remember? Or the last successful guitar that was innovative? Innovation in instruments is not necessary for music to be innovative. What was the last significant innovation in drums? organs?

IOW I'm not seeing the point.
 
#163
Bryan R. Tyler said:
As I mentioned, I have been lucky enough to try Sadowkys, Laklands, a Valenti I almost bought, modern and vintage Fenders, etc. Had the chance to play several Fenders with a band as well. I always have an open mind. It's just that my idea of what sounds best....is quite simply usually not that. Occupying that traditional space in the mix is often times the equivalent of audio vanilla to me. Lots of people like it, in some cases it's great, but quite often it's not what I want.
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That ties into the other half of my point -- I was suggesting adding interest and flavor with playing choices rather than trying to do it with tone. Like vanilla with fresh strawberries and whipped cream ;)
 
#164
pickles said:
That ties into the other half of my point -- I was suggesting adding interest and flavor with playing choices rather than trying to do it with tone. Like vanilla with fresh strawberries and whipped cream ;)
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Why would you add strawberries and whipped cream to a flavor of ice cream you don't want? :D
 
#166
I spent a lot of years "not liking fenders". Playing all those other basses, and thinking maaaan those guys are so closed minded when they ask me to get a P-bass. But when I finally gave up on my preconceptions and really started listening, I found that the fenders really did sit better in the mix than anything else I had, and I found that on any given night I was actually way more likely to get a good sound with them.

YMMV
 
#167
pickles said:
Because everyone else at the party loves it LOL :hiding:
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Everyone at the party like Bud Light, Wal-Mart, and McDonalds too. There's no accounting for taste :D

I don't dislike Fender at all. As I said before, I wish I liked their basses more. If they put one out with a more comfortable and balanced body shape, I wouldn't mind getting one- I was a big fan of the P-Lyte. "Good sound" and "better in the mix" are personal opinions though. I'm sure there's plenty of tunes where we both find that classic tone sounds great, and countless occasions where I find that it not only would sound better with a different tone but also makes the song worse by occupying that same old space.
 
#170
pickles said:
I think a better analogy would be if all your buddies liked Guinness and Jameson, and you kept showing up with raspberry lambic :eyebrow:

There are of course time where something weird works great, I just think it is the exception rather than the rule.
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And that's where opinions differ. For me, just because you put out something that the status quo can deal with because they're used to that sound, it doesn't mean it's really the best choice. For my ears, it's often not. But that's me, and everyone has a different opinion. In the end I suppose it comes down to whether or not you're trying to satisfy yourself and the people like you, or if you're trying to satisfy a different group of people (a band, the status quo, etc.), and just hope that your tastes matches theirs. Our ideas of what works great may be vastly different.

And if Fender could be related to any drink, it'd definitely be Bud :p You can find either at any store or party you go to, they're fairly inexpensive, and most people are satisfied enough if they see them around.
 
#172
Bryan R. Tyler said:
And that's where opinions differ. For me, just because you put out something that the status quo can deal with because they're used to that sound, it doesn't mean it's really the best choice. For my ears, it's often not. But that's me, and everyone has a different opinion. In the end I suppose it comes down to whether or not you're trying to satisfy yourself and the people like you, or if you're trying to satisfy a different group of people (a band, the status quo, etc.), and just hope that your tastes matches theirs. Our ideas of what works great may be vastly different.

And if Fender could be related to any drink, it'd definitely be Bud :p You can find either at any store or party you go to, they're fairly inexpensive, and most people are satisfied enough if they see them around.
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Ok, I just completely disagree, and feel my point has gone ignored. I used to hold the exact same opinions you're posting now, but have had many experiences that opened my mind to a different way of thinking about this. No need to continue this one ... carry on, and if you care to, reread my earlier posts.
 
#173
pickles said:
Ok, I just completely disagree, and feel my point has gone ignored. I used to hold the exact same opinions you're posting now, but have had many experiences that opened my mind to a different way of thinking about this. No need to continue this one ... carry on, and if you care to, reread my earlier posts.
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All of your posts were read and taken into consideration- nothing has been ignored. It seems that you are having difficulty believing that people can have the same amount of experience as you as well as have a completely open mind, and still think differently than you do.
 
#175
Bryan R. Tyler said:
All of your posts were read and taken into consideration- nothing has been ignored. It seems that you are having difficulty believing that people can have the same amount of experience as you as well as have a completely open mind, and still think differently than you do.
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That isn't really it at all. When you compare Fender to Wallmart and McDonalds, it just makes me question how open you are to them.

I've also been gearing my comments as I usually do on the net toward the younger players that may be reading, not necessarily to people with a lot of experience. I think the advice I gave in my first post on this thread is valuable for them, especially since those who read the net will have a tendency to think that buying a more expensive bass than they currently have will somehow help them. IME, usually, it will not.
 
#178
pickles said:
That isn't really it at all. When you compare Fender to Wallmart and McDonalds, it just makes me question how open you are to them.

I've also been gearing my comments as I usually do on the net toward the younger players that may be reading, not necessarily to people with a lot of experience. I think the advice I gave in my first post on this thread is valuable for them, especially since those who read the net will have a tendency to think that buying a more expensive bass than they currently have will somehow help them. IME, usually, it will not.
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Perhaps comparing Fender and Wal-Mart might seem to cheapen Fender a little more than deserved, McDonald's and Bud Light are accurate comparisons since the general population thinks that Fender is the best (and McDonald's is a cheese burger) because that's what they've been told for years and have forgotten everything outside of modern media persuasions.
 
#180
pickles said:
That isn't really it at all. When you compare Fender to Wallmart and McDonalds, it just makes me question how open you are to them.
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Fender is a huge manufacturer that produces the most commonly know, commonly available, commonly used, and commonly recognized maker of guitars and basses in the U.S. Just as Mickey Ds is for fast food, etc. They even had a priceline that the average consumer could easily deal with up until the last couple of years. I've played dozens of them from the 70s up until a couple years ago, had one in my house for half a year, and listened to them for most of my life. I have nothing against them at all- I'm no Fender hater. They simply don't sound or have the feel/ergonomics I want most of the time for my own playing, and often they don't have the tone or place in the mix I prefer when I listen to albums. I look at bass playing just as I do with other instruments and vocalists. If a singer doesn't have a tone of voice that I like for a song, it won't matter how they use it- it still won't sound good to me, even if it fits in its "designated" space in the mix. I'm fully open to Fender or any other similar company (Sadowsky, etc.). If they put out a bass with the sound and ergonomics I like, I wouldn't hesitate to buy from them. I have nothing against the brand at all. I'd still like a shell pink/maple board one for looks and certain sounds :)
 

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