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why does everyone use fender?

#81
Two reasons:

They are an iconic American brand, like Harley Davidson motorcycles or Marlboro cigarettes. (A dubious, yet harmless reason.)

They have a clear, natural, simple sound that records well and fits in many different styles of music. (A good reason.)

I always seem to come back to them (and their ancestors, Music Man and G&L). But if someone else uses another brand and does something amazing with it, I dig that, too.

It's not a big deal.
 
#84
I love how some people get angry/all hyped up when talking about certain brands. It truly is pretty amusing (and ridiculous, but we won't go there), like we're talking about their kids.

Read back through this thread, the people that don't use or like Fenders state clearly why they don't, with minimal (if any) bashing.

Many of the dudes that sound like they are Leo's grandkids are quick to lash out and make borderline attacks on the non-Fender folk.

I'd like a Fender. I'd like an MIA Jazz Deluxe 5. I don't have a problem with Fender. Never said I did. But for now, I'm more than content with my Conklins.

Have fun playing what you play, save the abrasive retorts for the guy that calls your kid silly looking! :D
 
#85
Now, these aren't arguements, but honest questions that I have considered. Sure Fenders would fit in in most styles, but please read this with an open mind:

We all have different goals.

Some want to be session musicians. Fenders definitely fit in here. That's great. However, a good engineer should be forward thinking and open minded. That means working with Fender basses as well as every other bass out there. Why would you want your tone to sound like 90% of the people out there? Why would an engineer want their work to sound like others?

Some are into electric jazz. Fenders fit in here. However, when electric pianos and synths were coming out, pianists embracred this new technology. What if Herbie, or Chick only swore by Steinway? This genre is the most accepting of boutique basses.

Some want to play in cover bands once a month. They work hard all year and want to play a nice instrument. Hey, they deserve it. Again, Fenders would fit in here, but some people want a small reward for busting their hump all day.

Some want to focus on an original project. They may find their sound elsewhere. A nice Fender would get them there, but not everyone has the same idea of tone.

I do think that Fenders fit in nicely in alot of music, but I'm open to any bass that's going to convey what I hear in my head.
 
#86
(*Just a little FYI Bass History)

In the late '50s and even into the very late '60s, it was quite common to hear an electric bassist introduced like this:

"And playing on the "Fender bass,"....... (I like to be introduced this way myself.)

Point is, "Fender" (especially on bass) WAS the standard sound for electric bass. It was like going into a restaurant and asking for a "Coke". The owners understood you wanted a "Cola" to drink.

Electric bass is an "accompanying" instrument, not a lead in the band. Any band has a right to have/choose their rhythm section to sound the way they want it to. This allows the Lead Vocals an guitars to sound a certain way. It is their position to "cut thru the mix". Not the drummer's nor the bassist's, unless given the go ahead by the band leader. Most band leaders already know that the Fenders are going to accompany their sound, not up-stage them.
When I'm playing with a guitarist who's playing a Strat, I usually use a Jazz. If he's got a LesPaul, the Precision is almost always the right bass for his "accompaniment". I don't choose to play these particular basses because it's going to make "me" sound better, but because it makes the BAND sound better overall with their choices of leads for a song. Same principle with the Vocalist; If he's a deeper singer, I usually use the Jazz. If it's a Female up front, sometimes the P bass is best. This is why a lot of groups want a "Fender" Player. Not because they want to control your bass brand choices, simply because they know a Fender bass will usually accompany the lead and BLEND with the band a certain way.

This whole " Why Fender thing" needs to be addressed by asking "what's expected of a bassist"? IMO, the one usually answers the other. To make the band sound better overall.

Bassists are like Morticians and Barbers; It's our job to make others look good, sometimes without direct compliment for doing so. It doesn't make us any less of a musician. It just means that's our "link" in the chain.

Flea had a very lucrative contract with Modulus. (IMO, they are still one of the most "cutting edge" bass brands out there.) Yet he still chose to break this contract and play an old (read: primitive) Fender Stack Knob with no sponsorship at all. It was only after that, Fender gave him a contract. Same with Sting. After all the "showing off" they now want to sit SOLIDLY in the mix and let their playing style show their mastery of the craft, not the technology of the instrument.

It's not always about what "we" want, it's sometimes whats best for the band's sound............
 
#88
D-Bone said:
(*Just a little FYI Bass History)

In the late '50s and even into the very late '60s, it was quite common to hear an electric bassist introduced like this:

"And playing on the "Fender bass,"....... (I like to be introduced this way myself.)
Click to expand...
So? Last I looked it was 2006, where few people drive a flathead V8.
 
#89
The last two posts (NickyBass & D-Bone) have been excellent.
However, I just have to nitpick with NickyBass, who said:
"Some want to be session musicians. Fenders definitely fit in here. That's great. However, a good engineer should be forward thinking and open minded. That means working with Fender basses as well as every other bass out there. Why would you want your tone to sound like 90% of the people out there? Why would an engineer want their work to sound like others?"

More often that not, time is a factor. Time is $$$ in studios, and, unfortunately, the people spending the money don't want to spend time making the bass sound "good." (I know, I know-- what's "good"?) So a session bassist, especially a novice one, will do his career a big favor by bringing something that works right away. Is this fair? Is this the way it should be? No, but we bassists ARE supporting players, lower on the totem pole than, say, vocalists. And would an engineer want his work to sound like others? Well... in the world of big money, YES! The music industry is a formulaic place, my friend.
 
#90
Thanks for the compliment. :)

When a bassist learns what is expected of his/her position and can do it well, there will always be offers coming over the phone for them.

Good guitar players and band leaders are a "Dime a Dozen". Many want to lead, few want to follow. When I play with a band for the first time, I always bring both, a MIA Fender P&J bass to an audition. After they see them, they don't look again to what basses I brought, they're then focused and listening to my meter and the way I interact with the group. (In my case, Fenders do the job.) This way, I'll know got the job or didn't, based on my playing merits, not my brand of gear. (Ironiclly directly because OF my choice of gear.)

*FWIW I'd never walk into a raw audition with a bright red instrument either. (No matter the brand.) I try to go either with darker instruments or "Classic" colors like SB basses or Basic Black. I want to be heard more than seen. This gives the subtile impression that you're not going to up-stage them or "hot-dog" on the basson them in the future.

(We jokingly call that affliction of a bassist solo'ing all over the place at an audition, as being "Guitarded".... :)
 
#93
HotBottomEnd said:
I'm not trashing any other brand. There are plenty of other good quality basses out there. What I'm saying is, that if you don't have at least one good Fender in your arsenal, then you are most likely not a pro.

A good friend of mine is a recording engineer who has worked with a lot of people. He told me a funny joke a few years ago I'll never forget.
Some guy came in to do a session with some exotic wood fancy boutique bass and the producer looked at him and said "That's cute, where's your Fender?".
Click to expand...

That's pretty much a ridiculous statement. So basically anyone who doesn't own a Fender isn't a pro!? :rollno:

As far as the studio thing goes, most sound engineers who have been engineering for years have been recording Fenders forever and that's all that they know how to record. For a very long time recording capablities prohibited a more complex bass tone from being reproduced well. Better technology has remedied this. The fact of the matter is any engineer that is going to laugh at you because your not playing a Fender P-bass is just plain old narrow minded and doesn't want to take the time to dial in a good tone. There are plenty of great recordings that don't have a Fender bass on them.

To end things off I have nothing against Fender basses. I haved played them and owned one. I think that they are good solid work horse bass. But to go as far as saying that if you don't have one in your arsenal you probably not a pro, gimme a break.
 
#94
HotBottomEnd said:
P.S. You want to talk about dumbest thing I've ever heard? That would be comparing Fender to to domino's pizza.

When top players can either 1. afford any damn bass they want-
or, more importantly 2. Can get any damn bass they want FREE, and they choose to play Fender, that tells you something.

But I guess Jaco, and Geddy, and Marcus are just dumbasses trying to look like the guys in the magazines, right?

:rolleyes:
Click to expand...

that's lame.

"Jaco, and Geddy, and Marcus" are just 3 bassists out of the hundreds of "pro" bassists. or maybe you dont consider people who dont use fenders "pro". and why would i want to use the same instruments as them? would i play like them? maybe cos im trying to "look like the guys in the magazines"?

i think fenders are heavy and ugly. i like my zon.
 
#95
Oh people hate so much. It's sad really. These are the top reasons for choosing a fender:

-Good tone that fits in the mix well in almost any playing situation
-Looks cool and retro (and I understand not everybody likes that, but most people do)
-They're easy to be found at almost any price range
-Most players like the way they feel
-Sound guys and recording engineers work with them easily (when you're a working musician you can't really afford to spend alot of time arguing with these guys)
-Many of their favorite players/bands used them, and there's nothing wrong with wanting to be like the people that influenced you to play bass in the first place. I'm pretty sure everyone does that on some level.

I don't have anything against people that choose other brands, likely they're probably better players than I am, but having played, and currently playing in, several bands with different musical styles, it's nice to know I found a good quality, pro-sounding, wonderful feeling, kick-ass looking instrument that will fit with anybody that I play with and will probably last me the rest of my life at only $700 (my red jag oh so sexy). Not saying I won't buy others, but for now I have cured my GAS for everything under $2000. Sorry for the run on sentence, and I hope people get a little more civilized on this thread. It's all about the love, baby.
 
#96
jwbassman said:
That's pretty much a ridiculous statement. So basically anyone who doesn't own a Fender isn't a pro!? :rollno:

As far as the studio thing goes, most sound engineers who have been engineering for years have been recording Fenders forever and that's all that they know how to record. For a very long time recording capablities prohibited a more complex bass tone from being reproduced well. Better technology has remedied this. The fact of the matter is any engineer that is going to laugh at you because your not playing a Fender P-bass is just plain old narrow minded and doesn't want to take the time to dial in a good tone. There are plenty of great recordings that don't have a Fender bass on them.

To end things off I have nothing against Fender basses. I haved played them and owned one. I think that they are good solid work horse bass. But to go as far as saying that if you don't have one in your arsenal you probably not a pro, gimme a break.
Click to expand...
You're not listening. There is a huge difference between a pro bassist and a joyrneyman pro bassist. Someone like Mark King or Stanley Clarke is a pro bassist. But they are stars and they can play any bass they want and nobody's going to tell them different because it's their gig. If you are looking to be hired by many people to do many different things, as I am, you can go without using a Fender, but you are going to get calls from people who want you to play a Fender, and if you don't, they'll get someone who does. If you have a problem with that, that's fine, and you can get all self-righteous about it if you want and blame the engineer for not knowing how to deal with your bass and whatnot, but the bottom line is you missed out on a payday because of it.
 
#97
Not everyone does use them. With all the aftermarket widgets people put in sometimes the only thing "Fender" left is the name.
At that point it really isn't a "Fender" anymore.

However the name on the headstock is all that matters to some people. You bass may have a sound that would make the angels weep but if it doesn't say Fender, some people will not even give it a listen. :scowl:

Now many people get the sound in their head out of one and that is fine, rock on with it.

For those of us that don't we have to contend with the name issue. FWIW I do have a Fender stashed away.

So if I get a SB P and modify it until you get your sound. The folks that need it have the name but you have your sound. :rollno: It isn't right but so be it.

Jim
 
#98
Now, most of my one-offs, theatre and studio gigs have been on upright, and most of my electric music is for me. So, I am a bit out of the loop on the electric side of things. However, I've done several studio dates on electric, and, yes, they were all done on a Fender, but...well, have you guys really ever been turned down for not having a Fender? Honestly, I can't see someone saying that if you don't play a Fender, you can't do the gig. There are alot of harder intruments to mic (i.e. upright) and eq correctly, that don't cost you the gig. Some of you make it sound like it's next to impossible to get any other bass to sit in the mix. And as for doing it quickly...come on...If an engineer is rushing through things and only focusing on the vocalist, they would never get another gig.
 
#99
NickyBass said:
well, have you guys really ever been turned down for not having a Fender? Honestly, I can't see someone saying that if you don't play a Fender, you can't do the gig.
Click to expand...

Maybe not a gig but I have seen several bassist wanted ads that had all kinds of gear dictations. Fender bass, tube amp, Ampeg or whatever. :rollno: :scowl:

Jim
 

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