Why does everyone use Fenders?

[bassbenj]

First of all, play what you like and don't let anyone tell you any different. That being said....

Here's the thing. If you want to play music for other people (a "gun for hire" so to speak) you should probably grab a Fender (or something like one) when you get a chance. You don't have to play it all the time. But it's a tool that you should have available. Once you have earned a reputation as a pro that can be relied upon, you can show up with whatever you want.

Pretty much it. Sometimes a Fender shaped headstock is a requirement! Sometimes the Fender tone is. I once heard a really good bassist testing a bunch of REALLY expensive high end boutique basses. And I swear this is true, a plain old cheap (by boutique standards) Am Stnd. Jazz blew a great many of them away tone-wise. I was simply amazed because I LOVE boutique basses and the variations they can offer. Clearly the Fender is a HUGE bargain because of this fact. And that is why I own a couple of Fenders.

But Fender tone is Fender tone. It's not "best" as the Fender-worshipers like to say. It just does what it does and because of the history it's a killer thing for "Old School" music. But that certainly isn't all there is in life! In my view and in MY bass collection, each bass has a certain thing that it does musically that I like and I think (just my opinion, mind you) fits various kinds of music "best". So I pick and choose, even though I'm certainly no famous bassist. So are we going to tell Victor Wooten to can those stupid Fodera basses and get a "real" bass...namely something with a Fender headstock? I suppose he's heard that a lot before, but these days he doesn't have to do anything about it.

 

[One Drop]

Because if you are a "musician" with no gig, no band, aren't recording, probably will never progress beyond that situation and spend your time in Internet geardo-forum "social networking" with other such notional "musicians" instead of developing an actual career, it's the kind of thing you would do, instead of sitting down and shutting up until by some divine miracle you obtain the brief loan of a clue that gives you a more sensible perspective on the concerns of those tiny few who are really playing outside the bedroom.

Obverse of this coin features the ever-popular drooling fanboy.

Real playing in the real world winnows all this nonsense out very quickly.

If you keep in mind the kind of people you're really dealing with on instrument forums, attitudes and obsessions that are otherwise utterly baffling become clear.

It's worse on guitar forums.

Hope this helps those who wonder.

Harsh but for the most part fair.

 

[skychief]

...I'm going to be starting a shoegaze/dreampop band with some friends and I play a 5 string Warwick Corvette, and I can't help but feel somewhat out of place, not that it will bother me much, but I just don't understand the fascination...

I have no idea what shoegaze is, but I really like the sound of it.

I do have a 4-string Fender bass; can I do shoegaze music?

 

[Herrick]

The Warwick Corvette Standard has an awesome sound. I really love it. The tone knob is very dynamic, so you can get a nice rounded traditional bass sound if you want. Use the bass you want in your band. If you play well, then I think your bandmates will come to accept your non-genre-standard bass choice

Now after all that praise about the Warwick, I will say why I play a Fender. I am playing 5-strings now, and the Warwick Corvette Standard 5-string has string spacing that's too narrow for my clumsy fingers So, I got a 5-string Fender Pee. I prefer the look, weight, & body size of the Corvette but the P is comfortable to play & sounds good too. My fingers don't accidentally knock against other strings because of the wider spacing. It's nice have that one simple pickup again (previously played 4-string Precision before moving on to a 4-string Corvette Standard). I like the simplicity.

If you like well-made, passive, single-pickup basses, your choices are quite limited. Sure they're out there but some are no longer produced & you have to look for a used model. And if you can find them, they may not come with the finish & fretboard you want. On the other hand, it's easier to find a used Fender Precision on eBay with the color & fretboard you want at a good price.

It's kind of a thing here that there always needs to be a Fender hating vent thread I suppose. Lets out all that hot air.

Play the bass you dig. Why go casting judgements on other peoples choices? It's just small minded.

Huh? There's been very little butthurt in this thread from either side. I'm not sure what you meant by this post. If anything, this is a Fender Love thread. Even the few non-Fender players were very respectful I saw there was a Mod Cleanup on Page 5. Maybe other posts were removed after Page 5 that I didn't see...

 

[SoVeryTired]

I have no idea what shoegaze is, but I really like the sound of it.

I do have a 4-string Fender bass; can I do shoegaze music?

As long as it doesn't obscure the view of your shoes, you'll be fine. If in doubt, get bigger shoes.

 

[JimB52]

I go through phases when the Fendies get no use and the new flavor gets all the playing time. Sometimes for several months.
Then, on a whim, I pull out one of the Fenders, play it for about a minute and say to myself, aaaah, welcome home.
Most recently this happened with the Lakland Decade. I loved the diverse tonal options,and it has a very nice neck. I played it exclusively from mid-May until a week ago. I got out the Roscoe Beck IV, played it for one practice, and put away the Decade.
Eventually, I might find the bass that has everything I need and want, but in the mean time, it's nice to have the Fenders to fall back on.

 

[Groove Doctor]

I have a toolbox with over 100 tools in it, but use 5 tools in it 80% of the time.
I own a suit but only wear it half a dozen times a year, denim jeans or chino shorts 95% of the time.
500 shows on TV each week but I always watch the same 3 or 4 shows.
I replaced my old Subaru with a newer Subaru.

We like what we are familiar with. If we're familiar with it we like it more.....

 

[lpdeluxe]

Well, it's not really about the brand. Leo invented VOICES. There's the P, the J bridge, the J blended, the MMSR. And he also invented the Tele and Strat voices.

Adolphe Sax was also in that line of work. Besides the entire family of saxophones, of which Berlioz approved, he invented the saxhorn, which evolved into the flugelhorn and euphonium.

And like Leo's best work, Sax's saxophones had a very human kind of voice that players and listeners alike found emotionally satisfying.

As with Leo's creations, the sax had direct competition, like the Sarousaphone, also a conical-bore brass instrument, but with a double instead of single reed (it doesn't survive, but sometimes bone pickers like to fool around with the tromboon, made by stuffing a bassoon bocal into a trombone and taping over the register hole, which might give you a rough idea of the Sarousaphone's sound, which couldn't have come close to the sax in terms of expressiveness or emotional impact).

It makes no more sense to resent Leo's brilliance than Sax's, nor the popularity of the voices he invented. Imagine an argument between wind players that sax players just played sax because everyone else did it and because saxes look cool, but really aren't they a little too COMMON, and aren't tromboons every bit as good?

Very well said. That's pretty much the reason I play a Precision: it's not playing notes, it's singing a song.

 

[TheRealKong]

My first bass was a Hoefner Jazz Bass copy, short scale, with a boomy sound together with that F.A.L. Kestrel I used in 1975.

1977 there was a revolution: Cheap japanese copys floodet the market with 1:1 - copys of Fender-Basses. So I sold my Hoefner and got me a Kasuga Jazz-Bass, a real beauty. And a real reliable tool. Together with the Acoustic - amp and the Peavey 215'' - cab I had a sweet sound.

Two years later I sold the Kasuga ( a shame!) and got me a 1964 Precision-bass. This was the moment I finaly cut through in the mix.

There came much more basses, MusicMan, Ibanez, and one luthier built Jazz-Bass, but I always can see the relief in the face of the sound engineer when it comes to bass - and I unpack my Precision or the MuMa SR5.

If I show them the Haeussel Jazz 5, I have to argue a bit. But they are satisfied when they hear this bass. It's a Fender Jazz but with better wood, better hardware, active elektronics. I asked Harry to built it for me because of lacking quality of Fender Basses in the 1980's.

There are some basses I like playing live, but I wouldn't take 'em for recording. Ibanez K5, btw. Nice neck, flexible sound, but only for live situations. Or my Warwick Streamer Stage I, tuned in B-E-A-D. Nice when on stage with my heavy metal - band, but for recording I prefer the MuMa SR5.

Leo Fenders Basses are the tools for working musicians. Nevermind if built by Fender, Musicman or even G&L. But I don't like the pricepolicy and the lack of quality when it comes to newer Fenders. This spring I tested several MIM and MIA - Fender P' and found a Fuji Gen that was even better - and cheaper - than all of the Fenders. I tried out about 12 Fender Basses - and one Fuji Gen I found in a small shop. Very surprising....

 

[Trayster2]

My question is why does everyone sell them on here?

 

[unclejane]

...but I just don't understand the fascination.....

Neither do I and, looking back, I never have. I've owned and gigged 2 Jazz basses and played a bunch of Precisions and I've never understood why anyone would play either of these when there are other choices.

I go by the pain in my hands/arms and in my ears when it comes to judging a good (long term) tone (that is, how loud does it have to be to be heard in a mix and how much does it hurt to play it?). It also so happens that the pain all around is highest when I'm playing a Precision and next highest when I'm playing a Jazz bass - I'm deafer at the end of the song or set and my arms hurt the most than with any other bass (the Rick 4001/3 being a close second).

And the pain turns out to be lowest when I'm playing one of my carvin bunnies and next lowest with my G&L L2K. I can play those basses at lower volumes in the mix and yet still be heard. And with the lightest touch of any of them.

So, going by tone alone, I also don't understand personally what the fascination is with FMIC basses and I probably never will.

Finally, some are better than others. The Tony Franklin P bass is probably the best sounding of the FMIC's I've ever played and if I had to use a Fender, that'd be the only one I'd really consider seriously...

Else, there are too many much better alternatives at lower prices to really justify it for me...

LS

 

[matey]

not knowing a lot about guitars i think they offer good value for money , if you can play and have money you can buy what you like, but for a little bit of money for can feel like a rock star

 

[TheRealKong]

BTW, I watched closely the festivals in germany this summer. The bassmen played 90% Fender-like instruments like Sandberg.

The sound is the same, but the feel and the playability is better. And they are built one like the other, not like Fenders. You have to look around some time to get a real good one. But this is not the fault of the Fender basses. It is the fault of Fenders mass production.

Don't want to bash Fender, but to get one average new one you have to play some instruments.

 

[Lennard III.]

BTW, I watched closely the festivals in germany this summer. The bassmen played 90% Fender-like instruments like Sandberg.

The sound is the same, but the feel and the playability is better.

Don't want to bash Fender, but to get one average new one you have to play some instruments.

Same for the Fender copies like Sandberg etc. - they can't even get close to a good Fender.

 

[mizedog]

My comment may seem weird to most, but besides loving the look, Fender bodies are larger. I'm 6'4' and make a P-bass look tiny. An Ibanez soundgear disappears on me and the lack of upper and lower bout size lets the instrument rock back and forth too much.

Sometimes I really don't like the basic nature of the Fenders. Then, often the more technically advanced Fenders have... SMALL BODIES!!! I loved my P-Bass Deluxe for it's huge tone. But, why did Fender have to make it a kid's size body??

Rant over.

 

[TheRealKong]

I go by the pain in my hands/arms and in my ears when it comes to judging a good (long term) tone (that is, how loud does it have to be to be heard in a mix and how much does it hurt to play it?). It also so happens that the pain all around is highest when I'm playing a Precision and next highest when I'm playing a Jazz bass - I'm deafer at the end of the song or set and my arms hurt the most than with any other bass (the Rick 4001/3 being a close second).

So, going by tone alone, I also don't understand personally what the fascination is with FMIC basses and I probably never will.

Else, there are too many much better alternatives at lower prices to really justify it for me...

LS

In the case of pain in your arm I think you should improve your playing technique.

In the case of pain in the ear it will help to lower volume...

I don't think that any bass cuts better through the mix than a Precision Bass. But this depends on your amp settings.

I am talking with 38 years of experience. I had a lots of basses, and I am using mostly my 1964 Precision, a MuMa SR 5, a Haeussel Jazz 5, an Ibanez K5 and a Warwick Streamer Stage I, tuned in B-E-A-D. As you know the Streamer is equiped with a P-J - PU combination. The Ibanez K5 has a fine Pre with parametric mids. So you can easily dial in a P-like sound. Some changes and you ound like Fieldy...

I sold all the basses that did not work for me soundwise, like a Lado, a 6-string Haeussel with two soapbars, and several else high-end hifi-like basses.

I agree with your opinion about cheaper and better opinions. But the alternatives I know are Fender-like instruments. Lets say, Fuji Gen, some Yamaha-models, even some Ibanez. Not to forget Sterling by MuMa...

 

[TheRealKong]

Same for the Fender copies like Sandberg etc. - they can't even get close to a good Fender.

He he he, it will be a lots of work and a long journey to find a g o o d Fender. There are some, but you have to find them.

I tried out more than 12 Fenders this year in spring, and the best P-Bass I found was the one Fuji Gen. I had to look around in my aerea, because I had no car.

Later this year I looked especially for Sandberg basses. They all have been better than the Fenders I checked out.

No one of them got qualified to get into my stock. But only because the Fuji Gen was the overall best of them.

Two weeks ago I found my new P-Bass. A Frankenbass, made of a Haeussel-body, an Allparts neck, a Schaller-bridge and DiMarzio-PU's.

No g o o d Fender for me this time.

But maybe I am too used to really good basses. Like my 1964 Precision.


@ mizedog: I am 6'4'', too. Somebody asked me after looking at a foto of mine, if that MuMa SR5 is that small - or if I am that big... I just replied that my Nickname is "Kong"...

 

[PaulMacCnj]

My favorite basses are Spectors and that's what I play most of the time. But I also have a Fender Am. Std. Precision and it was played the entire time at last night's jam session. Right from the first song and throughout the night, that thumpy tone sounded so good in the mix. Both guitarist were playing Fender Strats and the P-bass blends in so well with that tone.

 

[johng999]

Fender defined the electric bass. Maple neck, 34", alder or ash body. And for many, many years they were really the only game in town (not many really played a Gibson, and fewer a Rick). That helped to define the norm of what an electric bass is. All instruments have norms. Trumpets are made to look and sound a certain way - we expect it from them. Same with an upright bass. As Fender defined the norm, it is what we tend to expect, and most basses today stay pretty close to it (but not all). Some companies do it a bit better than Fender, but almost always at a price.
And even though the Warwick uses exotic woods and brass frets, it still has a 34" neck, and Jazz style pickups placed pretty close to the spot where Leo anchored them on his Jazz bass so many years ago.

 

[Herrick]

I go by the pain in my hands/arms and in my ears when it comes to judging a good (long term) tone (that is, how loud does it have to be to be heard in a mix and how much does it hurt to play it?). It also so happens that the pain all around is highest when I'm playing a Precision and next highest when I'm playing a Jazz bass - I'm deafer at the end of the song or set and my arms hurt the most than with any other bass (the Rick 4001/3 being a close second).

And the pain turns out to be lowest when I'm playing one of my carvin bunnies and next lowest with my G&L L2K. I can play those basses at lower volumes in the mix and yet still be heard. And with the lightest touch of any of them.

Is that because of the active electronics? I heard they're louder than passives. Then again, I've seen people here say that they couldn't hear themselves while playing active basses & had to switch to a passive bass