If you like it....F___ everyone else. Must be comfortable & pleasing to your ears. Personally, I like changing my tone for different tunes, so I switch between MIA 86 Fender P-Special, a Ric 4003, & a T40. Most sound guys I talk to prefer the tone of my Ric over the other 2.
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Why does everyone use Fenders?
- Thread starter batmilk
- Start date
To some degree with me, I think some of it has to do with "first impressions." When I first got interested in music bands were sprouting up everywhere thanks to the Beatles. (We're going way back here!) It seemed like everybody in the local bands had Fender amps, either a Fender or a Gibson guitar and the bass plays almost always had a Fender. For someone like me who wanted to play but didn't yet know how to, that made a big impression on me.
Funny, but my first bass wasn't a Fender but rather a Gibson EB-3. Saved up for it myself too by working after school! Then I went to Rickenbacker, then to Music Man and I finally got my first Fender in 1984, a used '73 Jazz bass of which I still have and since then it's been Fender for me. They just feel and sound like home. About 5 months ago I bought my first Precision bass and it's just lately that I'm REALLY getting into it in a big way. It's light, it plays great (oh, does it ever!) and for me the sound is perfect. It's so simple but it's so there.
It's like anything else. If it appeals to you then go for it. If not then there's a lot out there to choose from.
Funny, but my first bass wasn't a Fender but rather a Gibson EB-3. Saved up for it myself too by working after school! Then I went to Rickenbacker, then to Music Man and I finally got my first Fender in 1984, a used '73 Jazz bass of which I still have and since then it's been Fender for me. They just feel and sound like home. About 5 months ago I bought my first Precision bass and it's just lately that I'm REALLY getting into it in a big way. It's light, it plays great (oh, does it ever!) and for me the sound is perfect. It's so simple but it's so there.
It's like anything else. If it appeals to you then go for it. If not then there's a lot out there to choose from.
Welcome to TB. It's not a question of Warwick or Fender. You definately need both, plus some boutique basses. Really any bass or actually ALL BASSES. You will catch on, just give yourself some time, there is no cure or hiding from TB gas.
Indie, aleternative and shoegaze are genres for open-minded nonconformists who are not like the other kids. Open-minded nonconformists who are not like the other kids play Fenders for the same reason that open-minded nonconformists who are not like the other kids wear black - because that's what all the other open-minded nonconformists who are not like the other kids do.
I like Fender because of the way they look, feel, and sound. And, since I was ten years old when the Jazz Bass came out I have always wanted a Fender. Now I have two. It has nothing to do with "herd mentality" or because any favorite artist played one. I just like them, that's all. A Fender is what I always want, and I'm not ashamed of it. Nor do I care what anyone else thinks about it.
Fenders are good looking instruments to many, and the sound is very common in tons of recordings. Leo also always listened to musician feedback and tried his best to give customers the best product he felt he could (look at G&L). Hell, even some of Leo's G&L designs were VERY Precision-ish.
I always thought jazz basses looked "old" as a youngun, now that I'm playing bass again, It seems to be all that I'd really care to own. Though I am certainly not against having myself a Sadowsky, Lull, Nordstrand jazzer at all. my pocketbook wont allow that at present. Just goes to show you that kids are generally stupid as ****. My first bass was an NJ series BC Rich Warlock, hey I was like 21 at the time, and thought I was the ****.
Fenders have a sound, man! Warwicks have a sound! Just because your peers are playing one thing doesn't make it un-cool to do something different. I realize that a lot of scenes have a "keep up with the Joneses" mentality about gear. Fact is, gear will always have a reputation and association with different genres, crowds, etc. Some gear just blatantly doesn't make sense with some genres because of it SOUNDS - for instance if you told me you were gonna play indie rock with a 6-string fretless, I'd question that. You'll hear it time and again, but remember it - it's the player!! Not the stuff!
After going through numerous modern-esque basses, i finally just settled for Fender P-basses. They just sounded the best, felt comfortable, and most of all, readily available and easily repaired. I have a feeling these are the main reasons they are so popular. Fender also seems to offer alot of different finishes for most of the standard models as well as other specialized models, something that seems to be lacking in other companies.
Yeah, I'm kind of like Russell. I'm an old guy, and Fender was always "the" bass back then. I just fell in love with the look and sound of the P's and Jazzes. I always thought a Fender bass was the coolest-looking instrument in the band.
So I've always been happiest with Fenders. They feel comfortable to me, and still look like the coolest instrument in the band. That's not to say that I don't like other basses. There are a lot of fantastic basses out there. But I'm perfectly happy and content with my Fenders.
Admittedly, my age probably has a lot to do with it. Whatever floats your boat is fine with me. Yeah, I love Fenders, but you'll never hear me badmouth anybody's choice of bass. That's why they make more than just chocolate and vanilla ice cream. Indulge in whatever "flavor" you like...
I play a p-bass because it sounds great and I love how it looks and feels. NOT using a fender in indie rock is kind of unique and cool I think; check out Zach Smith of Pinback, who plays an Alembic Stanley Clarke.
I play in a indie/ shoe gaze band. And while I do use a fender jazz, I also use a Spector just as much. No picks though
I played a 4001 regardless of the the band, music, style or image for 30 years. 'Bout 5 years ago, started using a hollow-bodied violin bass as well (which I play more often than not anymore).
I've actually gotten into a few disputes with "know-it-all" BLs over the issue, at which point, I've bent over, told 'em to pucker up and kiss my CENSORED if they didn't like it.
The key is making what you're comfortable with work within the context of the band. As long as you're able to do that, what you play shouldn't be anybody's business but yours.
'Course, that attitude could just be the recovering guitar player in me...
I look at it like this, fenders are a standard and are a great starting point for many players, I believe fenders vary in consistency of quality but as is the case with any mass produced product. Another factor to consider is not every offering from every company works for a player. I love my ebmm sterling, but the few SR4's I have had never did the trick for me, where as when it comes to fenders I rather recently discovered I vastly prefer p basses over Jazz. It is like everyone has been saying different players different preferences but fenders are usually a good starting point. There is a reason so many companies emulate their designs.
