Why is Fender so Popular?

[sedan_dad]

Even other manufactures agree that Fender is the standard.
Thats why there are so many Fender knock-offs.
I mean ,whens the last time you seen an Alembic knock-off?>

 

[DavidRavenMoon]

Even other manufactures agree that Fender is the standard.
Thats why there are so many Fender knock-offs.
I mean ,whens the last time you seen an Alembic knock-off?>

Well every multi-lam boutique bass with "exotic" wood and active electronics is an Alembic knock-off! That includes my basses.

Kawai made an exact Alembic copy at one time, but Alembic took them to court... lawsuit basses!

Why are there no Ric copies on the market? Fender just didn't protect their designs until it was too late, and then they could only do the headstock because the shape had become generic.

You can still find them pop up every now and then.

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[Rakie]

Id rather have a Valenti.

 

[markjazzbassist]

cause they make great basses. i (and thousands of others) love fender jazz and precision basses. they sound and feel great

 

[Ric5]

My problem with Fender is I don't really like their 5 string basses ... and I only play 5 string basses ...

But a 4 string p-bass neck makes a really good 5 string neck ... I use them on the 5 string basses that I make in my basement ...

 

[Arx]

Why Is Fender so popular?

This thread reminds me of folks who trash on original old
school Harley Davidson riders in a world full of high tech
crotch rocket bikes. " Why A Harley?" they ask. It's the
same with Fender basses, If you have to ask you don't
get it and never will.

It's an interresting quesion though. I would have asked it myself, if I didn't know it would turn into a big ugly flame war about why they suck, or why they're the best.

And you're right. It is like a harley. People seem to have this fascination with them which isn't necessarily justified, and will pay more money to get it (a lot more if you're talking about harleys)

I'd gladly play a fender if it suited me well, and I'd just as likely play something else if it suited me better.(Perhaps more likely, since I'm not paying the extra $ for the logo)

I ride an 86 GSX R-750. It fits me very well, so I'm comfortable, and IMHO you'd have trouble finding anything that a harley does better than my Suzuki.

OTOH, maybe a Harley(Fender) works better for you, and that's fine. When I went to buy my 5 string I just grabbed every one I could find which was in my price range regardless of brand. I bought the one that felt the best. It's an Ibanez BTB555.

I think maybe the reason people don't open threads "Why a suzuki" or "Why an Ibanez" is because they DO get it, and buy what they like, rather than what they think they're supposed to like.

some people like Fenders because they are the best basses for them. A lot more people like Fender basses because they've bought the marketing. Hopefully you're one of the former.

The "Fender sucks" mentality is probably mostly a reaction to smug fender players who think their stuff is better than yours because of the brand name. It's not necessarily a justified reaction, but understandable.

As for the "Harleys suck" mentality, it's probably more to do with the high percentage of harley riders who are jerks(to put it mildly). When I wave at a fellow motorcyclist on my way to work 90% of the guys on crotch rockets wave back. 90% of the guys on harleys don't. A few times they have, but sometimes only with one finger.
I guess it sucks getting lumped in with that crowd when you're one of the good 10%, I know I get pretty tired of getting lumped in with the obnoxious squids who think the roads are their racetrack too.

-Nick

 

[GlennW]

This is why the generic term for an electric bass guitar was "Fender Bass" for a long time.

A LOT of albums in the '60s listed credits like this, never the brand of guitar, drums, keyboard, etc., but they did say "Fender bass":

 

[Arx]

The chocolate sundae example was just an attempt to show something simple and easy to work with vs. something more complicated and time consuming to get good results.

I'm not saying don't bring your pre amped,custom 13 string fretless bass to the studio, just don't expect them to be able to dial the sound in withing two or three minutes, the way they will be able to with a standard passive P or J.

Why the hell are chocolate sundaes so popular? IMO Strawberry is way better.

And they probably shouldn't be dialing your sound in within 2 or 3 minutes anyway. It's not like there's some magic set of settings for each model of bass. "Oh, it's not a fender? This is going to be tricky..."

Though I agree they pretty much are the "industry standard" that doesn't really mean you're any worse off not owning one, even if you're in the industry.

You might have a tougher time finding aftermarket parts to fit your bass, but then again, wouldn't they screw with the sound engineer's magic fender settings?

-Nick

 

[Arx]

I had many people come and tell me "Wow a Fender!" and other bassists complimenting me how good it sounds etc. It just had the mojo their Ibanez's and Yamaha's and others don't have.

Good to know that's what everyone noticed about your performance... It's not like fenders are particularily rare, and they should be surprised to see one. Maybe it's just because that's the only brand name they recognized.

 

[Rob Mancini]

I still want to know what would have happened if Hitler was gay.

 

[eddybomb]

Now I feel bad...I like my Fenders as much as I like all my other basses, AND I ride a Harley.
Not one of those really nice lookin' ones, mine is an old '73 Ironhead Sportster thats so ugly you could leave it outside a bar with the key in it and it would scare off any would-be thieves. I always give the low wave to any rider I meet. I might need to borrow a wrench from you someday.

 

[StreamerDavid]

I love the idea of a Fender bass, but probably wouldn't buy one anymore. I love the Precision sound but I play a Lakland Bob Glaub - better bridge, better woods, better options, and better overall tone.

I would have to spend $3500 for a Fender Custom Shop bass to get something along the lines of the quality of a Lakland Bob Glaub or Joe Osborn USA model.

 

[mike.b]

fenders suck. pretty much everything is wrong with them. yep.

fenders are superb.pretty much leo got it right with them.

 

[Arx]

Now I feel bad...I like my Fenders as much as I like all my other basses, AND I ride a Harley.
Not one of those really nice lookin' ones, mine is an old '73 Ironhead Sportster thats so ugly you could leave it outside a bar with the key in it and it would scare off any would-be thieves. I always give the low wave to any rider I meet. I might need to borrow a wrench from you someday.

It's all good. I like my Ibanez, and my Suzuki looks like it's previously been owned by a few of those squids I mentioned.
I'd wave back, and I'd even lend you that wrench. (Though it probably wouldn't do you much good, since all my stuff's metric)

-Nick

 

[savit260]

And they probably shouldn't be dialing your sound in within 2 or 3 minutes anyway.

-Nick

I'm glad you know better than the last producer/engineer that I worked with considering he recently recorded a record that made it into the Billboard Top 20, and has had stuff featured in an Oscar award winning film.

Maybe you could email him with some advice.

Realisticly. Less than 5 minutes to get my P bass sound dialed in.

 

[mellowgerman]

It's an interresting quesion though. I would have asked it myself, if I didn't know it would turn into a big ugly flame war about why they suck, or why they're the best.

And you're right. It is like a harley. People seem to have this fascination with them which isn't necessarily justified, and will pay more money to get it (a lot more if you're talking about harleys)

I'd gladly play a fender if it suited me well, and I'd just as likely play something else if it suited me better.(Perhaps more likely, since I'm not paying the extra $ for the logo)

I ride an 86 GSX R-750. It fits me very well, so I'm comfortable, and IMHO you'd have trouble finding anything that a harley does better than my Suzuki.

OTOH, maybe a Harley(Fender) works better for you, and that's fine. When I went to buy my 5 string I just grabbed every one I could find which was in my price range regardless of brand. I bought the one that felt the best. It's an Ibanez BTB555.

I think maybe the reason people don't open threads "Why a suzuki" or "Why an Ibanez" is because they DO get it, and buy what they like, rather than what they think they're supposed to like.

some people like Fenders because they are the best basses for them. A lot more people like Fender basses because they've bought the marketing. Hopefully you're one of the former.

The "Fender sucks" mentality is probably mostly a reaction to smug fender players who think their stuff is better than yours because of the brand name. It's not necessarily a justified reaction, but understandable.

As for the "Harleys suck" mentality, it's probably more to do with the high percentage of harley riders who are jerks(to put it mildly). When I wave at a fellow motorcyclist on my way to work 90% of the guys on crotch rockets wave back. 90% of the guys on harleys don't. A few times they have, but sometimes only with one finger.
I guess it sucks getting lumped in with that crowd when you're one of the good 10%, I know I get pretty tired of getting lumped in with the obnoxious squids who think the roads are their racetrack too.

-Nick

harleys and fenders are much better than your suzuki and your ibanez. also, the reason you get the finger from harley riders is because of this post.

 

[DavidRavenMoon]

I had many people come and tell me "Wow a Fender!"

That's like being in a park and saying "Wow a pigeon!" It's not like no one ever sees a Fender.

I might saw "Wow a Wal! (Alembic, Steinberger, Kubicki, etc.)" because I've only seen one in person once... But Fenders? Look in any music magazine or video.

I usually get "Wow, what kind of bass is that?" And one chick said "I love the head, it looks like a dragon!"

Oh yeah, and it sounds good.

 

[Flintc]

As someone who owns and rides both a Ninja and a Harley, I can say that my beef with the generic Fender has nothing to do with either the name or the sound. I think there are two guaranteed sure-fire ways to make a bass pug ugly: paint and pickguards. Fender clones that ditch these eyesores and use decent woods are damn attractive instruments. I personally like having onboard EQ, but passive electronics sound just fine as well.

The clones are also free to make Fender-alikes with 6 or more strings. Why Fender won't do that, I'll never guess.

 

[Bass Viking]

The "Fender sucks" mentality is probably mostly a reaction to smug fender players who think their stuff is better than yours because of the brand name. It's not necessarily a justified reaction, but understandable.

+1 I think you hit the nail on the head. The "everybody needs a Fender" mentality is what irks me. All this talk about how an engineer can get a good sound with a Fender in a matter of minutes. For most of us, this will never be an issue.

 

[capnsandwich]

The clones are also free to make Fender-alikes with 6 or more strings. Why Fender won't do that, I'll never guess.

Maybe because they have a hard enough time making a consistantly decent B string on a 5'er.

I love the slap tone of a 5 string Fender Jazz bass but when I pick them up I find that the B string on every other bass is either floppy or or lifeless. It could be just the brand of strings or the set up but it's hard to find a 5 string Fender that I can trust to take home. Maybe if they made a 35' scale it would make a difference.