Why so many different Fender P-Bass models?

[Clef_de_fa]

I think Fender use the Coca Cola or Pepsi marketing strategy. A few years ago ( I think it is Pepsi ) removed their normal product in favor of only the Diet and sales went down then they reintroduced the basic product and the sales went up like crazy. I think it is the same idea here. You put a new P bass without that much difference and it will draw people to the basic tried and true formula.

 

[Laurent]

Marketing.

 

[wmhill]

Line up all the little piggies......put different lipstick on each one........Voila!! Huge Selection!!!!.....

 

[fourtet102]

Because if not Fender then somebody else would do it.

 

[GregT]

Signature P - Too Expensive
Reissue P - Too Expensive
Modern "Vintage" P - Too Expensive
Import P - Good Starter or Budget
American Standard P - Just Right, Perfect

I agree. The custom shop and the like aren't worth the extra money to me. The lower lines aren't gonna cut it for me. That leaves the American Standard. So my choice is color. I'm not that picky about color. So they only make one that I'd want. I wish there were more choices!..........

 

[Alexander]

I agree. The custom shop and the like aren't worth the extra money to me. The lower lines aren't gonna cut it for me. That leaves the American Standard. So my choice is color. I'm not that picky about color. So they only make one that I'd want. I wish there were more choices!..........

I agree, except that I don't want anything other than a Custom Shop at this point!

Interestingly enough, my first bass was a Squier Jazz and that bass brought me the same joy then that my CS does now...

 

[kenneffdupriest]

variety is the spice of .....something

 

[bassbenj]

Fender is in a tight position as a brand, because their appeal and the value of their brand derives very strongly from their history and legacy, but they need to sell new instruments to make money. Electric guitars don't really wear out and you can't keep the brand alive just selling strings. The vintage / collectible market adds to Fender's brand name cachet, but they don't make anything off it directly, obviously.

If they do anything really new they lose the vintage cachet, but if they just keep churning out the same Standard P and J basses, they aren't taking full advantage of the vintage appeal, since the modern instruments will never have the distinctiveness (and nostalgia appeal) of the fewer-in-number instruments on the vintage market.

The proliferation of reissues, small variations on classics, and signature models (which I agree is a bit overdone and confusing) is their attempt to capitalize on that vintage appeal, introduce pricepoint levels, and have elements of distinctiveness or artificially limited supply (this may be one reason that models come and go). I don't think it's a coincidence that Fender has all of these reissue models now, when even CBS-era vintage instruments have a collector's premium.

THIS^

I understand the bind they are in with a historical legacy, but it rather irks me that if you look at their P-bass catalog, there are a million "signature" models and reissues, yet if you want a nice 5 string PJ, forget it and even worse the coolest PJ they ever built (with the double J humbucker at the bridge) is discontinued. And a 6 string P-bass? Only in your dreams. Which is why my PJ 5er is a Squier. And Fender is always doing really cool stuff and then getting scared that the "traditional' crowd will run off and they discontinue it. A person could have the most advanced bass company on the planet if you ONLY sold the stuff Fender discontinued!

 

[SteveCS]

I really don't think that much thought goes in to it. Have you ever worked in management for a corporation? We all assume that corporations base decisions on all kinds on sophisticated scientific data, but in reality, decisions are often made on a whim by managing egomaniacs with little or no objective analysis or consideration.

There is truth in this, but the real truth is that the shareholders (Wall St and the like) really call the shots. Provided they are getting their returns they don't really seem to care how it's done, but when it looks like they turn into people with short sight and long screwdrivers...

 

[-Asdfgh-]

Fender is in a tight position as a brand, because their appeal and the value of their brand derives very strongly from their history and legacy, but they need to sell new instruments to make money. Electric guitars don't really wear out and you can't keep the brand alive just selling strings. The vintage / collectible market adds to Fender's brand name cachet, but they don't make anything off it directly, obviously.

Also low cost production means that a bass that is relatively simply assembled out of off-the-rack components on an assembly line can be done relatively cheaply without a brand premium. This makes the low end of the market really low margin. I've amazed that brands like Harley Benton can even turn a profit given what you can get them for. Take into account inflation and they are 1/4 of the cost you could get a bass for 20 years ago and better quality. It's quite amazing.

Looking at what is happening with Fender and Squier pricing models they seem to be giving up that $100/£100 region and going to mid-low range and above with $200/£200 and higher, with an improvement in quality. However, then the Squier CV range (at closer to $300) is beginning to impinge cost wise on the lowest-cost Fenders at $500ish.

Back in the early 90s Squiers were definitely much more looked down on than now. A JV Squier could be had for almost pennies second hand, but now they are seen as high quality instruments, so it is amazing how things change. Mind you, I had a JV Squier back then and liked it. Now a CV Squier does not seem to result in the same opprobium.

I think Fender would do well to have a US Aerodyne option, but then Fender USA may not have the rights to do that since the design arose in Japan.

To me Fender seems to chase versions of its heritage, but is leaving a variety of other markets untouched, e.g. for coffee-table basses, but that represents risk and it depends how many years ahead the management is looking. Even if things went wrong in 5 years the brand could still be sold, so it's a relatively safe bet. You'd need to do pretty badly to wreck such a strong brand, but then it has happened in the past!

 

[drums1977]

I think people tend to think Gibsons are so great because they cost so much. I don't know why Fender gets so much praise these days. I've seen Custom Shop Fender basses that don't have the neck attached properly (and yes, these are new out of the box!). You'd think that when a supposed "expert" in the Custom Shop assembled these things, they could at least get that part right!

Agreed.

Last CS I bought was a brand new , $4k, 59 model with 57 single coils. The bass was light, there relic was impressive, and the PU sounded like thunder. The action was a tad too high for my taste and the saddles were screwed all the way down the bridge plate, so I tried to adjust the truss rod slightly to bring it down.... Surprise surprise, the rod was screwed all the way in and the neck was impossible to set up (you could only increase the string action). It went back to the store... What I mean by this is that, like it or not, CS does not always mean top notch built quality. And that is a shame for such expensive instruments.

 

[Lownote38]

Agreed.

Last CS I bought was a brand new , $4k, 59 model with 57 single coils. The bass was light, there relic was impressive, and the PU sounded like thunder. The action was a tad too high for my taste and the saddles were screwed all the way down the bridge plate, so I tried to adjust the truss rod slightly to bring it down.... Surprise surprise, the rod was screwed all the way in and the neck was impossible to set up (you could only increase the string action). It went back to the store... What I mean by this is that, like it or not, CS does not always mean top notch built quality. And that is a shame for such expensive instruments.

Wow! How did that CS even get out the door at Fender??? Brand new with a maxed out truss rod??? That's crazy!

 

[asahisuperdry]

Wow! How did that CS even get out the door at Fender??? Brand new with a maxed out truss rod??? That's crazy!

I would guess they put it out as fast as possible into order to maximize profit by volume. Manufacturers, it seems, hope people will tolerate their mistakes even on a high-end bass costing thousands. Many people do, just because its a Fender Custom Shop as if that makes up for a poorly crafted instrument.

That's pretty much why I won't buy a Fender again after I made the mistake of getting one whose quality was shoddy.

 

[calypsocoral302]

The cure-all for "what P-bass or J-bass should I buy?"

1) Go to the Warmoth website.
2) Browse the selection of available bodies, made from a myriad of different woods.
3) Select your own finish and pickup routings.
4) Choose a neck.
5) Buy your electronics and hardware. Seriously, this stuff is sold everywhere now.
6) Assemble it. Or, if your not so inclined, have a friend do it.

Really, the standardization of parts around Fender basses has made them the AR-15 of the electric bass industry (a rather appropriate comparison, as Eugene Stoner was developing the AR-15 with Armalite around the same time Leo and George released the P-bass as we know and love it)-- there really is no excuse for not having one that suits your tastes almost perfectly, since you have the option of buying one off the shelf, or assembling your own.

Instruments that do NOT have much of an aftermarket are a different story, of course...