Why So Many People Playing Fender Basses?

[Bubble]

I see a large majority of people playing Fender or Squire basses and always wondered if they were just following the pack. I had always chosen thin neck guitars thinking they must allow some extra finger "length". When I looked at Fender basses, I saw the thick side profile of the neck, figured they must need long fingers to play, never tried one and went for the thin necks.

I tried a C neck Squire today and found that I have the effect of having those longer fingers because the C neck is thicker but more narrow. It felt so much better than those thin wider necks. Now I'm going to have to buy one. Even the Squire pickups are pretty full and powerful sounding but with a bit more treble than a big fat humbucker pickup I was comparing it to. And by fiddling with the pickup balance and tone controls I could get a sound pretty close to those humbuckers.

I am definitely sold on Fender C necks now and sorry I didn't even try one until now.

 

[Rib 13]

One of my basses is a Fender American Deluxe Jazz V.....I like it.....I buy basses because I like them, not for the name on the headstock

 

[jd56hawk]

Not all P basses have thick necks.
Some have Jazz necks and some aren't as thick/wide as the traditional P bass neck.
I've owned three and never even noticed that much difference. Just bought another today.

 

[bholder]

Well, it's true, but it's a relatively recent phenomenon, only been going on since the early 50's.

 

[Ghastly]

I see a large majority of people playing Fender or Squire basses and always wondered if they were just following the pack. I had always chosen thin neck guitars thinking they must allow some extra finger "length".

What have you been playing?

 

[JRA]

Why So Many People Playing Fender Bass's ?
change is scary to some folks.


i see more on TB than in the objective world.

 

[aaronious]

Because every one sounds their best on a P bass.

 

[jhb138]

Same reason so many people play Ibanez, or Music Man, or Warwick or (your favorite brand here): Cuz they're great.

 

[cmcbass]

I think the majority of people I see playing around town use a fender bass. They're accessible, available everywhere, fairly affordable, and they have a classic look and sound people enjoy. Can't go wrong with a fender!

That being said, I don't play fenders because I find them boring.

 

[JGbassman]

Want a thin fender neck? Try a Geddy Lee sig jazz bass. It almost feels like a toy

 

[Hevy T]

I play Fenders because they sound right and feel right

I play Ibanez because they are lighter, feel amazing and I love thin necks

I have a Ric for the tone, It is as comfy as a boat anchor!

Sterling SUB Ray because it feels and sounds awesome

Cort Fretless because it's the only unlined fretless I could find for cheap, and it is light and plays really nice! Sound meh!

I have a Gibson EB 2017 it feels wonderful, plays awesome and will punch the out of a nun!!

The point is I play what I want, and I guess I am long winded

 

[Dabndug]

Lost of people play Fender basses for the same reason that lots of people drive Toyotas - they do pretty much everything you need, don't let you down, and don't cost an arm and leg. Name brand recognition also helps.

 

[socialleper]

I has Fehndur bazz

 

[7dollarbologna]

Family tradition for me, my Dad had a '64 sunburst Strat when he was a kid, so my first pro level bass was a sunburst Fullerton jazz bass.

 

[BigBigGuy44]

Better question is why not a Fender? They do make good basses you know.

 

[Tony In Philly]

Well, for one thing, if you're playing in some crowded bar and some dumb@zz knocks your bass over while it's sitting in a stand, you're in a much better position then you would be in with a through neck bass. They also sound good.

 

[S-Bigbottom]

My Google search only found Fender guitars, no basses.

 

[kobass]

It might be the fact that most of the recorded music for the last half-century+ featured a Fender bass.

 

[Hevy T]

My Google search only found Fender guitars, no basses.



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Looks like they are from the Billy Gibbons collection

 

[secondbestcody]

I have a MIM P, CIJ Mustangand a MIM PJ Mustang and recently sold my Fender Aerodyne and my MIK Squier II. I’d say I was a fan of Fender but it’s mainly because I like the Mustang body style and the others were just great deals that I couldn’t pass up.