Why So Many People Playing Fender Basses?

[edro]

I'm considering buying a Squier precision fretless bass. They're cheap and hopefully cheerful. I'm a fretted person by default.

I love my new Sq VM Jazz Fretless I bought to learn fretless...
Just put a Kickass on it, direct drop in (five screw)... Great bass...
Had it for less than a month... Must be making some progress. Not ALL I play now sounds like a Taco Hell bowel movement...

 

[Martin Risso]

Because, as long as you don't expose them to extreme temperature (like a car parked in the summer sun all day), they are indestructible.

 

[brainiac]

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.

Ah, Grasshopper. You are just beginning to see the light. The neck is everything on a bass, and narrower/thinner often means a more limited spacing between strings to stretch out and do your thing. If you like the C neck, do yourself a favor and find a new Fender 50s Classic Precision. The neck is sublime, and the sound is excellent. Plus...I just bought the Honey Blonde version with the anodized gold pickguard and maple neck. I added the Fender chrome bridge over for style,and I can't put it down! And my other bass is a 1968 Telecaster.

 

[JimmyM]

Because, as long as you don't expose them to extreme temperature (like a car parked in the summer sun all day), they are indestructible.

Honestly, you can pull that off as well with a lot of them

 

[PJ Muzikmansky]

Honestly, you can pull that off as well with a lot of them

Reminds me of when my ex wife, in a fit of pique, grabbed my '78 ash-bodied jazz and hurled it into the back yard as hard as she could. It hit the ground with a thud. Didn't even go out of tune. A couple of new scratches. Voila ! Instant mojo

 

[Stan Haldane]

Reminds me of when my ex wife, in a fit of pique, grabbed my '78 ash-bodied jazz and hurled it into the back yard as hard as she could. It hit the ground with a thud. Didn't even go out of tune. A couple of new scratches. Voila ! Instant mojo

I need to know what happened then??!!

 

[JimmyM]

Reminds me of when my ex wife, in a fit of pique, grabbed my '78 ash-bodied jazz and hurled it into the back yard as hard as she could. It hit the ground with a thud. Didn't even go out of tune. A couple of new scratches. Voila ! Instant mojo

Wow, and the two of you split up? She sounds positively dreamy

 

[Leo was right]

Honestly, you can pull that off as well with a lot of them

Or you can keep it like James Jamerson(and me).

 

[Bill G.]

I always say a P-Bass will sound good through a tin can with a cat screeching inside.

 

[Grumble]

I don't know, but when I pick up my Telecaster Bass it just feels right, and believe me, I have tried them all at one time or another.

 

[Bass Viking]

I don't/won't play a Fender for the simple reason that so many bassists do. There's plenty of other quality basses at the full spectrum of affordability. The one colour scheme I have a hard time looking at is the classic sunburst; just my personal opinion but I've never liked that finish from the first day I picked up a bass.

I'm no Fender fan but I think you're ruling them out for the wrong reason. There are also people who won't play a certain brand because nobody else does. Both are wrong.

 

[Stan Haldane]

I'm no Fender fan but I think you're ruling them out for the wrong reason. There are also people who won't play a certain brand because nobody else does. Both are wrong.

The bass has to suit you, how you play and the sound you are trying to get. It has little to do with price. Fenders are chosen for different reasons. Most chose them because of the reasons above. It can be an immediate thing or arrived over a period of time. Mine is 40 plus years old and suits me every time I strap it on.

 

[Leo was right]

Wow, and the two of you split up? She sounds positively dreamy

It is probably the only thing in tune in this story...

 

[klejst]

In my personal experience, they just work for me.

 

[Steadfast]

I like fender basses because you just plug them in and they play all by themselves. Lol

Instant player. Lol

Also, they are the only brand carried for inmate use by the Georgia Department of Corrections.

 

[Ghoul76]

I should have a lightly used 2017 Precision in Arctic White here soon.

 

[Bubble]

First, let me say I don't mind Fender.
Bought a Squire(er) once. Own two G&Ls.
But...

Why So Many People Selling Fender Bass's ?

You need to look at ratios to get a real idea of owner satisfaction. Currently a few hundred thousand Chevys are for sale but look how many people are keeping them.

 

[dBChad]

Modularity probably has a lot to do with it. The Fender formula is largely based on bolt-on parts. You buy the platform, can easily change necks/pickguards/pickups/electronics/bridges/tuning machines/etc., and can put it back to stock if you ever decide to sell it and not have to take a loss on all your upgrades which at best are worth nothing, and probably de-value an instrument to a potential buyer. Then, if you liked the parts combination you had, the parts can go on your next bass/ if not, they can be sold individually.

 

[BBassBassington]

I should have a lightly used 2017 Precision in Arctic White here soon.

Congrats! I just ordered an Olympic white Squier PJ. Was wanting it to say Fender on the headstock but for the same price as a used MIM P I'm getting a brand new PJ, Fender high mass bridge, EMG pickups, and a tort guard.

Hopefully our beautiful new basses serve us well overtime. Mine hasn't even shipped yet and I've already figured out the mods. Lol

 

[Ghoul76]

Congrats! I just ordered an Olympic white Squier PJ. Was wanting it to say Fender on the headstock but for the same price as a used MIM P I'm getting a brand new PJ, Fender high mass bridge, EMG pickups, and a tort guard.

Hopefully our beautiful new basses serve us well overtime. Mine hasn't even shipped yet and I've already figured out the mods. Lol

Mine hasn't shipped either, but I'm trying to figure out who makes direct fit black tuners, knobs and a bridge. I don't want to have to mod anything.