Why So Many People Playing Fender Basses?

[sethlow3]

I really like the sound of most American Fenders and even some imports they make.

However, after 20 years of playing, I only want to play super light basses now like ABG’s, Hofner, and Rick Turner’s especially. Heck, with the right strings all of those sound excellent.

 

[Novarocker]

My Google search only found Fender guitars, no basses.



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Just wanted to say that I wish auto designers would look at the class that oozed from the style of those days.

Oh and those are sweet looking

 

[N. Kentucky Bass]

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

That's my #1, built in 1997. Plays great. Although the pickups are swapped with Lindy Fralin's and the preamp is a Sadowsky. Even good things can be improved to taste.

 

[Ghoul76]

I've got my eye on a Blacktop Jazz. It would be my first Fender.

 

[somebrains]

I've got my eye on a Blacktop Jazz. It would be my first Fender.

Those are really cool.
They woke up my love of original BC Rich basses.

 

[edro]

Sound good enough to copy....

I don't think pickup placement in Leos were by chance. P,J, Skrat, Tele... They each have their own tone palette, regardless of who builds em...if they have the same configuration...

Same with Music Man basses with the big bucker and where that bucker sits.

Same with a Rick...

They each have their own trademark tone palette.....

They have all been copied and some of the copies are indistinguishable from the original by tone...


Could be you KNOW what you are getting when you buy a particular Fender. You KNOW what it will sound like. Some folks won't take a chance on a copy or alternate design, they go for the real deal. Some don't mind trying out new designs...

Some folks looked at Music Man basses and just said Nawt. Some played em and said Nawt. They don't sound bad, rather they are killer....BUT, they are NOT a J, P, or PJ, and don't sound such, so some folks just can't bond with it...

Some folks do not like change and choose not to participate. Not a bad thing. Float your own boat...

 

[dbsfgyd1]

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.

It’s the definitive electric bass sound which may be the biggest reason for it’s popularity. As for playability, I do have slightly above average sized hands, and have no issues getting over the fingerboard. Of course, I played a lot of classical guitar over the years, and if you think a PB’s neck is thick, check out one of those sometime.

 

[Picton]

I came to bass from a couple decades playing guitar, so I was already familiar and comfortable with FMIC.

It's a credit to the company that you can get quality versions of their instruments at almost any price point. Plus, for those of us who are crafty, Fenders are infinitely moddable by a shadetree luthier, and good results are easy to come by that way. On that note, they're reasonably priced enough that they're not too precious to mod. It takes no real skill to get them playable, either, what with the removable neck.

Also, they're demonstrably better-designed than a lot of other popular models. Their headstocks usually don't break at the nut. Their bridges don't have everyone flocking for an aftermarket replacement before they even try to play it.

Add to all that a range of options and the fact that you can find them anywhere, and.... why not?

 

[Rip Van Dan]

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.

The neck is usually what determines which Fender bass you play. Usually the defining measurement on the Jazz Bass is the 1½" neck at the nut. The Precision Bass is normally 1.625" wide at the nut. Unfortunately, although the width has stayed the same, - the thickness of the necks have varied a lot over the years. My 1965 Fender Jazz that I bought in 1966 had the shallow C shape and the 7.25" radius on the fingerboard. That was a great neck and very comfortable and fast to play on. In 1966 Fender put block markers on the neck, which looked really cool, but when I pulled it down to try it out I was shocked to find it had a deep U-shaped, very thick neck.

After touring using my '65 in the early 70's my '65 Jazz was stolen in 1976. It took me almost 10-years to find another Jazz with the same neck specs. My newer one (an '82 Jazz that I bought in 1985) is a maple neck/fretboard, but has the same dimensions and radius as my '65. Pretty much all modern Fender Jazz basses, even the 60's re-issue, use a slightly flatter 9.5" radius. If you can find a Jazz with the 1963 shallow C neck, I think you'd like that. Doubt if you can get a 7.25" radius on it, but you'll find that shallow C neck to be very comfortable.

I never liked the neck on a Precision Bass because it was not only wider at the nut, but just plain chunkier all the way around. However, my grandson got a Squier Precision Bass kit (includes small amp) for Christmas and I was showing him a few things on it. I was surprised that the Squier P-bass he had was much shallower than any P-bass neck I've ever used and I was fine with using it. He'd been using a loaner Fender P-bass from his instructor and the neck on that one was much thicker than his new Squier.

So, yeah, if you like shallow, thin, necks, start trying out the various Fender Jazz basses out there. Just be aware that you will find some with some pretty thick necks, so be sure you try them out before you buy them. If you order it online, make sure you have a grace period to return it.

 

[lermgalieu]

I like them and fender Ps of varying vintage and origin are my favored basses. Only Q for me is how did it take until I was 45 (been playing since 13) to discover this?

 

[EatS1stBassist]

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.

Cuz theyz great!!!

 

[Leo was right]

My Google search only found Fender guitars, no basses.



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Why play a car when you drive a guitar!

 

[Leo was right]

And to answer to the title : the majority of basses ever built are either fender or Squiers. You see more simply because more of them exists.

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I would be curious to know the % of MusicMan on that pizza.

 

[Leo was right]

Some squires play coconuts!

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But honestly, I think most people play Fenders because they are easy to replace!


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And you can use them for all styles of music!

may the bass be with you

Wise(b)ass

On the Fender warranty tag it is stipulate: for normal use only.

 

[cataract]

I tried Googling “How many Fender basses have been manufactured globally” but zero results.
The answer is probably at least part of the reason— they do the job and they do it well.

 

[Leo was right]

The neck is usually what determines which Fender bass you play. Usually the defining measurement on the Jazz Bass is the 1½" neck at the nut. The Precision Bass is normally 1.625" wide at the nut. Unfortunately, although the width has stayed the same, - the thickness of the necks have varied a lot over the years. My 1965 Fender Jazz that I bought in 1966 had the shallow C shape and the 7.25" radius on the fingerboard. That was a great neck and very comfortable and fast to play on. In 1966 Fender put block markers on the neck, which looked really cool, but when I pulled it down to try it out I was shocked to find it had a deep U-shaped, very thick neck.

After touring using my '65 in the early 70's my '65 Jazz was stolen in 1976. It took me almost 10-years to find another Jazz with the same neck specs. My newer one (an '82 Jazz that I bought in 1985) is a maple neck/fretboard, but has the same dimensions and radius as my '65. Pretty much all modern Fender Jazz basses, even the 60's re-issue, use a slightly flatter 9.5" radius. If you can find a Jazz with the 1963 shallow C neck, I think you'd like that. Doubt if you can get a 7.25" radius on it, but you'll find that shallow C neck to be very comfortable.

I never liked the neck on a Precision Bass because it was not only wider at the nut, but just plain chunkier all the way around. However, my grandson got a Squier Precision Bass kit (includes small amp) for Christmas and I was showing him a few things on it. I was surprised that the Squier P-bass he had was much shallower than any P-bass neck I've ever used and I was fine with using it. He'd been using a loaner Fender P-bass from his instructor and the neck on that one was much thicker than his new Squier.

So, yeah, if you like shallow, thin, necks, start trying out the various Fender Jazz basses out there. Just be aware that you will find some with some pretty thick necks, so be sure you try them out before you buy them. If you order it online, make sure you have a grace period to return it.

I agree with you, my first Pbass was a baseball bat and I never like it cause my left thumb do not flex at all. One day I found for sale a vintage one with a shallow A-neck and fell in love with, since that I tried many vintage reissues with the same neck profile and this is the real thing. Simple ergonomy.

 

[SactoBass]

Some squires play coconuts!
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Indeed! Even coconuts that migrate!

And other Squires play Rickenbackers!

...and sometimes Fenders!

 

[Mastermold]

I agree with you, my first Pbass was a baseball bat and I never like it cause my left thumb do not flex at all. One day I found for sale a vintage one with a shallow A-neck and fell in love with, since that I tried many vintage reissues with the same neck profile and this is the real thing. Simple ergonomy.

63-64 P-basses have a nice wide but flat neck, super comfy and easy to play with little finger movement.

 

[Gianni "Orlandez" Orlati]

But, he made a VOW.

VOW can be made for a reason ... not satisfied with a P bass ? Try something else ... many Warwicks can be considered modelled on the J bass ... G&L have their own character ... Ric is a fundamental bass which can play similar to a J bass or similar to a P bass but with a grind that can’t be found in those basses .. however, if you are not a “grindy player” a J bass or a Ric can be considered superimposable tone-wise ... then if it’s a matter of VOW I raise and, then, join my hands ... Amen

 

[bassstrangler]

VOW can be made for a reason ... not satisfied with a P bass ? Try something else ... many Warwicks can be considered modelled on the J bass ... G&L have their own character ... Ric is a fundamental bass which can play similar to a J bass or similar to a P bass but with a grind that can’t be found in those basses .. however, if you are not a “grindy player” a J bass or a Ric can be considered superimposable tone-wise ... then if it’s a matter of VOW I raise and, then, join my hands ... Amen

Okay

He vowed not to own a Fender.