Will Fender lose popularity?

[superdick2112]

No.
No it won't.

Case in point: Fender is not my favorite brand, but I have more Fenders in my collection than any other brand.

Same here. Odd, isn't it? And no, I don't see Fender's popularity waning anytime soon. Fender was popular in the 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s - you get the picture, and there's no reason to think they wont be popular 50 years (and beyond) from now.

 

[Atshen]

I honestly hope Fender falls off within the next decade or two. You guys have to think about this for a second, I will admit that back in the day Fender was the go to bass. No other bass sounded like it and it really was innovative for its time. Fast forward to the present its not the same story. What modern innovations has Fender pushed out within the past 10 years? You have generally the same 3 bass shapes you've seen since the 60s, they really don't stray too far away from their original designs. Yeah you get a few new colors and maybe new electronic options but that's about it. As the newer generation of musicians evolve they will look for a newer, more modern sound and look and that isn't something you can find with a Fender. They had their time but they are getting destroyed by modern instruments. Like it or not there will be a new standard.

Well, the upright bass is a few centuries older than the Fender bass and is still widely used everywhere, in many musical genres.

Simpler is better. Why mess with perfection? Some people may "need" fancy electronics or pencil-sized necks, others don't.

And your wishing about "Fender falling off within the next decade or two", I don't think it's gonna happen.

 

[RED J]

But it could be a location thing, here in Canada

I thought all you Canadian Cats played these !

 

[bench]

so you're saying you know more people playing a washburn than playing a fender...?!?

 

[Michael B]

What would all the builders do without something to copy?!?

Mike Lull or Roger S and many others make boutique copies of the basic Fender design. Yamaha and Ibanez would have to drop models from their catalog. With all this love for the design it isn't going away anytime soon. Especially with the varying price levels so you can buy in from budget to vanity price.

 

[gjohnson441496]

are these Japanese made basses better? And will fender still be king

No
Yes

 

[Killer Canary]

If you say so.



I know right? TB makes people click threads and participate in them. I hate that.

Love you too.
Smoochie.

 

[interp]

My thoughts? Be careful about extrapolating an extremely limited base of information and experience into broad conclusions about general trends. The fact that you see fewer and fewer Fenders in stores and among the players you encounter would perhaps be meaningful if you had visited, say, a couple of thousand stores and personally interacted with a hundred thousand or so players. Otherwise, it's just anecdotal information.

Not saying that your observations are invalid, but they only apply to your personal experience. Same with me or anyone else.

 

[Bassmaticmatt]

I played a soundgear for several years in a band. I bought a fender but the sdgr beat it out and the fender was sold. That Ibanez was pawned a year ago and thought of as lost. Yesterday I found it still with my case just as I left it. I picked it up and played it. It felt like home I have two fenders now and a Gibson and something is going to be sold to bring my sdgr back home. So for me at least I want Fender to be king but Ibanez is a better fit.

 

[Bald in MI]

Well, this seems like as good a post as any to be my first post in over a decade, now that everybody is already all riled up. I like the comment (paraphrased badly) that if Fender was gone tomorrow, its DNA would still be present. I suspect that is the case. I'm neither best friend nor furious enemy to Fender, because Fender is a corporation and corporations make bad friends/foes. I do also like the comment that it's a tad over the top "loving" an instrument, because that does seem a bit too much. I REALLY like my instruments, which does include a Fender, but love would sound like I'm whispering into them or tucking them in at night.

So back to Fender.....I have logged (yep, OCD) playing over 122 Fender jazz basses. Some were bad, most ok, a few bordering on great. The good, the bad, and the ugly didn't seem directly related to year or country of manufacture, but I would argue there are some trends (i.e. Japanese and/or older American's seemed to register more frequently on the higher end.) But even these observations are colored by my own playing style, so they are not gospel. My current and for-the-foreseeable-future-Fender is a 1972 Jazz that has Sadowsky pickups and preamp. It is super ugly, beaten to hell, has no discernible finish, and multiple cigarette burns on the headstock. It's neither the "all that is wrong with the instrument industry" nor "the greatest thing ever conceived."

What's my point? Can't we just agree that there are Fender basses, they are prevalent, lots of people play them, and some people prefer them? Beyond that, we are just quibbling over nothing.

 

[quickfix]

I mostly see Fenders over here in The Maritimes. About 70% Fender and the rest is other odds'n sods of varying makes and models.
Of those Fenders it's a 50/50 split Precision/Jazz.

I've only two basses. Both are Fenders. Both are Precisions.

 

[GregC]

My thoughts? Be careful about extrapolating an extremely limited base of information and experience into broad conclusions about general trends. The fact that you see fewer and fewer Fenders in stores and among the players you encounter would perhaps be meaningful if you had visited, say, a couple of thousand stores and personally interacted with a hundred thousand or so players. Otherwise, it's just anecdotal information.

Not saying that your observations are invalid, but they only apply to your personal experience. Same with me or anyone else.

Hey, what are you trying to do, shut down the internet?

 

[klejst]

Perhaps marginal if anything however Fender will be a common staple for a lot of the bass playing community as a go to brand of products for many years to come I believe.

 

[wmhill]

they (Fender) are the same as a Harley.Even though there is stuff out there much better made, better priced and better performing- folks have a "brand mentality". They will always be around for those people.

 

[99Z3]

The point was kind of missed, I notice even my local music stores are carrying less Fenders and leaning towards Ibanez and other basses of that nature.

Probably because Fender has cut off the Mom & Pop stores..

 

[Gospel Bass Player]

I own a Fender Jazz American Deluxe V and a Sire MMV7 V. Both basses sound good and have fine craftsmanship. Each has it's own character and feel. I think Fender garners more respect because of name recognition. Although my Marcus Miller can hold it's own and definitely cuts through the mix very well indeed. I don't think Fender will ever loose it's popularity as it is an iconic instrument. The music definitely resides in your "fingers"...An experienced "bassist" can make a pawn shop bass sound good...imho

 

[MG514]

These kind of click bait threads drive me loony. I mean you can't be serious, right?

 

[Dallaspezz]

These kind of click bait threads drive me loony. I mean you can't be serious, right?

You obviously didn't read the whole thread.

 

[MG514]

You obviously didn't read the whole thread.

And...?

 

[Dallaspezz]

And...?

Why would I make all this up? If you read it, I clearly stated how I noticed more people are moving towards Ibanez and other Japanese brands.