Author Topic: New Fender Basses (Read 735 times)

jet_powers · « **Reply #15 on:** July 22, 2010, 02:20:40 PM »

We seem to be running pretty much even on the MIM issue. It's not like I need a Fender as I have an '80 fretless P that rarely sees the light of day. The one I saw hanging in the local shop was this funky greenish color that looked to me better suited for a Volkswagen than a bass guitar. I figured they painted it because they didn't want you to see the particle board it was made from or something. If it's still there when I go back I'll plug it into something and talk price....

JP

poor_nigel · « **Reply #16 on:** July 22, 2010, 04:04:46 PM »

Most players I know have a Fender or two laying around. Even I do, and I got very bad impressions from a couple of early 70's models I bought new back then. So Fender is not high on my list of great basses. About a year ago, I bought an American Deluxe Precision, 200X (Pick a year) with the four bolt pattern neck and it seems to do OK. These retail at over $2,200 (Huh?!) and I would not say it keeps up with any of my Alembics in any way (This IS the Alembic Club, right?). However, it does one thing better than any other bass I have ever owned. For some strange reason it plays harmonics louder, clearer, and sweeter than anything I have ever plucked one on. Why? I don't know, but if I want to play some harmonics, I grab this bass and they are always there. Also, possibly worth noting, it has no dead spots, at all.

bigredbass · « **Reply #17 on:** July 23, 2010, 10:49:01 AM »

OK, let's try this: Am I the only person here who's never/ever owned a Fender?

J o e y

benson_murrensun · « **Reply #18 on:** July 23, 2010, 11:35:18 AM »

Now that you mention it, I have never owned a Fender (that I have actually used; I have some that I bought for an investment that have never been used.), but I have owned and played several Precision- and Jazz-style basses over the years.
Because they are not actually Fenders I would hesitate to comment on the comparative quality of Fender basses, but I can say that in an ergonomic sense they are quite usable, easy to pick up and play comfortably.

benson_murrensun · « **Reply #19 on:** July 23, 2010, 11:41:08 AM »

I have owned and played two Fender guitars, however, one MIA Strat and one MIM Tele Thinline. The Strat exuded much higher quality than the Tele.

dadabass2001 · « **Reply #20 on:** July 23, 2010, 11:45:04 AM »

Hey Joey,
I never owned a Fender. My first bass was a St. George, a rough copy of the Fender style body, but I could never get past the Jazz neck profile, and the P-bass neck was too big for my high school hands. Gibsons and Guilds for me, until I got my first Alembic in 1997 after lusting for about 25 years. (still waiting for the funds to drop from the sky and grant me a Series - sigh)
Mike

sonicus · « **Reply #21 on:** July 23, 2010, 12:44:16 PM »

My first Bass in 1971 was a poor EBO copy, then in 1973 my Mother said that I could search for a good used Bass for my High School graduation present and that was the Guild Starfire that I still own today. I later went through a Fender phase in compliance to an Old School band leader who wanted that sound , I did so under duress so I would modify them . Bottom Line ______I would rather play a Alembic!

(Message edited by sonicus on July 23, 2010)

(Message edited by sonicus on July 24, 2010)

pace · « **Reply #22 on:** July 23, 2010, 04:52:35 PM »

Joey, I've never owned a Fender bass either.....

Several years ago I was about ready to pull the trigger on a Roscoe Beck 5'er, I played a 4 string in the shop, but when my buddy called the rep, he said they were having problems w/ the bridge on the 5, so I said F^&K it....

I have a bunch of Fender guitars, out of all of them, I keep coming back to a '88 Am Std Tele, and a '96 MIM Tele (the model w/ the hb in the neck).... all the others are 'test beds' for different wiring & components....

bigredbass · « **Reply #23 on:** July 23, 2010, 06:58:07 PM »

After a lot of research, Mike, I really thought about a Beck Five for quite a while (I can NOT believe those nitwits discontinued it). Lot of thought went into it, Bill Lawrence did the pickups, assymetric neck, all passive, etc.

IF there was a weak spot, it was that inexplicably they spec'd that Gotoh locking bridge. I don't know what problems they were referring to, but I owned a BB Yamaha that had the same bridge. Being the setup nut that I am, and being a used bass, I took it apart to shine it up. Gotoh engineered these things to be adjustable AND lockable for string length and spacing and saddle height . . . and to be entirely maddening if you ever had to move anything! It took a couple of hours, it was like field stripping a Swiss watch. But it was quite a piece of engineering... I could not imagine being the poor guy on the production line that had to intonate and adjust these things when they came thru. When Fender later introduced the Beck Four, it did have a DIFFERENT style bidge.

J o e y

bigredbass · « **Reply #24 on:** July 23, 2010, 07:02:33 PM »

BTW, a nice site for this stuff is www.21frets.com, The Squire JV forum with lots of stuff about Squier, Fender Japan, etc.

J o e y

David Houck · « **Reply #25 on:** July 23, 2010, 07:54:32 PM »

Joey; in the mid '70s I had a Gibson SG body with a Fender Strat neck that a friend of mine (great guitar player) put together from parts he had lying around the house. Does that count? As I recall, the body had no finish on it, one humbucker, volume and tone. Other than that, I don't recall ever owning a Fender (unless you're counting G&L).

mike1762 · « **Reply #26 on:** July 23, 2010, 10:18:50 PM »

A SG body with a Strat neck??? Aren't those different scale lengths (and the SG is set-neck isn't it?)?

pace · « **Reply #27 on:** July 24, 2010, 05:31:34 AM »

Joey, IIRC, at the time they were moving away from the Gotoh, in favor of something like what was on the 4-string.... I don't know because I never saw it... lol....

David Houck · « **Reply #28 on:** July 24, 2010, 06:48:41 AM »

Mike F; I have no idea. I do remember that it played well. Again, there was no finish, it had been stripped, so the bridge may have been relocated to get the proper scale length for the neck. And I have no memory of the neck/body joint, other than it worked well. I was quite pleased with it.

(Message edited by davehouck on July 24, 2010)

mike1762 · « **Reply #29 on:** July 24, 2010, 08:10:02 AM »

Sometimes a router can be a good thing I guess!!! I remember back in the early days of Music Man people used to try and swap out the neck with a Fender. My understanding was that you couldn't set the intonation.