DavidCertain

I'm wondering why not one person has commented on the counterfeit Fender decal. This is very unethical, plus, why can't the guy put his own name on the bass he made? It's like putting a Opal logo on a Mercedes. Sure, most of us could tell it's not really a Fender, but after it changes hands a couple of times, someone is going to get taken. It's not only extremely unethical to make or own such a bass, it's highly illegal. I certainly wouldn't be bragging about it in an internet bass forum. I'm just wondering what's the purpose of using counterfeit Fender decals? Anyone want to explain why someone would be proud of this when they should be ashamed?

[quote name='Ed_S' timestamp='1323934861' post='1468751'] Completely agree - I feel the same about the jazz neck on my Kingman acoustic; it'd feel much more natural (and probably more like an acoustic bass) if it were a P neck. Guess it's like women.. too skinny just ain't attractive [/quote] Actually it's a Jazz neck that feels more like an acoustic, but, judging from your use of the word "probably" maybe it's been since you played an acoustic? Just wondering because the nut width on an acoustic bass is 1.5 inches as is a Jazz. The classic P bass is 1.75 inches, then there a bunch that are an inch and 5/8's.

[quote name='andydye' timestamp='1329323650' post='1540679'] General comment...It's funny the way loads of folks have opinions (rather strong at times) without actually having met the item in question. I can say that my Certainbass p is loads better than the fender p's I've had and possibly the vintage p's I've tried too...and cost about the same for what is (Fender at least) a mass produced item [/quote] Hey guys, thanks for letting me know about this forum and this thread. There are quite a few CertainBasses banging around the UK. I thought I'd make myself available for any question you may have. People rendering uninformed opinions is a staple of forums such as this, but this one doesn't have that affliction nearly as badly as others. You all seem like very nice, authentic musicians. I remember when the little mini SVT's came out (by the way, I'm in St. Louis, and this is where most USA made SVT's were made), I looked at TalkBass. I waded through six pages of innuendo and predictions until I found the first person to have heard one of these amps, and he heard it at a distance in a Guitar Center, didn't even play through it himself. A few more pages, some one who actually owned one. Yup, 9 pages of hot air and negativity. The guys who had them loved them, and they are pretty good little amps. I don't mind getting a load of crap from someone who hasn't played my basses. It's like someone saying, "Your stupid." With the bad grammar it becomes a compliment! It's tough to find someone who has played one of my basses not like it. Sure, in retail you'll always have one or two who won't be happy with anything, but we don't know what their parents did to them, so we forgive them. Another affliction is we have the folks who try to define nomenclature. Parts basses, custom basses... what do these mean? I always say a parts bass is what you have when you build a bass. When a luthier does it, it's a musical instrument. The classic example of the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Build techniques and set-up are the differences that make the difference. Someone was batting around the phrase "real custom" which I think is supposed to mean we start out with a tree. The big boys here in the States like Sadowsky, Mike Lull and Lakland all subcontract their necks and bodies to specialists who have CNC machines. USAGuitars make Lull's. But, they are made to our specs, and some add some hand shaping. The burning question I have is why would the parts of a Fender style bass have to be handmade? Vintage Fenders weren't. They were production basses. You're not going to find too many luthiers who go out in the woods and start their bass with a tree pricing anything for less than $5000 or so USD. Alembic is a good example. And this brings me to yet another affliction of musical instrument forums: instruments are a means to and end, not an end in and of itself. I don't have a bass so I can look at it, trade it, out-snob others with it, talk about it and brag about it. I play music with my bass. The music is the most important part of this equation. I love it when people talk about my basses, but I love it much better when people play them. You'll hear CertainBasses on pianist Bob James' latest release as well as Ben E. King's. The Grammy-winning bassist Mark Peterson plays my basses exclusively. Want a sponsorship? Don't ask. All CertainBassists pay for the basses. That way they're real endorsements. Sure I could give away basses to rock stars, get a photo to put on my website, but if you go see them play, and they're not playing my bass, what good is it? Happens all the time in this industry, and I believe it's unethical. I tell people if you can out-play me and prove you make less money than me, then I'll give you a bass. Giving basses to the needy is much more attractive to me than giving basses to the wealthy. The next member from this forum to get a CertainBass gets a free Varitone! Peace, David