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Fender bass guitars


chipmunk_jr
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I used to record with my Yamaha RBXJM1, but it didnt fit with the bands image so I used my red Washburn XB600 for gigs. Also, some bassists have Alleva Coppella's and Nordstrands at home but use a fender live because they're a bit cheaper and it doesnt matter if they get roughed up.

Truckstop

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perhaps you're wrong and the majority of bassists are right?
I was always looking on the lookout for basses and buying a few but since I got my MIA P I don't even look anymore I'm a GAS free zone

Edited by PaulWarning
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This subject has been done to death, but... the way I see it in a lot of cases: Bassist X plays a Fender and is in a famous band. Beginner Y loves the band/player and wants the same bass as him so gets a Squier, after saving up he buys the Fender and thinks it's the best thing possible because that's what his hero plays.

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Its an image thing to some extent, punters recognise em, and if its just a pub or workie gig, they dont think your any good if you have a Bass (or anything else) with a name they dont recognise.
I can remember using my Bass Collection at a rehearsal with a new band a year or two ago, an the Guitard, a Tele man through and through, saying " thats nice, but you [i]will[/i] be using your Precision at gigs, wont you ?"

Personally, I use my Precision cos I like it, but I got through a few before I found a good one.

Edited by Slipperydick
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I think it's just down to versatility.

I love my Ric - owned and played a good few - but in certain situations, you need something else.

The J and P basses offer a good variety of sounds, feel comfy, and look timeless.

My J and P are both of the Squier variety - for what I do, I couldn't justify the extra cash when these do the trick. If I want to impress, break out the Ric!

I played my first rehearsal with a new band last week - took the Ric - but struggled all night to get the right sound for some reason. Next week, I'll take the P, as I know she'll cut through anything!

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[quote name='chipmunk_jr' post='1234504' date='May 17 2011, 04:20 PM']Every band you seem to see live, there bass players seem to play fenders. I've played a couple and I cant see what all the fuss is about???? Ive played much nicer basses for a lot less money.[/quote]


:) :)
Cant wait till the P gas sets in......

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I had an Inanez SR 500 recently and it was the dogs cahonas. Active pickups really nice tone.

The finish was awful though and if I'd have kept it I would have been sitting in a pile of sawdust.

So, I got a USA Fender Jazz Bass and at first I though the Ibanez was better. The Ibanez was around £300 cheaper too.

But.... The Fender can pretty much produce any sound you want and it is solid. If I treat it right it will last forever.

I think a lot of people get them because they know they are solid and reliable. And there is a touch of USA Fender snobery in the mix too :) Even my dad has heard of them.

Saying all that I will definitely be getting an Ibanez bass with a better finish if I get a 5 string. And a P bass, and that'll do me :)

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I think it also depends on what you listened to both growing up, and, what your major influences play. And when it comes to that, like it or not, Fender are going to feature predominently. So, when trying to sound like, JJ Burnell, for example, or Steve Harris, there`s a lot tosay about having an instrument that makes the same sound in the first place.

I like Fenders - Precisions - for the reasons above, and the main fact that I just seem to get on with them better. I`m not that interested in labels/brands though, if there was a bass out there that worked better for me than the Precision, that would be where my loyalty would lay.

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Out of all the basses I've owned, gigged and parted with its the precisions I miss the most. I love my Warwicks but there will always be room for a P-bass. Its nothing to do with image, I'm too old and smelly to be bothered about all that stuff. But the Precision just has that tone that on occasions has made me turn around and smile at my cabs with that noise coming out of them.

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As someone who has in the dim and distant past been on tour in a tech role with a few then up and coming pro bands, the joy of Fenders is that if something goes tits up you can beg/borrow/buy a cheap copy/get parts within a few miles of anywhere in the UK.

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[quote name='chipmunk_jr' post='1234504' date='May 17 2011, 04:20 PM']Every band you seem to see live, there bass players seem to play fenders. I've played a couple and I cant see what all the fuss is about???? Ive played much nicer basses for a lot less money.[/quote]

Go and play something else then. Your opinion is exactly that... your opinion. No doubt if you gave me a list of [u]your[/u] favourite bass manufacturers then there is a good chance I would say the same thing, but then that would be [u]my[/u] opinion. It's not worth the discussion really.

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I originally moved from super long scale, black, pointy, active, physically heavy 5/6 string basses because I discovered that as much as I loved the image and they were great instruments, my neck was what's medically referred to as 'dodgy', and I was constantly in worsening pain after playing for any length of time. I won't lie, I got my first Precision (a just-released 2009 MIM in white/maple) because it looked absolutely iconic and just called to me across the shop. However, I soon realised that not only had I become a good enough player to deal creatively with going back to 4 strings, but more vitally the weight, scale length, body contour and just the way the P hung on a good wide strap meant that I could play for 3+ hours without being in crippling pain. Add to that a tone that could cut cleanly through just about any mix and near bomb-proof reliability, and you'll understand why all I have left of the pointy basses is a few photos, and in their stead own a little squad of Precisions that do everything I need and don't hurt like hell to play. =)

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[quote name='icastle' post='1234574' date='May 17 2011, 05:05 PM']Budge up a bit Dave... :)[/quote]
Room for a little one you two?


I play a Jazz because its nice to play and it sounds good so why wouldnt a lot of other people? As someone who has as most of you know an unhealthy love of MM basses I have to concede to the versatility of a Jazz and to some extent the simplicity of a P bass. There really is no gig a Jazz bass cant cope with where as I would argue that the P has more limitations yet cuts through well in most. If I had to have only one bass for the rest of my life without knowing what types of band or gigs I may do for the next (hopefully) 35 years then it would be a Jazz 5 or similar top end copy even over my Rays really although a Ray5 is [i]very very [/i]close.

Edited by stingrayPete1977
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