I don't have a fender but should I?

[TimR]

Who else doesn't have a Fender but thinks maybe they should have one?

 

What would you have?

 

I keep looking at pictures of the Jaguar Player c£800. C neck with PJ pickups. But can't find a colour without maybe going custom for £2k.

 

All the Fenders I've picked up weigh an absolute ton. I've not even physically played a Jaguar Player. 

 

But I don't really want or need one do I...?

 

 

[adamg67]

I thought I didn't need one for a long time, and then got a chance of a decent part ex deal on an AVRI '62 Precision (traded in my PRS guitar which I really didn't need). I do like that bass a lot.

 

Not sure I would have done it for one with any less Mojo than the AVRI, not when I have a P-alike with Nordstrand pickups that has never yet been knocked off its "go to bass" spot.

[Lozz196]

I’d obviously, as a huge fanboy say yes, you def need a Fender.

 

But objectively unless there’s something you feel that’s lacking with your current basses the logical me says no.

[TimR]

8 minutes ago, adamg67 said:

I thought I didn't need one for a long time, and then got a chance of a decent part ex deal on an AVRI '62 Precision (traded in my PRS guitar which I really didn't need). I do like that bass a lot.

 

Not sure I would have done it for one with any less Mojo than the AVRI, not when I have a P-alike with Nordstrand pickups that has never yet been knocked off its "go to bass" spot.

So better to spend a lot on an older one than go new?

[adamg67]

3 minutes ago, TimR said:

So better to spend a lot on an older one than go new?

 

It's a re-issue, and (I know they're not everyone's cup of tea) with a bit of a relic / road worn job. So nowhere near the price of a real '62, but there is just something about it that I really like. It's nicely different from my other basses as well.

[kodiakblair]

17 minutes ago, TimR said:

Who else doesn't have a Fender but thinks maybe they should have one?

I just posted about this half hour back.

 

The day I made the decision to go and buy a Fender put me off buying one for nearly 30 years; now I've three  😃

 

You need to put in some effort and go play a few, if one feels/sounds right then buy it 👍

[Delberthot]

Unless you are looking for a specific sound, look or 5, 6, 7, 8, 10 or 12 strings etc, no one really needs any particular brand. What you need is something that sounds the way you want to sound, plays well, feels good and possibly looks good as well.

 

I've never really bonded with any Fenders that I've owned over the years.

 

My current basses are a Warmoth Dinky body with Status Graphite neck and EMGs so Fender in type but no where near any Fender I've played before. The other is a Musicman Sterling HH which has a loose connection with Leo Fender

Edited November 26, 2022 by Delberthot

[Dan Dare]

I'm a J bass fanboi. I have a PJ, too, but in my experience, nothing does P bass like a P bass, and it needn't cost a lot. If you want that sound, buy a used Squier and improve it. I know you are unlikely to get your money back if you upgrade extensively, but if you are selective (you only really need better pickups, pots and wiring), you should end up with something decent for less than £400. My Bitsa P is a Squier body and neck, with the basic Seymour Duncan P pickup (not worth getting the high output or vintage versions, imho), a Gotoh bridge, new pots, wiring and socket  It cost me around £350 to build. With a set of knackered La Bellas, it does the job very convincingly.

[Doctor J]

I've had lots of Fenders over the years but now don't have any Fenders, despite being particularly fond of the J design, and don't see myself ever owning a another one. In my experience, there are plenty of companies making much better instruments, based on Fender designs, which cost far less money than "the real thing". Unless you feel the need to alleviate the pressure and be seen with that logo, don't bother. You'll get far more joy being open minded and exploring what alternatives are out there.

[ambient]

I've owned a few. I’ve always been very underwhelmed by them. The 5 string USA built Marcus Miller bass was the worst of them.

[pbasspecial]

I think if you are looking for new musical opportunities  eg.  dep, session or auditions, I’d definitely get yourself a Fender in your arsenal.
For most non bass players, it is THE bass. 

[FDC484950]

No, every Fender I've played has been a massive disappointment, including some choice vintage models and the ones I've owned haven't stayed long. The one I kept the longest was a Dimension, which isn't that well regarded anyway. I like the sound of a classic P or J but these can be had from other instruments that produce a wider variety of tones - or the thousands of copies that look and sound virtually identical. One of my Dingwalls on the neck pickup in series is as good a P in terms of tone of any bass I've played. Still, I don't object at all to anyone (or everyone) else thinking you have to have one!

[dclaassen]

For yourself, no, you don’t need one. However, I walked into the first rehearsal with my Pedulla and got “what’s that?” Went to the second rehearsal with a J Bass and got “nice bass”. For some BL’s Fender equals good bass….period.

[jimmyb625]

No, you don't need one and if you don't want one, it's probably best to hold off.

I bought a '73 P Bass this year, as I was after a year of birth bass, but (apart from the fact I'm not allowed it until my birthday) I don't really have much desire to use it. It'll likely end up as something the kids can sell for a profit when I shuffle off the planet.

Like others have said, a lot of people think Fender is the last word in bass guitars, but the same people likely wouldn't be able to notice if you used a derivative, with a change of decal on the headstock.

[martin8708]

I cut my bass teeth on Yamaha BB1200’s , it was my first bass ( going cheap in a Yamahamusicland in South Africa , bargain price ) 

This was my mainstay for 20years of gigging /rehearsals , got me into numerous bands / gigs / deps / party’s , a great bass .

A slightly drunken evening bid on eBay for a early Fender AVRI 57 bass resulted in said P bass arriving on my doorstep in the next few days .

That P bass has been my go-to bass for the last 18 plus years , had numerous offers from other bass players desperate to buy it from me . ( Shuker / Wal owners ] , but you will have to prise it out of my cold blue fingers before I part with it . 
The neck is a Herbie Gastelum neck , and it’s got that glorious P bass maple neck growl .

I have another 6 precisions ( two 63 ‘s ) but the AVRI is the king of the hill . 
I have also had MM stingrays , golden era Warwick streamers , an Alleva Coppola , Steinberger XL , so the Fender has had some stiff competition, all sold apart from the AVRI . 

[Eric.C.Lapton]

Buy a reasonable quality bass you can get your money back on and go on a bass journey. 
One in one out it becomes quite addictive. 
Sometimes they stay awhile Sometimes they don’t have time to let the tubes warm up in the head but it’s a fun side hobby to the Wals. 

[peteb]

6 hours ago, TimR said:

Who else doesn't have a Fender but thinks maybe they should have one?

 

But I don't really want or need one do I...?

 

 

 

I think that you have to look at why would you need a Fender?

 

For many people, especially band leaders and producers (but also fans), a bass guitar is pretty much a Fender Precision or Jazz. That is the reference sound and image for an electric bass, more so for some genres than others. If you are chasing new gigs, then you will never go wrong turning up for an audition or a gig with a Precision. If you are playing within a scene where you know all the other players and there isn’t a lot of band leaders who want you to meet their expectations of what a bass player should be, then you just need a bass that sounds good to you. That could be a Fender, or it could be one of many other basses.

 

Fifteen years ago, I was exclusively playing hard rock with a couple of Warwick Streamers that sounded great. Then I started playing more blues and other gigs and it became apparent that I needed to turn up with a Fender, or at least something that looked / sounded more like one. Now my gigging basses are a 70s Precision, an active Xotic ‘superjazz’ and a sunburst Am Std Jazz (for the Zeppelin tribute band).

 

[Newfoundfreedom]

I don't have one. Never had one. Never felt the need to own one, and certainly wouldn't pay the over inflated price for one. 

 

Maybe if someone was giving one away I'd have it. Then again, I'd probably sell it and buy something cheaper. 

[NancyJohnson]

Always felt a bit underwhelmed with Fenders.  Owned three or four in the hope that they'd simply fit in, but nah.

 

Just on the subject of Jaguars, the ones with all the switching options, reckon we're all of the belief that we'll be flipping the switches with authoritative command mid-song and dialling up these fantastic new sounds; truth is we'll find the sweet-spot and rarely move away from that setting, thus rendering the options redundant.

 

Personally, if you have a desire for a Fender, buy used or better still buy a Lakland or a Sandberg.  These are way better instruments.

 

 

[FinnDave]

I currently have five basses, all are Fenders (3 x P, 2 x J). I have bought other makes of bass, but none of them have stayed for long. My first decent bass was a Jazz bass copy, and once I could afford a Fender, I haven't been without one. I know that if I turned up at a gig with anything other than Fender my bandmates would ask why I had bought some piece of junk instead of my Fender. They are a known standard, any sound engineer worth their salt can EQ a Fender bass in seconds.

[bassbiscuits]

I’ve owned a few fender jazzes and Ps over the years, and my main bass is an old precision. 
 

Along the way I’ve briefly owned a Sandberg TT4 (jazz) and a Lull PJ4. Both nice basses but they didn’t sound like Fenders.

 

If you want to play a Fender, get a Fender, not something that’s a bit like a Fender. 
 

[paul_c2]

If you already have a bass, you don't need another bass.

[SteveXFR]

I didn't want a Fender because everyone and their mum plays a Fender. I recently bought a Mexican P bass and now I understand why everyone plays them. 

[TheGreek]

I've owned lots of basses but only 4 Fenders.

None of them were special in any way which would suggest to me that they are any better than any other brands. 

[LeftyJ]

As a lefty, I've never had the luxury of walking into a music store and comparing various Fenders to pick the best one. Worse: I've never been in a music store that had a lefty USA Fender bass in stock! I have a 1975 reissue Fender MIJ Jazz that I bought used in 2009 and love, but I haven't a clue how it compares to the real thing or to a modern USA Jazz because I simply have never laid hands on one in my 20+ years of playing and having owned (and sold) over 40 basses . It's a fine bass though that I enjoy a lot and would highly recommend. I did get to play a lovely 69 Mustang Bass and some Musicmasters and those really stuck with me but unfortunately I haven't been in the position to buy one. I would love to, though!