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MrMusashi

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and clanky.. :)

plus the bongo isnt rid of the dead d on the g string.. my jazz bass dies instantly.. hehe better keep away from that note..

bongo hh + neck bucker + flats = KICKASS motown boom boom :D

MrM

ps: i love this forum for the fact that we are allowed to semi-swear.. i have always hated the beep ;)
 

tegzsa

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Sorry about bumping this, but I had a nasty shock when killing a few hours today.

But: some thoughts on the importance of quality control. Especially for folks who live 'abroad' and who might have to take a leap of faith and order something sight unseen.

Item one: Marcus Miller sig - brand new, second chrome knob (blend?) absolutely no function whatsoever irrespective of active-passive or any other possible combination. Both tone controls only working when 'active'.

Item two: Brand new MIA Jazz with S1 switch - S1 off: blend not working (it's not supposed to work with the S1 engaged). S1 on: bass totally silent.

Item three: Brand new MIA active Jazz 5: 'Noiseless' pickups clearly misaligned, and not noiseless either.

Now one could be bad luck, two could be coincidence, but three? I don't like bashing manufacturers to score points or stroke egos, and I know that this is preaching to the converted, and should be over on Talkbass, but I'm just not in the mood for a huge row about it.

Caveat Emptor.
 

prickly_pete

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Can we only feel satisfied with our EB basses by bashing other companies? Please let this thread die!
 

Big Poppa

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I like fender basses. You cant be in the bass business and not pay respect. PRickly I would close this thread if I thought it was "Baseless" But there are some good points and I dont think that it is being unfair.

Fender does very well for a HUGE company. It is like comparing Hershey Chocolate to a limited boutique chocolatier.......WIth size comes a certain loss of detail. BUT those guys have built that thing into a very large business and that is what you are usually judged by..Im stupid in that isnt what floats my boat but I have the luxury of having SLinkies!

WOuld it be nice if Fender was part of the fraternity of makers and not stiff and aloof? Yes...Do I wish as a player that the stuff was more consistant....yes Do I wish that they would try to move both the bass and guitar forward Absolutely. THey keep rehashing the same basic designs, and have very little forward vision that I can see....What if every five or ten years they tried a Bongo like experiment?

THis isnt a critism or bashg it is more of a challenge......
 

bovinehost

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Can we only feel satisfied with our EB basses by bashing other companies?

I don't think it's that at all. If this thread were nothing but "Fender sucks!" or "Gibson stinks!" then it wouldn't have lasted very long at all. If it weren't me shutting it down, then BP or El Pato Gordo would have. None of us are big on bashing just to make noise on the internet.

Now, Fender does suck and Gibson does stink.

Sorry, I hadda do it! :D

I've had a slew of 'other' basses and have had long relationships with some of them - even Fender. I still think fondly of my 64 Custom Shop Jazz. (For what it cost, it damned well should be remembered fondly.) I still have a Jazz around here, too, although I will admit that it gets about 100 percent closet time.

I think it's a good thing to occasionally venture out and see what The Others are up to.

As BP will be glad to tell you, I've strayed from the One True Path every now and then, and some of the basses I've owned (non-EBMM) were pretty good instruments. Not good enough to keep, but I'm probably not the best example of a non-partisan bass player, either.

Anyway, I have four or five friends who either currently work for Fender or were long-time Fender employees, so it doesn't make me feel particularly great to talk shiite about their products. I try to keep my observations rooted in reality, and Fender has a GREAT BIG reality.

Jack
 

oli@bass

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A very respectable point of view from BP!

IMO we all, who share the love for MusicMan instruments, can be happy that Fender does stick to their old fashioned designs, and leave the field of innovation and different designs to smaller companies and niche shops. It keeps the buyers market healthy with competition, and it keeps those smaller companies in business.

I learned to appreciate to have basses from different manufactureres in the market that actually do have their own distinctive voice and design. Therefore one of those traditional instruments might find its way to my bass shelter (I still could slap myself for not right away buying a brand new Jazz that was simply perfectly build -- those are rare).

The future will tell us, whether an instrument company can afford to live off their heritage instead of trying evolve. I have a feeling that those Custom Shop Relics are the first sign of decadence, and decadence is generally the first step towards decay.
 

oli@bass

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Well... you know the market better that me, that's for sure, but from this frog's distorted perspective the pond looks somehow like this:

Fender tried to evolve their instruments every now and then (e.g. active P-Bass), but what buyers are asking for are the unaltered originals. Those which produce "the" sound they have become used to. Everything else just did not last for long. The only thing that seems to work with customers is to have production instruments which include modifications from famous musicians. Something that I think appeals especially to the unexperienced or beginner.

And for those who left their "I want to sound like player XY" aera behind, they are only looking at classic intrument designs because they produce a classic sound. Look at me... the only reason I'd go and buy a Fender is to get the Jazz Bass tone, with all its pros and cons, nothing else. And I'll prefer it to be as similar to the original design as possible, with the proper woods, only improving on parts that directly affect playability such as the satin finished neck, working tuners, and the string through bridge.


However, in general I prefer the StingRay sound, so I got one... and then one... and maybe soon the next one :D
 

oli@bass

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Maybe what I actually wanted to say was: It's probably not so much about who brings the innovation to the market, but whether customers are willing to accept it. And probably musicians are bit more stubborn and peculiar about their beloved instrument design, than for example drivers about their cars.

Does that make sense?
 

MondoKen

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This thread is still alive?

I'm the original poster of this thread. Since the thread is still going, I will respond to an earlier question. The problems that I experienced and/or observed were as follows.

A new MIA butterscotch Precision with very perceptible milling marks on the body. Contrasted to my Sterling which is prefectly flat and smooth. In fact, I noticed this on almost every painted model Fender makes regardless of it being MIA, MIM or MIJ.

A NIB MIJ White Mustang Bass with frets sticking out enough beyond the fretboard to slice a fretting hand.

A NIB MIM Natural Precision with a big nick in the neck next to the headstock.

Numerous dimples, pin holes, etc in the finish of both natural and painted basses.

Loose jacks on a new Esquire.

Improperly seated string ferrules on an Esquire. The E string on the bass side was seated about over an 1/8 inch deeper than dhte E string on the treble side.

If I was to sum it up. Fenders and Gibsons look mass assembled whereas MusicMans look crafted.
 

muthafunk

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After buying a korean made F****r Pedal Tuner that is actually quater note out of tune, I don't think anyone might be able to put that company on the right way. We're not even talking about basses in this case, it's just a freaking microchip that gets automatically tested...
 
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muthafunk

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Are you sure it cannot be calibrated?

(And maybe it's not an orignial but a cheap copy?!)

I bought it in the US and I was back in Europe when I discovered the problem, and it wasn't possible to return the pedal. I also thought that there should be some calibration potentiometer inside the pedal at least. Other brands have that option. Even my old cheap Zoom bass processor which I only used as a tuner. But I took the pedal apart and found no pots to calibrate the tuner. I actually bought that thing as a present for my friend who plays the guitar, but after discovering the problem, I thought it wouldn't be really nice to give a faulty tuner to him, so everyone else in the band would be blaming him for constantly being out of tune. :eek:

And this is after seeing at least 5 F**** brand 2006 Anniversary Series basses in Daddy's in the beginning of year 2007 all non-functional with broken pots. And they were probably not even used for half a year.

But enought critics :) I've seen one F**** bass in the sotre, korean made actually. They started making them last year I think. This was Deluxe 24 Model with Basslines pick-ups. It costed something like 800 and it was rad! Much better than the most of the basses in the store even twice as expensive.
 
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