Here's one: Meteora Basses

Goztheking

Goztheking

Mar 22, 2023
15
6
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#1
So, Fender Meteora. Custom shop tele alternative to mim hardtail, to the newest body shape to the fender line.
And the bass version comes out. I don't know about any of you, and it could be where i'd have to see one in person, but that bass body looks TINY relative to it's scale length.

I'm pretty confused as to why meteora wasn't gonna be the new short scale bass, and i'd seriously think on it in that case but it just looks so off to me as it currently is. Any firsthand players or fender fans feel the same?
 
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#2
Goztheking said:
So, Fender Meteora. Custom shop tele alternative to mim hardtail, to the newest body shape to the fender line.
And the bass version comes out. I don't know about any of you, and it could be where i'd have to see one in person, but that bass body looks TINY relative to it's scale length.

I'm pretty confused as to why meteora wasn't gonna be the new short scale bass, and i'd seriously think on it in that case but it just looks so off to me as it currently is. Any firsthand players or fender fans feel the same?
Click to expand...


I own one...it's not as small as you think...

278353946_1673334293059445_9161039195158586702_n.jpg


 
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#5
Goztheking said:
So, Fender Meteora. Custom shop tele alternative to mim hardtail, to the newest body shape to the fender line.
And the bass version comes out. I don't know about any of you, and it could be where i'd have to see one in person, but that bass body looks TINY relative to it's scale length.

I'm pretty confused as to why meteora wasn't gonna be the new short scale bass, and i'd seriously think on it in that case but it just looks so off to me as it currently is. Any firsthand players or fender fans feel the same?
Click to expand...
It’s actually one of my longer reach basses. It almost feels like a 35” scale with how I reach out to the 1st fret with my left hand.
 
#6
mellobud said:
It’s actually one of my longer reach basses. It almost feels like a 35” scale with how I reach out to the 1st fret with my left hand.
Click to expand...
Yeah, it looks longer like said it feels like a longer scale length, most likely cause how offset it is? It just doesn't look right to me still. I have my P bass, and I own a mim HH meteora guitar but i guess i really wanted a short scale meteora?
 
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#7
Goztheking said:
Yeah, it looks longer like said it feels like a longer scale length, most likely cause how offset it is? It just doesn't look right to me still. I have my P bass, and I own a mim HH meteora guitar but i guess i really wanted a short scale meteora?
Click to expand...
Maybe because how thin the body is from side to side it throws it off for me. That's my best guess
 
#10
TK1820 said:
Whatever, looks pretty cool! How do they play?
Click to expand...
Taken from my NBD thread awhile back:


The good:
-Tuners are solid
-Electronics are quiet
-Neck has been stable as the humidity has dropped
-quality bridge
-unique tone/voice that still sounds like a Fender somehow (passive and active)
-comfortable to play

The bad:
-jack location is stupid and should’ve been on the pickguard.
-Tough to lean against anything
-certain guitar stands don’t work
-1st fret feels further away than a jazz but not as bad as a thunderbird
-cut on the eq is drastic as is boost
-active treble knob is at a frequency range that I don’t seem to use much
-wish it had a truss rod wheel (they had a chance to be different with this model)

The ugly:
-knobs have some casting flash that can feel sharp around the top of the knob
-pickups arrived installed askew from front to back (no care in getting the height uniform between screws)
-center detent on mid eq knob is gritty and nonexistent counter clockwise but present when rotating clockwise.
-blend pot could’ve been a 3way toggle based on how it acts. Any sliver past the detent either way and it sounds like a soloed pickup.
-plastic battery compartment doesn’t seem very robust

This past month, I’ve been rotating this bass into rehearsals and practice. It has the ability to sound vintage in passive and modern in active all while still having a very fender-y sound. Neck pickup sounds very reminiscent of a soloed jazz neck pu and bridge pu sounds like it’s jazz counterpart. The slight mid scoop is still there with both pu’s on as well. It barks through at my band rehearsals as I eq for mids in that context. It has the ability to really push the lows if you are looking for that low end. I haven’t really interacted with the high eq knob because 3/4 of my cabs have no horn or tweeter and I can’t tell much difference unless I’m playing through the one cab that does (which I keep turned down anyway). I’m not a huge fan of the stock fender strings but I’m too cheap to cut them off before they sound dead. I enjoy the look. I enjoy the sound that I can dial in. I enjoy the feel of playing it as it feels familiar if you already play jazz basses.

Solid effort with some need for additional QC in the electronic component area.
There are better options in the price range but none are going to have the looks like this one.
Looks good on my wall.
 
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#11
J0ttem said:
Here's mine, next to my standard scale Jaguar and an actual shortscale Flying V:
silverburst-trio-png.4778574


As you can see, the body is somewhat similar to the Jag, just a bit thinner with a more pronounced offset.
Click to expand...
Yet another reminder that I need more Silverburst in my life... :rolleyes:
 
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#13
Goztheking said:
I'm pretty confused as to why meteora wasn't gonna be the new short scale bass....
Click to expand...

Fender makes things they think will sell. Short scales are a small segment of the market. Odd shapes (anything that isn't a P or J) is a small segment of the market. If you make a short scale in an odd shape, the potential market is truly tiny - for them, it wouldn't be worth it. You may be part of the market for such a thing, but the likelihood is you're part of a very small club.
 
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#14
mellobud said:
It’s actually one of my longer reach basses. It almost feels like a 35” scale with how I reach out to the 1st fret with my left hand.
Click to expand...

Both strap buttons are shifted towards the butt end of the thing - the upper horn is short, and the space behind the bridge is longer than normal, so yeah, that's gonna be a reach monster for some folks.
 
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#15
Typically if it isn't something that "closely " resembles a P or a J it will die on the vine. The die hard "Fenderites" will snub it. A prime example is the Fender Dimension. Lasted just a few years and just disappeared. That may just be the case with this bass?? It will be interesting to see how long this change is around.
 
#16
Five or Six said:
Typically if it isn't something that "closely " resembles a P or a J it will die on the vine. The die hard "Fenderites" will snub it. A prime example is the Fender Dimension. Lasted just a few years and just disappeared. That may just be the case with this bass?? It will be interesting to see how long this change is around.
Click to expand...
I’d really like it if they did a 5 way switch like the SBMM Ray34HH rather than a neck/bridge blend.
That’d give you neck H, bridge H, both H, outside coils, and inside coils.
 
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#19
I tried a few a while back, and I really liked it. As said before, the electronics need some attention, but it sounded nice and thick. I didn't really notice a stretch, but maybe it's because I play a T-bird a lot as well. In the end I didn't buy one, but it's still on my shortlist. I hope the model stays, it's really (finally) something else from Fender.
 
#20
I'm not much of a Fender fan, but it's surprisingly good...even without a tone control knob.
Of course, those finishes don't show much imagination...they should've asked me for some help...but, hey, they were probably trying to play it safe.
 
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