I own one of the surf pearl American Elite Jazz V’s like the OP posted, and I agree, it does look much much better in person.
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I would also add that for standard and vintage guitars and basses, being the neck pocket the same, you can exchange necks and bodies between different models and this is absolutely a marvellous feature Fender offers ...Wow. Such angst. I guess the Christmas spirit has a shorter shelf life than the Christmas dinner. I never noticed the shortage of matching headstocks on Fenders. My natural P with a maple neck has a perfectly matched headstock.For those of you who insist on custom colors, what would happen if you decided to slap a new neck on your Daphne blue baby and the only one available had a Sherwood green headstock? Hmmm? The beauty of Fender basses is that they are utilitarian instruments that are designed to be almost indestructible, and easily reparable in the event of a catastrophe. Perhaps the notion of plain headstocks was to make the replacement necks a universal fit. I can't imagine an attractive version of sunburst on a headstock. The downside of this is that counterfeiters have less work to do. Slap on a decal and you're good to go.
Saw one of the Surf Pearl 4-string bodies recently on the Stratosphere.
Good price, too.
Always a nice alternative.
Good price, too.
Always a nice alternative.
Yeah.yes and no!
Each time Fender did something else (and they did!!!) It did not sell half as much as their 50s designs!!!
Wise
Fender only focuses on the "needs of the many"
Not the "needs of the few"
That's why I go to other makers who focus on the "needs of the few"
And there seem to be more of them these days.
I watch a lot of bands on TV and a huge number of them have a Fender bass and Ampeg amp. Quite a few of them.
It's o.k. with me that you think $2.000 is the cut off, but the impression you made, that all "serious" musicians in Europe buy + 2.000,- instruments while the majority of Americans buy cheap stuff isn't based on facts. There is not much of a difference, I rather tend to believe that more North-Americans buy the expensive Warwick and Sadowsky instruments than Europeans.
My main instrument is a +2.000,- bass, but there are a lot of instruments out there for 700,- 1.500,- that are as good or better than US Fenders were in the 60's and 70's. And these were good enough for some serious music.
Production methods and cost-saving measures have come a long way since then.
And to be honest: a Fender type bass isn't exactly rocket science.
Personally I like the look of a matching head stock. My Jazz Special has a matching black head stock and I think it looks slick. I had a Squier Precision Special years ago that was the same, despite it being a Squier (gear snobs) I would get compliments on the way it looked all the time. Hopefully Fender some day will come out with more of these options at a good quality but the lesser price tag as well...MIM grade perhaps?
I assembled an Am. Pro. P bass with parts from them exported to Italy ... astounding result as the body was combined with the neck of an Am. Standard jazz bass !
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I think they'll manage to survive just fine without your business, lol...
Nothing wrong with someone disliking Fender. Not like he started a thread on it.
No, sorry, but I disagree ... too easy to say something is s..t without explanations .. it’s just a useless comment and I believe we can live without this kind of comments Fender or not !
Are you saying that comment is ... bullpoopie
???
Although I don't dislike Fender, I DO agree that they have diminished the value of many once-acclaimed brands.
Was thinking the same thing - then again, it is a post in a troll thread...
If it was said seriously it is really bullpoopie ... if this is a troll then I should shut up !Are you saying that comment is ... bullpoopie
- Aug 3, 2007
- 1,678
- 2,142
- 4,836
- Disclosures
- Current: Blackstar, DR strings, Nady. Previous endorsements with: GK, Rotosound, Ernie Ball, Cleartone, EMG, Dean, Dava Picks, Rebel Straps, Dickies
The company has been selling instruments a long time. It stands to reason if they only offer certain colors, it would be because the market has already spoken and those are the best selling colors.
They're in debt and offering a music teaching subscription service, and the mod shop to lightly customize basses and guitars without going full tilt custom shop. They're keeping their head above water by pulling back on risky expenditures and expanding options where the least amount of cost is involved. The color of a sub $500 bass that doesn't have a huge profit margin becomes a serious question when their goal is longevity and profit.
- Aug 3, 2007
- 1,678
- 2,142
- 4,836
- Disclosures
- Current: Blackstar, DR strings, Nady. Previous endorsements with: GK, Rotosound, Ernie Ball, Cleartone, EMG, Dean, Dava Picks, Rebel Straps, Dickies
I have the same base feelings about any bash or dislike thread on this forum. A lot of them have little to no rational explanation for why they dislike a certain piece of gear. I probed a guy objectively about a month ago in another thread, and he flat out said, "I just don't like it, okay", or something to that effect. There was absolutely no reason to continue any conversation with the guy because he immediately proved he didn't want to be rational, he just wanted to whine and wanted someone to hear him. While the comment made me lol because he sounded juvenile, he did have a point, though not one he was trying to make. This is an open forum, and no matter how asinine a topic may be, it's their right to post it or comment on it short of disrespecting someone. TB members do a really good job about chasing off others that contribute nothing more than whining and complaining, by using logic and fact for the most part.
I probably find myself subtly trying to steer people to say what they really mean, more often than I should, especially here. However, it's a full time job and one i'm not getting paid for, so I try to only ask what is necessary to help people flesh out their complaints or questions in a rational, coherent form that others can then effectively help.