Fernandes 'The Function' Explorer

[Chris P.]

Hi guys,

I'm bidding on this bass. It's an Fernandes 'The Function' Explorer. It has a bolt-on neck and it's eighties. I found some Fernandes brochures online of '81, '82 and '83, but I could only find a one pick up Explorer.

If I win it I'll keep it this way or I try to put my 70s Fender black block neck on it as a kind of a Explorerbird. The Fender neck has 20 frets and this one 21, so maybe the bridhe has to be replaced a bit. But maybe I keep it as it is. I'll try to win her first...

Why an Explorer? Well, JAE and Freddie Cavalli of Herman Brood's Wild Romance:)

And the question: I can't find anything about this bass on the internet or Harmony Central. So any help is welcome!

[Basvarken]

Ladies and gentlemen we are witnessing the memorable day that Chris P Dekker comes out of the closet and reveals his alter ego: The Satanic Metal Maniac...

All those years he held a somewhat receding black frizz under that notorious cap of his.




Are you going to remove the last nine frets as well Chris?

[Chris P.]

Yep, and today I will buy myself a spandex suit:)


I think this was already discussed somewhere earlier. People always get an instant metal feel when they see a Flying V, Explorer or Thunderbird. But:

The first V users where guys like Dave Davies (the Kinks), bluesman Albert King, later on Pete Townshend.

Explorers are/where used by The Edge, Entwistle, ... Thunderbirds, of course, can be seen in a lot of musical styles too.

[Dave W]

The first V user I was aware of was Lonnie Mack. He bought his when they first came out, and AFAIK he still has it. Definitely not a metal guy.

[Chris P.]

As we all know, Dave W, Dave D was three days earlier with buying one. He mailed it to me personally.

But erm...

Cool, to know!

But does anyone know anything about the Fernandes Explorer? I still can't find a thing....

[rahock]

I've seen at least a half a dozen basses with that style, but I never heard of a Fernandes anything
Rick

[Chris P.]

My first guitar player had a Fernandes Strat and he liked it. It's quite an old and well known brand, famous for their sustainer pick up. That's like an on-board e-Bow. A special pick up with endless sustain. Some guitar players build 'm in other guitars. Nigel Tuffnel would like it.

In the late seventies and early eighties, like Ibanez and so, they build a lot of clones of all types of Gibsons and Fenders.

[Saf]

never seen this bass under the fernandes brands, looks pretty simulat to an arie bass I once had. Love the look of the pups i nthis one.

[Chris P.]

I like the look of the pick ups too!

See: Gibson. Berth just told me the Epi Explorer is back. 329 euros, 'LTD' and set neck. But I like this one better, it's 300 euros and it has a case:)

[Dave W]

The Fernandes name was chosen because of its similarity to Fender (from a distance), like those Ibanez headstocks where the lettering could fool you from a distance.

I haven't seen many new ones in the US in the last 10 years. I'm not sure why.

Anyway, I've never seen or heard of the Function bass.

[Chris P.]

As soon as it's here, I'll do a full review.

[Blazer]

The first V user I was aware of was Lonnie Mack. He bought his when they first came out, and AFAIK he still has it. Definitely not a metal guy.

Perhaps even earlier than Lonnie Mack was Albert King.

Although I might be wrong.

[Highlander]

Is that a crack in that headstock...?   no problem if you are planning a Fendorer/Explender...

Not my style, this shape, neither guitar nor bass (a-la-Ric-Savage), nor the Vee bass (a-la-Jack-Cassidy), but I'm sure they have there fans here, and Uwe will almost certainly have one of each, at least, to offer a functional opinion...  

Dave, I remember seeing pics of Neil Young showing people how NOT to play a Vee, but that was welllll after the guys youve mentioned... and I remember seeing him playing an Explorer on the Trans tour... now that was weird, but it did mean I got to see Bruce Palmer... Go on, please tell me you were lucky enough to have seen the Buffalos... Then I can be SERIOUSLY ENVIOUS...

[Blazer]

Thanks for that clip, that was great stuff! 

It's also the first time I saw Cronos play a different bass from his normally favored Aria Pro 2 basses. This was an Ibanez Destroyer, right?

[Dave W]

I don't know whether or not Lonnie Mack was the first, I just meant he was the first I was aware of. I bought my first guitar in 1959 from a full line Gibson dealer and took lessons there and I never even heard of a V until I saw a picture of Lonnie with his in the early 60s. Even then at first I thought it must have been custom made by Gibson for him.