Fender vs Gibson

[Pilgrim]

I'm kind of an equal-opportunity bass guy.  I've enjoyed playing old Kay KB-2 basses and a number of different makes and models.

I had a 2000 Midnight Blue MIM Jazz for a number of years; it sound great, played great.  I also have a real 1963 Precision...and it's no better bass than the J is/was.  One sounded like a P, one sounded like a J, but in terms of "sound quality" I couldn't pick between them.  The P is a lot lighter, but it's normal for a J to run heavier than a P.  I also have a Squier Bronco with a Gretsch 2202 pickup that's a great-sounding and playing bass.  Nice light body, fast neck, all the hardware works great.

And no matter what I play, for some reason I sound like me.  Good or bad, that's about all I can ask.

[georgestrings]

Here's a pic of the MIM Squier I mentioned before:



I added the tort PG and bridge cover - it already had the QPs on it when I got it...


     - georgestrings

[uwe]

I'm fine with the sound and the handling of Fender P and J. And I like the look of a Jaguar bass though I didn't like the active electronics of the initial batch.  I have about half a dozen Fenders.

I'm an obsessive non-conformist so the prevalence and ubiquity of Fenders always bugged me. Many people think of Sid Vicious or the iconic The Clash - London Calling cover when they think of a P Bass. I can't help it, but I think of boring dance, Top 40 and non-descript Jazz-Funk bands when I think of a Fender. For some reason, these bands were never seen with a Thunderbird bass.

It's not an anti-Fender thing as such with me. I probably prefer Fender Strats (Blackmore! Gallagher! Gilmour! Hendrix! Boring dance and Top 40 bands!!!) and Teles (Status Quo! Keith Richards!) to any Gibson guitar though I have an affinity for Firebirds (reverse ones) which are hardly ever played by guitarists because they don't like neck-thrus, the darn cretins.

But in the end: If you can't get a decent sound out of any 400 Dollar bass available on the market today, you should perhaps play more tennis.

[ilan]

But in the end: If you can't get a decent sound out of any 400 Dollar bass available on the market today, you should perhaps play more tennis.

+1

[Highlander]

... or the iconic The Clash - London Calling cover...

Pennie Smith took that one - she was one of the house snappers for NME... she still has a little s/h book-shop in the same place since I was a teenager... lived round the corner from me... and I still have hundreds of her originals... she used to sell the scraps for 10p each... one of my favourite pics of hers I own is a shot of Muddy Waters with a Tele... much of the stuff I have is unpublished...

[westen44]

Pennie Smith took that one - she was one of the house snappers for NME... she still has a little s/h book-shop in the same place since I was a teenager... lived round the corner from me... and I still have hundreds of her originals... she used to sell the scraps for 10p each... one of my favourite pics of hers I own is a shot of Muddy Waters with a Tele... much of the stuff I have is unpublished...

I don't know what you've got.  But I'd take great care of it.  Last week on TV they were showing an old Hendrix poster being sold for an incredibly high amount.  I don't even remember the amount.  But it was so high, I was beyond stunned.  My only thought, though, was that someone was making a big mistake and overpricing it by the thousands. 

[Dave W]

I saw that on Antiques Roadshow and was amazed. And that was just a concert poster, imagine if it had been a good photo that hadn't been published before.

Ken, any more photos of famous musicians?

[westen44]

I saw that on Antiques Roadshow and was amazed. And that was just a concert poster, imagine if it had been a good photo that hadn't been published before.

Ken, any more photos of famous musicians?

I think this was on that pawn shop show which I have been critical of before.  However, they're right more than I am.  Plus, on that Hendrix poster I would have said it was worth far less and it looks like I would have been very wrong.  Still, I find it hard to grasp how a poster like that can be worth so much. 

[Dave W]

The one I saw was definitely on Antiques Roadshow a couple of weeks ago, but since their new season just started last week, the show I saw was a repeat.

[westen44]

The one I saw was definitely on Antiques Roadshow a couple of weeks ago, but since their new season just started last week, the show I saw was a repeat.

It's obviously similar items on different shows then.  I don't know what it is about Antiques Roadshow.  I've only seen it a few times.  But every time I'm left wondering why an aunt or uncle couldn't have left me with some obscure paintings or something now worth hundreds of thousands. 

[Highlander]

I sold a few hundred of them a few years back... I still have a box of slides... Hawkwind with Lemmy, CSNY, Zep at Knebworth and loads of odds-n-sodz...

This is a low-res of some guy now gone...

[Highlander]

... and this guy, who's also joined the great rhythm section in the sky...

Most of them were 10x8 glossies...

No country legends though, Dave...

I have some movie "quads" and concert posters I sold - some I kept...

[Highlander]

Posters... Cinema... original Terminator, but the rarer one of the two, the "art" one... original Bladerunner... Zep's TSRTS one... Neil Young - Rust Never Sleeps... Star Trek, the Motion Picture...
Tour ones... Hotel California... Skynyrd's GBMB and On The British Road... Rush's Permanent Waves, the withdrawn one showing CHT Dewey Defeats Truman... I also have a withdrawn cover with it too... a beautiful PF Wish You Were Here "diver" shot... the one below...
All items I'll put on display one day as art...
Most of it's not even 3 figure values but I like them...

[uwe]

The one I saw was definitely on Antiques Roadshow a couple of weeks ago, but since their new season just started last week, the show I saw was a repeat.

Just imagine what that Che pic on the fridge might bring today, Companero!

[Dave W]

I'll bet you have a real treasure trove, Ken.

Just imagine what that Che pic on the fridge might bring today, Companero!

That's one I wouldn't care about even if it were valuable.