LeftyBassist.com

Fender is phasing out the current models of the American Professional and Original guitars and basses. Already, not many of the main online dealers has anything American other than a leftover Precision as far as basses go, an occasional Strat and Jazzmasters.

I'm betting there will be some nice changes but not nice enough to make me sell my AmPro Precision or my AmStd Strat and Tele.

However, I hold out hope uselessly that Fender might offer something daring for us. I hope the answer to What's New From Fender will be answered by a bass or guitar that they either haven't offered in a while--fretless--or something new for us. Again, probably a hopeless hope.

The website only has the Player series and mod shop left handed at the moment.

I was hoping there’d be something lefty in the Squier Paranormal range. That ‘54 jazz is pretty interesting. I only found a couple short reviews of it but it seems pretty cool.
I hate to be pessimistic but I’d guess anything new from Fender would be similar to what they they did with the Player series; similar models and price points but with a new name for the series. Not to scoff at those, i think it was nice they actually had some good color options for the southpaws.

They're already replacing them? I thought the AmPro was very well received and liked! I've never tried any USA Fenders other than my '00 American Standard Telecaster (from just before the introduction of the American Series). I don't really understand why they keep changing the name.

Jeroen wrote:They're already replacing them? I thought the AmPro was very well received and liked! I've never tried any USA Fenders other than my '00 American Standard Telecaster (from just before the introduction of the American Series). I don't really understand why they keep changing the name.

An interviewee said that Fender revises their guitars in 3 year cycles--I think that's a bit of horseshit since the American Standard went unchanged from 2008-2016, as far as I know. It's become their business model.

I have an AmPro Precision, and it is excellent. I love everything about its sound. The whole line is excellent from what I understand. There has been fora bitching about the pups on the Strat, but there are always folks who just don't like something, even if it's great--you can't people for not liking this or that--personal tastes.

I have been thinking about nothing but a Fender fretless. But since yesterday, when I saw a vid of someone playing a fretless Ric, I'm obsessing over a bass that Ric will probably never release in a lefty. I'd buy one today and go easy on groceries for a couple of months.

Well, I just added this bass - an American Mustang, and it plays and sounds incredible.
Why no lefties? That's okay, I'll just do what I've always done and convert it to lefty.

pete

ch willie wrote:I have been thinking about nothing but a Fender fretless. But since yesterday, when I saw a vid of someone playing a fretless Ric, I'm obsessing over a bass that Ric will probably never release in a lefty. I'd buy one today and go easy on groceries for a couple of months.

That's funny, I had the same revelation last weekend when I watched a reunion show of Dutch comedian Harry Jekkers and his old band Klein Orkest. When they performed their biggest hit, "Over de muur" about the Berlin Wall, the bass player used a fretless 4003 and it sounded incredible.

https://youtu.be/yM0WWUW7YXc?t=1774

I'm telling ya!

It just popped into my mind, and the dude in the vid was playing a Fretless 4001 or 4003, black coated strings. Its sound was so "orchestral". The beauty of it is that it had the Ric bass tone, but it was deeper and richer. I watched a couple more vids, and the basses sounded almost as good as it.

It had fret lines too, which I'd have to have.

But what a wonderful surprise to find that the fretless Rics sound so great.

My fretless Ric is my favorite bass. That’s an accurate description of its tone. Kind of has a cello-like deal going. A natural rich melancholy tone.

donahue wrote:My fretless Ric is my favorite bass. That’s an accurate description of its tone. Kind of has a cello-like deal going. A natural rich melancholy tone.

Did you have the fretboard converted, or was it fretless from the factory?

ch willie wrote:

donahue wrote:My fretless Ric is my favorite bass. That’s an accurate description of its tone. Kind of has a cello-like deal going. A natural rich melancholy tone.

Did you have the fretboard converted, or was it fretless from the factory?

Fretless from the factory, but I wouldn’t hesitate a bit to have one converted by a good luthier.

ch willie wrote:Fender is phasing out the current models of the American Professional and Original guitars and basses. Already, not many of the main online dealers has anything American other than a leftover Precision as far as basses go, an occasional Strat and Jazzmasters.

I'm betting there will be some nice changes but not nice enough to make me sell my AmPro Precision or my AmStd Strat and Tele.

However, I hold out hope uselessly that Fender might offer something daring for us. I hope the answer to What's New From Fender will be answered by a bass or guitar that they either haven't offered in a while--fretless--or something new for us. Again, probably a hopeless hope.

The answer is yes to something we haven't had in a while in the American built stuff.

The answer is no to fretless.

I'm guessing nothing big, so either maple fingerboards or PJ pickups. Nothing major like, god forbid, lefty Mustangs or something. Because who's waiting for those, right?

bigevilrobot wrote:

ch willie wrote:Fender is phasing out the current models of the American Professional and Original guitars and basses. Already, not many of the main online dealers has anything American other than a leftover Precision as far as basses go, an occasional Strat and Jazzmasters.

I'm betting there will be some nice changes but not nice enough to make me sell my AmPro Precision or my AmStd Strat and Tele.

However, I hold out hope uselessly that Fender might offer something daring for us. I hope the answer to What's New From Fender will be answered by a bass or guitar that they either haven't offered in a while--fretless--or something new for us. Again, probably a hopeless hope.

The answer is yes to something we haven't had in a while in the American built stuff.

The answer is no to fretless.

Well? What is it?

Living on retirement funds and looking for a job, I did a stupid but wonderful thing. Put an offer in on a Ric 4003 for a conversion to fretless. I seriously can't believe I didn't think of getting a bass fb converted.

ch willie wrote:Living on retirement funds and looking for a job, I did a stupid but wonderful thing. Put an offer in on a Ric 4003 for a conversion to fretless. I seriously can't believe I didn't think of getting a bass fb converted.

Congratulations! That’s great!

donahue wrote:

ch willie wrote:Living on retirement funds and looking for a job, I did a stupid but wonderful thing. Put an offer in on a Ric 4003 for a conversion to fretless. I seriously can't believe I didn't think of getting a bass fb converted.

Congratulations! That’s great!

I'm sorry if I've repeated this. I already own a 78 4001 I bought new. I had toasters and horseshoe put in, and I love it. I think the stock pups were flukes--terrible, treble pickup had nothing but thin ping. I adjusted, tried everything. 30 years later, got those pups and the bass came to life.

And it's my fave bass, tied with my Hofner, with the Fenders behind those.

So I'm already a big fan of Rics. I play a 330 as my main guitar.

Jeroen wrote:I'm guessing nothing big, so either maple fingerboards or PJ pickups. Nothing major like, god forbid, lefty Mustangs or something. Because who's waiting for those, right?

I can't see them doing a lefty Mustang Bass, even with the popularity of the short scale on the rise. You'd be more likely to see MM or G&L do their shortscales lefty first.

That said, FSR's still do happen, just takes enough dealers with enough interest sometimes. Just not sure if they'd sink any effort(money) into the tooling for left handed mustangs for a short run.

ch willie wrote:Living on retirement funds and looking for a job, I did a stupid but wonderful thing. Put an offer in on a Ric 4003 for a conversion to fretless. I seriously can't believe I didn't think of getting a bass fb converted.

Just a thought: I would recommend either using a 4003s for that (with dot inlays), replacing the fingerboard (since the harder material of the large inlays will produce a different tone than the wood) or having the whole fingerboard epoxied.

Jeroen wrote:

ch willie wrote:Living on retirement funds and looking for a job, I did a stupid but wonderful thing. Put an offer in on a Ric 4003 for a conversion to fretless. I seriously can't believe I didn't think of getting a bass fb converted.

Just a thought: I would recommend either using a 4003s for that (with dot inlays), replacing the fingerboard (since the harder material of the large inlays will produce a different tone than the wood) or having the whole fingerboard epoxied.

I almost bought a 4003s for the job. Hit the buy button and then decided against it. I've got a great AmStd Jazz Bass, and I thought, it's perfect for a defretting. It's not one of my "go to" basses, but it's a winner and a keeper. I took it in today. I'm excited about it.