Steve Bailey Signature Bass Interview

[BassFever74]

Wouldn't mind having his previous model made by Aria, also.

[BassFever74]

What I like about Fender Basses is every feature is designed for a reason. I want a fretted model!!!!

[thecrashinghighways]

hey anyone know why this bass is no longer on the fender website as well as the victor bailey bass?

[mr4y]

@thecrashinghighways Steve Bailey is a Warwick endorser now

[thecrashinghighways]

@mr4y so now the only fender 6 string is gone dang

[terminator4100]

3 people play 7string bass!

[ReveCodi69]

les is the best

[ChiapasZapata]

SB= Hulk of Bass

[scarred2112]

Now that Steve has gone over to Warwick and has a Signature Series with them (not just 6s, but 5 and 4-string fretless & fretted versions) I can only hope than Fender will get rid of the remaining stock at a Clearance Price around the range of 2K or lower - I've purchased multiple *fine* instruments than way, and I actually prefer the "Extended J" tone of his Fender model as opposed to the Bassline Soapbar-equipped Warwick model.

[SpaceVulcan]

Nice eh, I'd buy one now... but 3k?

[MushroomDisorder]

OO!

I really like it how he uses the thumb too,it looks like hes playing an upright bass!

:) cool man!

[xXGzArRuKXx]

1:44 is that Vic playing the fretted bass?? :O

[thecrashinghighways]

im thinking of getting this as my next bass.

[thecrashinghighways]

0:56 OMG HES SHORT!! LOOK AT HIM THEN THE GUITAR PLAYER!!!

[KingZig86]

CT or GTFO

[BartiderWaldschrat]

love this bass,.....just have an 5 string fretless,....I want this bass!!!

[Akshay8585]

thank you steve for making my dream of a 6 string J J fender bass come true :O OR OR OR show it to a good tech

[Akshay8585]

thank you steve for making my dream of a 6 string J J fender bass come true :O

[bustabo23]

is he a midget?

[thatoneguy99100]

steve is such an awesome guy and im really glad i had the chance to meet him. i learned so much from him

[bigtoine45]

I just bought one of these. It has a high pitch buzz all the time. It only goes away when I use the mute switch. Got any suggestions?

[Akshay8585]

@bigtoine45 use the mute switch all the time! or play around with the eq

[tburn66]

fender have a wicked..custom shop

[atz4]

i could never play a bass like that, the strings are so close near the headstock...

[hallunath]

where do these nasty players come from?...and why do they come to intimidate players like me :P

[vitaobass]

the body its sabe look aria pro II

[zmoney682]

now this is a man that knows bass... I was just watching that fag from hey monday's interview and how he love SQUIERS!!!! this guy is great,keeping real bassists alive.

[Volodjah]

Jaco is Jaco! But Steve is Steve! why we have to compare?

[dragon21247]

@Volodjah you cant jaco started it and you cant compare anyone to the guy who started the ball rolling steve has developed it to the level of a true art form we dont have jaco anymore so now its up to bailey to see where it is headed i personally hope it doesnt ever stop growing from everyones contributions i, dont think anyone is better than the other just different and thats a whole new world when you look at it that way

[thecrashinghighways]

@Volodjah because people are dumb. they only see that both are fretless bass players and need to compare them.

[scarzz86]

O_o over a 1000€ fuck!!! that expensive

[essna]

@scarzz86 Its not just expensive, just like all fenders (with 2 pickups) when you use the bridge pickup alone you get that horrible buzz that makes you wanna ask for your money back. Its a shame I always wanted a fender but i'll stay on other brands for that price.

[dragon21247]

@essna keep the front pickup pot just cracked enough so you dont change the phasing and it doesn't color the sound of the back pickup

[DreadnoughtMetal2006]

The problem with this is the retail price.

£1,950 / €2,000 / $3,200

Otherwise, looks like a plan :D

[dinoantimental]

1:43 is the FREEDOM JAZZ DANCE WOOOW!

[RLHubner]

1:42 OMFG, Victor Wooten playing a Fender? Get outta here.

[Bygde]

I guess draging a Fodera up on a Fender stage might be frowned upon by the Fender-guys ;)

[bemolable]

JACO just needed 4 string and He really was killer

[bassist12345]

the amount of strings any one bassist uses compared to the amount any other uses is totally irrelevant to anything.... it's just a matter of personal preference. i personally love 4,5, and 6 strings.

[thecrashinghighways]

@bassist12345 i agree i hate when people say real bass players only play 4 strings. they say that extended range is like cheating. makes me really mad

[dragon21247]

@thecrashinghighways mike marning has 4 hipshot de-tuners on his 4 zon so how bad is he cheating???

[xiz90]

@bemolable And the point being?

[Deep5112]

wew aja dech coment nya hhhah....

[lummond]

This is a really badass bass - too bad they didn't spend any time talking about the compound fingerboard radius.

However, how in the world do string retainers help string tension? Tension is a ratio between scale lenth, string gauge, and pitch. What happens before or after the nut and bridge is pretty irrelevant as far as tension is concerned.

[Nacho66]

@lummond

[Nacho66]

Not true. A string tree makes for a 'clean break' in the tension of the strings.

I have a Fender Roscoe Beck V that has a string tree on only the A, D, and G strings.

This means I have to be very careful how I wind the E and the B for an even 'break' at the nut.

The better the job I do, the better and more even the string tension is on the whole bass. This also makes for better sustain.

[lummond]

@Nacho66 No way. String trees are only found on instruments with flat headstocks, like Fenders. This is to simulate the headstock being angled so the strings press firmly against the nut like they do on Gibsons, Ibanez, etc with angled headstocks. What happens before or after the nut and bridge shouldn't make a difference - there won't be one ounce more or less tension.

[lummond]

@Nacho66 To clarify, string trees are only there to keep the strings from flying off on an instrument with a flat headstock.

[14rush14]

wow, i love it how much he loves jazz basses, i own one they rock

[xfilth]

Steve Bailey is the biggest dwarf I've ever seen

[chrisprecision]

nice bass

nice sound !!!

[KongoXIIV]

YES HE SAID IT!

"It's jus like a human voice"

THAT is exactly how I explain them! It really is like, and close to, the human voice.

[Spoonman8888]

the reason i dont own a fender is there are some amazing fender basses out there but they are one in a million...and cost about the same like can you imagine the chunk of cash tied to that bass hes playing?

[RLHubner]

Lol at these guys complaining about the Jazz Bass...

If it wasn't for Fender, Warwicks would probably not exist.

[SketchRazor]

Well bailey did say that part of his playing style is not always being in tune, but if you ask me it really does sound stupid, fretless bass already strikes out enough of a unique tone without playing out of tune. And yeah, those basses are disgusting, the 4 strings are almost bearable but this model is as you say an ugly melting blob.

[morganchavis]

Fretless is supposed to have that strange sound but you can get a regular sound out of a fretless, I've played them and I can get them to sound "normal". Fenders can make some nice basses, Warwicks are junky and there's no real feel put into them. Victor Wooten is just all over the place, Steve doesn't always have to play fast and crazy which is good. Wooten isn't bad he's just always doing too much, I'm not dissing him though. You obviously don't understand fretles or talent.

[RadixBloom]

sure

[aceofbass131]

Fender can also make a crappy bass...lots of them. I would consider a fender as a run of the mill bass...a cavalcade of mediocrity...only 21 f**king frets?! horrible life decision.

And, Warwicks...growl, growl, growl. Junky? not at all, my bass is a 97 Thumb bolt on...still sounds great, and no intonation problems... I can't tell you how pitchy fenders get after the 15th fret. And, I assume you play a Jazz....you don't like thick necks like the P bass or a Warwick.

[aceofbass131]

You and me both, buddy. I love warwicks. Granted, i appreciate fretless "pitchy" tone...but for a growl tone....Warwick

[taufoofar]

You cannot compare Fenders with Foderas. Foderas are like Ferraris compared to Mercs. Fenders have one of the most classic looks around. Why Fender guitars look like so-called "old car interiors" is simply because Fender basses are the first basses around, AND they are old. Their trademark is in the vintage look, you can't take that away. The sound of a Fender bass is also awesome plus they are of great quality. And don't compare Bailey to Wooten. He's the best fretless player after Pastorius.

[coltshockey81]

I think its so funny that this Fender representative made a big deal out of the string retainer. He spent time marketing a $5 part on the headstock. Any real bass player wouldn't buy a bass simply because of a string retainer.

[cfalberg]

woa look at the drummer at 1:46

[sebas1111]

ese concha, simpático el bailey

[Josephdorf03]

My guitar teacher is an 8 string bass player. he can do some amazing stuff with it!

[xdux]

to me steve, this sounds like your dr heartfield and the aria signature u had prior. i dont really hear a tonal difference yet. maybe if u can post vids of you playing this bass in the lower register ill hear its true meaty tone come out ?

it does LOOK cool as heck! =) thanks - nice to see u again at namm. peace. alan

[nbw86]

wow awsome. So glad fender has a 6'er now.

Now time to put the pressure on nino valenti/sadowsky to do so as well :)

[SpectorRay1]

I can see Roger Sadowsky jumping into this if he hasn't planned to already. Since Nino is a small builder, I don't know if he'll tackle this venture anytime soon.

[himynameisfelps]

fretless? how?

[chriscommissomusic]

How? just take the frets out..easy!

[imingoodhands24]

ya its pretty funny but theres a face that guitarist get when there in the zone but the bassits get a sweet ass! face when they are in the zone.

[matthewgoodnight92]

dude has anyone ever noticed that goofy face that bassists get when they're in the zone?

[wackiirahki]

alright fender...y'all fucked us already by jacking up your prices during this time of economic crisis, so how much are ya gonna charge us for this beast(which i may go against all common sense and better judgement and convince myself to purchace, you bastards...)?

[quaz18]

$2,499.99

[wackiirahki]

is that list or street price?

[quaz18]

list, at least on most sites....

[wackiirahki]

pricey as expected, but it sure is lovely....thanks man.

[comehead914]

yah the mexican jazz basses are like 700 bucks now , i got an old one from when they used american parts for 300

[EADGGuy]

According to the Fender website, this monster retails at $3,130.00.

[wackiirahki]

that's kindda expected being that it's their first true six string bass, and that steve's name is on it. now all i have to do is win the lottery....

[ultimabass]

lol good luck with that

[homeslice1479]

GC carries them for $2500. Still a massive chunk of change. It's my dream come true though: a 6-string J-bass from Fender. I agree with the legend here: there's nothing like that vintage J-bass tone.

[aaaah909]

FIRST lol