by Brian Williams

Created on: March 26, 2009

Superman vs. Batman. Chocolate vs. vanilla. Ginger vs. Maryann. All good topics for face-offs around the hot stove, but the Fender vs. Gibson argument is the one that gets more feathers ruffled and panties bunched among the die-hards than any other.

Being a bass player, I give the nod to Fender. Papa Leo's designs are the most copied, his creations more sought after, his sounds easily the most distinguishable among bass enthusiasts than those of Gibson. Not trying to discount what the boys at Gibson had going on in the early days, but Fender's Precision bass sound (and later on the Jazz) defined Detroit's Motown scene with the Funk Brothers. Jaco Pastorius, widely regarded as the best bass player ever, used a fretless Jazz bass. Sure, Gibson had it's converts with notables like Jack Bruce and John Entwistle, but no instrument reached across barriers to be the go to weapon of choice for some of music history's greatest names from metal to reggae to country.

Gibson has an iron fist the guitar world, making the Les Paul/Marshall amp combo the best 1-2 punch in rock n' roll. They release, and continue to release, tried and true icons like the Thunderbird and EB series, changing little over the decades. Leo Fender was never one to rest on his creative laurels though, and besides improving on his original designs, he went on to create Music Man instruments which are just as coveted as those bearing his namesake. Not only that, but in his latter years he developed the G&L company with George Fullerton. All three manufacturers still have a strong sales presence in an otherwise overly crowded market today.

Read any product review of any bass, and I'll bet dollars to donuts that the reviewer will state how close bass guitar X can come to getting a "warm P bass tone" or "Jazz bass honk". Shopping for boutique basses, you'll find nearly all offer either a Jazz, Precision, or both in their stable of custom offerings; some even base their entire catalog on them. Not many ask customers to shell out thousands of dollars for a Grabber or a Ripper lookalike, and not many should.

Although Fender has done some gimmicky designs in the past, they usually don't sell well. When people shop for a Fender, they want simplicity, performance, quality. They buy what they know will work. With Gibson's plastic looking see-through guitars and sliding bridges and decidedly user un-friendly body styles, it's no wonder Jazz basses are the highest selling bass guitar of all time. And few things are as attractive in the world of music than a well worn, road hard Precision or pristine Jazz glistening in the stage lights. Gibsons were/are designed to make the player look uncomfortable and to scare nuns.

Time passes, tastes change, but the folks at Fender still take their founder's dream to heart. While they occasionally misfire by trying to deviate too far from the formula, they come right back around again by including lighter materials or incorporating new technology in the manufacturing process. Their stable of pro and amateur musicians speak for itself: among those who can afford any instrument they want and those wanting the most bang for their stressed out dollar, Fender delivers time and time again, without lack of vision or the players' interests at heart.

Since the 1950s: Fender 1, Gibson 0.

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