Some People Blame GC, I'm blaming Fender

[blendermassacre]

This picture is an American Standard P I pulled off the wall in Guitar Center. I didn't realize when I pulled it down, but the volume knob was missing. Then I realized how the pickups were adjusted in the body. Both ends, E and G, were flush with the body, while the middle of the pickups were all the way up. I find it hard to imagine that anyone at guitar center, employee or patron, brought their handy phillips head screwdriver and mis adjusted them. They basically had to come from the factory that way. So I put that crapper back on the wall and went to take a sunburst American Standard P off the wall. Oh look. Same pickup setup.

Every Squire in the building was set up better than that.

[bassplayer83192]

I think its a mix of Fender and GC both droping the ball

[blendermassacre]

GC should be fixing it, but it came that way from Fender.

[cbrophy]

Radius of Fretboard

[steamthief]

It's Fender's fault that a volume knob was taken off a bass in GC?

[Floridabwoy]

minus the knob... that is how p bass pickups are supposed to be set up

[blendermassacre]

Originally Posted by steamthief

It's Fender's fault that a volume knob was taken off a bass in GC?

considering it's a set screw type, and I tried to pull the other one off as hard as I could () just to see if it would come off, I would say partly. I wasn't as befuddled by the knob (obviously stuff happens, especially at Guitar Center), as much as the pickups.

[steamthief]

Originally Posted by cbrophy

Radius of Fretboard

+1, to ensure equal string volume, my P/J came back from a pro setup looking exactly like that. Well, not exactly, my setup guy didn't swipe a knob.

[blendermassacre]

Originally Posted by Floridabwoy

minus the knob... that is how p bass pickups are supposed to be set up

the action was set basically flat against the radiused fretboard. So maybe the string setup was to blame. The E and G were way different in volume than the A and D.

[madbassplaya]

Originally Posted by blendermassacre

GC should be fixing it, but it came that way from Fender.

this!

i believe it is the guitar shops responsability to test the gear they are selling before it is put on the wall. all 3 of the guitar shops near me do this.

if something is wrong with a guitar/bass, it is sent back.

[tboheir]

I'm a new bassist and I'm glad you posted this because, I've been seeing a lot of the ones I've looked at in stores like this and had just been thinking it's how P-Bass pick ups are supposed to be. Now my question is, should they be "Flat" across on both similar to just about any other pick up design available? Thanks!

[AverageWhiteBassist]

Ever new Fender P I've seen has their PU's like that. I've worked for several stores, not including GC, and that's how they come, that is factory spec. I agree it looks wierd, but that is how they want it.

[CapnSev]

Originally Posted by Floridabwoy

minus the knob... that is how p bass pickups are supposed to be set up

Typically they are supposed to peak in the middle like that to follow the fretboard radius, but it all depends on the particular bass and setup. The pickup on mine is slanted toward the middle, but only slightly.

Whatever setup gets the most even sound from string to string is what I'll do.

[tboheir]

NM during posting that someone answered my question!

[steamthief]

Originally Posted by blendermassacre

considering it's a set screw type, and I tried to pull the other one off as hard as I could () just to see if it would come off, I would say partly. I wasn't as befuddled by the knob (obviously stuff happens, especially at Guitar Center), as much as the pickups.

Heck, it's usually the Stingrays where the knobs disappear - I once saw one with four naked pots in a GC.

I like raiding other basses to find a 9v battery to put in the one I want to try.

[AverageWhiteBassist]

I've also never seen the volume knob come standard on any new bass. That's extra... JK

[blendermassacre]

Originally Posted by steamthief

I like raiding other basses to find a 9v battery to put in the one I want to try.

this is why I quit playing ibanez basses at GC. Attempting to find a 9v (like 20 min. adventure) got old the first 3 or 4 times. Plus the "why does this bass not work" confusion.

[PSPookie]

Yeah, I totally wouldn't buy a bass if I had to turn as many as 4 screws to get it adjusted to my tastes

[Labi]

I don't see this as a problem at all and wouldn't go that far to blame it on anyone. There's a missing knob, so what? How can that be a reason not to consider buying a bass? Is it so important to find out whose fault it is? Who cares? If I wanted to buy that bass I would kindly ask for another matching knob. I doubt it that GC would force you to buy it as it is since it's a new guitar. Or suggest you buy another knob yourself. As for the pickup adjustment, it's two screws for gods sake. Everyone would adjust them to their liking anyway, even if they were perfectly adjusted. This is too much bitching and moaning over nothing really.

[blendermassacre]

Originally Posted by PSPookie

Yeah, I totally wouldn't buy a bass if I had to turn as many as 4 screws to get it adjusted to my tastes

I guess this is the nature of playing basses at GC, but I wouldn't buy a bass for full price that was missing a knob and poorly setup, for over $1100. It's not an SX. It's not a Squire, or a MIM. It's an american standard bass. When I went to the Lakland Factory last year, every bass (whether they were Skylines or US) were perfectly set up, and Dan was just pulling basses off of the "done" line. Obviously, this isn't up to par with the Rickenbacker fit and finish thread, but I did find it irritating. YMMV.