Does Fender stuff always break?

[TORQN]

Ok, this isn't meant to be a Fender bash, but more of a "should I buy fender anymore" kinda rant. I own lots of gear just ask my wife. Anyway, I've only owned 2 pieces of fender gear. MIM 5 stiring active deluxe jazz, and a Bassman 250/15. The bass always sounded bad. Played great but just was never right. I had it in the shop several times and they said they def heard the muddyness but everything checked out ok. Couldn't take it sold it. So now to my amp. It sounded amazing when I bought it. It is less than a year old. I play Sunday morning and thats it. It doesn't get turned up above 8oclock(small church). I started this new band and we are playing a little harder stuff which required my amp to be turned up just under half way. I played one show and my tweeter and woofer are both BLOWN!! what the heck?! It sounded ok at the beginning of the show, but towards the end, it started sounding like poo. I was playing in a small church and was playing against my buddys 30watt Vox amp and not even tube! So obviously I wasn't pushing it to hard at less then half way up. I have a warranty and will have the speakers replaced but then its gotta go! It makes me sick tho cause I loved the sound and it is brand new and has sat at church, played 1 time a week and never moved! Is this normal for Fender? Well thanks for listening to me, and let me know if this is common.
Mark

*****UPDATE*******
They called and ask if I wanted them to replace my knobs? Why? Because theyre all dented in. So they dropped my amp on the way to the service shop. They fixed them. Then he said the voice coil hit the back of my magnet and there is now a rattle. I told him I've never played hard enough to do that and he said that "special eminence" speakers for fender are way underpowered and junk. He said he replaces alot of them. Plus its not under warranty and now I have to replace the speaker! Is it possible they damaged the speaker when they dropped it? He said it has been overpowered is why it did that. I told him it has set at church since the day I bought it and I only played one show! This is crap!

[pbass2]

I personally had some bad luck with a couple Fender bass combos in the past, but as far as basses go, they've always been indestructible tanks for me.

[WayneS]

Uncommon I think. I have a P and even after being dropped (knocked onto a concrete floor by the singer as it were), it didnt even lose intonation.

[Nick Kay]

What most likely happened is the speakers (or possibly the amp itself) were defective from the factory - most defects occur in the first few operating hours of a device. This can happen with any manufacturer from Fender to Intel to Chrysler. Just be glad you have that warranty to protect you.

Oh, and the knobs are no judge as to how hard you're pushing the amp. I know some rigs, with the wrong instrument, can top out at 10 o'clock on the volume knob, while others can go full-up on the volume knob and still have juice in reserve.

[lancimouspitt]

I feel your pain.
I've had my Jazz Bass repaired 2 times since having it.Bought it in 02 practicly new.At first the D string started fretting out,hitting dead spots.Got it fixed.
Now the E string,along with the D and G are doing it.I did a temporary redneck repair and placed toilet paper under the saddles.It fixed the D and G string,but the E still goes dead at and past the 15th fret.

Then we have my Fender Bassman 200.Pretty much the same problem you reported.I was playing it about half way up,and the speaker just started going out.Got it fixed.

worked fine for another year or so,then it happened again.
I got a peavy stack (to big for practice),and Ampeg BA 112(great for small practice with just the drummer,but not for the whole band),so the Bassman was the perfect compromise,yet unreliable.

I feel your pain.

[B-string]

I have a MIM Jazz 5 passive, it never sounded right till I dumped the stock pups. As far as the equipment goes, just IMO, if I was given any amp or cab I couldn't sell it fast enough. No personal experience, just experience of players I know to go by.

[Mofo-Kang]

I have a Fender Blues Jr, a Bassman reissue, and 3 Jazz Basses (two Geddys and a CIJ fretless)--couldn't be happier with them.

[TLW]

fender amps = ftl

[TORQN]

and ftl=?

[TLW]

Originally Posted by TORQN

and ftl=?

oh gosh, the internetz is not new people!

FOR THE EFFING LOSE!

:-P on another note, I've just had horrible experience with all fender amps from Guitard Center.

Just as horrible as my experience with traynor combos ...

[Ampeg SVT]

For the Lose.

I like Fender amps, I especially like the TB series amps. They sound pretty cool.

Sucks that you had a problem like that with your Fender, but how have you set your EQ? JW (Just wondering)

[Bass Mule]

To the OP: so you're basing your conclusion on two pieces of Fender equipment that you've owned?

If the bass played wonderfully, but you couldn't get past the muddiness (which I think is just odd for a deluxe jazz--3 band eq, right? did ya try boosting the mids?), why didn't you think about swapping out the preamp? Or the pickups? Also, muddiness can come from an amp as well. How was your stuff eq'd?

Personally, I've played some Fender duds, and I've played with some Fender winners as well. I happen to love the couple of Fenders I currently have, but I certainly wouldn't judge Fender as a whole by the two that I own.

[Renaissance]

I have a Fender Bassman 10 (50 tube watts) that's a '74 model I believe. In 34 years it never failed me until recently (loose connection, easy fix). I'll have another please.

[TORQN]

"GuiTARD Center" now thats funny.

Bass Mule, like I said I've only owned 2 pieces and didn't want to make a conclusion before asking all you guys.

As far as the eq, its pretty flat. I have other amps that I have no problems with. So pretty sure its not an operator error.

I tried the bass on lots of amps and the muddiness was always there. True, I never replaced anything but the shop said that everything checked out ok.

[coreyfyfe]

I own/have owned 6 fender instruments (vintage basses, MIM basses and guitars, MIJ bass) and three amps (two silverface, one newer) and a fender rack tuner, never had a reliability problem with any of them.

I'll agree with you, I don't like the fender deluxe active series, and for some reason I've never liked the feel of fender 5 strings. How do you EQ the bass? Was it bass flat and amp flat? I don't know how you blew the speakers if you were at low volume unless you maybe had the gain settings really high or maybe the boost on the bass way up. If its under warranty, no real loss I suppose, but still a hassle.

[TORQN]

Def a hassle. I play an active Warwick 5 stirng. I had it somewhat flat, maybe a little heavy on the mids. I don't really think at that volume that even if the bass was all knobs maxed, it could blow the speakers could it? I don't think I've ever had my knobs twisted that far but if its possible, thats news to me. My amp has the active/passive button, wouldn't that prevent too much input?

[metalmariachi]

Now have 4 Fender basses.
Never had a problem with any of them.
Played a few that could have used better pickups, but that's another story.

Never owned a Fender amp made after '82 and they were all tubes . They sounded just like Fenders should.
Have a friend with an original '57 Harvard and '58 Bassman that work like a dream.

It ain't the brand.

MM

[Joe Kyle]

did a guitar player at your church/ anyone else use your amp when you werent there?

speaking of which, i owned a fender rumble 100, and it sounded okay, but the power input broke on me once. A MIM jazz i had had a beautiful neck on it, but the input jack broke on it a few times, and i got a new one each time. Since then ive gotten a markbass LMK II and a gibson 61 RI sg, and havent had any problems since.

[rodl2005]

My Fender 300PRO was a Beauty!!! So are BOTH my JAzz's but is yr amp still under waranty- aint Fender 5 yr????

[rollcall]

look at my avatar I love fender