Fender/Squier bass inconsistency

[heath_r_91]

So I was at Guitar Center ( ) today and was trying out different jazz and precision basses primarily because they fit the tone of the band I'm in now much better than the Stingray.

Anyway, I started noticing both Squier AND Fender's lack of quality control. They had 2 of almost all the basses I tried out. MIA and MIM P basses, and Squier Vintage Modified Jazz.

One out of each of these pairs SUCKED. The other felt and sounded the way they should.

I just don't understand. Whenever I pick up a Stingray it pretty much feels like home. Very close in sound and feel to one another. That is not the case with these basses. Each one of the pairs were like night and day.

Is this a common thing with Squier and Fender? I had sort of counted on something like that with Squier, but I expected much better from Fender.

I'm not trying to be a Fender hater either - half of the Fenders I played today were AWESOME and had great tone and feel. It's just the other half...

[mstott25]

I think if Carey Nordstrand sent his basses to Guitar Center you would notice some differences in quality as well.

IMO opinion it has much more to do with the abuse and treatment the basses have been subjected to at the music store than the condition they were in when they left the factory.

You can go to the EBMM forum and read about what an atrocity it is to see some of the condition the Bongos, Stingrays, Sterlings etc. are in at Guitar Center.

Any time something is mass produced there are going to be some differences in quality. I mean there's no question about that, with that many numbers you are bound to get some lemons. But overall I don't think you can blame that quality and control on Fender as much as you can Guitar Center. Jim at Atlanta Bass Gallery visited the Fender shop and was so impressed with what he saw there he started stocking Fenders a couple of years ago. I think with the recent Squiers I've seen and played I've been pretty impressed as well.

[A-Step-Towards]

Quality differs bass to bass with production instruments, plus a stingray is alot better then a squier jazz and sold at a higher price point then a MIA jazz.

Guitar center is not well known for giving basses set ups.

[puddin tame]

It's probably more the setup.

Especially if it was consistently 1/2 that sucked. The dude could have thought "why waste time setting up both of them when they can just play the good one one"

[rojo412]

I think it's fair to say that you could easily point the finger at GC and Fender. As a former GC employee, I will tell you that most every instrument we received fresh out of a box needed a lot of love...
And as an employee of GC, we were only allowed to merch them, not really able to spend time making them sound and play good.

I will definitely say that you are right on the money. Fender and Squier are definitely hit or miss.
But if you gave them all a proper setup, I think you'd find that there aren't as many turds as some people let on.
And if GC had a full time guy doing nothing but making sure that all of the instruments hit the floor in the best playable condition, they might actually fix their reputation as the Wal Mart of musical instrument retailers.

(Off topic, but my best GC moment of DUH was when I had the guy bring down a $3,000 Warwick SSII and its electronics were completely messed up. Not just a dead battery, this was effed up bad. He... didn't really care. And that bass sat and sat and sat...)

However, in my opinion, having played several Squiers and MIM Fenders lately, the QC is not far off. You can get one heck of a sweet Squier that smokes the MIM stuff. You can find MIM stuff as good as the MIA, functionally. It's out there!
But if you make that many instruments, you're bound to have a few stinkers here and there.

[SurferJoe46]

It's too bad that your GCs aren't in the mix with the rest of the stores.

My GC has a full-time luthier and all he does is set up and repair/restring guitars all day long.







New - used - repairs - he does them all and they are set up very nicely.

Perhaps you weren't at a real GC - I hear there are counterfeit stores made to look like them.

I don't see where people get off ragging on Fender and GC so much.

[pnut166]

Originally Posted by mstott25

IMO opinion it has much more to do with the abuse and treatment the basses have been subjected to at the music store than the condition they were in when they left the factory.

You can go to the EBMM forum and read about what an atrocity it is to see some of the condition the Bongos, Stingrays, Sterlings etc. are in at Guitar Center.

+1. I went to GC just recently, and tried, for the first time, a EBMM. And I can tell you, it was horrid. So, based on that lone experience, can I assume they`re all bad ? Of course not. It was the setup (or rather, lack of one) and probably the fact that it had been dropped off the wall a time ot two. Every make they had represented there sucked, if one based their opinion on the examples I saw that day.

[rhopper]

Why do so many people judge Fender based only on what is been abused or poorly set up at a typical guitar center?

[Simo98]

It is the nature of any production line product, especially when it comes to things made of inconsistent materials such as wood.

Even with a hand made instrument where the raw materials are thoroughly inspected, one bass will have a neck of Maple that is to die for, and the other will simply be good, or average.

[heath_r_91]

Originally Posted by rhopper

Why do so many people judge Fender based only on what is been abused or poorly set up at a typical guitar center?

Because it is the most widely known place for the every day consumer to buy a basic musical instrument. I wasn't judging Fender, I was just pointing out how I was shocked to see such a variance between the same models of basses.

What did kind of put me off, though, is the EB/MM basses had a much more consistent feel. Do EBMM basses just get set up better at the factory or is this just an isolated case?

[C.Linton]

I suspect it's probably an isolated case. Like it is with trying any bass at any music store, it can be the luck of the draw.

[RustyAxe]

I have a Squier VM Fretless Jazz, and I played at least half a dozen before I found one that I wanted. I knew it was out there, it just took some patience to find it. I should mention that it was bought from small shop that carries ONLY Fender and Gibson, and the owner is VERY particular about his inventory. After doing my own setup and tweaking it plays (and sounds) great. What I found during my search through the big box stores was wonky warped necks, neck woods of questionable quality, poorly planed and leveled fingerboard, badly seated/leveled fret markers, and general fit and finish issues. I didn't consider the action and string heights, since that's just part and parcel of a good setup (which EVERY new guitar needs) and easily remedied. I also later bought a MIM Jazz bass from the same shop. Like the fretless, it was in great shape, and needed only my little tweakings to make it just right.

I won't buy ANY guitar without playing it first ... unless I get a very liberal and trustworthy return agreement.

[SurferJoe46]

Why all the hand-wringing and agonizing over a set up that isn't what you want on any particular instrument?

You've got tools to set it any way you want when you get it home - or have the in-house luthier set it up for you for a very nominal fee where you buy it. Maybe FREE!

If the neck's straight, the right wood, pocket is tight, finish is clean and flawless and the color is what you want along with the electronics - then everything else is adjustable.

You're gonna get rid of the factory strings anyway.

It's a 'win/win' if you get the brand, color, weight, the bragging rights you want - if you only have to adjust a few adjustable things.

I think the operative word here is "personalize" as in: set it up the way YOU want.

Same thing with picking a wife:

1) Critical measurements (primary value)
2) G. I. B.
3) Knows how to open a beer or father owns a bar
4) Hair color/length
5) Height
6) Weight
7) Attitude - (well, this might only be somewhat adjustable)

....everything else is adjustable.

You may want to reassign different numbers sequence to the above list.

[okcrum]

Originally Posted by SurferJoe46

....everything else is adjustable.

Classic, funny, and spot on.

[warnergt]

Originally Posted by heath_r_91

One out of each of these pairs SUCKED.

All this talk of suckitude and you never did tell us just how these basses sucked.
You need to be more specific than saying, "they sucked."

[panama]

It's official. 50% of all Fender instruments suck. Everyone jump ship.

[MosGuy]

After buying a used fender squier modified jazz this past Friday that had a few hundred $ worth of upgrades done. My one brother was talking about this exact thing at a family get together. You can have two identical guitars hanging side by side. One will play and feel horrible, the other will play and feel amazing. The majority of the time it's just down to bad set-up. Or poor quality control, as well as personal opinion about what feels good. After picking up my VMJ, I noticed Squier has come a long way in terms of QC since the '90's. It beats my old Precision & even rivals MIA quality.

What you found isn't limited to just Fender/Squier or anything new. It occurs with all makes/models. The key is just to dig around & try as many as you can. There are a lot of gems out there that play/feel just as good as MIA axes for a fraction of the cost.

[selowitch]

What's unfortunate for a lot of musicians is they develop a mindset that their instrument has to be a "real" Fender or they won't be taken seriously. "I can't show up to a session gig with a Squier or God forbid a Rondo. It might play and sound great, but I'd feel inadequate somehow." I'm as guilty of this as anyone. I just don't feel complete or settled unless it says "Fender" on the headstock, even if there's a Squier like the CV that is in every way an equal or better instument.

Call me shallow, but a lot of folks have the same issue.

[SurferJoe46]

Originally Posted by selowitch

What's unfortunate for a lot of musicians is they develop a mindset that their instrument has to be a "real" Fender or they won't be taken seriously. "I can't show up to a session gig with a Squier or God forbid a Rondo. It might play and sound great, but I'd feel inadequate somehow." I'm as guilty of this as anyone. I just don't feel complete or settled unless it says "Fender" on the headstock, even if there's a Squier like the CV that is in every way an equal or better instument.

Call me shallow, but a lot of folks have the same issue.

I see it as 'male appendage envy' - and the fact that the MIA price tag can double for your toe-tag when you die.

[selowitch]

Originally Posted by SurferJoe46

I see it as 'male appendage envy' - and the fact that the MIA price tag can double for your toe-tag when you die.

What, because it's the same acronym as "missing in action"?

At least for me, a MIM does the trick because it says "Fender."