A Fender Lemon

[AnalogKid4003]

That pic is more like the Fender fan boys reaction to anyone saying anything bad about their preciouses. Don't get me wrong. I like Fenders. Just, some of you would defend them to the point of ridiculousness.

Not at all, your missing the point that this is a USED bass.

A lot can happen in 30 days, maybe the owner that returned it did a kustom fret dress and rolled the edges with his dad's file he found in the ol tool box.
You really can't say if it left the factory like that could you??

 

[MattyH]

I see what you're talking about. And although I don't fully agree it's a Fender quality control issue, I do think you got an iffy deal especially if it was marked as MINT. Sure it's used, but selling something as MINT is a big, big difference. A lot of people wouldn't see this as a big deal, but if you think you're getting something, and it turns out to be something else, I'd be a little peeved too. Plus, if it's as "filed" as much as you say, and it's noticeable, from experience, that can get very annoying. Again you're just disappointed. Understandable. Probably isn't Fenders fault though. And you'll probably play the hell out of it anyway!

Now, I'm posting this while running errands so I didn't get to read through every post, but what color is it??? Haha

Edit: saw the post about the color.

And PS - if this is considered a Fender bashing thread, then I think we've found our fan boys. I don't read this as bashing in the slightest. But whatever.

 

[MattyH]

Not at all, your missing the point that this is a USED bass.

A lot can happen in 30 days, maybe the owner that returned it did a kustom fret dress and rolled the edges with his dad's file he found in the ol tool box.
You really can't say if it left the factory like that could you??

I agree. It's used. But he said it was sold as mint. Either way, not really Fenders fault.

But, I do agree Fender isn't always perfect out of the factory. I had to return an Am Standard because the truss was maxed and the tone knob was non functioning. There are a few Fender fanatics that would justify and find some sort of excuse for that and you know those people exist! Haha

 

[petrus61]

That's too bad, that fretboard looks a bit rough. I wouldn't like it either. It could easily have been Fender, or a previous owner, or even a hack in-house "tech" at the retailer's facility. No way to know. If you think about big outfits like MF with their uber liberal return policy, it's not hard to imagine where all the returned items might end up. Same principle for small retailers.

Also, there seems to be an abundance of factory "blems" finding their way to retailers these days, who then sell them as new w/warranty. Which is okay if those retailers advertise them as blems....but many don't (I could name names). Some blem items have serious issues that the retailer may not even be aware of. Or worse, the retailer knows about the problem, but sells it anyway, hoping a hapless buyer won't notice the issue or will accept it anyway. Some brick 'n mortar music stores see ebay, reverb, etc., as dumping grounds for stuff they can't otherwise sell.

As a hopeless gear whore I've learned some of these lessons the hard way. But as long as my money stays safe I just consider it as part of the "sport".

Exactly why I won't buy from MF anymore. While their return policy is great, it's a double edged sword and I'm absolutely convinced that they sell used/returned items as "New" regularly. After sending back a Jazz with a stripped truss rod nut that was sold to me as NEW, I can't really help but think otherwise, especially considering the other horror stories here. What bothers me is instruments like this that make it into the hands of some unsuspecting customer that doesn't know any better or finds out after the warranty is up. I can't imagine that every single one goes back to the factory for repair...but instead are probably dumped on the masses and forced into circulation.

 

[UK Philip]

There's a lot of defensiveness in here. This is not a "let's bash Fender" thread, it's a "look at this bashed up (sold as new) Fender" thread.

My mexican-made precision has a faaaar nicer neck than this, and it probably cost 1/3rd of the price. That neck looks like crap, and OP's dissatisfaction is justified.

 

[bass71]

Now there's an opportunity to do a rolled fingerboard edge! So much better feel than stock.

++1 Thing is..you got it for $200 off plus a colour you like, if it was me and it sounded good I too would have smoothed the fingerboard and got myself a nice bass..

 

[Jim C]

I've got news.
There were Fenders made in the 50's, 60's, 70's, 80's, and last week that were dogs.
It's a cheap bolt together intrument with limited quality control and not intended to have mil spec or aviation QA assurance.
Doesn't much matter whether it was poor manufacturing or abuse, the bottom line is the same on a used instrument.
+1 on the perfect opportunity for rolled edges!

OTOH, the majority of these non custom shop instruments are very nice and are a bargain for what you pay.

 

[Iridescentone]

But, I do agree Fender isn't always perfect out of the factory. I had to return an Am Standard because the truss was maxed and the tone knob was non functioning. There are a few Fender fanatics that would justify and find some sort of excuse for that and you know those people exist! Haha

Funny, even if exaggerated.

But I'm sure there are fanatics of at least two other brands I can think of that seem willing to put up with just about anything. They pretty much have to if they want to own one. lol

 

[PJ Muzikmansky]

I have two American Fender basses, both bought brand new.

Both have rough-edged fingerboards as described by the OP and as shown in the pics.

It's a cosmetic flaw caused by a lack of attention to detail when finishing/sanding the fingerboard, and could be easily eliminated by several passes up and down the edge of the board with a sanding block.

Now, I wouldn't go so far as to describe my basses as 'lemons' just because of this - after all, both are very good instruments - but it further convinced me that Fender still have a long, LONG way to go if they want to match the all-round construction and cosmetic excellence of say, Ernie Ball Musicman, whose basses as far as I can tell - and I own two - are absolutely flawless.

 

[PJ Muzikmansky]

Not at all, your missing the point that this is a USED bass.

A lot can happen in 30 days, maybe the owner that returned it did a kustom fret dress and rolled the edges with his dad's file he found in the ol tool box.
You really can't say if it left the factory like that could you??

See my previous post.

My new basses, an AV '62 RI P Bass and an American standard jazz, both had rough-edged fingerboards that looked like they'd come straight off the band-saw, so I'd say it's very likely the OP's bass left the factory like that.

 

[wvbass]

I've got news.
There were Fenders made in the 50's, 60's, 70's, 80's, and last week that were dogs.
It's a cheap bolt together intrument with limited quality control and not intended to have mil spec or aviation QA assurance.
Doesn't much matter whether it was poor manufacturing or abuse, the bottom line is the same on a used instrument.
+1 on the perfect opportunity for rolled edges!

OTOH, the majority of these non custom shop instruments are very nice and are a bargain for what you pay.

Yep.

That liberal return policy is a double edged sword. It is the reason you buy from them, but it is also the reason sometimes you get what is essentially a used bass. At least it is usually the "shop worn" kind of used rather than the "road tested" version.

In this case, though, I'd bet this bass left the factory like this. The fingerboard really should be in better condition than that, but there are plenty of buyers that will accept this, so there isn't really the incentive to improve.