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a saddened fender fan

#21
You should find the bass you like the best,then get a Moses or Status Graphite neck.Graphite is 4X stronger than steel,yet only a 1/4 of the weight.Composites are much more reliable than wood,even if you do get a dead spot,its very hard to tell.Think about it.




..........are you serious?I've had the same squier for years now,it doesnt have any real neck problems.(even though I dont like the chunky p bass neck thats on it)
 
#22
hello metalbass101!

thank you for the advice, and I'm sorry for that late reply...
yes, saddly, I'm serious, that jazz is turning me mad! more, I spend money on it (bartolini pickups, btc preamp, gotoh bridge and others...).

I disliked fender's france answer that was in other words: we don't understand your problems, maybe you should buy a new bass... customer support there?

the bass was not left in a hot or cold place, didn't let it down, made all work by a luthier. the result is there: hard to play, buzzes, cracks in upper neck, haarg.

when the neck began to wrap on the summer, I emailed status to ask neck prices, but, it's too expensive for me (about 375 euros/ 450$ without mounting ), my luthier asked about 650 euros/780$ for a custom neck, the same price I bought that bass!

music in europe is horribly expensive, an american deluxe precision is running about 2160$/1800 euros, and I'm a poor guy... it's the same with used basses, and often used ones are bad ones! but still expensive (another comment: upper fender models are often untryable on shop, you must order, and pray to get a good one)

my guitarist must go to us on may, so, I asked him to take my bass with him to get a moses neck, last chance...

maybe am I bad with fender's basses, but a part of my nightmare comes from the money I spent on it to make a better bass, maybe I made a mistake in trying to make it better, and better keep the money to get a mia one.

again, thank you for the advice, feel free to answer to my post, I'll try to write a reply :)
and if you know good places to get a moses neck mounted (I think my guitar heroe will go to chicago..., I'll be more accurate next time!)
 
#23
Dare I suggest that if you REALLY understood what you were buying, you wouldn't have taken home any of these instruments only to find that they were unplayable in a short time. I would bet a dollar that they weren't in absolute perfect setup when you tried them out - you DID try them out didn't you? - and that means that a more discerning eye would have given you enough clues to pass on each and every one.

Stop whining about Fender and get better at spotting a good one
 
#25
Hambone said:
Dare I suggest that if you REALLY understood what you were buying, you wouldn't have taken home any of these instruments only to find that they were unplayable in a short time. I would bet a dollar that they weren't in absolute perfect setup when you tried them out - you DID try them out didn't you? - and that means that a more discerning eye would have given you enough clues to pass on each and every one.

Stop whining about Fender and get better at spotting a good one
Click to expand...

hello Hambone!

thank for your reply! let me say that I'm sorry if my post is agressive, it's not my aim (the joy of learning a language...). I wanted to express my disappointment... maybe I could take another way writing my posts, I will try to do that way!

let me explain myself: I can tell you that I love fenders, but mine no more... you can understand that the problems I get have turned me mad. I actually test a few basses, and stopped on a fender precision deluxe (in toulouse, 100 miles)but bying it (expensive...), with the disappointment I get with the jazz fears myself. sure, I can tell you that the bass feels a lot different than mine, it seems stronger built.

when I bought that one (I worked all a summer for it...) 4 basses where on sale; with a friend we looked to the grain of wood, let down the ones with over 2 pieces wood in the body, weight, tested them unplugged and with a flat sound on the same amp.

sure I can do it better, can tell me what to look at on the new one?

you're right when you tell me that they weren't perfectly setup, I remember that the luthier worked on the neck pocket... and yes, I made the mistake to believe that a japan jazz could be at less equal to a mia.

if I understand: I must look for a bass-adviser to come with me in the shops? or ask my guitarist to pick one bass in us at a very different price, near 35% less (but I couldn't try it..., he will do it for me. I know that it's an horror, but are the mia deluxe series blind buys? that is to say you can buy one without testing, trust that the basses passed all tests in the factory? more: it is the way it goes in little shops in france; like mine: deluxe series are only aviable on catalog...or take the car to visit bigger shops 100 miles away, hopping they have one in test)

thanks for your reply, adivices are welcome!
 
#28
Hambone said:
Dare I suggest that if you REALLY understood what you were buying, you wouldn't have taken home any of these instruments only to find that they were unplayable in a short time. I would bet a dollar that they weren't in absolute perfect setup when you tried them out - you DID try them out didn't you? - and that means that a more discerning eye would have given you enough clues to pass on each and every one.

Stop whining about Fender and get better at spotting a good one
Click to expand...

Hambone, excellent post!


Link Removed
Treena
 
#29
:cool:
Sounds like my life with fenders.
After 27 yrs, of playing, always try before you buy with fenders.
The most inconsistant basses out here.
Last fender I bought was 57- reissure-P-bass.
Played 5 of them till found the one I liked.
 
#30
yep, to contunue to broken record, Fender is VERY inconsistent...even among the USA line, even among the Custom Shop line, they are inconsistent

the good ones though (and Fender does still make some great basses) are really great. another thing about Fender: their basses do have very good tone thats cuts through most mixes, thats something that is lacking in alot of other bass-makers, including boutique bass makers

with Fender you really have to try before you buy. I had a MIM P Bass that was really a great playing bass, and a great sounding one after I put a Fender Custom Shop pickup in it. I literally tried out 20 different very average to poor MIM P Basses in the store before I found one really great one

after I changed out the pickups on the good one I had I did an A/B with my buddy's 1966 Fender P and the MIM P sounded VERY close to as good as that bass and played just as well

it can be done, you just have to search them out
 
#33
my first bass was a squire P. i bought it 5 years ago. 2 years ago i gave it to my brother after i bought a (mim)fender jazz 5. right now the squire is still in great playing condition and the jazz5 is in several pieces in the back of my closet. now i play a mia P and its great (its got the graphite stiffening rods). through all this experience i have gotten better at spotting good fenders and i also learned that spending more money on a bass dosn't mean you'll get a good one.
 
#35
toranabass said:
hello Hambone!

thank for your reply! let me say that I'm sorry if my post is agressive, it's not my aim (the joy of learning a language...). I wanted to express my disappointment... maybe I could take another way writing my posts, I will try to do that way!

let me explain myself: I can tell you that I love fenders, but mine no more... you can understand that the problems I get have turned me mad. I actually test a few basses, and stopped on a fender precision deluxe (in toulouse, 100 miles)but bying it (expensive...), with the disappointment I get with the jazz fears myself. sure, I can tell you that the bass feels a lot different than mine, it seems stronger built.

when I bought that one (I worked all a summer for it...) 4 basses where on sale; with a friend we looked to the grain of wood, let down the ones with over 2 pieces wood in the body, weight, tested them unplugged and with a flat sound on the same amp.

sure I can do it better, can tell me what to look at on the new one?

you're right when you tell me that they weren't perfectly setup, I remember that the luthier worked on the neck pocket... and yes, I made the mistake to believe that a japan jazz could be at less equal to a mia.

if I understand: I must look for a bass-adviser to come with me in the shops? or ask my guitarist to pick one bass in us at a very different price, near 35% less (but I couldn't try it..., he will do it for me. I know that it's an horror, but are the mia deluxe series blind buys? that is to say you can buy one without testing, trust that the basses passed all tests in the factory? more: it is the way it goes in little shops in france; like mine: deluxe series are only aviable on catalog...or take the car to visit bigger shops 100 miles away, hopping they have one in test)

thanks for your reply, adivices are welcome!
Click to expand...

You can trust your own judgment with a little guidance to know what to look for. IMO, here are some areas of concern:

  • HEADSTOCK - Look to see that the nut is centered and solidly mounted. You can detune and try to move it with your fingers. See if the nut is properly cut even with both sides of the fretboard. Look at the slots in the nut. Are they tight to the string or is there some space? A poorly cut nut can cause buzz or rattle. Check for improperly driven screws on the tuners.
  • FRETBOARD - Are the frets well seated and properly finished on the ends? Can your fingernail catch on the fret ends? If they do, then fret work might be in order. Take a short metal ruler (6" or less) and see if there are any high frets by balancing the ruler across 3 frets at a time. If you can rock the ruler across the center of the 3 frets, that's indicates a high fret and can cause problems. Does the instrument play without buzz everywhere on the neck? Does the neck have dead spots? Play a single individual fretted note at each fret, on each string and compare the note volume and clarity to the notes just before and just after that fret. A dead spot wll be very evident.
  • NECK POCKET - Does the neck fit the pocket correctly? Hold the body firm in the playing position, then grasp the neck at the 3rd or 4th fret and try to shift the neck sideways in the pocket. If it shifts, it means that first, the bolts are tightened properly and second, that the neck pocket might be poorly cut for the heel of the neck. Inspect further to determine which it is.
  • BRIDGE - Is the bridge mounted square to the centerline of the instrument? If it isn't - reject it quickly. Are all of the bridges screws tightened properly?
  • ELECTRONICS - Is the bass quiet at all volumes? Do the pots make noise when they are turned? Cleaning can clear up pot noise sometimes as long as it isn't a damaged component. Do the controls actually make the bass sound different when you turn them? You'd be surprised how many folks don't catch this in the stores. Are the knobs on the shafts tight?
  • PICKUPS - Do they work? Is the ouput clear and defined? Do they have good output? When you wiggle them, do they feel like they are going to come loose?
  • FINISH - Nothing here affects playability and Fenders (at least) have a generally good record for their finishes.

This list is assembled from what I've read as common problems with Fender's assembly and quality control. This list however, doesn't address all of the problems that you might encounter with a Fender from the wall of the local music shop. The balance of concerns are mostly adjustable and can be tweaked out with a good setup. That's what you won't find on most storebought basses. AND, a setup is only a good one if it brings the bass to YOU as the player. You shouldn't have to alter anything you do to accomodate the instrument. It should be the other way around. And the great thing about Fender's is that most everything I've mentioned is correctable with a good setup from a qualifed technician. Keep in mind that Fenders are the simplest instruments out there. They were built that way for a reason. And because of that simplicity, there isn't a reason short of broken parts, that you can't have a very nice instrument that plays like buttah and feels like it grew from your own body.

BTW - You are completely wrong with the MIJ/CIJ comparison to the MIA instruments. I own 1 MIJ, another CIJ, and have owned MIA Fenders and the quality is absolutely comparable and might even surpass MIA quality on a case by case basis. Your mileage may vary but it's the consensus on this forum that MIJ/CIJ instruments are undervalued in relation to their MIA cousins.

Hope this helps!
 
#36
Lots of great Fenders, lots of crappy ones. Gotta hear them to decide.

As a lefty, I consider myself VERY lucky to stumble across a MIM Jazz like mine. I haven't found a better sounding bass (blows a stingray out of the water, no pun intended :P).

I'm suprised to see you right-handed players complaining. You have the upper hand when it comes to trying out basses.
 
#38
I've found that the MIA series is quite consistent, but the American Deluxe series is very consistent. I played 4 new ones, as well as my 97, and all of them play delightfully and are very solid-built. I've not found anything wrong with them.

Hambone, great post. Definitely things to look out for when buying new or used.
 
#40
Funkize you said:
Get a Wormoth Neck, That will be Way better than a Fender Neck, and it will out perform it in any way.
Click to expand...

+1. This will be the most cost-effective way for you to correct the problem. When you check out Warmoth's site, go to the 'Showcase' section. They have prefinished necks for sale there at a relatively low price.

Don't feel so bad. I'm not overly impressed with the stock pickup in my MIA P-Bass and I've found it's 19th & 20th frets are high.

Good luck with getting your bass back into working order,
-A.P.
 

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