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Fender 2018 MIM Player Series

#402
odysseios said:
I will try to rescue it. But in any case the issue on my bass (and another pair i saw, one on this forum too) remains.
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I have no issue at all and there is no reason or evidence to think that there are any wide spread problems with this series. They are mass produced to a low price point, so I'm sure not even one is perfect; but that doesn't mean "a lot" of them have nut slot spacing issues, and there is no actual credible evidence to support that.
 
#403
odysseios said:
This is:

"[DISCUSSION] Do NOT order the new Fender Player Series guitars, especially not online.
EDIT: By popular request, I took pictures of the nut slots of the remaining 6 guitars we have with issues. We have 22 total after sending 12 on their way back to Fender. Check the album here:

Let me introduce myself. I work in one of the largest guitar stores in the Southeast, and so I have access to a lot of products before they're officially slated to be released. Nothing was different about the new Fender Player series, slated to launch tomorrow 6/19, which I got a week and a half early. I feel the need to put out a PSA advising everyone to not order one at all or at least go to a store if you're dead set on it, but there are reasons why you shouldn't buy one, even if you like it. I'll go over them below.

Preface

The Fender Player series is the successor to the Mexican Standard series. Fender got tired of people asking about the difference between the American and Mexican Standards, so Fender abolished the former in favor of the American Professional series and the latter in favor of the new Player series. Keep that in mind as you read this.

Nut slots

You know how everyone has been ragging on Gibson for not cutting their nut slots right sometimes? Well, the Player series is making Gibson look like saints. We have 34 guitars out of that series, and 18 of them have incorrectly slotted nuts. String spacing seems to be the most common issue - strings too far apart (causing another pair of strings to be too close together).

Fret ends

Every single one of the 34 we have has sharp fret ends. One of our techs actually cut his finger a bit while moving up the fretboard. We're currently in talks with Fender to have them pay us in credit to fix that issue on all of them. When you pick up a new Player series, be sure to check that out. It seems like they rushed QC to get these guitars out fast.

Downgraded electronics

The new pickups are alright, but the problem is that Fender switched to cheap Chinese pots instead of the CTS pots they were using before. It's noticeable, too - the volume taper isn't as smooth, and a few of them out of our 34 plainly refused to work. This makes the new pickups they designed almost inconsequential.

Price

The real kicker in all of this is the price. Player series Strats and Teles are more expensive than the Mexican Standards they replaced - the new ones are $675 street versus $600 street on the old Standards, even with the downgraded electronics.

Conclusion

I'm not ordering you to not buy them, but I'm advising you to explore other, more economical options instead of these. The problems these have been having and the scale on which they've been happening make them a risky buy, especially if you're ordering online. You're pretty much guaranteed to get sharp fret ends, a 50/50 coin flip on the nut slots being cut correctly, and a slight but still possible chance that some of the electronics won't work when you receive it.

If you have to, please try one out in a store. You might find a good one. But there are too many bad ones to take a risk, in my opinion.

Thanks for reading."
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That thread originally appeared on Reddit and was removed because it was actually written by a kid and was total BS. Please stop spreading this FUD.
 
#405
LoveThatBass said:
I just bought one before Thanksgiving at a Guitar Center Sale. Mine is a 2018 Fender P Player series bass in Tidepool blue with a white pickguard and Maple neck/fretboard. I put a black pickguard on it and really love the way it looks now. I put a set of D'Addario NYXL .050-.105 Nickel plated steel strings and a Hipshot "Kick Ass" bridge. I got the action lower. The pickup is pretty nice sounding. My only complaint is that when removing the pickguard to put a black one on I found it had large pots and nice wiring job, however when I unscrewed the set screw on the American ??? made knobs I found they were for a .250" (6.34mm) Solid shaft but the pot had a 6mm solid shaft making the knob where it can literally fall off. The output Jack was nice heavy quality so that is a plus. I am going to replace the pots with a good CTS .250 solid shaft. They do function ok as long as you push them down until they touch the nut on the pot and then screw it down. Otherwise you will get a knob that wobbles some as you turn it.
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Must. Have. Pics.
 
#407
bassmonster68 said:
I just bought a fender player series jazz bass yesterday and ive been playing the heck out of it. couldn't be happier with my purchase. only thing I upgraded was the pick guard it came with a white one but I opted to put a tortoise shell one on. (an American one) but hey it works and looks good. I may eventually upgrade pups too. nothing really wrong with the stock but I just dig the tone of 60s custom shop pups more.View attachment 3134473
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The tort pickguard looks great with the 3 tone burst.
 
#409
JDLowEnd said:
I am super disappointed that they didn't make fretless options to include the sage green color. I had a older MIM Fretless Jazz in sage green with white pickup covers and white strat knobs, that was stolen from me in college and have been dying to get it back. Wishing there were more color options for the fretless......
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Check out Stratosphere music : here is a Sage Green P bass body. They sell necks also and hardware and electronics


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There are many necks to choose from. Here is one:
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#412

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#416
It's been a while, like a decade, since I picked up a new bass, but I'm reporting in here due to a serious case of GAS for the sunburst/maple precision. Why are there none in my immediate vicinity for me to try out?

I'd really rather not order online in case I get one with less than stellar fit and finish, as I'm assuming that at this price-point it could be a bit of a roll of the dice, but I might just need to take my chances, mix metaphors, and pull the trigger.

This $100 GC gift card in my pocket isn't making the decision any easier. I wish I could just have them order five of them and then pick the winner... What do you think, could GC be trusted to send back and reorder until I receive one that meets my expectations? Am I over thinking this?
 
#417
When you contact them just ask them to get their Bass guy to check it over for the obvious problems which includes any damage to the finish which seems to be the most common thing why people send them back. Tell them you are not a novice and any faults that are found when you receive it will mean you will send it straight back and demand a full refund so that you can purchase it elsewhere. Remember they don't check over everyone so it is good practice to demand that they thoroughly check it before it is shipped out to you.
 
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#419
Thuddy Waters said:
Why not order from Sweetwater? You can compare multiple basses from different angles and order the one you want. Fender Player Series Precision Bass - 3-tone Sunburst w/ Maple Fingerboard
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I know that's the right answer... Grr, why couldn't I have gotten a Sweetwater gift card? Oh well, I suppose I'll need to pick up some strings... and... maybe a cable or something for it...

Doing some cost jockeying right now. If Sweetwater is able to match whatever best deal I come across, I might pick one up by day's end.

Who would have thought I'd be jonesing so hard for one of these MIM Precisions - to pair along side my fancy pants American made Stingray 5.
 
#420
OllyW said:
The LH P Bass will be available in 3-colour sunburst & Polar White with a Pau Ferro fingerboard and Black & Tidepool with a Maple fingerboard.

View attachment 3052567
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Matt R. said:
Supposedly they are now offering maple boards and finishes beyond black and sunburst for us lefties.
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Yes! I've been waiting for years for an affordable P with a maple board in something beside black and sunburst.

Winner on all fronts. Ideally it would be that sweet buttercream but Tidepool is great too. Make the sonic red available and I'll want one in pau ferro. Ordered a Tidepool one Christmas Eve.
 
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