This demo seems to be fairly comprehensive, well put together and a bit entertaining, what with the time-lapse pickup installation.
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This demo seems to be fairly comprehensive, well put together and a bit entertaining, what with the time-lapse pickup installation.
There is a medium scale version of the Aerodyne I would love to get my hands on.
I just popped into a GC for the first time in at least 6-8 months. They had this new Aerodyne that I played for 5-10 min. the other day. I would say overall a solid good looking bass. BUT not as nice as one a friend has. This was around 9lbs not real well set up, high action. I should just carry a hex tool around all the time. Played through a Markbass LM III, Accoustic cab. Good sound but I didn't like pickup hight. Neck finish felt more heavy than my friends. I think his has a satin feel or maybe it's just real broken in, not sure. I had been thinking of picking one of these up but the hands on didn't gas me up at all. A good bass for the money but if I bought one it would get modded. As it was I thought not as good as one of the older ones, like my friends or perhaps he just has a peach.
My impression of the few MIJ models that FMIC offers since they overtook Fender Japan: The names of the series/instruments sound more expensive ("exclusive" etc.), the materials are cheaper (like the old export models): basswood, cheaper tuners and electronics. Before 2015 nearly all Fender Japan stuff had the traditional woods like alder or ash and many had US pickups, some even had a nitro finish.
There was always an entry level budget Fender Japan series made of basswood with ceramic pickups etc., but to offer them as "Fender Exclusive Classic" etc. at relatively high prices is new.
The Aerodyne was always made of basswood, maybe because of the curved bodies etc.
There was always an entry level budget Fender Japan series made of basswood with ceramic pickups etc., but to offer them as "Fender Exclusive Classic" etc. at relatively high prices is new.
The Aerodyne was always made of basswood, maybe because of the curved bodies etc.
Just tried mine out for the first time last night and can say they sound incredible. What a difference in sound. Clear, punchy, heavy what ever you need with no fuss and they are dead silent. Only problem is the knobs don't fit.
Thank MTM, funny video. I like the one from EMG with the girl better. She's much cuter and made it look so simple lol.
That's good to know Kresby...especially since I like the factory knobs. Looks like the P pickup sits pretty high in the bass? Might just be the angle of the photo. The bass looks good though!!
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When I tried a Geezer P pickup I put it on a P bass tuned BEAD with a taperwound low B string. Sometimes those taperwounds have these ghost overtones that are quite dissonant coming from the tapered part of the string.
The Geezer seemed to not sense any of those dissonant tones from the taper wound string. It seems to cut just the right amount of treble, but boost you right in a good upper-mid spot instead. Great pickup.
I can only imagine the addition of the J makes it quite versatile, letting you blend the bite back in.
Anyway, it made a bass designed for EADG work well as a BEAD bass with some nice string tension, on the Low B, and a great setup on it.
Sometimes you have to pull the B-string bridge saddle waaayyy back when converting to BEAD to get good intonation. It can be quite far. Tapers help reduce the adjustment needed.
I also noticed those EMG pickups are dead quiet--no need to shield your cavity. I was about to do that on that BEAD bass I mentioned but I didn't have to after installing the Geezer P.
A new Aerodyne was delivered today and as much as I would like to have a BEAD Aerodyne, I just can't bring myself to do it right now. I have 3 other basses BEAD but I'll at least have to wait until the newness wares off a bit before even thinking about it.
Agreed DirkP, that was my first reaction as well, surprised to see it was made out of Basswood. Most (not all) basses that I was familiar with that were basswood, were under $500 (New Retail). I def wont pay the $800 for it, but at $640, I am more inclined to consider it. All things considered, especially that I own other Fender basses, I probably won't mod this much, def not new pickups. At best, maybe a Fender Hi-mass bridge, and call it a day.
Yeah not for everyone. I was just describing my use case.
I did it on a Fender Road Worn 50s P so it worked well with the wide neck. This Aerodyne I'd probably leave EADG if I had one.
Thanks Kirk, always good to hear from someone who has both the old and the new ones. Sounds like the old ones have a decent level of quality to them. I will def keep my eyes on these to see how they fair under FMICs control.
The height is not bad. I'm running super low action on some skinny DR's so that might make it look close. It plays so easy now and those EMG's are great. I'd highly recommend them. Again you'll need new knobs. Cheers
I like the Aerodyne a lot. Maybe even the 800,- are justified for the curved body and the binding etc., but here in Germany I see the entry level instruments offered for > 1.000,- as "Japan Exclusives" and that is a bit ridiculous. Maybe Fender has understood that the MIJ instruments have a very good reputation among musicians and tries to make a bit too much money with them.
Well, I received the replacement Aerodyne for the noisy one and it's the same. It's a little less noisy and a little less noise when letting go of the strings but I'll just say this, I have 8 other basses, old 80s passives, actives, newer passives and actives, one with an active pup and active pre, and none of them are noisy like these 2 new Aerodynes. A matter of fact, my others are dead quiet and the Kramer with an active pup and pre having a slight hiss, is about 1/3 the noise of the Aerodynes. Both P and J pups are equally as noisy, maybe the J just a little more. I'm being picky and very critical here. I don't see the noise being a problem in a playing or even a recording environment. I believe it's a shielding problem since it's worse closer to the amp. The further away from the amp and the noise is almost non existent. Again, my other basses are quiet right in front of the amp. Others have said their shielding job fixed it. OK, enough complaining, the first thing I noticed right off was the incredible sustain this bass has. They both have really good sustain so it's safe to say, the new ones are built this way. I wish I had an older one to compare to see the post 2015 differences. Anyway, I like the way the new Aerodyne feels, plays, sounds and looks. I can see this bass becoming one of my favorites. I'm keeping it.
My luthier guy said the stock pups were pretty crappy on my areodyne. You can get some pretty good deals as I got my Aerodyne for $640 new at guitar center
Agree Dirk, sometimes companies get greedy and try get "too much" for certain models. I think they are capitalizing the good repetition of days past for MIJs. That being said, $640 - $800 (593-740 Euros), is still not a bad price. Some retailers like Gooswyn have complete websites dedicated to these Japan models [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
Thanks Kresby, good to know. Agreed, even if you drop new P/Us in, the total cost of ownership is still then $1k all in... which is pretty darn good these days!
Thanks for the update Xandrell! Sounds like you may have found a flaw or two in this bass. The good news is, if it is a shielding problem, that can be addressed. Also, if you do upgrade the pick ups, that may address the electrical issues as well? Overall it sounds like you are pretty happy with it, which is most important.
