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Fender American Design Experience

Anyone else get one of these? I have been quite happy with my jazz neck precision since the day I got it. I don't have experience with tens of thousands of Fenders like others on this forum have but I've owned almost 10 MIAs and played lots more. My ADE is the best example I have seen for sure.
 
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Anyone else get one of these? I have been quite happy with my jazz neck precision since the day I got it. I don't have experience with tens of thousands of Fenders like others on this forum have but I've owned almost 10 MIAs and played lots more. My ADE is the best example I have seen for sure.

Mine is my #2 bass. I have it strung with flats and I use it for most of my first set. Love love love love love it. Seems ADE may be dead. Don't see it on the site anymore. :(

ImageUploadedByTalkBass1418424902.414294.jpg
 
I haven't read all the posts on this thread, but this MUST have come up...

Why do they not offer a clear-coat "natural" finish?!?

Do you think it's because they don't want to waste time trying to match grains?

I want a nat finish with a maple board!!! Looks like I'm gonna have to import from Japan again!

Like I did for this one...

ImageUploadedByTalkBass1418449130.539716.jpg
 
I haven't read all the posts on this thread, but this MUST have come up...

Why do they not offer a clear-coat "natural" finish?!?

Do you think it's because they don't want to waste time trying to match grains?

I want a nat finish with a maple board!!! Looks like I'm gonna have to import from Japan again!

Like I did for this one...

View attachment 523874
I want both of these, please!

ImageUploadedByTalkBass1418449328.094287.jpg


...but, I can't get 'em from Fender's ADE!!!
 
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I want both of these, please!

View attachment 523876

...but, I can't get 'em from Fender's ADE!!!
...though, I'll tell you; of the three basses I currently own (see my signature for the rundown of instruments), my made-in-Japan-for-Japan '62 is probably the most beautifully made bass I have. Fit and finish are excellent... and the neck/fretboard is something to see. I have never seen more perfect fretwork on another bass.

I would happily order another Japanese import.
 
I emailed them a couple days ago when I notice it was missing from the new web design. this is the reply I received.

"Yes it is still available, but you have to go to Invalid Link Removed . It has not been integrated with our new website yet."

phew! ..I'm a lefty and was extremely relieved to hear this since I'm planning on a design after the new year.
 
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I wrote about my experience a while back on another forum:

"In March of this year I ordered my vintage Jazz. About a month later, balls deep in excitement over cool lefty options, I also decided it would be cool to go for a vintage Precision as well, so I did.

3 months later I take delivery of my Jazz, and it looked and felt great at first, despite a slightly wonky placement of one of the strap buttons. When I went to adjust the neck a little, it became apparent that the truss rod was maxed out and recessed deep into the heel of the neck. This is a new bass. Also, the tuners were stiff and grindy. I returned it, asking for a replacement, to which Fender quickly and happily obliged.

In the meantime, I receive my Precision at the end of July. The second I open the case, before I even pick it up, the cereal bowl-like dip in the neck is readily apparent. It was horrendous. Naturally I try the truss rod, and it will not move without forcing it. That bass immediately goes back in the case, and off to Fender it goes for a refund.

So I'm still waiting for my replacement Jazz at this point, and it's probably not surprising that I had low hopes for that bass given what I've already gone through.

So I get that bass, and it feels good at first, but I discover that it has a nice hump past the 12th fret, and the bass is unplayable in that area. Naturally I was livid, so I reach out to Fender (and keep in mind I somehow retained Zen-like patience through this entire shite storm) to see what my options are. I really wanted this Jazz to work out.
I said that I wanted Glaser instruments to plane and fret the neck, and that I had good luck with a couple basses I had repaired there. The customer service guy said that was reasonable but he had to run it by some higher ups to see what they could do. So, after 3 weeks of waiting and no communication, I finally said 'screw this' and emailed to say I wanted to return the bass and scrap it all. I got an immediate response. Go figure. So that's what happened. Also, this replacement bass had an extra wiring channel mistakenly drilled from the neck pickup into the control cavity, and the drill bit had driven into the bottom of the control cavity as well. This wasn't visible in any way unless you take the plate off, but still. This is just plain incompetent. I couldn't believe how bad it all went, because Fender's American Standard stuff is basically perfect in my experience.

After I returned that lemon I ended up ordering a Stingray 4 (white, tort, matching headstock) for about $200 less than the ADE Jazz."