Fender American Design Experience

[ModuMan]

Having dealt with neck pocket issues on my ADE Precision I guess the good news is that they should take care of you rather than just offer a refund. In my case, I was told to take it to an authorized Fender repair person. He got the neck settled in perfectly.

As for the lower bout, here's mine.

 

[awilkie84]

The American Special series necks have graphite stiffening rods in them, unless the ADE series necks are somehow different.

I'm pretty sure they don't. That was one of the features of the Am Std that was an upgrade over the Spec.

 

[boristhespider9]

Your contour seems to have a similar issue, although maybe not as pronounced -- interesting. It's not on my American Standard or other Ps I've owned.

As for as the neck pocket, even if it could be reset to make it tight, it still has those notches which weren't polished out. Again, not on either of my other two examples.

 

[Tbone76]

I'm pretty sure they don't. That was one of the features of the Am Std that was an upgrade over the Spec.

No, they do. From their website:
"Maple neck with slimmer-C profile and graphite support rods." The original Highway 1 series (no Badass II bridge) didn't have them, I believe. The nitro finished Highway One (Badass II bridge) introduced the Slim-C/graphite rod neck. The American Special series is basically a re-named Highway One bass, without the upgraded bridge.

EDIT: The main difference between the American Standard neck and The American Special is the profile and tuners.

 

[Yahboy]

Fellow TBers, I apologize for the delay. Overall, I was very happy with my initial impression of the bass. It looks great, the fretwork is top-notch, and it's exactly as ordered. I was getting ready to take the plastic off and do a review. However, I then actually did notice a relatively serious QC issue on the lower bout curve of the bass on the back. Without going into long-winded detail, I'll just post some photos below and you'll figure it out (it's not related to the neck plate message). I have some more detailed photos I can post later. The neck gap and "notch" aren't great either, but less serious than the other issue.

I emailed and called my ADE rep at Fender. I didn't think it would be fair to do a full review without giving them a chance to resolve it first. He got back to me today (apparently my first email with photos went to his Spam folder) and agreed that the bass was not to spec. He promised to get back to me shortly with a resolution. So, I'm going to wait to see what happens before I swear total allegiance to Lakland!

That is QC issue!! Must return it.

You won't believe mine is better QC than yours.

 

[Slpbass81]

I would def return it. No need for a 3rd when you already have the other two unless you're on tour.

 

[boristhespider9]

I would def return it. No need for a 3rd when you already have the other two unless you're on tour.

I was likely going to sell the American Standard because both the USA Glaub and the ADE have J necks which I prefer.

 

[Yahboy]

I din't have any Fender American Design Experience, BUT i learn their exprerience from here = Damn Fender QC:***:

 

[boristhespider9]

Having dealt with neck pocket issues on my ADE Precision I guess the good news is that they should take care of you rather than just offer a refund. In my case, I was told to take it to an authorized Fender repair person. He got the neck settled in perfectly.

As for the lower bout, here's mine.

View attachment 603110 View attachment 603111

Does yours have a J or P neck? I was wondering if the contouring was caused by any needed adjustments to the body for putting the J neck on the P. Probably not, but curious.

 

[ModuMan]

Does yours have a J or P neck? I was wondering if the contouring was caused by any needed adjustments to the body for putting the J neck on the P. Probably not, but curious.

Mine is a P neck on a P body. That's a good question though. From what I understand fitting a J neck on a P is easier than the other way around but I haven't tried it.

It's funny, I never even looked at the bout until you posted yours. Now I want to see the same angle on other Fenders.

 

[A-Step-Towards]

I have dug through the replies and I dont see anyone stating this. That bump in the pocket is called a Router Hump all 60s Fender have that, all Correct reissues have that. Standards nowadays dont, but the vintage series basses do, its literally called a "router hump". The router hump is a little hump in the cutaway area right where the curve of the cutaway intersects the flat of the neck pocket. On some they are actually rounded humps, on some they're more just flat areas.

I wouldnt expect it on a modern styled bass, but a vintage one it is correct for.

Here is a guy discussing it
Question bout Fullerton 57 AV Precision bass Shape | TalkBass.com

 

[Slpbass81]

I just realized my 2008 American jazz bass has that hump and the neck is actually bigger than the neck pocket and hangs over a bit. No big deal because I only paid $800 for it but no way would I spend above $1k on a fender. I would go lakland or sadowsky.

 

[ModuMan]

I have dug through the replies and I dont see anyone stating this. That bump in the pocket is called a Router Hump all 60s Fender have that, all Correct reissues have that. Standards nowadays dont, but the vintage series basses do, its literally called a "router hump". The router hump is a little hump in the cutaway area right where the curve of the cutaway intersects the flat of the neck pocket. On some they are actually rounded humps, on some they're more just flat areas.

I wouldnt expect it on a modern styled bass, but a vintage one it is correct for.

Here is a guy discussing it
Question bout Fullerton 57 AV Precision bass Shape | TalkBass.com

Interesting, though that thread got derailed in a hurry!

My bass is essentially an American Standard so I guess it's out of place to have that hump. Or they are not really all that picky about which body they are using when they are putting these together...

 

[A-Step-Towards]

Indeed. While it may not be correct for an American Standard these basses still are not American Standards, there a series that has both Vintage styled and Modern Fenders and they can be mixed and matched so because of the fact the whole Vintage Line has that hump it would be hard for me to call that a defect. They probably have a pile of bodies made to be part of the ADE series and they all get cut on a jig and some are routed vintage style and some are routed for a modern style but the basic cutting of the shape and creating the hump maybe done on the same jig and the detailed routing comes later. It may seem out of place but I would really call that a gray area. One could make a fuss for a reason to return it but quality control would be lacking if they missed putting that hump into the vintage style basses.

Reliable Fender parts these out on eBay and you can see lots of the '63 P bass bodies, all have a slight hump, his photos dont focus on it so its not as apparent as photos posted here but it can be seen.

Vintage USA 63 Fender P Bass Body Hardware American Precision Seminole Sale | eBay

 

[ModuMan]

I see what you are saying. As I recall, when you start building on the ADE site, your first choice is to go "vintage" or "modern" but that really is to put you on a path of neck choices, bridges, etc. You don't get to choose your body style beyond P or J. So I could see them all being "vintage" bodies to save the trouble.

Next time I'm in GC I'm going to be the weirdo looking at all the Fender lower bouts.

 

[D.M.N.]

Guys, I promise you the contouring is not right. In person, it's like a big lump in the bout that clearly does not curve correctly. It wasn't sanded right or something else happened. I also have photos of it side by side with my Fender Am Std 2013 P Bass, my Am Std 2010 Jazz, and my Lakland USA Glaub and the difference is very noticeable. I've owned a number of American Std Ps and I've never seen anything like this "jagged" curve.

I have some clearer photos which I didn't post because they show my name in the "Custom For" message on the neck plate. You know, protecting anonymity and all. I will post some clearer photos in a bit which show that this clearly not normal. When the Fender ADE rep looked at those photos he said that this clearly is out of spec and apologized.

As for the neck pocket, it's not a horrendous issue. It is a fairly larger gap than on my other Fenders and other basses. The "notch" bothers me a bit more because it's a ding or finishing/sanding flaw. If the other issue wasn't there, I could have probably overlooked this.

Oh, and I cannot hear the ocean and the bass is quite light. No issues there.

With tax, this bass cost over $1700 and supposedly was to have a higher level of QC. Sorry, not acceptable. I have owned and currently own a lot of basses, all USA made. I know the difference.

I'm actually not all up in arms about it, however. I'm going to give them a chance to resolve it or I'll simply return it. I'm just glad the ADE rep immediately agreed it shouldn't have been sent like that.

Ok, so the bass cost me 1781.99 to be exact - so nearly $1800.

I have not yet heard a resolution from my ADE rep at Fender, but hopefully soon.

I promised some better photos, so here we go:

Photo of bass as delivered. Plastic is still on pickguard which makes it look a bit duller. Ash body and Trans-Blonde color. Plenty of grain although you may not see it in the photos. Overall, I love the appearance of the bass. Note that it is an American Standard "Modern" body (not sure what the above poster was talking about with regard to a vintage body) and an American Standard Jazz neck (with a P-Bass decal).

This is my big gripe. Strange uneven "lump" on lower bout on back. I noticed it as soon as I turned the bass over. It's like a stretch of wood that was not sanded all the way to be properly contoured. ADE rep said it was not to spec when he saw the photos.

Let's compare the contour to my 2013 Fender American Standard P-Bass:

My Lakland USA Bob Glaub P Bass:

Neck pocket on ADE bass:

Neck Pocket on 2013 Fender American Standard P:

Lakland USA Glaub Neck Pocket:

I think these photos are helpful in making a comparison. Both the lower-priced 2013 American Standard P-Bass and my higher-piced Lakland USA Glaub P-Bass do not have the issues that the ADE bass has. It's not the end of the world, but I'd expect a lot more QC for an $1800 bass.

Having dealt with neck pocket issues on my ADE Precision I guess the good news is that they should take care of you rather than just offer a refund. In my case, I was told to take it to an authorized Fender repair person. He got the neck settled in perfectly.

As for the lower bout, here's mine.

View attachment 603110 View attachment 603111

Well, I guess at this point, a-step-towards has really beaten me to the punch, but the router humps featured on your basses are absolutely vintage correct. Both my AVRIs have them, as will vintage 60s Fenders. Now, if you ordered a modern American series body, then it's an issue, because they gave you a vintage style body, and I can totally get returning it as it isn't what you ordered. What probably happened is they just grabbed the next available body by accident, and it happened to be a vintage spec one instead of a modern one.

 

[A-Step-Towards]

I see what you are saying. As I recall, when you start building on the ADE site, your first choice is to go "vintage" or "modern" but that really is to put you on a path of neck choices, bridges, etc. You don't get to choose your body style beyond P or J. So I could see them all being "vintage" bodies to save the trouble.

Next time I'm in GC I'm going to be the weirdo looking at all the Fender lower bouts.

Yeah not sure how they do it, I think the bodies just get mismatched on this series.

Compare the vintage to the Modern ones, I think the vintage styled MIM's have the hump, the Japan models did.

 

[boristhespider9]

I did select the Modern body as I wanted the American Standard hardware and no thumb rest or tug bar.

Interesting that you guys appear to have figured out the reason for this. I'm not sure it makes me feel better and it doesn't solve the sloppy neck pocket. It does show, however, that virtually every possible bass issue has been discussed at some point on TB!

 

[boristhespider9]

Having dealt with neck pocket issues on my ADE Precision I guess the good news is that they should take care of you rather than just offer a refund. In my case, I was told to take it to an authorized Fender repair person. He got the neck settled in perfectly.

As for the lower bout, here's mine.

View attachment 603110 View attachment 603111

How long did it take for the ADE rep to respond and resolve the issue?

 

[Rocky]

I have dug through the replies and I dont see anyone stating this. That bump in the pocket is called a Router Hump all 60s Fender have that, all Correct reissues have that. Standards nowadays dont, but the vintage series basses do, its literally called a "router hump". The router hump is a little hump in the cutaway area right where the curve of the cutaway intersects the flat of the neck pocket. On some they are actually rounded humps, on some they're more just flat areas.

I wouldnt expect it on a modern styled bass, but a vintage one it is correct for.

Here is a guy discussing it
Question bout Fullerton 57 AV Precision bass Shape | TalkBass.com

I never really noticed it on my AV 58 P bass, but after closer inspection its there, but not as pronounced as the OP's.