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Fender American Design Experience

I must stay that this bass has exceeded my expectations. It's a joy to play, sits perfect in the mix, looks great, is light, feels solid and is very comfortable. And I have a lot of nice basses to compare it to. I think it's going to help me pare down the collection substantially. Very happy and worth the extra few bucks to get it how I wanted, especially with the American Standard Jazz neck. Looking forward to its first gig tonight.
 
Well, sorry it took so long to get these posted, but here they are. As described in the posts above, the two primary problems with my ADE bass were (1) excessive router hump on the lower bout and (2) a sloppy poorly finished neck pocket. I learned a lot about router hump during this process and never really knew it was a common thing on certain Fenders despite having owned many MIA Fenders over the years. Neither my current Am Std. Jazz nor my other Am Std. Precision has the router hump.

In any event, it took Fender a LONG time to get my bass back to me. Until the last couple of weeks, I really didn't care as I have plenty of other basses and I'm not playing a lot right now anyway. I was told they made me an entirely new body, which appears to be the case because the grain is different (even better) and it's even lighter than the first version which was about 8.5 Lbs. I haven't weighed this one yet, but I'm guessing it's about 8 Lbs or maybe even slightly under.

Despite the long wait, Fender did make things right. First, the issues are resolved (and now I'm willing to accept a little router hump). Second, they upgraded my case to the TSA case which is much lighter and more comfortable to carry than the standard plywood case. Third, my ADE rep gave me a generous credit in the Fender store which allowed me to buy some merch, an interface pedal, cables, t-shirts, etc.

As a reminder, the specs are: (1) American Standard "Modern" body; (2) Ash Body; (3) Translucent Blonde; (4) American Standard Jazz Neck; (5) '63 Pickups; (6) Custom name plate message (includes my name which I've blocked out).

I have to say, this appears to be the finest Fender bass I've ever played and I'm now very happy. The playability of the Am. Std. Jazz neck on the P body is terrific. It's very comfortable and lightweight. And it sounds...well, like a real P-Bass thumper. Sounds great with slap too. I did change the strings immediately to DR Lo-Rider Medium Steels, which are my favorite and they really made the bass come alive. This purchase will help motivate me to thin my too-large collection over the coming months!

So, despite some initial problems and definite skepticism, I'm ultimately very pleased with my ADE P-Bass.

57d3b06dbdc2a3ef3b22498e2a7347a5_zpsnj3w44av.jpg

c3c0df46866ad4a1f6f385f780fdf3c3_zpsssmrb8if.jpg

389cf6aa6b6243ee0040694995b7c1e0_zpsnzytxhvb.jpg

ea17c8167658a1a493308c063b84b383_zpsrrgr29hu.jpg

32196eac79d07fd82481e6342bf65a68_zpssfbc51um.jpg

b96504ead1a5d87ce322ce5e4c99a605_zpsaxjbdxal.jpg
Very nice! The blonde is more butterscotch than it looks on the design site.
 
Well, sorry it took so long to get these posted, but here they are. As described in the posts above, the two primary problems with my ADE bass were (1) excessive router hump on the lower bout and (2) a sloppy poorly finished neck pocket. I learned a lot about router hump during this process and never really knew it was a common thing on certain Fenders despite having owned many MIA Fenders over the years. Neither my current Am Std. Jazz nor my other Am Std. Precision has the router hump.

In any event, it took Fender a LONG time to get my bass back to me. Until the last couple of weeks, I really didn't care as I have plenty of other basses and I'm not playing a lot right now anyway. I was told they made me an entirely new body, which appears to be the case because the grain is different (even better) and it's even lighter than the first version which was about 8.5 Lbs. I haven't weighed this one yet, but I'm guessing it's about 8 Lbs or maybe even slightly under.

Despite the long wait, Fender did make things right. First, the issues are resolved (and now I'm willing to accept a little router hump). Second, they upgraded my case to the TSA case which is much lighter and more comfortable to carry than the standard plywood case. Third, my ADE rep gave me a generous credit in the Fender store which allowed me to buy some merch, an interface pedal, cables, t-shirts, etc.

As a reminder, the specs are: (1) American Standard "Modern" body; (2) Ash Body; (3) Translucent Blonde; (4) American Standard Jazz Neck; (5) '63 Pickups; (6) Custom name plate message (includes my name which I've blocked out).

I have to say, this appears to be the finest Fender bass I've ever played and I'm now very happy. The playability of the Am. Std. Jazz neck on the P body is terrific. It's very comfortable and lightweight. And it sounds...well, like a real P-Bass thumper. Sounds great with slap too. I did change the strings immediately to DR Lo-Rider Medium Steels, which are my favorite and they really made the bass come alive. This purchase will help motivate me to thin my too-large collection over the coming months!

So, despite some initial problems and definite skepticism, I'm ultimately very pleased with my ADE P-Bass.

57d3b06dbdc2a3ef3b22498e2a7347a5_zpsnj3w44av.jpg

c3c0df46866ad4a1f6f385f780fdf3c3_zpsssmrb8if.jpg

389cf6aa6b6243ee0040694995b7c1e0_zpsnzytxhvb.jpg

ea17c8167658a1a493308c063b84b383_zpsrrgr29hu.jpg

32196eac79d07fd82481e6342bf65a68_zpssfbc51um.jpg

b96504ead1a5d87ce322ce5e4c99a605_zpsaxjbdxal.jpg
Hi,

Can you tell me about the 63 pick up?
 
Well, sorry it took so long to get these posted, but here they are. As described in the posts above, the two primary problems with my ADE bass were (1) excessive router hump on the lower bout and (2) a sloppy poorly finished neck pocket. I learned a lot about router hump during this process and never really knew it was a common thing on certain Fenders despite having owned many MIA Fenders over the years. Neither my current Am Std. Jazz nor my other Am Std. Precision has the router hump.

In any event, it took Fender a LONG time to get my bass back to me. Until the last couple of weeks, I really didn't care as I have plenty of other basses and I'm not playing a lot right now anyway. I was told they made me an entirely new body, which appears to be the case because the grain is different (even better) and it's even lighter than the first version which was about 8.5 Lbs. I haven't weighed this one yet, but I'm guessing it's about 8 Lbs or maybe even slightly under.

Despite the long wait, Fender did make things right. First, the issues are resolved (and now I'm willing to accept a little router hump). Second, they upgraded my case to the TSA case which is much lighter and more comfortable to carry than the standard plywood case. Third, my ADE rep gave me a generous credit in the Fender store which allowed me to buy some merch, an interface pedal, cables, t-shirts, etc.

As a reminder, the specs are: (1) American Standard "Modern" body; (2) Ash Body; (3) Translucent Blonde; (4) American Standard Jazz Neck; (5) '63 Pickups; (6) Custom name plate message (includes my name which I've blocked out).

I have to say, this appears to be the finest Fender bass I've ever played and I'm now very happy. The playability of the Am. Std. Jazz neck on the P body is terrific. It's very comfortable and lightweight. And it sounds...well, like a real P-Bass thumper. Sounds great with slap too. I did change the strings immediately to DR Lo-Rider Medium Steels, which are my favorite and they really made the bass come alive. This purchase will help motivate me to thin my too-large collection over the coming months!

So, despite some initial problems and definite skepticism, I'm ultimately very pleased with my ADE P-Bass.

57d3b06dbdc2a3ef3b22498e2a7347a5_zpsnj3w44av.jpg

c3c0df46866ad4a1f6f385f780fdf3c3_zpsssmrb8if.jpg

389cf6aa6b6243ee0040694995b7c1e0_zpsnzytxhvb.jpg

ea17c8167658a1a493308c063b84b383_zpsrrgr29hu.jpg

32196eac79d07fd82481e6342bf65a68_zpssfbc51um.jpg

b96504ead1a5d87ce322ce5e4c99a605_zpsaxjbdxal.jpg

Nice piece of ash!!
 
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Since Fender opened their new visitor center in Corona, California a couple of years ago, they've had a new feature where you can build your own Fender guitar or bass. You pick all of the parts and put together your very own custom Fender instrument.

That concept has finally made it's way online! And now you can build your own Fender guitar or bass online at Invalid Link Removed. The options for basses include a number of variations of 4 string Precision and Jazz basses. Other options include:

-Vintage or modern appointments
-Right or Left-Handed (good news for lefties!)
-Alder or Ash bodies
-COLORS: 3 tone sunburst, 2 tone sunburst, Olympic white, Vintage blonde, Black, Lake Placid Blue, Candy Apple Red, Sunset Metallic & Silverburst
-Jazz or Precision necks with a range of options
-Varying pickup options
-Modern or vintage style bridges
-6 different pickguard materials
-Hardware finishes
-3 different case options


It's pretty cool if you may not be on board with some of the options on stock Fender models. The pricing seems a little high, but that's probably got to do with the increased labor involved with just such a build.
That's awesome - didn't know they had a build site like that! Thanks for the link. Unfortunately you can't choose the 70's pickup spacing or a fretless neck though, both of which are must-haves for my next Jazz bass... what up, Fender?