$1,200 for a MIM is shocking. My MIA Precision was $1,250 brand new from Amazon four months ago.
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
I'm resurrecting this thread to piss and moan some more about the Fender Flea Bass... No bridge cover screw holes, no ground strap to bridge pickup. missing the 4 mute holes below the bridge pickup, no strap button on the backside of the headstock. I am sure the pots and pickups are second rate with no cloth wiring. this is not a complete version of flea's bass and not worth the price.
But if you consider that it is more in the ballpark of the US Vintage Series for 2.000,-:
Nitro finish
Same pickups as Vintage Series '64 Jazz
And even more costly - if you like it or not: it is reliced!
it's rather cheap!
Exactly. It's like a 62 AVRI. I would like it better if it weren't pre worn but whatever.
I've never tried the Flea, but my main bass is a US Vintage Series '64 and the pickups - also used on the Flea - are stellar (I own 4 Fender Jazz Basses)
I like the bass a lot, but the relic job is too heavy for my tastes. What would be involved to touch up some of the spots on the front where there's no shell pink finish?
I bought one yesterday.
First impressions, this bass looks awesome, I love everything about it.
The colour the relic the large tuners, stacked lay out. This bass screams COOL.
Upon closer inspection I noticed that the neck was not mounted all the way into the (neckpocket) body. A 2 millimeter gap. All the neckplate screws required a full turn before the gap was closed en the neck was locked into the neckpocket.
Second, the action was sky-high. This brought another issue to the surface.
I guess because of the aging process the sadle-screws were very difficult to adjust.
Two of them did not want to move at all up to the point I used so much force that the screw-slot was totally gone, no more grip possible.
Luckily I had a spare (brand new and shiny though) bridge, so a "quick" exchange fixed that.
After a proper set up the bass plays incredibly smooth. Low action, and with the vintage 64 PU's a great sound.
I like it, I like it a lot!!
First impressions, this bass looks awesome, I love everything about it.
The colour the relic the large tuners, stacked lay out. This bass screams COOL.
Upon closer inspection I noticed that the neck was not mounted all the way into the (neckpocket) body. A 2 millimeter gap. All the neckplate screws required a full turn before the gap was closed en the neck was locked into the neckpocket.
Second, the action was sky-high. This brought another issue to the surface.
I guess because of the aging process the sadle-screws were very difficult to adjust.
Two of them did not want to move at all up to the point I used so much force that the screw-slot was totally gone, no more grip possible.
Luckily I had a spare (brand new and shiny though) bridge, so a "quick" exchange fixed that.
After a proper set up the bass plays incredibly smooth. Low action, and with the vintage 64 PU's a great sound.
I like it, I like it a lot!!
I don't think you should have had to replace\repair anything out of the box for the money they're charging for these....it's stuff like this that makes me stay as far away from the MIMs as possible...also, this bass sounds much brighter than anything Fender makes that I've compared it to...The slap sound on every demo I've listened to (through studio monitors) gave me more of a Marcus Miller tone than a Larry Graham slap tone...don't know if it's the pickups (I'm shocked they're supposedly the same found in the AV RIs) or the circuit, but something makes the bass sound more aggressive, like almost an active sound...that's not necessarily a bad thing, I just wouldn't have expected it from a passive Fender J...If I picked it up, I feel like I would still crave a warm, passive sound from another J and for that, I can't see it winning over, say a '64 RI or maybe the Clayton Signature if I was hunting for a '60s style jazz....
I agree with you, for 1200 you should not expect a faulty bridge and lousy set up. However, like I said I had a bridge spare, so not really a biggie for me.
I do not agree with the bass sounding brighter (MM like) than others. IMHO it has a great wood-like; dark bottom heavy with steady mids and subtle highs sound. Massive slap-sound.
I've had a few (understatement) jazz-basses (ranging from $200 Affinity to $5000 Masterbuilt) and the Flea in my book is great value for money.
It sounds like a decent value, but again, I'd be pretty pissed if I had to spring for a new bridge as soon as I got my new bass home...that's just unacceptable ..I'd love for someone to A/B this bass with an AV RI '64..maybe my ears are wrong..
Last edited:
I'll record a small Flea-clip and post it here sometime this week.
