I just ordered one of these . Has anybody got one and how do you like it ?
Is the tuners and bridge ok ?
Is the tuners and bridge ok ?
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Fender Flea Jazz Bass
- Thread starter ezra1
- Start date
Are you talking about the Shell Pink Road Worn? If so I bought one a couple months ago from Sweetwater. Given the price of the bass I was underwhelmed. It is ultra light and looks great but the frets were sharp, the bass was nowhere near setup (which is fine I can do that) but the electronics... I don't think are working on mine. It has the push pull pots and I cannot tell a difference in the tones. I pulled everything apart and blew it out with air and electronics cleaner but no change. I really wish I had paid attention to how long I had it because I would have likely sent it back but I missed the 30 day window. Since I missed it I have put some flats on it. It plays nice it has a good sound (of course mine only has one I can tell...) and I can work on the frets. The neck is great and it is fun to play on but like I said, the quality for the price was disappointing. I could have gotten a used MM Stingray for what I paid for this bass. I wish that Fender would spend a little more time on the small details in their instruments.
Yes,the Shell Pink Roadworn .I have heard that these were hit and miss.
That is why I was asking about the hardware.
I ordered a set of Nordstrand NJ4 to put in it.
And I wondered about the quality of the stacked pots.
That is why I was asking about the hardware.
I ordered a set of Nordstrand NJ4 to put in it.
And I wondered about the quality of the stacked pots.
I had it - the hardware, electronics (well, pots) and pickups are all great. It has a wonderful pair of vintage 64 pups in it, I wouldn't change that! That's the best part of the bass.
That said, they definitely have some QC issues - I had to return mine twice. First one had a weak neck, and not even my luthier could set it up to play with a nice action (truss rod almost maxed out) and the neck finish started to come off (this issue sometimes happens on Fender Road Worn series instruments). I returned it.
The second one had a wrongly cut nut (strings weren't centered well across the neck, the G was too close to the D string) and it had lacquer on the upper frets - sloppy.
Third time was the charm I guess, since it had a nice solid stable neck, but the neck pocket was slightly sloppy and had a gap. Not a huge deal, but I did end up selling it. Also, 2 out of 3 had the concentric knobs put on in a sloppy way too - when I turned the upper knob, the lower knob would turn as well. Annoying, but it can be fixed. Still, annoying.
Frets were a bit sharp on all three basses - even Squiers had better rounded fret edges than these Flea basses, especially CV Squiers - those were definitely built better. For the price, I could have gotten a used MIA bass. That's pretty much why I sold it, and decided to grab an MIA Fender now.
That said, the bass really did sound great, and looked cool. Outside of sharper fret edges on my third Flea, it was pretty cool (oh, and it buzzed on the upper frets, so possible "ski jump" neck issue).
That said, they definitely have some QC issues - I had to return mine twice. First one had a weak neck, and not even my luthier could set it up to play with a nice action (truss rod almost maxed out) and the neck finish started to come off (this issue sometimes happens on Fender Road Worn series instruments). I returned it.
The second one had a wrongly cut nut (strings weren't centered well across the neck, the G was too close to the D string) and it had lacquer on the upper frets - sloppy.
Third time was the charm I guess, since it had a nice solid stable neck, but the neck pocket was slightly sloppy and had a gap. Not a huge deal, but I did end up selling it. Also, 2 out of 3 had the concentric knobs put on in a sloppy way too - when I turned the upper knob, the lower knob would turn as well. Annoying, but it can be fixed. Still, annoying.
Frets were a bit sharp on all three basses - even Squiers had better rounded fret edges than these Flea basses, especially CV Squiers - those were definitely built better. For the price, I could have gotten a used MIA bass. That's pretty much why I sold it, and decided to grab an MIA Fender now.
That said, the bass really did sound great, and looked cool. Outside of sharper fret edges on my third Flea, it was pretty cool (oh, and it buzzed on the upper frets, so possible "ski jump" neck issue).
I got a used one recently and I think it's a great bass, light and resonant. Bridge and tuners are just fine. Factory CTS pots and cloth wire plus the 64 pups are good stuff.
The only disappointing thing about it is I can't find anything to upgrade or mod Hmmm maybe I should add a series/parallel switch
The only disappointing thing about it is I can't find anything to upgrade or mod Hmmm maybe I should add a series/parallel switch
Good pots and wiring, my luthier checked it all out and was impressed. So switching out pups on these makes no sense, why would you do that? I'd grab some other bass if I wanted to switch out pickups.
Biggest problems with Flea jazzes are possible QC issues regarding the construction, fret work and neck wood.
IMO it's safer to go Squier CV route if I wanted a better constructed bass, where I could put pickups of my choice. They seriously have better fretwork and overall fit & finish job.
Got her out today.
Everything is fine.
The neck is really close to my 1965 Jazz Bass.
It is a keeper.
Everything is fine.
The neck is really close to my 1965 Jazz Bass.
It is a keeper.
Federal law 572-4 requires you to post a picture of the bass. Sorry... Its the law.
No sharp fret edges. Tight neck pocket.
Plays well right out of the box.
.....now if I can get my girlfriend to come clean my apartment.
Plays well right out of the box.
.....now if I can get my girlfriend to come clean my apartment.
Awesome glad you hit the jackpot with yours. I do love the pups, may take it to my guy and have him switch out the stacked knobs. If you can figure out how to get your GF to clean tell me the secret!
I've seen people playing with it and getting a crazy tone. I GAS really bad for this bass.
I tried it at a store the other day and it was...meh. However, I think it was just the horrible set up. I will get one of this eventually, but I think stores should be carefull about how they have their basses.
I tried it at a store the other day and it was...meh. However, I think it was just the horrible set up. I will get one of this eventually, but I think stores should be carefull about how they have their basses.
I’ve only played one, and did not buy it, but the feel of that neck has been haunting me ever since. I’m mostly a P player, Jazzes are cool but I’ve never owned one that I kept, they don’t stay long with me as it’s always seemed there’s been another P up for grabs that I wanted more. But the Flea J that I played had one of the best feeling bass necks I’ve ever played. Very comfortable! I wish I’d had the dough to buy it - no problems with fret sprout or buzzing, which by the way aren’t necessarily QC issues - frets sprout on Rosewood boards when they’re dry, it happens on more expensive basses too, and buzzing is just a setup issue, should be easy to fix unless the neck is warped, which is rare in any actual Fender. And I love the shell pink-tort-rosewood combo.
