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Fender Pro pbass case contents

P

Partridge

Jun 12, 2016
55
24
#1
i picked up a new Fender pro Pbass the other day.

The fender STD jazz bass I got a few years ago came with a lot of case candy, strap, lead, detailed instructions etc. The pro on the other hand came with a lot less, no strap, lead etc.

Is that a sign of the times or do I have stuff missing?
 
#2
Haven't bought a new Fender in many years, but judging from some photos posted by a few online retailers, it seems as though the only case candy being provided these days with the Professional Series instruments are an owner's manual, a service manual, the 2-year limited warranty card, and a T-handle truss rod tool.
 
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#4
Partridge said:
i picked up a new Fender pro Pbass the other day.

The fender STD jazz bass I got a few years ago came with a lot of case candy, strap, lead, detailed instructions etc. The pro on the other hand came with a lot less, no strap, lead etc.

Is that a sign of the times or do I have stuff missing?
Click to expand...
In these days of corporations chasing the almighty dollar for their shareholders and screw everybody else, getting 2 books and a trussrod tool with a mass produced instrument is a veritable bonanza.
 
#10
Partridge said:
i picked up a new Fender pro Pbass the other day.

The fender STD jazz bass I got a few years ago came with a lot of case candy, strap, lead, detailed instructions etc. The pro on the other hand came with a lot less, no strap, lead etc.

Is that a sign of the times or do I have stuff missing?
Click to expand...

Partridge said:
I got a key, a play plastic fake leather fender bag with the truss rod tool + hex keys. A little booklet with the warranty info (in English) but the instructions on setup were in Spanish.
Click to expand...

Candy schmandy. Those "free" POS cables and half-ass'd straps are junk, anyway. Can't speak for anyone else but I'm never gonna use that crap, I just toss it or donate it to my local shop so they can give it to their young students.

"Detailed instructions"...the Fender "pro" is marketed for intermediate-to-advanced players, as opposed to beginners. How many of them need operating instructions for a P bass? Does anyone?

Junky case candy matters in the vintage guitar world, where having it makes the guitar "more original", ergo more valuable. Anymore, it's just un-needed stuff that adds to the cost for the end user (non-user?).

Personally, I'd rather save $5 than pay an extra $5 for that stuff. Seems to me that it's more a "sign of the times" that retailers and manufacturers understand this, and would rather trim some fat to keep costs down. YMMV
 
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#11
The Pros don't come with the cable, strap and polish cloth as the American Standards did. The Elites still come with that plus strap locks.
FWIW, the American Standard strap was a 70s design throwback and the cable was a 50s/60s type. Not really anything useful, just nostalgic. The Elite strap is a black leather one that is not avocado shag tacky, the cable is still nothing special.
 
#12
Iridescentone said:
Candy schmandy. Those "free" POS cables and half-ass'd straps are junk, anyway. Can't speak for anyone else but I'm never gonna use that crap, I just toss it or donate it to my local shop so they can give it to their young students.

"Detailed instructions"...the Fender "pro" is marketed for intermediate-to-advanced players, as opposed to beginners. How many of them need operating instructions for a P bass? Does anyone?

Junky case candy matters in the vintage guitar world, where having it makes the guitar "more original", ergo more valuable. Anymore, it's just un-needed stuff that adds to the cost for the end user (non-user?).

Personally, I'd rather save $5 than pay an extra $5 for that stuff. Seems to me that it's more a "sign of the times" that retailers and manufacturers understand this, and would rather trim some fat to keep costs down. YMMV
Click to expand...

If only guitar manufacturers passed the savings onto the consumer... :smug:
 
#13
SleepyShark said:
If only guitar manufacturers passed the savings onto the consumer... :smug:
Click to expand...

How do we know that they don't? It's in their best interests to keep street prices as low as possible to keep their market share, or if possible, to increase it. It's a competitive biz. And thank God for competition in the marketplace!....as consumers, it's to our benefit.
 
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#14
I like my Fender vintage style embroidered straps... they're not stupid high quality but they look good to me and do the job. They aren't in my regular rotation but I do use them occasionally and most times have one in my gig bag as a backup. I am happy to have a couple of these in my collection.

Yes, I am that nerd that has a strap collection.
 
#19
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Knew I posted a picture of my case candy here before. I don't know why but they put a set of bass strings in as well, these ended up on my Peavey Foundation IIRC.
Like I said it's all still stored away in the case unused, I remember I spent ages going through it and reading through the instruction manual.
 
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#20
My last two Fenders came with a vinyl pouch containing a cert. of authenticity, that useless red manual, and the strap 1/2 of straplocks (puzzling in that the telecaster bass didn't come with straplocks).
 

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