Fender quality control 2025

[JutMitch]

I’m not trying to be argumentative, I just find it literally incredible. Unless it was sold by Fender as B stock.

Another thing is there is a ton of this stuff floating around stratophere and Franklin guitar works that is selling this stuff as defective product. They are buying Fenders defective stuff, most of these item have authenticity paper which states that they were a whole instrument that was returned to Fender and then parted out by a third party.

If it was sold as B stock, I have zero complaints.

 

[JutMitch]

lol, just with Fender. Everything else is pretty great and honestly even with this one…it plays great, was set up surprisingly well and one of the better basses in factory fret end dressing department. She’s like a girl that’s 7/10 in the looks, but is 10/10 everywhere else. I can work with the that.

 

[BassicJazzy]

Pretty minor imperfections, looks like half of them were post-production, in handling. Nothing there that I would get too excited about. The headstock looks like in production a sander slipped, or someone leaned on it a bit too hard in finishing.

Pretty good discount for these kind of imperfections.

 

[DJ Bebop]

When humans are involved in the mix, anything is possible

 

[Geri O]

When humans are involved in the mix, anything is possible

Yes.

And we all have different levels of tolerance and expectations of instruments that we buy.

And that should be okay.

I’ll accept a certain level of imperfections and deal with them, but I certainly don’t blame anyone that expects more. Why should I?

Fortunately, the last 3 sight-unseen, never-played basses have literally been flawless. Quite literally.

No surprise with the brand new Stingray Special.

Maybe a little surprise with the Fender AM Pro II Precision 5 I bought a few months ago. Its fit and finish was as good as the Stingray. Gotta admit, I was holding my breath a bit, but I was very pleased with it.

Maybe a bigger shocker was the $329 Squier 6-string bass I bought earlier this year. Only thing amiss with it was the slightly rough fret ends on the treble side of the fretboard. The bass side fret ends were fine.

And I’ll admit, I have yet to receive a bass through mail-order that had a significant issue like I’ve read about here and elsewhere. Even the fit and finish of the American Elite Jazz several years ago was flawless. I did have to supplement Fender’s typically inadequate shielding job. No biggie, I’m equipped for such work.

So it would serve a lot of us well to remember that our experiences are ours alone. Good and bad. I feel for the folks that write about one bad experience after another. Why should I be doubtful of their experiences? I wish them better luck.

Thankfully, I’m good.

 

[BassicJazzy]

No more than when your ‘90 was built.

Anecdotal BS

Yes, since my sample size = 1 you are probably correct.

 

[JutMitch]

Pretty minor imperfections, looks like half of them were post-production, in handling. Nothing there that I would get too excited about. The headstock looks like in production a sander slipped, or someone leaned on it a bit too hard in finishing.

Pretty good discount for these kind of imperfections.

That’s my thoughts. Cheaper than b stock pricing. The dent is 100 % prior to paint which I prefer. No fractures, chips. Etc. guessing someone bumped into something prior sanding prep. That poly isn’t forgiving, especially when it was shipped in 25 degree weather.

Thats kind of what I was trying to go for in the original post in which was this considered a qc anomaly or is the just “normal” Fender. What I think might be issues, might just be the standard of quality in which some companies are might be better than others.

 

[JutMitch]

Yes.

And we all have different levels of tolerance and expectations of instruments that we buy.

And that should be okay.

I’ll accept a certain level of imperfections and deal with them, but I certainly don’t blame anyone that expects more. Why should I?

Fortunately, the last 3 sight-unseen, never-played basses have literally been flawless. Quite literally.

No surprise with the brand new Stingray Special.

Maybe a little surprise with the Fender AM Pro II Precision 5 I bought a few months ago. Its fit and finish was as good as the Stingray. Gotta admit, I was holding my breath a bit, but I was very pleased with it.

Maybe a bigger shocker was the $329 Squier 6-string bass I bought earlier this year. Only thing amiss with it was the slightly rough fret ends on the treble side of the fretboard. The bass side fret ends were fine.

And I’ll admit, I have yet to receive a bass through mail-order that had a significant issue like I’ve read about here and elsewhere. Even the fit and finish of the American Elite Jazz several years ago was flawless. I did have to supplement Fender’s typically inadequate shielding job. No biggie, I’m equipped for such work.

So it would serve a lot of us well to remember that our experiences are ours alone. Good and bad. I feel for the folks that write about one bad experience after another. Why should I be doubtful of their experiences? I wish them better luck.

Thankfully, I’m good.

This exactly.

 

[BassicJazzy]

Yes, things get dropped, and the dropper doesn't want to draw attention so just sends it down the line, hoping it won't get noticed.

I had a friend who built high-end "go fast" boats out here, that held some records for top speeds. One got dropped, a 28 footer, about 10 feet off a rack, before it was finished. They checked the hull, no cracks, and his comment was "we build them pretty good." $130,000 boat. Do you think he told the buyer that the boat had been dropped? No way.

 

[JutMitch]

Yes, things get dropped, and the dropper doesn't want to draw attention so just sends it down the line, hoping it won't get noticed.

I had a friend who built high-end "go fast" boats out here, that held some records for top speeds. One got dropped, a 28 footer, about 10 feet off a rack, before it was finished. They checked the hull, no cracks, and his comment was "we build them pretty good." $130,000 boat. Do you think he told the buyer that the boat had been dropped? No way.

lol, i hear ya! Your buddy is right though, i couldn't even guess the amount of PSI on that hull cracking waves at full speed. A 10ft drop is more like a QC test for that thing!

 

[ProbablyTooLoud]

I struck out on the Player II Modified Jazz this summer:

Bass 1: Lost in the mail, but magically appeared after Bass 2 and 3. I sold it here on TB cause I'd lost the love.
Bass 2: Arrived floating around in a box with almost no packing, all beat up. I had a good tech clean it up, but sold it cause Bass 3 was already on the way. I sent pics to Fender customer service and it looked so bad they didnt want it back. The neck was awesome though, despite what it had been through.
Bass 3: Arrived looking and feeling great at first, but after about an hour of playing I found neck issues so bad past the 12th fret I took it to my good tech guy, who was like, this is way worse than the beat up one, I'd send it back if I were you. So I did.

But!

The preamp was great on all three. For real, sounds awesome. If somehow a Player II Modified could arrive firing on all cylinders, it would be a great buy.

 

[dbsfgyd1]

I have and have had some good ones. I would never buy a Fender without playing it (or without a hassle free return policy). Doesn’t matter the year.

This is always the best way to buy an instrument. In your hands before making a decision.

 

[JutMitch]

I struck out on the Player II Modified Jazz this summer:

Bass 1: Lost in the mail, but magically appeared after Bass 2 and 3. I sold it here on TB cause I'd lost the love.
Bass 2: Arrived floating around in a box with almost no packing, all beat up. I had a good tech clean it up, but sold it cause Bass 3 was already on the way. I sent pics to Fender customer service and it looked so bad they didnt want it back. The neck was awesome though, despite what it had been through.
Bass 3: Arrived looking and feeling great at first, but after about an hour of playing I found neck issues so bad past the 12th fret I took it to my good tech guy, who was like, this is way worse than the beat up one, I'd send it back if I were you. So I did.

But!

The preamp was great on all three. For real, sounds awesome. If somehow a Player II Modified could arrive firing on all cylinders, it would be a great buy.

Yikes…yea, I’m not sure some people have a hard time believing some of these come pretty bad.

Mine does play well and where the fit and finish really counts is fine.

I can see some of the MIM or China having a few bad apples but really MIA instruments should be held to a higher standard. The price should dictate it.

 

[urkel3000]

I struck out on the Player II Modified Jazz this summer:

Bass 1: Lost in the mail, but magically appeared after Bass 2 and 3. I sold it here on TB cause I'd lost the love.
Bass 2: Arrived floating around in a box with almost no packing, all beat up. I had a good tech clean it up, but sold it cause Bass 3 was already on the way. I sent pics to Fender customer service and it looked so bad they didnt want it back. The neck was awesome though, despite what it had been through.
Bass 3: Arrived looking and feeling great at first, but after about an hour of playing I found neck issues so bad past the 12th fret I took it to my good tech guy, who was like, this is way worse than the beat up one, I'd send it back if I were you. So I did.

But!

The preamp was great on all three. For real, sounds awesome. If somehow a Player II Modified could arrive firing on all cylinders, it would be a great buy.

Did you get two basses for free or am I misreading?

 

[BassicJazzy]

lol, i hear ya! Your buddy is right though, i couldn't even guess the amount of PSI on that hull cracking waves at full speed. A 10ft drop is more like a QC test for that thing!

Yes, the boat had 700hp through a single engine, and could hit 130mph on a calm lake. It was so overbuilt, all joints were glassed over, to handle that torque and speed. Still, he was surprised when the drop didn't put a crack in the hull.

I guess you could built a bass to those standards but it would weigh 20 lbs?

Ignoring cosmetics, and dents, you have to admit Fenders are some of the toughest basses on the market. Ask the Who about that. They hated having to try to smash Fenders. Said it took too many whacks, many swings, but the "Soundgears folded up on the first swing."

Don't care, I love my SRs. Handle them with care.

 

[JutMitch]

Little update, I’ll give kudos to Fender as they are sending me a pure vintage 70s bridge out. Told them I wasn’t concerned with dents but gave them pictures anyways.

 

[ProbablyTooLoud]

Did you get two basses for free or am I misreading?

That's basically how it worked out.

I have a G&L jb that I love, single coils, shielded, East j-tone, but I've always wanted to try noiseless pickups and a three band preamp, aaand I was Fender-curious, so when these basses came out at great deals around June/July I think it was, I got one.

For a rehearsal or two, I was in new bass happy land. They're light, compact feeling, the necks are real easy players (but can have issues), and the preamp is easy to figure out.

But it the end I decided to stick with the G&L, and just move on from the little Fender sidebar.

 

[bass-shy]

We all have probably had first hand experience with Fender basses at some point and it stands to reason that everyone's experience has not been the same. I assume most people would say they have played some terrific examples and some that have not been awesome.

One of the nicest P-Basses I ever played was a 2008 Fender American Precision. I think it was called the "New American Standard". Everything about it was impeccable and I still regret not buying it.

A few years ago, I went to a local shop, specifically to buy a white Fender American Performer Precision Bass. The example they had in stock was pretty rough. Sharp frets, one pot that was very difficult to turn and the other was rattling around with a loose nut. The bass felt dead in my hands and it sounded lifeless through an amp. It definitely needed a complete setup and nothing about the experience made me think "this bass is worth the money".

There was an ESP ltd Surveyor '87 hanging on the wall next to the Fender and it was a better built bass in every category that matters to me. It was made in Indonesia and cost less than half the price of the Fender. I took the ESP home and I haven't regretted it at all.

Part of me still wants to track down an Olympic white, '08 Precision with a rosewood fretboard and tort guard, though.

 

[rockinrayduke]

I just bought an american pro classic mustang, and it does have some personality but it plays great and sounds perfectly mustangy.

Only complaints I can come up with, is that it has a bit of a resonance issue (like a dead spot) that slightly dampens the second hamonic above the fifth fret on the E string (I am tuned down to D). Can't be heard unless you really listen for it, but it messes with the envelope on my synth pedal, comes across as a short dip in volume. Quality control or extreme tone nerdiness? Ha.

On the QC front, the bridge is installed slightly off. Strings line up perfectly with the neck, but the holes drilled for the string through are not lined up between body and bridge, making it hard to cram a string through. The neck screws freaked me out. Slightly smaller than normal with a bit finer thread. I replaced with a set of the normal fender kind, CA glued the holes, they tightened up nicely.

Still a keeper, but I have a mim mustang PJ that is so fantastically perfect in every way, plays better than anything, weighs less, even the narrow nut width that would normally have been a deal breaker somehow feels just right... you know the kind of bass that you pick up and play for hours thinking only of the music and when you stop you look down and are suprised that there is a bass there? makes it really hard to be impressed by anything else. It's a 2021, maybe Fender used up all the magic that year.

Why did you super glue the neck holes??

 

[Bass Viking]

Why did you super glue the neck holes??

I’m guessing he did that to give the replacement screws something to “bite” into. If screw holes are getting worn you can spread some thick super glue into them, let it dry, and it tightens things up. I saw that trick somewhere, Dan Erlewine I think.