Fender Quality Control...A New Low

[Grinderman]

The Covid Excuse is wearing a little thin, but I'm still hearing it used to explain all manner of sloth, delay, incompetence, and blatant price gouging. Consistent QC has never been Fender's strongest suit, but I guess every brand has its Alpha and Omega periods. Remember the CBS era 70's "malaise" period? I get a kick out of the new interest in 70's "vintage" Fender basses that were considered dreck at the time. Sigh. Time + Hype = Vintage. Like you said, more work for you.

Next it all be the new BQ.1.1 subvariant's fault.

 

[TJL]

Yeaaaaah I'm with you, TJL. My San Dimas 4 experience was the exact same (minus the finish cuts/repairs). IMO there's really no reason to buy a Fender in 2022 with the likes of other brands having superior quality and a much smaller price tag. The only Fenders I've ever dug were the MIJ/CIJ ones. MIM and USA have never impressed me (though the MIM Roasted maple necks you can buy separately are REALLY nice)

I agree in many ways, but I am not saying don't buy a Fender. They hold their value better than anything else, and once dialed in can be a great instrument that will last a lifetime. I just seemed to notice that fails from the factory have really ramped up in the last few months, above and beyond the issues during and before Covid. Fitment like neck pockets or Telecaster circuit plates mounted crooked were always common, but basic wiring issues were not common back in the day. Sure Fender made some real foolish design changes over the years, but that is all old news. The necks today are made quite well, and the frets are better than ever. All good, but my concern is that an instrument should be playable as to the controls and pickups when it leaves the factory. That is manufacturing 101.

 

[Lownote38]

It's a shame Fender let that one slip. I mean, things are going to get through, but a wiring issue like that is just bizarre.

 

[Grinderman]

I'm struggling to understand the point of this thread. If you have a beef with Fender QC, then please talk to Fender about it.

The only thing a thread like this accomplishes is a "pile-on" effect where others chime in to bitch about their perception of poor QC.

This is Luthier's Corner where we discuss building instruments, this isn't the suggestion box or customer service for Fender.

I really don't see the harm in putting this information out, where no doubt potential consumers read about such thinkings. (Pssst, here's a hint... it's called "TalkBass")

There are actual details conveyed in the OP, not some meandering nonspecific rant. How others may respond is on those others, not the OP.

I don't assume they haven't contacted Fender about these issues, why would you? What are you adding here that's constructive?

Sorry about your Wheaties.

 

[smurfco]

I have had four brand-new Fenders come in over the last month or so, straight from the factory or from a dealer.

One was a Fender MIM George Harrison "Rocky" Strat. It was almost perfect - great neck, great fretwork, beautiful attention to detail... but it was missing one pickguard screw. No big deal because these are supposedly "hand painted" and maybe whoever put it back together missed a screw. But other than that it was flawless.

The second was a Fender USA Britt Daniel Tele Thinline. The low E nut slot was cut too low and it buzzed like crazy. There was finishing compound caked around the F hole, and the whole thing just felt cheap and sloppy. I was so disappointed in it. I returned it and got a Nash thinline (for a hundred bucks cheaper) that blew it out of the water in every way.

The third was a Fender USA George Harrison Rosewood Telecaster. I have waited since placing my order in February and it arrived last week. The 11th fret is high so there is a wicked buzz in that area that can't be fixed without leveling, and the high E tuner was bent and wouldn't turn. Other than that it seems very nice, and these are scarce, so I sent it back to the shop I bought it from and they are going to replace the tuner and do a fret level on it. But this was a brand new, not cheap instrument.

The fourth was a Squier CV Late 60s Jazz for $220 brand new on Labor Day sale. It was perfect.

My experience is just my own but I'd be wary of anything Fender USA right now...

 

[TJL]

I hear you. Frankly it does seem that the labour shortage has throttled almost every work space....soooo many people working in new/recent jobs who are poorly/ inadequately trained and/or take < no pride in doing their job well. Welcome to 2022. My main complaint about new Fenders ( I bought 2 new USA Pro 2 5ers in '22) is the use of very poor wood for necks.....knots/defects ignored that clearly make 'em less robust.

I agree that they are letting woods go through that are less than choice. Maybe it is a result of a lumber shortage???

 

[DuluthDank]

I'd heard that there was supposedly a "golden era" for Fender USA production instruments, from roughly 2008 to 2016 or so. Is the general talkbass consensus that this golden era is over?

 

[TJL]

Yeah, I got lucky with my Charvel SD IV. A lot of people talked about these basses with a lot of noise, mine is absolutely quiet, zero noise, and the pre, of debatable quality, works very well here, it's at the price level of this bass. The finish is also great, without details, which also demonstrates that Fender's QC varies a lot, and in some cases doesn't exist.

I bought a Fender Player to make a P-Bass 58 clone, the work on the ends of the frets is very bad, they hurt my hands, the bridge is of poor quality, and the tuners... they are the same as MIM from Charvel, which I changed, of course.

I have a Jazz AM PRO 2016, a Jazz MIA 2020, and a Precision Performer, all perfect, no details, and they all sound great. When some instruments come out of the factory very bad and others very good, well, that's not really QC that works.

Very true. I am not saying Fender has to be perfect, but they do need to improve the quality control process so the obvious stuff does not leave the factory. Most of it is not fatal flaws. Electronics are simple to deal with, so catching and resolving those issues should not hurt Fender's bottom line.

 

[DuluthDank]

Ever since I learned how poorly the Ernie Ball US factory workers were paid, in a high cost of living area no less, i've looked at the "made in the USA" concept with a lot more skepticism. Take that same poverty wage and give it to somebody in a much lower cost of living area (e.g. Indonesia), and I have a hard time believing the end product won't be improved. If a worker can't afford to live in the same geographic area as the factory, how high can standards really be?

Everybody loves to imagine they are supporting middle class factory jobs like it's the 1960s...

 

[TJL]

I really don't see the harm in putting this information out, where no doubt potential consumers read about such thinkings. (Pssst, here's a hint... it's called "TalkBass")

There are actual details conveyed in the OP, not some meandering nonspecific rant. How others may respond is on those others, not the OP.

I don't assume they haven't contacted Fender about these issues, why would you? What are you adding here that's constructive?

Sorry about your Wheaties.

Thanks for understanding my position. Like I said, I never downplay anyone's work, but these issues are happening so often now, I thought I should mention it. I even sent a P.M. to Tony Franklin about the QC issues, but have not heard from him. He is one of the true approachable folks at Fender who I know is on top of things. His signature basses are always perfect, so I suspect he oversees production in some way. Beyond that, he is one of the nicest people I have ever met, and the best ambassador Fender has.

 

[Alessandro Cruz]

Where are the pics?

 

[micguy]

I don't know what is going on at Fender these days, but they had better fix it before it gets too out of control.

Well, they just laid off a bunch of folks - morale may be an issue at present.

 

[Grinderman]

Where are the pics?

And how much do they weigh?

 

[lomo]

I agree that they are letting woods go through that are less than choice. Maybe it is a result of a lumber shortage???

I don't know why they do it, but IME it's very common, and inexcusable on a 2K bass to find a very large knot in the neck.

 

[TJL]

I'd heard that there was supposedly a "golden era" for Fender USA production instruments, from roughly 2008 to 2016 or so. Is the general talkbass consensus that this golden era is over?

For me the "Golden Era" was 1959.5 through 1961, but hey.....
In the modern era, I would say 2010 was the real turnaround year. They stopped using the old tooling which was worn out, and started using slab fingerboards again with much better neck construction and truss rod function.

 

[micguy]

I don't know why they do it, but IME it's very common, and inexcusable on a 2K bass to find a very large knot in the neck.

It's wood from a relic'ed tree. All the cool kids are doing that nowadays.

 

[TJL]

Ever since I learned how poorly the Ernie Ball US factory workers were paid, in a high cost of living area no less, i've looked at the "made in the USA" concept with a lot more skepticism. Take that same poverty wage and give it to somebody in a much lower cost of living area (e.g. Indonesia), and I have a hard time believing the end product won't be improved. If a worker can't afford to live in the same geographic area as the factory, how high can standards really be?

Everybody loves to imagine they are supporting middle class factory jobs like it's the 1960s...

While overseas instruments have vastly improved, there are still issues with the woods. They often use odd local woods which are inferior, and they never age or cure the wood, so movement issues in necks can be frustrating to say the least. I also have to fix many more frets on overseas guitars. The electronics are almost always inferior as well.

 

[micguy]

While overseas instruments have vastly improved, there are still issues with the woods. They often use odd local woods which are inferior, and they never age or cure the wood, so movement issues in necks can be frustrating to say the least.

There are quite a few Asian factories that would be able and proud to show you their aging processes. I'm darn sure PRS wouldn't be sourcing their SE line from a place that didn't do wood aging right.

 

[aprod]

Charvel have always been cheap crappy basses. I understand you are a luthier, but why would you repair these basses and not just send them back and let Fender address the issues? Unless you are a Fender authorized tech performing warranty work.

 

[DuluthDank]

While overseas instruments have vastly improved, there are still issues with the woods. They often use odd local woods which are inferior, and they never age or cure the wood, so movement issues in necks can be frustrating to say the least. I also have to fix many more frets on overseas guitars. The electronics are almost always inferior as well.

My impression is that if you want an instrument that has had real care taken in its production, you either need to buy an overseas instrument priced like a low end USA factory instrument (e.g. Lakeland Skyline, Dingwall made in China), or a USA made bass that costs closer to 4K than 2K (e.g. Lakland, Serek, etc.) Just my anecdotal experience.