Fender Quality Control...A New Low

[Lowendchamp]

I can only speak for myself on this matter but my experience has been a positive one. I was fortunate enough financially to be able to buy 5 brand new Fender basses from MF in 2020. 2 American and 3 Mexican. I had absolutely no issues of any kind other than a known issue on one of the pots on my P special.
I received an Am Pro 2 P bass direct from the factory with an Am Pro 2 Jazz bass neck on it. Fender customer service responded to my inquiry in a timely manner and offered to "fix" the issue immediately. I declined and kept the bass because I can't find the "A" neck as an option on new builds so I got what I wanted because of a "mistake" anyway. My point is just a response to someone else who has commented that it was hard to contact Fender. I know my experience is unique but in case there is a newby looking for purchasing advice I wanted to share my positive experience as well.

 

[TJL]

Not the biggest Fender fan around but I've seen people post about QC issues with quite a few other companies, including, believe it or not, Musicman.
I don't know, but it might be a good idea to actually try out a bass before buying it, maybe check it out with a fine-tooth comb for bad frets, problems with the electronics, finish flaws, etc.
Other than that, you can always buy a Squier and just get yourself a Fender t-shirt.

Can't say I have ever had an issue with a Musicman other than one Pettrucci model guitar that had a ground issue.

 

[TJL]

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.

Agreed, and the only reason I started this thread was seeing the issues really escalate in the past few months.

 

[Kipp Harrington]

Are you sure those basses weren't built/assembled at the Toledo, Ohio Jeep plant?

 

[NKBassman]

Fender USA priced themselves out of consideration for me a long time ago. If I was looking to drop $2k+ USD on a bass guitar, there's a lot more value for the money elsewhere.

 

[Grinderman]

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 not a family operation, it's a corporation with human resources, AKA workers; employees; people. Why should the later care when it seems like the music from FMIC management sounds like a song about other priorities?

Corporate business structures are inherently vulnerable to devolving into big plausible deniability orgs that create a feedback loop of break down, like the wood of a dead tree rotting on the wet forest floor.

As micguy pointed out here, FMIC just laid off a lot of workers so morale is quite possibly in the tank. When something this obvious goes through I suspect a, not so passive, passive aggressive message is being sent by a worker, or two, three, four or a dozen.

 

[TJL]

I can only speak for myself on this matter but my experience has been a positive one. I was fortunate enough financially to be able to buy 5 brand new Fender basses from MF in 2020. 2 American and 3 Mexican. I had absolutely no issues of any kind other than a known issue on one of the pots on my P special.
I received an Am Pro 2 P bass direct from the factory with an Am Pro 2 Jazz bass neck on it. Fender customer service responded to my inquiry in a timely manner and offered to "fix" the issue immediately. I declined and kept the bass because I can't find the "A" neck as an option on new builds so I got what I wanted because of a "mistake" anyway. My point is just a response to someone else who has commented that it was hard to contact Fender. I know my experience is unique but in case there is a newby looking for purchasing advice I wanted to share my positive experience as well.

That is quite encouraging that Fender is backing up the warranty well. As a luthier, I am not able to take advantage of the customer hotline unless I am the owner of the instrument. That is where my issues resolving things with Fender get difficult. Besides, in many cases, the relatively quick fix on the bench is preferable to having to box and ship your instrument back to Fender.

 

[TJL]

It's not a family operation, it's a corporation with human resources, AKA workers; employees; people. Why should the later care when it seems like the music from FMIC management sounds like a song about other priorities?

Corporate business structures are inherently vulnerable to devolving into big plausible deniability orgs that create a feedback loop of break down, like the wood of a dead tree rotting on the wet forest floor.

As micguy pointed out here, FMIC just laid off a lot of workers so morale is quite possibly in the tank. When something this obvious goes through I suspect a, not so passive, passive aggressive message is being sent by a worker, or two, three, four or a dozen.

I think you may have hit directly on the issue here. It was a month or so ago that they laid off so much of their work force, and that may be why I am seeing so many issues since then. Good analysis! Maybe not sabbotage, but certainly a moral issue.

 

[micguy]

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.

I have had a few new basses come through my shop as well - some folks, after buying an instrument, just want everything set up as well as it can be (if they know you know what you're doing, they trust you more than the factory), and if there are oversights in the manufacturing process, some of them can be corrected much quicker and easier than going through a prolonged return and waiting process.

 

[Z-Bass]

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?

I suppose everyone's definition of 'golden era' will be different, but I do recall during this timeframe (2008 to 2016) a greater focus on refinements (although minor) and quality control was placed on the bass models.

 

[dbsfgyd1]

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.

I don’t get the interest in paying a tremendous alpha on a 70s-ish era Fender either. I guess you had to have lived through the era to understand.

 

[boogie8008]

I read that they recently laid off the entire third shift as demand has plummeted. I've been at jobs when this happened and morale hits the floor and the good people leave for something else. Sad to see but they, just like everyone else in manufacturing, got greedy in 2020 and are now paying for it.

 

[Vanheusen77]

I’m not a luthier, just a musician, but to be Fender has always been a “middle of the road” company when it comes to qc. Not the best and not the worst. The only somewhat high priced factory instruments I would buy online without trying is Yamaha, Sandberg or Ernie Ball’s latest stuff. Every one of those I’ve played has been perfect. Sad to hear about the Ernie Ball US factory workers but that might be another thread….

 

[Grinderman]

I don’t get the interest in paying a tremendous alpha on a 70s-ish era Fender either. I guess you had to have lived through the era to understand.

I lived through that era, I'd say quite opposite; I don't see the appealing reasons for the prices we see these days on '70s Fenders at all!

 

[TJL]

I don’t get the interest in paying a tremendous alpha on a 70s-ish era Fender either. I guess you had to have lived through the era to understand.

Sentiment. My first bass was a 1975 Jazz Bass, and while it brings back good memories, I would likely never buy one again. Freddie Washington still has his early 70's P bass he bought new in high school. It certainly has not hurt his career.

 

[Wood and Wire]

Case#3-New USA Vintage Series Fender '60 Precision Bass.

:<.... snip ...

Then I plugged in the bass, and when I turned up the volume all the way, it was fine. But, when rolling off the volume, there was a thinning of the signal and the tone knob was not functional.

To my surprise, they had soldered the hot wire from the pickup to the lug for the output jack! Is there any circuit more basic than that of a Precision Bass? How do you mess that up when you only have one job all day? How does the quality control guy miss the fact that the tone knob is non functional?

There have been a few reports here on TB of the JMJ signature Mustang having the same problem.

Curious that both the U.S.A. and Mexico factories are making the same mistake.

 

[TJL]

I’m not a luthier, just a musician, but to be Fender has always been a “middle of the road” company when it comes to qc. Not the best and not the worst. The only somewhat high priced factory instruments I would buy online without trying is Yamaha, Sandberg or Ernie Ball’s latest stuff. Every one of those I’ve played has been perfect. Sad to hear about the Ernie Ball US factory workers but that might be another thread….

"Middle of the road" is not untrue of Fender, but I prefer to call Fender the instrument of the masses. There is no way to deny that almost every recording since the 50's has a Fender of some kind on it. Fender, like Martin, is an established part of the American Music "sound", and that sound is inescapable, which makes Fender instruments an important entity to recreating what we all have been exposed to our entire lives. In some way, that elevates Fender well beyond "middle of the road", even though the workmanship does not.

 

[TJL]

There have been a few reports here on TB of the JMJ signature Mustang having the same problem.

Curious that both the U.S.A. and Mexico factories are making the same mistake.

That was something that was bothering me too. Are they claiming to be making an instrument in the USA, but are in fact building in Mexico? Curious indeed.

 

[aprod]

I have had a few new basses come through my shop as well - some folks, after buying an instrument, just want everything set up as well as it can be (if they know you know what you're doing, they trust you more than the factory), and if there are oversights in the manufacturing process, some of them can be corrected much quicker and easier than going through a prolonged return and waiting process.

In my view that takes the responsibility away from Fender. They should be held to account. By repairing them you are relieving them of their obligations further perpetuating the problem. If they were to get buried with addressing QC issues, maybe they would step up their game.

 

[Sue Haseltine]

Interesting thread...I bought my first Fender, a Precision Am Pro ll this year and absolutely nothing wrong with it, in fact the setup was perfect right out to the box. I guess experiences vary...or I just got lucky?