Fender Quality Control...A New Low

[Johnny StingRay]

Quit buying the Fender crap and maybe when sales drop to nothing, they will have an “aha” moment and figure out people don’t want to spend big bucks on crap……..then maybe they will up their quality control.

 

[sleepingEB0]

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.

Sadly I learned this the hard way, by buying and selling many and always ending the same.

 

[RVRSCO]

Every brand, big and small, have had some sort of QC issues. It’s obviously more prevalent in larger manufacturers such as Fender due to the amount of instruments they produce. Moral of the story, try before you buy to ensure fit and finish are to your standards or that any issues you find are worth fixing to bring that instrument up to your standards.

 

[TJL]

Sounds like you don’t like Fenders…stop buying Fenders. Problem solved.

Please stop making comments before you actually read the thread. Then my "problem" will be solved.
I am a luthier, and as such am bound to have multiple Fenders per day on my bench. This is not about liking or not liking Fenders. It is about the uptick in problems I have to fix on new Fenders over the past few months. Since I will never be short of Fenders coming in for repair, your simplistic view is completely irrelevant.

 

[DirkP]

Sounds like you don’t like Fenders…stop buying Fenders. Problem solved.

I think this reply isn't fair. He has clearly shown some unacceptable issues with some factory new Fender instruments. Wrong soldering like this on a 2.100,- ? I like Fender instruments a lot, but for exactly this reason, such issues with QC aren't acceptable.

 

[TJL]

Sadly I learned this the hard way, by buying and selling many and always ending the same.

Well, at least you see the error, and won't do that again. I had one top session musician client who kept buying import 175 guitars from Epiphone etc. He always told me all he had to do was to replace the electronics to make them as good as an American Gibson 175. He must have done this 30 times over many decades, and he never got a satisfactory guitar from it. I finally told him he was a fool, and needed to just spend his money once on a real Gibson. I found him a beautiful Super 400 thin, and while he grumbled a bit about having to cough up the money, he finally got the guitar of his dreams. Since that day, he has not bought another guitar, and is totally satisfied. He calls me every month to thank me for making him see the light.

 

[Geri O]

...and no one wants to hear about the Lakland bought new by a friend directly from Lakland with a missing bridge screw and noisy P bass electronics. How did that even make it out the door, I dare to ask....

 

[Alessandro Cruz]

I do love Fenders, especially the Jazz models, and while I've been thru a lot of them without a single "ouch" to point out, I was pretty shocked when I saw the new Ultra Series, I mean the 5-string with the new bridge... And then....

 

[BassFalcon]

Please stop making comments before you actually read the thread. Then my "problem" will be solved.
I am a luthier, and as such am bound to have multiple Fenders per day on my bench. This is not about liking or not liking Fenders. It is about the uptick in problems I have to fix on new Fenders over the past few months. Since I will never be short of Fenders coming in for repair, your simplistic view is completely irrelevant.

Lol whatever man. If my simplistic view is completely irrelevant than just ignore me.

 

[MovingPitchers]

Expecting Fender to be consistent with their QC across the board is like yelling at water for not being orange juice.

Horrible simile but you get my point, or lack thereof.

 

[Geri O]

I do love Fenders, especially the Jazz models, and while I've been thru a lot of them without a single "ouch" to point out, I was pretty shocked when I saw the new Ultra Series, I mean the 5-string with the new bridge... And then....

View attachment 4840871

This was actually determined by Fender to be a defect. I don't know what they did about it, except to exchange those instruments.

 

[BassFalcon]

I think this reply isn't fair. He has clearly shown some unacceptable issues with some factory new Fender instruments. Wrong soldering like this on a 2.100,- ? I like Fender instruments a lot, but for exactly this reason, such issues with QC aren't acceptable.

It’s completely fair.
1. There’s no real proof any of these allegations are true.
2. If the QC isn’t acceptable then don’t accept it. Vote with your dollars. That simple.

 

[TJL]

When I was in the market for another vehicle a few years ago I had my eye on what at the time was the most popular SUV in the US. I was talking with my boss at the time about my potential purchase and he said, "Don't buy that vehicle! My mechanic sees them in his shop all the time! They are the worst!"

Consider this though, if 1000 of vehicle "A" were sold in that area and 100 of them ended up needing a major repair while only 10 of vehicle "B" were sold in that area and only 1 of them ended up needing a major repair, then it's all too easy to see this as a 100 to 1 failure ratio, but in fact we're looking at a 10% failure rate in both cases!

I recently bought both a Squier and a Fender Jazzmaster guitar and I think I prefer the Squier. My data sample is exactly 2 instruments out of thousands though. So, can I say that Squier is better overall than Fender? Nope!

Just a thought.

I am still trying to understand why some of you are not understanding that I am not using a small sample to make these claims. I probably work on 1000 Fenders per year. When I am talking about seeing a variation in problem fenders hitting my bench, it is not stated lightly with no experience here!!!

 

[MovingPitchers]

FWIW, my Fender Player Precision from 2018 was immaculate...not to flex, but those Mexican made Fenders these days are definitely worth a deeper look than simply wanting an American Fender because "MIA" reasons.

 

[Alessandro Cruz]

This was actually determined by Fender to be a defect. I don't know what they did about it, except to exchange those instruments.

I heard they were replacing the bridges for one with correct string spacing IIRC.

 

[Geri O]

I'm in no position to judge the OP or his accounts of what he is seeing with Fenders. I don't even play Fenders anymore (But, OP, this is TalkBass, don't think you are gonna shut me down for commenting anyway. And of course, you are free to make a cheeky reply on it....). I was kinda interested in the topic until all the pontification about qualifications and admonishments of other responses (say all that 5 times very fast....), which has led me to my usual cynical conclusion listed below.....

I can't help but wonder why, with all the problems the OP is reporting, that we aren't seeing more luthiers commenting likewise on this situation. There's gotta be a few hundred other luthiers in the same situation, no?

Makes me go "hmmm.... "

 

[BassFalcon]

It’s completely fair.
1. There’s no real proof any of these allegations are true.
2. If the QC isn’t acceptable then don’t accept it. Vote with your dollars. That simple.

3. You all are acting like a $2,100 bass is expensive. While it’s objectively a decent amount of money, sure, it’s a factory made fender. Still cheaper than a 60’s fender adjusted for inflation. If you want hand made attention to detail then brace your wallet for hand made prices, or settle for factory basses.

 

[Alessandro Cruz]

I'm in no position to judge the OP or his accounts of what he is seeing with Fenders. I don't even play Fenders anymore (But, OP, this is TalkBass, don't think you are gonna shut me down for commenting anyway. And of course, you are free to make a cheeky reply on it....). I was kinda interested in the topic until all the pontification about qualifications and admonishments of other responses (say all that 5 times very fast....), which has led me to my usual cynical conclusion listed below.....

I can't help but wonder why, with all the problems the OP is reporting, that we aren't seeing more luthiers commenting likewise on this situation. There's gotta be a few hundred other luthiers in the same situation, no?

Makes me go "hmmm.... "

That's exactly why I've asked for pictures. So I/we could understand what's really going on.

 

[Bonafide]

I probably work on 1000 Fenders per year.

Pointing out QC issues is legit, of course... but it may help if you were bit more specific and analytical in your replies. What repair shop do you own? What city? Are you an authorized Fender repair shop?
Your user profile is empty, but you state you probably repair 3 fender instruments per day, 7 days a week...

And to state you can make a $200 Squier play as good as $14,000 custom bass may be intentional hyperbole to make a point, but it holds no merit to experienced musicians and luthiers. Improved? Of course. But $13,800 worth of improvements during a routine setup is a bit much.

 

[Alessandro Cruz]

This was actually determined by Fender to be a defect. I don't know what they did about it, except to exchange those instruments.

Seems like they've fixed the issue, as we can see by this picture, WAY better now...

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