Fender quality

[eorIRL]

One thing I've heard of with the American series basses iand guitars is that fine cracks can appear in neck finish. Usually these cracks can be cured by lightly sanding them out,but then the playing feel will be a little different.......Yoy don't get this with body finishes. Overall quality's OK, as it should be given the money being asked for MIA basses........

 

[eorIRL]

Made In Japan.

Every made in Japan Fender that I have seen has been beautiful and flawless in my opinion. The Jazz Re-issuse's, the Marcus Miller's, Mike Dirnt's, Geddy Lee's, Sting's, etc. In my opinion these are the higest quality Fenders.

SuperT

Yes, I think Japanese manufacture is more precise,more careful and you don't get those glue lines showing through as in the MIA stuff.........the Geddy Lee JB, for instance, has an immaculate finish, far above a lot of the current Am Series basses. The country of manufacture is increasingly,though not yet completely irrelevant (where's your iPod made????), the quality is all important. Globalisation!

 

[Sammy Camden]

Gee I played a Ken Smith bass a few years ago at my local Sam Ash. The neck was really bad, out of adjustment and a the nut would hang up on the strings when you tried to tune it. The body had some serious dents in it and the bridge was missing an adjustment screw. Therefore: Ken Smith basses "suck". But then again, it was a sunny day when I went into the store, so maybe it's just sunny days that make some basses "suck".

Myth, myth, myth. I've bought many Fender basses over the years and the supposed general, overall poor quality thing is not what I've found. Yeah, there are a few here and there in any brand that shouldn't have gone out the door. But, most of the time, they're messed up while on display. Some shops don't even take care of them properly; bad humidity, temperature, etc. I've bought a number of them sight unseen, and, Lo and Behold, no problems. I don't believe I'm just lucky either.

 

[Eul0gy]

i have owned an mex fender pbass and i feel the frett work could do with a bit of work but that could just be that one bass. but the fret edges where rough cutting into my hand. I have heard the american made ones are very nice tho

 

[birminghambass]

I find that Fender QC has improved quite a bit in the last ten years. In the early nineties you could walk into a music store and find several MIM's that played better than the USA's. Now it seems that all the USA's I've played sound and play great. They are getting closer to G&L and Musicman in their mass production quality (still a ways to go). On another note, every MIJ Fender I've played regardless of year was fantastic.

 

[34 Blues]

I've bought 2 Fender instruments sight unseen from Musician's Friend in the last 5 years. An American Standard Strat in Inca Silver for my son, & my American Jazz V. Both instruments arrived flawless with no issues what so ever. Only thing I did was take my Jazz V to a "real" luthier for the set-up after installing TI flats on it. Woud I buy another Fender from MF, you better believe it.

Funny, seems like the same questions & comments I hear about Gibson's, but then again, my family owns 5 Les Pauls & have never had an issue with any of them either.