Fender Vintera III Seventies Jazz

[MIJ Fender Guy]

Totally fair, but all Fenders are hit and miss when it comes to qc and overall setup and feel. You really do have to play them yourself to see if they are worthy of purchase. I played a late 60s p and early 60s jazz a week ago, and they were both fine quality wise but the setups were god awful. The only real issue I found was on the Jazz: both of the tone knobs had a really grindy/gritty feel when turning that made them feel cheap and difficult to use. Otherwise both basses were good in the frets and in their overall construction.

I have a very hard time believing that the frets on these have gotten a proper quality leveling job given the other crap QC, so if you like low action, beware. If the VIII P I got didn't have cosmetic issues, like chipping poly all over the neck, and bubbles in the paint, I would have been initially pretty happy with the look of the guitar given my expectations. It didn't have any sharp frets. But regardless, when I went to do the setup, wow, the geometry was god-awful. If you play with like 4MM of action heigh maybe you won't care or notice. But to me that's where the crappy build really came through.

I've already seen several "open box" items show up at SW so that means others are returning them too. Several reddit posts about QC issues as well.

Look man I feel bad. If all you can afford is an MIM I hate to sound so negative. But IMO, that's the type of buyer where quality matters the most, someone just trying to get a cool, single bass to use. And Fender is taking you for a ride. It's not right. They are like the Yum! Brands of instruments. Trying to sell you a bass worth like 500 bucks for $1500 with steadily declining quality.

 

[Flaked Beans]

Yeah, 6 pages and it's going! my '78 jazz bass is not one of the earlier '70s and sounds miles better than that! of course I'm biased

 

[MrB64]

Totally fair, but all Fenders are hit and miss when it comes to qc and overall setup and feel. You really do have to play them yourself to see if they are worthy of purchase. I played a late 60s p and early 60s jazz a week ago, and they were both fine quality wise but the setups were god awful. The only real issue I found was on the Jazz: both of the tone knobs had a really grindy/gritty feel when turning that made them feel cheap and difficult to use. Otherwise both basses were good in the frets and in their overall construction.

My jazz basses that I've bought online have all needed a set up when I got them, as well as an application or two of oil on the fretboard. As far as the neck, my jazzes all have those little necks and I'm pretty sure they can move while they're in transit. All good though. I've been doing set ups for decades and I am comfortable with it. The Player II I mentioned took a little more than a full turn of tightening to get my preferred .012" relief. I just expect to have some work to do when it comes. Maybe USA Fenders are different, I don't know.

 

[DTF]

Totally fair, but all Fenders are hit and miss when it comes to qc and overall setup and feel. You really do have to play them yourself to see if they are worthy of purchase. I played a late 60s p and early 60s jazz a week ago, and they were both fine quality wise but the setups were god awful. The only real issue I found was on the Jazz: both of the tone knobs had a really grindy/gritty feel when turning that made them feel cheap and difficult to use. Otherwise both basses were good in the frets and in their overall construction.

Was the tone knob issue because of detent washers?

 

[hvymetallurgist]

I have a very hard time believing that the frets on these have gotten a proper quality leveling job given the other crap QC, so if you like low action, beware. If the VIII P I got didn't have cosmetic issues, like chipping poly all over the neck, and bubbles in the paint, I would have been initially pretty happy with the look of the guitar given my expectations. It didn't have any sharp frets. But regardless, when I went to do the setup, wow, the geometry was god-awful. If you play with like 4MM of action heigh maybe you won't care or notice. But to me that's where the crappy build really came through.

I've already seen several "open box" items show up at SW so that means others are returning them too. Several reddit posts about QC issues as well.

Look man I feel bad. If all you can afford is an MIM I hate to sound so negative. But IMO, that's the type of buyer where quality matters the most, someone just trying to get a cool, single bass to use. And Fender is taking you for a ride. It's not right. They are like the Yum! Brands of instruments. Trying to sell you a bass worth like 500 bucks for $1500 with steadily declining quality.

I'm convinced they forgot the fret leveling on the Vintera II P I briefly owned, and all of my frets were encapsulated in the super cheesy yellow tint finish they applied to the whole neck. Almost looked like those fancy brass frets on a Warwick at a quick glance when it arrived lol...I took the time to level, crown and polish em myself so I could take it to a few practices before I gave up on the bass.

Electronics were also shoddy with pole piece grounding issues...easy 5 minute fix but shouldn't even be a thing. The headstock was also cracked from the E-string tuner bushing hole to the outside edge as-received (fully cracked through the headstock, not a finish crack) but either side of the crack was held together by the tuner's gynormous mounting plate, so at least it was stable I guess? Presume it cracked when they pressed in the bushing, and either no one noticed (bad) or no one cared (also bad). Didn't affect playability and was stable...I'm not fussy so I chose to ignore it.

Still wild to see stuff like that on a new bass from an allegedly reputable manufacturer in this day and age. From the set-ups on the instruments featured in Sweetwater Soundcheck's Youtube video, I think this level of attention to detail is the norm, not an exception. Factor in their...aspirational...pricing strategy of late, and it's a real bold strategy.

 

[MIJ Fender Guy]

Still wild to see stuff like that on a new bass from an allegedly reputable manufacturer in this day and age. From the set-ups on the instruments featured in Sweetwater Soundcheck's Youtube video, I think this level of attention to detail is the norm, not an exception. Factor in their...aspirational...pricing strategy of late, and it's a real bold strategy.

Yep, it’s insulting at best. That Sweetwater video was an absolute travesty. It’s a good time to try to get a “for life” bass and keep it. I think this type of thing is only going to get worse.

 

[Coughdrops]

I just like that you can do the Family Man bass with the 3tsb and maple/black blocks.

I don't have a ton of experience with the Vintera line. I remember being at a gig and playing one of my AVRI 58s back to back with a buddy's 50s Vintera. I didn't like the feel of the Vintera,personally, though it sounded fine and just like a P bass should. I'd be curious to play these though wouldn't purchase one.

 

[MrRobert]

I have a very hard time believing that the frets on these have gotten a proper quality leveling job given the other crap QC, so if you like low action, beware. If the VIII P I got didn't have cosmetic issues, like chipping poly all over the neck, and bubbles in the paint, I would have been initially pretty happy with the look of the guitar given my expectations. It didn't have any sharp frets. But regardless, when I went to do the setup, wow, the geometry was god-awful. If you play with like 4MM of action heigh maybe you won't care or notice. But to me that's where the crappy build really came through.

I've already seen several "open box" items show up at SW so that means others are returning them too. Several reddit posts about QC issues as well.

Look man I feel bad. If all you can afford is an MIM I hate to sound so negative. But IMO, that's the type of buyer where quality matters the most, someone just trying to get a cool, single bass to use. And Fender is taking you for a ride. It's not right. They are like the Yum! Brands of instruments. Trying to sell you a bass worth like 500 bucks for $1500 with steadily declining quality.

Yeah of course it’s impossible to tell if the frets are actually level until you try to set up the bass, unless there is some sort of test you can do at a retailer beyond the visual inspection. And I do agree that you should expect level frets when buying a brand new instrument. If Squier (and many other brands) can get this right, Fender should be able to as well.

 

[MrRobert]

Was the tone knob issue because of detent washers?

Maybe? I know nothing about the mechanics of stacked knobs, all I know is that they felt gritty and way too difficult to turn. Seems like something that could have been detected and fixed when the electronics were initially installed though.

 

[DTF]

Maybe? I know nothing about the mechanics of stacked knobs, all I know is that they felt gritty and way too difficult to turn. Seems like something that could have been detected and fixed when the electronics were initially installed though.

there are washers that come from the factory that keep the lower portion from turning when you turn the top knob , they feel terrible and are easily removed , but the downside is you can accidentally turn the tone portion of the knob

 

[MrRobert]

there are washers that come from the factory that keep the lower portion from turning when you turn the top knob , they feel terrible and are easily removed , but the downside is you can accidentally turn the tone portion of the knob

Thanks for that… you learn something new every day!

 

[facetsquared]

Had a chance to check out some Vintera III basses today. The 60s Jazz in Aztec Gold was the clear winner - it had beautiful paint work, and appeared to be put together with care. The late 60s Lake Placid Blue Precision was similarly well done, with nice fret work.

Sadly, the one I really wanted Fender to get right - the 70s Jazz in Candy Apple Red - was absolutely awful. Lovely paint job but the binding on the neck was not rounded at all. It was so sharp that the instrument was unplayable. The fretboard was also truly terrible - it looked like plastic. There were also red paint smears on the neck.

To my mind, today's experience really highlighted the variable QC of instruments coming out of the Ensenada factory.