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Fender vs. EBMM in terms of construction

#21
In the last four years I have bought 7 new Musicmans, all were SR4's and SR5's. The frets were perfect on all with no sharp ends, never had any of the necks shift around on me, they took a setup just fine and stayed, no parts failures on any of them. The QC was top of the list to me.

I've only owned two G&L's, they were great builds with great fretwork too. The only things I had go bad after 3years of ownership: battery wiring went out on one, both got rusty magnet poles, and both developed pitted chrome on the bridges. It seemed the finishes chipped rather easy, and I really take care of my stuff.

I really do love Fenders and I was blown away with the '08 Am Std basses...*but* it took them this long to get there, and I surely hope they can maintain the high QC because it's obvious they can do it. I will always play their stuff because I love the sound, but because they don't have the consistancy of high QC over the years they will stay being #3 on this list to me.
 
#22
From what I have experience with; I'd say a newer MusicMan and a new Fender are very close, I'd give them a draw. I've played several Stingrays (all rosewood) and several P-basses and all felt and even sounded the same (even rosewood vs. maple Fenders). Both have easy neck adjustments too. With the wheel on the 'Ray I use a larger size allen wrench that fits in there, and of course Fender provides the T-handled 3/16" wrench, which you can also buy for $7 if you happen to lose it. Fender hasn't always been consistent, I would say if you nabbed a late 07 model Standard you may be lucky.
 
#23
I hear a lot about the lack of consistency in Fender's QC, but I haven't really experienced for myself. I mean, I would never expect a $400-600 MIM Fender to live up to the quality standard of a EBMM bass. I think EBMM has an edge in overall consistency, but when you compare apples to apples (basses of similar price range and value)I don't think its as big an edge as many here would lead you to believe. Even the American Std is several hundred dollars less than most Musicman basses, and is pretty much right there in quality. I have owned an American Dlx Jazz and a Bongo 5, and between the two I would rather have the Fender if I could have one of them back. Of course, I preferred the overall tone of the Jazz, but that bass didn't give up anything in terms of quality to any bass that I've owned. At $1200 (2007 sales price, I know these are more expensive now), I've yet to play anything that was in the ballpark. Of course, that is just my somewhat limited experience. YMMV.
 
#24
A previous poster got it right. A Stingray will run you about $400-$500 more than a Precision or Jazz depending on options. They are more in line with a vintage series Fender or Deluxe Fender. In fact their new Sterling line is going to be priced closer to the Standard US Fenders.

That said I have not noticed the large amount of bad Fenders either. I think they are as good as most MM that I have played at stores. Most if the Fender issues I have seen were in Guitar Center and who is to blame there?
 
#25
scottbass said:
Historically, this is true. However, many of us who bought early-run 2008 MIA Fenders are pleasantly surprised with the consistently good build quality of these basses. IMHO they do not take a back seat to EBMM and G&L. Now...it remains to be seen if Fender can maintain this superb level of fit & finish...

And definitely the EBMM truss rod adjustment is the easiest - the adjustment wheel requires no allen wrench or screwdriver and is virtually strip-proof. The adjustment wheel, that is, not the rod itself...

Truss rod type: As I understand it (which is imperfectly), early Fenders (up to mid 80's?) used single-acting truss rods. Now they use something called a bi-flex truss rod. I believe EBMM and G&L use double-acting truss rods which are not exactly like the Fender design. But I'm not a truss rod expert - maybe someone else has a better understanding?
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Yeah guys The new fenders are AMAZING!! and lightweight compared with the stingrays....
 
#26
debassr said:
Build quality:

1. EBMM
2. G&L
3. Fender MIA

Truss rod adjustments are easiest on the EBMM.
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I will second this EXCEPT for when you buy an SR5 whose neck was taken from a piece of wood that was too close to a branch or something. And so, the B-string side of my '01 SR5 looks like a relaxed S. :(

On the other hand, I own an '03 SR5 fretless and an '01 MIA Fender Jazz 5 Deluxe, and the fretless SR5 feels better than the Jazz, although not by much. Perhaps because it was the first year of the Jazz 5 Deluxe? I can't say. That SR5 is borderline flawless.
 
#28
yea. i dunno. mm's have a really 'cookie cutter' feel to them... i don't think the fender mojo can be beat. i've owned a ton of fenders and with a good set up i don't think you can go wrong. the mm's just feel really assembly line... as for g&l's, i'd play the g&l stingray clone before i'd play a mm. the tele clone is awesome too. double buck with toggles. that's sweet.
 
#29
I've had multiple examples of all three builders, and I'm convinced that it really depends on the year... I've heard that EBMM is going downhill a bit, but the two I have had were great, right out of the box...

The best way to find out for yourself is get thee to a store and play. Finding a place that carries all three will be tough, and you can't trust ANY axe at GC to play to its potential - dead strings, bad setup, missing knobs - - Every new US Fender I've played at a GC in the past 3 years has been a POS, but I don't blame Fender on that at all - I blame GC. I'll bet you'll find that pretty much what everyone here is saying is true - MM / GL are #1, Fender is somewhat behind.

good luck
 
#32
I would vote for EBMM generally being higher quality than Fender. As for G&L ??? Not sure.

My opinion just comes down to having seen more Fenders in my time with shoddy bits compared to EBMMs. Then again, I have probably seen far more Fenders in general, so im bound to come across the odd dodgy one...
 
#33
I have yet to play a Ray and went to the local store to buy one - Left there with a MIM Duff .now its true that i might not have all the experience that some of you have - But this Duff bass is made pretty damn good in my opinion. I dont have the music expertice but i have work in tool shops and some very high end fab shops - it is made very well and cost ALOT less - Probably ypu could get good ones from either and maybe a general statement about one being better qc then the others might be true- but you can get a fine one of any of the 3 i believe....Really is a tuff question that was asked . all are capable of being great .
 
#34
REAPER52 said:
I have yet to play a Ray and went to the local store to buy one - Left there with a MIM Duff .now its true that i might not have all the experience that some of you have - But this Duff bass is made pretty damn good in my opinion. I dont have the music expertice but i have work in tool shops and some very high end fab shops - it is made very well and cost ALOT less - Probably ypu could get good ones from either and maybe a general statement about one being better qc then the others might be true- but you can get a fine one of any of the 3 i believe....Really is a tuff question that was asked . all are capable of being great .
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In the bigger picture, what your saying is true. Hell, I have a VM Squier Jazz bass at home that has a great finish and setup on it. Sure they aren't all like that, but you get your good and bad with anything.
 
#35
K-Funk said:
I've heard many people mention that EBMM's are some of the best mass-produced basses today, and surpass brands like Fender in instrument quality.

Between the Stingray and Fender Precision/Jazz, which is the better-made instrument? And where would G&L fall into the mix? Disregarding subjective tone opinions, of course.

Also, besides means of adjustment, is the truss rod system the same between all three brands?
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As much as I'm a Fender guy,I would have to say that the EBMM bass is superior in construction vs the Fender ( I'm actually in the process of buying another EB5..something I thought I wouldn't do again ) because to get that type of craftsmanship from Fender you would have to go the Custom Shop route which is much more expensive than the EB, also if I'm not mistaken it was EB that introduce the spoke wheel trust rod which was nothing short of brillant IMO.
 
#36
I've owned a TON of Fender basses (mostly CBS-era Jazzes), and played many other eras as well. Except for one '78 Precision Bass and one '69 Jazz, they were all hard to play and sounded less-than-stellar. Very fatiguing to the left hand, necks felt rubbery, among other CBS failures in design... As the years have gone by, Fender has gotten consistently better since the 90's.

In late-2000, I bought my EBMM StingRay and have not bought another single bass since. Every now and then, nostalgia will make me GAS for a Precision, but I've been rather disappointed in every AVRI '62 I've tried for different reasons. My only other bass I've owned for nearly a decade is the Tobias fretless I bought in the summer of 2000.
 
#39
syciprider said:
I have owned or presently own 8 EBMM basses since 2005. All except one were mail ordered and all had the set up ready to go OOTB. I won't even think of mail ordering a Fender.
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I mail ordered mine from Chuck Levin's in DC and it came to me perfectly set up and sounding GREAT. I've only tweaked it a little here and there for my tastes but nothing major.
 
#40
I think G&L is the best, with Fender and G&L being tied for second.

I've played a lot of G&Ls, mostly second hand, as they're a bitch to find new. I don't own one currently, but there is an L1000 in my future I'm sure. I'd have owned one of the newer ones, but they didn't come out in the finish I liked. I plan on getting an early 80s one when I can. Every G&L I've played has been awesome all across the board.

In terms of EBMM I've only ever really liked the Stingray. I liked the bongo and the sterling, but they were more of passing love affairs than any serious kind of affection. The only EBMM product I've owned was an early 90s Ray which I sold for parts. I've been meaning to replace it, but, new at least, I haven't been wowed by anything they've been putting out lately. At least not enough for them to get my money.
I've played a lot of EBMM basses, and IMHO, the best production era was 88-95. Though the earlier 80s ones were not bad by any means.
I've had the fortune of playing a few pre-EB MM Stingrays and they're a whole different animal. I plan on getting one once I have the funds, but it seems whenever one comes up, I don't have any money. :hmm:

Fenders... Oh Fenders... I think one of the main things about Fender QC complaints is the fact that there are a lot more Fenders than everything else. I like Fender, and my favorite bass of all time is the Precision. The 2008s are really good basses, and are on par with EBMM and Lakland Skylines. They're all at a similar price point. However, once the models start costing more money, then its no longer a fair comparison. (Why isn't this $400 MIM Fender as good as a $1600 Stingray!?)
I think it'd be fairer to compare, as one poster said, the lines that are above the American Standard to the EBMM products as they're closer in price. I think the American Vintage series is better than most of the EBMM products.
Of course with a little work a Fender will be a great working instrument. I prefer Fenders as my bass of choice, and I'm picky about what I keep.

With all that said, you'll find good instruments at every year of production from all these manufacturers.
 

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