Fender vs. EBMM in terms of construction

[Dr. Cheese]

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.../QUOTE]


Remember, the question is quality of construction, not if you like the basses.

 

[GeneralElectric]

Remember, the question is quality of construction, not if you like the basses.

Its to illustrate which products out of the EBMM product line I usually try out. The majority of basses I try out are Stingrays, and as most people know, different models get different levels of attention. (Such as this year's Am. standard line, its been a good year for jazzes but a great one for precisions) Therefore my personal experiences are almost strictly limited to Stingrays and SR5s.

My comment of EBMM being more concerned with looks than good basses still stands.

 

[Joe Nerve]

I had a 90s American P deluxe (that I bought new) that just about everything fell apart on. Strap holders both came out, metal pieces in the stringholes (ferules?) all came out, tuners had play in them, mid control was faulty, paintjob had tons of spider cracks in it - it had some other issues that I can't recall right now.

I've owned 2 Bongos, a Sterling and a Stingray and never had a single problem.

 

[K-Funk]

What makes the American Vintage-series Fenders more well-made than the American Standards?

And just a general, all-around question: Between Fender, EBMM, and G&L, who has the most stable neck construction? This is a huge issue for me, because where I live the humidity fluctuates quite a bit, and I don't want to end up with a warped neck or something My Warwicks hold up very well due to the combination of insanely dense wood, double-expanding trussrods, and steel support bars, but you obviously won't find these things in more retro-styled basses, so it'd be nice to know.

I was reading on Warmoth's website about the faults of a vintage-type Fender trussrod and its causing of distortions in the neck; is this information true, and if so, do Fender, EBMM, and G&L still use this construction? Here's a link:

Invalid Link Removed

 

[mongo2]

I was reading on Warmoth's website about the faults of a vintage-type Fender trussrod and its causing of distortions in the neck; is this information true, and if so, does Fender, EBMM, and G&L still use this construction? Here's a link:

Warmoth uses "vintage" style trussrods in their "vintage" guitar necks so I guess it can't be all that bad.

 

[kosmicwizard]

Companies should have a IMO/E disclaimer at the top of bottom of their websites! Cheers.

 

[Iroquoi]

ebmm are built like tanks...
fender ir good
g&l is close to ebmm

 

[rappa29]

I have no experience with G&L. I have a 2008 EBMM Stingray 4H and a 2008 MIA Standard Jazz.

I play them both equally, however so far, only for recording sessions so I can't comment on their gigworthiness.

As far as I can tell, they're constructed equally well. I have not had any issues with either bass.

The Jazz I haven't even tweaked at all. It's still in the same factory\shop setup condition I bought it! I haven't set it up, changed strings, adjusted the truss rod, etc since I bought it last June. It plays perfect for me.

The Stingray I bought 'as new' from here. I changed strings, did a complete setup and truss adjustment and it's also perfect for me. Bought it last June also.

So for me, it's a wash. Neither of my basses have anything over each other regarding fit, finish and construction.

Of course, they're both still relatively new. I'd have to revisit this thread in 4-5 years for an update!

 

[GeneralElectric]

What makes the American Vintage-series Fenders more well-made than the American Standards?

And just a general, all-around question: Between Fender, EBMM, and G&L, who has the most stable neck construction? This is a huge issue for me, because where I live the humidity fluctuates quite a bit, and I don't want to end up with a warped neck or something My Warwicks hold up very well due to the combination of insanely dense wood, double-expanding trussrods, and steel support bars, but you obviously won't find these things in more retro-styled basses, so it'd be nice to know.

I was reading on Warmoth's website about the faults of a vintage-type Fender trussrod and its causing of distortions in the neck; is this information true, and if so, do Fender, EBMM, and G&L still use this construction? Here's a link:

Invalid Link Removed

The AV series Fenders have more attention to detail and IMO and IME have better woods and finishes. There isn't anything special about Fender's hardware (though it has the same style bridge as the MIM its better constucted) but they're all made very well.

As for stable necks the new Fenders (Highway and American series) have graphite support bars. I prefer graphite over steel since metal expands and contracts more due to temperatures and I don't think that that happening all over the neck would be a good thing in the long run. Graphite is also much much lighter. The necks on my 2008 Am. Standards never budged in the time I've had them and they've been in and out of the cold, humid, and dry environments. They're very stable.

G&L and Musicman both lack supports in their necks, though I've found G&L necks also to be very stable. I used one in CA for years where it'd go from dry and sunny, to cold dark and humid in a matter of hours. MM necks, on the otherhand, are the opposite, yet they're the easiest to adjust. I guess they planned on them moving a lot.

As for the Warmoth link, its mostly BS. I'm not saying those things don't happen, because they do, but they don't happen extremely often. I think its more to tout their own designs.