First post and I’m already complaining

[Drew_O]

A little backstory, I’m an on again off again bass and guitar player. My son recently started playing bass, we’ve been doing some shopping and it seems quality control really sucks almost across the board.

FWIW we bought him a budget Ibanez Soundgear and a Ampeg amp for Christmas. I was very surprised at the quality of the instrument and the sound for $350. Well, he’s progressing pretty good and has totally gotten bit by the bug so we’ve been hitting stores.

In January he bought a Jackson Spector that had such bad fret ends they were literally slicing up his fingers. Guitar store did a fret job and set up on it, now it’s good. This brings me to what I’m getting at.

Yesterday we went to 3 different stores looking for a five string. We played and messed around with a bunch of stuff. I payed particular attention to the edges of the fret board. It was shocking to see how many brands had these sharp fret ends sticking off the edge of the board. I played two $800 fender player series that were horrible but the $230 Affinity P bass and the $400 Squire Jazz were way better. What’s up with that? These were so bad I don’t know how this could possibly get past quality control.

It wasn’t just fender. Found the same on a 1200 dollar Charvel bass that looked like a San Dimas guitar. Found the same on Jacksons, Sterling/Ernie Ball and lots of others.

The only two brands that were consistently awesome regardless of price were Schector and Ibanez. Is this typical now? I don’t remember (been on and off since the ‘80’s) ever seeing such crappy build quality in the past.

He ended up buying a Schector Freeze Cical or something like that. I was shocked he would not only drop the coin but also take purple and gold. He’s a death metal guy and this thing just came out of left field . I even asked the sales guy if it was a Prince signature model and it wasn’t a joke.

Anyways, long first rant. Thanks for reading if you made it all the way to the end.

 

[klattman]

I think much of it depends on how long it sits in a store that doesn’t manage humidity. Dry winter air shrinks the wood, especially if zero attention is paid to the guitar/bass while it sits there for a long time. The lower end basses tend to sit for less time since people buy them, so you don’t see it as much.

At least that’s my theory. They are probably mostly fine fresh from the factory floor but who knows how long it sat in shipping and store environments.

Most are salvageable if you have someone who can do fret work as long as the neck isn’t twisted or in bad shape.

 

[Zooberwerx]

A little backstory, I’m an on again off again bass and guitar player. My son recently started playing bass, we’ve been doing some shopping and it seems quality control really sucks almost across the board.

FWIW we bought him a budget Ibanez Soundgear and a Ampeg amp for Christmas. I was very surprised at the quality of the instrument and the sound for $350. Well, he’s progressing pretty good and has totally gotten bit by the bug so we’ve been hitting stores.

In January he bought a Jackson Spector that had such bad fret ends they were literally slicing up his fingers. Guitar store did a fret job and set up on it, now it’s good. This brings me to what I’m getting at.

Yesterday we went to 3 different stores looking for a five string. We played and messed around with a bunch of stuff. I payed particular attention to the edges of the fret board. It was shocking to see how many brands had these sharp fret ends sticking off the edge of the board. I played two $800 fender player series that were horrible but the $230 Affinity P bass and the $400 Squire Jazz were way better. What’s up with that? These were so bad I don’t know how this could possibly get past quality control.

It wasn’t just fender. Found the same on a 1200 dollar Charvel bass that looked like a San Dimas guitar. Found the same on Jacksons, Sterling/Ernie Ball and lots of others.

The only two brands that were consistently awesome regardless of price were Schector and Ibanez. Is this typical now? I don’t remember (been on and off since the ‘80’s) ever seeing such crappy build quality in the past.

He ended up buying a Schector Freeze Cical or something like that. I was shocked he would not only drop the coin but also take purple and gold. He’s a death metal guy and this thing just came out of left field . I even asked the sales guy if it was a Prince signature model and it wasn’t a joke.

Anyways, long first rant. Thanks for reading if you made it all the way to the end.

Tis the nature of wood and no two pieces react identically with ambient fluctuations. Addressing fret sprout has almost become a component of a normal set-up but I would insist it be remediated at no-charge at time of purchase. On-line sales are a little trickier.

My Ibanez basses were fine from day one....my 3k boutique needed to have its "nails trimmed". Go figure.

Riis

 

[Turnaround]

A lot of it has to do with how the instruments arrived - i.e. if they were cargo in containers on a ship. The container might be on top of the stack on the ship, taking a beating from the sun. I have seen evidence that the temperature inside containers can reach 140degF. In such conditions an instrument that left the factory in perfect condition can suffer severe damage. I've see it far too often when I did work for an instrument importer. You can't blame the manufacturer, other than their choice of shipping. But they cannot control where the container is loaded aboard a ship, nor can they afford to ship by air while keeping the cost of the instrument down.

 

[Ggaa]

A little backstory, I’m an on again off again bass and guitar player. My son recently started playing bass, we’ve been doing some shopping and it seems quality control really sucks almost across the board.

FWIW we bought him a budget Ibanez Soundgear and a Ampeg amp for Christmas. I was very surprised at the quality of the instrument and the sound for $350. Well, he’s progressing pretty good and has totally gotten bit by the bug so we’ve been hitting stores.

In January he bought a Jackson Spector that had such bad fret ends they were literally slicing up his fingers. Guitar store did a fret job and set up on it, now it’s good. This brings me to what I’m getting at.

Yesterday we went to 3 different stores looking for a five string. We played and messed around with a bunch of stuff. I payed particular attention to the edges of the fret board. It was shocking to see how many brands had these sharp fret ends sticking off the edge of the board. I played two $800 fender player series that were horrible but the $230 Affinity P bass and the $400 Squire Jazz were way better. What’s up with that? These were so bad I don’t know how this could possibly get past quality control.

It wasn’t just fender. Found the same on a 1200 dollar Charvel bass that looked like a San Dimas guitar. Found the same on Jacksons, Sterling/Ernie Ball and lots of others.

The only two brands that were consistently awesome regardless of price were Schector and Ibanez. Is this typical now? I don’t remember (been on and off since the ‘80’s) ever seeing such crappy build quality in the past.

He ended up buying a Schector Freeze Cical or something like that. I was shocked he would not only drop the coin but also take purple and gold. He’s a death metal guy and this thing just came out of left field . I even asked the sales guy if it was a Prince signature model and it wasn’t a joke.

Anyways, long first rant. Thanks for reading if you made it all the way to the end.

I've had good luck with Ibanez, even the less expensive ones. Warwick are good for 5ers too. Ime things have changed a bit out there since the '80s.

 

[Pdaddy1978]

Do I understand? He's been playing since Christmas, and he's shopping for his third bass?
I think I had been playing for 6 years and been in 4 bands before my 3rd instrument.
Thats alot of GAS for a new player right out of the gate.
Quality control might be a little spotty, but that Ibanez and Ampeg should be getting alot of woodshedding. Almost no new guitar is perfect right out of the box.
Maybe think used bass thats already dialed in by a previous player?

 

[chiphaleonbass]

A little backstory, I’m an on again off again bass and guitar player. My son recently started playing bass, we’ve been doing some shopping and it seems quality control really sucks almost across the board.

FWIW we bought him a budget Ibanez Soundgear and a Ampeg amp for Christmas. I was very surprised at the quality of the instrument and the sound for $350. Well, he’s progressing pretty good and has totally gotten bit by the bug so we’ve been hitting stores.

In January he bought a Jackson Spector that had such bad fret ends they were literally slicing up his fingers. Guitar store did a fret job and set up on it, now it’s good. This brings me to what I’m getting at.

Yesterday we went to 3 different stores looking for a five string. We played and messed around with a bunch of stuff. I payed particular attention to the edges of the fret board. It was shocking to see how many brands had these sharp fret ends sticking off the edge of the board. I played two $800 fender player series that were horrible but the $230 Affinity P bass and the $400 Squire Jazz were way better. What’s up with that? These were so bad I don’t know how this could possibly get past quality control.

It wasn’t just fender. Found the same on a 1200 dollar Charvel bass that looked like a San Dimas guitar. Found the same on Jacksons, Sterling/Ernie Ball and lots of others.

The only two brands that were consistently awesome regardless of price were Schector and Ibanez. Is this typical now? I don’t remember (been on and off since the ‘80’s) ever seeing such crappy build quality in the past.

He ended up buying a Schector Freeze Cical or something like that. I was shocked he would not only drop the coin but also take purple and gold. He’s a death metal guy and this thing just came out of left field . I even asked the sales guy if it was a Prince signature model and it wasn’t a joke.

Anyways, long first rant. Thanks for reading if you made it all the way to the end.

Yeah I bought my first 5 string last year and tried a few at GC before ordering a Yamaha from Sweetwater. Not a single instrument I picked up in store really felt great; but this bass which I'd never played was setup pretty well right out of the box. These days with free shipping and returns it might be the simplest way to go.

 

[red_rhino]

Tis the nature of wood and no two pieces react identically with ambient fluctuations. Addressing fret sprout has almost become a component of a normal set-up but I would insist it be remediated at no-charge at time of purchase. On-line sales are a little trickier.

My Ibanez basses were fine from day one....my 3k boutique needed to have its "nails trimmed". Go figure.

Riis

This. Any instrument can exhibit fret sprout over time, particularly when adjusting to the local climate in the weeks and months after it reaches its shipping destination. It likely did not leave the manufacturer that way.

Some builders will hold woods in their inventory for long periods of time so that it’s more stable and less prone to longer-term changes by the time they use it. But that’s still not a 100% guaranteed that there won’t be a problem. I’ve had everything from Ibanez to MTD affected by this.

Do I understand? He's been playing since Christmas, and he's shopping for his third bass?

Which raises the question: “Is he already a member here?”

 

[Pep]

I think much of it depends on how long it sits in a store that doesn’t manage humidity. Dry winter air shrinks the wood, especially if zero attention is paid to the guitar/bass while it sits there for a long time. The lower end basses tend to sit for less time since people buy them, so you don’t see it as much.

At least that’s my theory. They are probably mostly fine fresh from the factory floor but who knows how long it sat in shipping and store environments.

Most are salvageable if you have someone who can do fret work as long as the neck isn’t twisted or in bad shape.

I agree with the humidity statement. I have it happen to my basses occasionally.

 

[Michedelic]

Do I understand? He's been playing since Christmas, and he's shopping for his third bass?
I think I had been playing for 6 years and been in 4 bands before my 3rd instrument.
Thats alot of GAS for a new player right out of the gate.
Quality control might be a little spotty, but that Ibanez and Ampeg should be getting alot of woodshedding. Almost no new guitar is perfect right out of the box.
Maybe think used bass thats already dialed in by a previous player?

I’m curious as to how many songs he’s learned, let alone fundamental riffing.
I’m well aquainted with the old joke that ends with, “I skipped the fourth lesson ‘cause I got a gig”, but is he in a band?

 

[Gilmourisgod]

Luckily, it should be a one-time fix. If the fret ends are dressed flush when it’s cold and dry, the board will only expand as it’s gets warmer and more humid. Keeping the bass in as consistent humidity and temperature range as possible helps. Just keeping the bass in the case helps towards that end, as the case is relatively airtight and has some insulation value. Seeing no problems with the Ibanez should be instructive: level of QC has little to do with price these days. Stick with Ibanez, they make a bewildering number of models for every conceivable taste and price point. It doesn’t sound like you really “need” an upgrade though. We call that “GAS”.

 

[Code Brown]

If (when) you visit the same stores in a few months (when the humidity is higher) it's quite possible the same basses won't have any fret sprout. The solution would be for manufacturers to store the basses in low humidity until the fretboard shrinks and fret ends start poking out, then trim them back - but that's not practical. So sharp fret ends aren't really considered bad QC. I consider fret sprout to be normal, and just something to be addressed during a routine setup. Often it only needs to be done once.

In addition to Ibanez, I've heard Yamaha has good QC on their budget instruments.

 

[Smallmouth_Bass]

Fret sprout is common on all basses. Maybe a little more on inexpensive instruments due to the wood not being cured for as long.

 

[seang15]

Less expensive instruments won't have the aged and/or kiln-dried woods that more expensive instruments would have. A big part of the process of going custom or boutique, is the choice of woods, the aging and hand-picked pieces that these builders build into the prices of their top-end builds. You won't get that with less expensive instruments. They are oftentimes green, non-aged woods and not really properly cared for (treated, kiln-dried) by the factories. It's completely economically impossible to do so. (That stated, I agree that Ibanez seems to have the best QC at their respective price points.)

Cheers.

 

[Altitude]

Where’s home, Drew?

I live in Colorado. With our dry air here, even my multi thousand dollar boutique basses’ necks shrink a little. It’s not their fault.

 

[Drew_O]

Do I understand? He's been playing since Christmas, and he's shopping for his third bass?
I think I had been playing for 6 years and been in 4 bands before my 3rd instrument.
Thats alot of GAS for a new player right out of the gate.
Quality control might be a little spotty, but that Ibanez and Ampeg should be getting alot of woodshedding. Almost no new guitar is perfect right out of the box.
Maybe think used bass thats already dialed in by a previous player?

Wow, lots of responses. Appreciate it. I get the wood and environment aspect. Still it seems out of line as I’ve got guitars that I’ve had for decades that haven’t had the issues I’m seeing. In fact none of them have had the fret issues. A little tweak on the neck, maybe the bridge and they’re good. Very little maintenance needed.

He’s actually on the fourth. There was more to it but I was already getting long winded. He bought a Squire Jazz 70’s model. He wound up not really liking it so I bought it off of him and I’ve been using it.

He’s 18, in college for the first year. He goes to school, lifts weights, plays bass and works about 25 hours a week. He’s definitely doing the woodshed thing, he’s downstairs playing at 1 or 2 in the morning. We put up with it. In is last year of high school he worked full time at a gym, saved 10gs and we consigned for him to buy a mustang. He’s made every payment and is actually ahead on it. He’s thinking pre med. Wants to stack cash, buy sports cars and have a collection of guitars.

He got his brains from his mom and the drive to push hard to get what you want he got from both of us. I tend to dive real deep on my hobbies and I think he got that from me. Over the years when I’ve been asked about the guitars I hardly play I’ve responded that I just think they’re works of art and worth buying and keeping. That probably had some impact.

Home is New Mexico.

Hope I answered it all there. Appreciate the responses. I’ve lurked here once in awhile but never registered until now.

 

[chiphaleonbass]

Wow, lots of responses. Appreciate it. I get the wood and environment aspect. Still it seems out of line as I’ve got guitars that I’ve had for decades that haven’t had the issues I’m seeing. In fact none of them have had the fret issues. A little tweak on the neck, maybe the bridge and they’re good. Very little maintenance needed.

He’s actually on the fourth. There was more to it but I was already getting long winded. He bought a Squire Jazz 70’s model. He wound up not really liking it so I bought it off of him and I’ve been using it.

He’s 18, in college for the first year. He goes to school, lifts weights, plays bass and works about 25 hours a week. He’s definitely doing the woodshed thing, he’s downstairs playing at 1 or 2 in the morning. We put up with it. In is last year of high school he worked full time at a gym, saved 10gs and we consigned for him to buy a mustang. He’s made every payment and is actually ahead on it. He’s thinking pre med. Wants to stack cash, buy sports cars and have a collection of guitars.

He got his brains from his mom and the drive to push hard to get what you want he got from both of us. I tend to dive real deep on my hobbies and I think he got that from me. Over the years when I’ve been asked about the guitars I hardly play I’ve responded that I just think they’re works of art and worth buying and keeping. That probably had some impact.

Home is New Mexico.

Hope I answered it all there. Appreciate the responses. I’ve lurked here once in awhile but never registered until now.

Welcome in! Sounds like he’s got a great head on his shoulders. Have you showed him the classifieds here?

 

[salmon256]

If you went to GC or any box store place honestly some bass sections are neglected, not the expensive stuff of course but I find they are always the size of a closet, I will say my GC bass section is small but taken care of for the the most part. If you want good online QC I think Sire is great. I also just always found Squire has been top in the affordable Fender line, a lot of users including myself will prefer Squire, and gig with it over Fender, only Fender personally I would get that I think is worth it is the JMJ Mustang because that is an amazing beast.

Good on you for helping your son with the bass habit, I would say start looking into gigging amps haha so you can play or maybe upright next?

 

[HelpImaRock]

This is why I bought an MII Squier instead of an MIM Fender. It was the better instrument.

Ibanez has always had fantastic fretwork. Even on their $100 instruments.

 

[Drew_O]

Thank you guys. I have NOT shown him the classifieds . I haven’t gotten that far into the forum to know they were there. I will be checking them out myself. I love that stuff.

One of the places we went was a GC. We have found a locally owned place that, from the outside, looks very underwhelming but when you walk in; holy shizz! Blown away with the inventory. So many different models and brands in all price ranges. Place was CLEAN. The guys running the shop were very friendly and accommodating. They had a humidifier going. Any future biz is going to go through them.