How Is Fender USA Quality Control Soooo Horrible?

[IPA]

Can’t tell if trolling or not.

I live for threads like these. They are why I come back here.

 

[Marc DLarosa]

Each to their own. I’ve got an Am Pro I Precision and an Am Pro II Jazz; and both are as flawless as any bass I’ve ever met. In fact, it seems to me Fender has continuously stepped up their American Production quality.

The OP has a pickguard that seems mis-cut. OK. Fenders are Mass production instruments. There will always be some errors that make it past QC. I would ask both how and why the OP bought it, if this “defect” was so significant.
Pickguards cost something like $35. If the bass plays well, buy another pickguard.

I never have bought a Fender sight unseen. If you play five of the same model in a store, they will all be slightly different. I buy the one that seems “right” to me.

Furthermore, one example of a Fender QC issue is hardly a compelling statistic that Fender’s QC is “Soooo Horrible.”

Personally, I’m not particularly fond of Fender to begin with. They haven’t been the kind of people I would want to work with. But, the basses remain rooted in traditionally useful designs. They are what they are. Don’t like them? Get over it and play something else.

Is it just me, ooooorrrrrrrrrrr... if it weren't for sites like this, would MANY players spend less time finding solutions to problems, than they do complaining/validating their UNhappiness?

 

[elgranluis]

Yes, it's a defect.

It is quite clear from the pictures; one just has to pay attention to the detail. That's the core issue; attention to .

lol , again , sorry , it’s not. You don’t like how it looks, that it.

defect = built not according to specification

If it’s built to spec (no defect according to manufacturer)! , and you don’t like it , then that’s a whole different story.

 

[Marc DLarosa]

Question...

Let's say that this "QC, atrocity" was disclosed at point of sale... how much of a discount should be allowed?

Asking for a friend.

 

[Quatschmacher]

The one thing I’ve noticed in my obviously small sample set of basses I’ve owned or played in stores is the rough finish on the edges of the rosewood boards on the last three iterations of the US basses (American Standard, American Professional and American Professional II); they all look they were cut with a blunt blade or something as the edges of the top surface aren’t straight but rather bobbled and bumpy. (By contrast, the maple boards have all been fine.) Or could it be that the rosewood has some shrinkage from not having been sufficiently seasoned/dried?

A bit of a shame as for roughly the same money Jon Shuker makes basses with beautifully finished rosewood boards (but obviously not on a mass production level like Fender).

I say this as a happy owner of two Am Pro II Ps that I don’t ever plan to part with (even with the rough rosewood board on one of them).

 

[MARVIN MECKLER]

lol , again , sorry , it’s not. You don’t like how it looks, that it. defect = built not according to specification If it’s built to spec (no defect according to manufacturer)! , and you don’t like it , then that’s a whole different story.

You are trying to bend the narrative to fit your agenda.

Why did you remove from my quote, the entire reason I started this thread?

Here is what you purposely left out:

"Yes, it's a defect.

It DOES overlap.

That's the issue.

The issue is not so much the overhang of the control plate to one side, but the fact that the chrome control plate sits on TOP of part of the beveled pickguard."

Which is what is known as a DEFECT.

 

[Petethebassman]

Some slight imperfections can happen on mass-produced instruments; take a look at this one. The pickguard doesn't line up perfectly with the control plate and there's a gap. You might also notice the bridge pickup isn't installed in the center of the cavity. Do these affect tone or how it plays? No. Will anybody else notice these details? No.

 

[Ol Sparky]

First year Geddy Lee Jass Bass,1998 A series.

 

[C Stone]

Has anyone yet mentioned loosening
the screws a turn or two, there can be
a small amount of ‘wiggle room’, see if it will shift, all it needs is a tiny amount to
square it up a little better, and it will only take a couple of minutes of your time .02

 

[Marc DLarosa]

Has anyone yet mentioned loosening
the screws a turn or two, there can be
a small amount of ‘wiggle room’, see if it will shift, all it needs is a tiny amount to
square it up a little better, and it will only take a couple of minutes of your time .02

Why would someone go to their garage, and grab the proper screwdriver, when is easier/more convenient/satisfying to repackage a bass, drive to UPS/FedEx, after spending time bashing the most beloved brand on FB for a little imperfection on what may be an amazing playing/sounding instrument? I mean... "where's the fun in that?" Let's go 50 more pages, and resurrect this in 5 years.

I can't wait 'till little robots can deliver my new strings with my Happy Meal.

 

[BassAndCigars]

Maybe they just figure you’re going to be like all those TBers that will switch that pic guard for a tortoise one that fits.

It's so funny you said that. My first thought was: 21K and no tort? I would slap tort on that first thing. They can't even install the proper pickguard for 21K???

 

[J-phatt]

Like just about any average Jazz Bass. Nothing special.

A bit buzzy on the upper frets due to Fender's ubiquitous slight ski ramp, but I find that seems to be the norm nowadays more than the exception.

I own a 30-yr old Mexican Jazz Bass, the ‘Squire Series’ (small print) with the ugly one-piece pickguard in plain one-ply white plastic. It’s got a nice neck but the upper frets are wonky, buzzy even to fret-out. The top string also seems kind of dead (even with newish strings). Do you, an expert on Fender basses, think a guitar tech can improve the playability of the bass without great expense? I paid $375 for the bass and a lot for improved DiMarzio pickups so I’m in it for nearly $600.

 

[MARVIN MECKLER]

I own a 30-yr old Mexican Jazz Bass, the ‘Squire Series’ (small print) with the ugly one-piece pickguard in plain one-ply white plastic. It’s got a nice neck but the upper frets are wonky, buzzy even to fret-out. Do you, an expert on Fender basses, think a guitar tech can improve the playability of the bass?

Absolutely!

I repair Fender ski ramp/ski jump necks all the time. It is fixable, and you don't have to accept higher action just because of the ski ramp.

I have been finding lately that ski ramps are becoming more the norm rather than the exception for some reason. Especially on the Vintera 70s block Jazz necks. I dunno why, but I went through four of them until I found one without a ski ramp, but that one was cracked at the bullet adjustment. Something is going on with those particular necks.

BTW, I LOVE the one piece pickguards on Jazz basses...always did!

Those old Squiers can be great instruments.

 

[2F/2F]

You should see some of the horrendous pickguard alignments and installations on $10–$20-$30,000 Fenders from the glorious pre- CBS days...

 

[antfarm]

In my opinion there is nothing “horrible” about the workmanship or quality control of this bass from what we can see on your photos.

It is not perfect, but far from “horrible”, and not a good example to make the point of how bad Fender’s quality control is. If it doesn’t meet your standards or expectations, return it or try to get a discount.

I am not saying that we consumers should not apply high quality standards when inspecting a new $2k acquisition, just that you are overreacting a little here.

 

[JumboJett35]

I’m in the market for a P Bass, and Sweetwater has 10% off, but I keep reading that it’s a crapshoot with new Fenders. How does it play?

I bought my American Pro II P bass brand new a couple years back and it's the best instrument I own with the best neck I've played. That being said please do yourself a service and buy used and save hundreds. Used are currently going for $1100-$1400. I understand the risk of not being able to play in person but given Fenders QC you take that risk on a brand new one or used just the same.

 

[antfarm]

Are you sure about that?

Bodies used to be cut by hand, but this isn’t Leo’s 1960 worldview. Now even MIA bodies are CNC milled.

Assuming that neither of us (I certainly don’t) work in a Fender component factory, you don’t know that for certain either. You are asserting something to be a fact based upon- well I’m not exactly sure… Haphazard assumption? Hearsay? Please don’t violate your FMIC NDA on this forum for me…

But I do work in MFG engineering for a living, so there is that.

If Leo were alive today, I doubt he would stamp flat components vs. sheet cutting them, as his MO was always to cut production costs. If a waterjet existed in 1960, he would have purchased a few. As others in my field have already chimed in above, tolerance stacking is very real, and gets much worse when your proposed specialty die (and accompanying tool) begins to wear and cut out of spec.

Another thought- have you ever manually deburred a stamped part and compared the amount of labor required vs. one that came off a waterjet? I have. One of those methods of production is significantly easier to bring to pre-plating standards (hint: it isn’t the stamped part).

So what exactly do you mean by ‘cost effective?’

Here is a video with some insights into the manufacturing process at Fender Corona (timestamped to where they observe the workers at some punching presses from around Leo’s time).

Around 16:00 they show how pickguards are being made.

 

[antfarm]

The one thing I’ve noticed in my obviously small sample set of basses I’ve owned or played in stores is the rough finish on the edges of the rosewood boards on the last three iterations of the US basses (American Standard, American Professional and American Professional II); they all look they were cut with a blunt blade or something as the edges of the top surface aren’t straight but rather bobbled and bumpy. (By contrast, the maple boards have all been fine.) Or could it be that the rosewood has some shrinkage from not having been sufficiently seasoned/dried?

A bit of a shame as for roughly the same money Jon Shuker makes basses with beautifully finished rosewood boards (but obviously not on a mass production level like Fender).

I say this as a happy owner of two Am Pro II Ps that I don’t ever plan to part with (even with the rough rosewood board on one of them).

The fretboard edges of the American Professional II bases are hand-rolled, so that is probably the reason for the imperfect appearance.

They may look rough, but feel very smooth and rounded, don’t they?

 

[larrysb]

Interesting thread.

I have a USA Geddy Lee Jazz Bass that I bought in the dark days of Covid. It is outstanding in every possible way. Literally, it came out of the box ready to tune and play. The only thing I didn't like was the way the bridge saddles were slotted, but according to fender, that's how the real-deal one that Geddy has is done. So to spec.

Fast forward to now. That music chain that's shutting down and liquidating. Well, I took a shot chance an American Pro-II Jazz Fretless. There were some issues with how it was listed and photographed and the actual condition of it. A partial refund sweetened the deal enough that I kept it and wet-sanded the buckle scratches out of it and the several scratches off the front. That was a seller issue. And glad it was poly finish, because it will take sanding and buffing.

However, it arrived with the most bizzare setup, E and G saddles flat to the deck and it still was not within action spec. Weird. And a nick in the truss access in the pickguard and the truss-rod-nut a little boogered up. Hmm.

Well, in spite of being brand new and all the matching date stamps being Aug of 2023, it was a mess. It needed a neck shim to correct the action. Once I got it properly shimmed so the bridge set up was at a normal condition, it couldn't achieve proper pickup height, even with brand-new, genuine Fender pickup foam pads under them. After measuring and comparing things, I came to the conclusion that it just never worked right from the factory. I put some 1/16" shims under the pickups and corrected some other stuff and it is good now.

So neck pocket wrong - somehow, pickup routing simply to deep to possibly work correctly. The AM-Pro-II tuners are poo as well.

The Deluxe Case, literally disassembled itself sitting open on the floor. The tug of the lid-ribbons alone caused the entire styrofoam/fuzzy-liner thing to come unglued from the lower shell. Watched it happen. No abuse, no-one even breathing on it. I have two other such cases, never a problem. Those were made in China, the new one, Vietnam. Not blaming a country, just pointing out the difference.

All in all, I don't recommend buying liquidation gear from a chain going bankrupt, and I honestly couldn't recommend the AM-II Professional J-bass based on this one. It has a great set of features, potential to be great, and this one is light, pretty color, with a little work plays well and I didn't pay retail.

Completely different than my Geddy from just 2-3 years ago. I don't get it.

 

[Quatschmacher]

The fretboard edges of the American Professional II bases are hand-rolled, so that is probably the reason for the imperfect appearance.

They may look rough, but feel very smooth and rounded, don’t they?

No, that’s not it. I think it’s more to do with how the rosewood slabs are cut in the first place, like the saw blade hasn’t cut straight so the slabs aren’t as flat as they should be.