Fender is trapped by being in the business of building
legacy instruments.
That is, they are bound to keep building Strats, Teles, Precision's, and Jazz Basses eternally. They indeed are legendary classics, and these will always continue to sell. But it's a blessing . . . and a curse.
By now, over several different owners, different manufacturing methods and locations, and a constantly changing customer base and retail climate, they continue to sell. And there's the rub:
Improve them in ways most any of us experienced hands could suggest, then suddenly they're 'too modern, not like the classics, they've lost their way'. Which they've tried at times, and heard that kickback.
Go back and make tool mark and sanding stroke reissues that are perfect duplicates of the vintage models, then you get 'dang Fenders, still stuck in the 50's, don't they know it's the 21st century?'. Did that too, heard that too.
See where this is going? And besides, for a LOT of guys, they're just fine, get a deal on one at Guitar Center or
Sweetwater, and life is good, and Fender churns them out like Big Macs and they laugh all the way to the bank.
There's a lot of Voodoo BS in the guitar business. The truth is they're building the best axes they've ever built, but this just in:
Every bass isn't for everyone, and obviously the OP's PERSONAL experience is not satisfying and his expectations are going to have to be met by another brand.
This happens to most all of us over time, I've sold lots of stuff in my time. It's time to move on and find what's out there that fits you now. The good news is there's lots of choices once you leave FSO orbit . . . and come back down to Earth.
QC is tricky. Mass produced instruments will indeed have a flaw that gets past the inspectors, and custom instruments can have a flaw since there were no inspectors. Humans are never 100% correct, but by and large, instruments are far cleaner now.
