RIGHT?! --I'd totally go for that!
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Issues with the Fender Ultra Jazz 5
- Thread starter WorktheWood
- Start date
I can't speak for the Ultra Jazz 5, but I played a Ultra Precision and thought it felt really cheap. Oh well, scratched that potential itch quickly.
Yikes! For a $1900 instrument that is not a ringing endorsement.
So it's interesting to me that the Fender Deluxe Dimension line (the latest round of stuff with that name) seems to have had the same or similar bridge as is mounted on the Ultra. I know the Modern Player Jazz V used a bridge like that, I owned a couple of them. I never had G string issues at all. Now that I think about it, I don't remember seeing many comments from Deluxe Dimension owners saying the G string sat at the edge of the board.
Can anyone verify if it's the same bridge or if the neck width is different on the Deluxe Dimension series?
Can anyone verify if it's the same bridge or if the neck width is different on the Deluxe Dimension series?
It also appears to be the same bridge as the MIM Deluxe active jazz v.
Seems like a downgrade?
Blindfolded, I would have guessed $700. Besides the truss rod moving away from the wheel, which I did not like, the Ultra is a step back from the Elite. There are still deals on the Elites, NOS. And I really wanted to like it, money burning a hole in my pocket.
Sadly, I purchased an Ultra Burst 5 string. The G string was ok at the first fret, however the string got closer to the edge as it went up, by the time it reached the 12th fret it was riding the edge and got worse from there. Meanwhile, on the B string, it got a hair further from the edge. In addition the A, D and G strings did not line up with the pickups. Oddly, playing is not noticeable until I go beyond the 12 the fret where I have to adjust for the string being so close, however for a $2,000 instrument, I expect a whole lot better. Fenders only defense is the warranty. GC let me take this one to play while they locate another that is correct. I have a Modulus Q5, Lakland 5501 (modified) & 5502, Washburn XB925 & Godin A5 SA, none of which have had anything close to these issues. This is my first Fender after wanting a Jazz Bass and I must say I'm extremely disappointed. Once I get the corrected model from GC I'm not sure I will even want to keep it, I have 45 days. Strongly considering alternatives at this point.
Sorry to hear about your issues. If it were me I would not keep it. It looks like the bridge was drilled in the wrong spot. It looks like it needs to be moved over just a tad. It just amazes me they made it through quality control and this is coming from a guy that loves and has had a few fenders. Good luck!
Is there an aftermarket bridge that would bring the spacing in for the ultra that fits the mounting pattern?
I checked the one Ultra Jazz 5 at my local GC. It indeed measured 3". The G string is actually over the fret roundover by about the 17th fret.
The GC associate couldn't have cared less.
- John
The GC associate couldn't have cared less.
- John
You would probably still need to move the mounting position to center it. Switching to a bridge with some sideways adjustability can solve the problem by allowing you to adjust the saddles to the correct positions. I wouldn't recommend the multi slot solution of the Badass 3 as you can't get even spacing if you use the other slots unless you move all the strings over the same amount.
This is not a new Fender issue as the neck shift is found in pre CBS models and the custom shop used to show this on their top models. Some people like the yank and crank method of repositioning the neck but I prefer to let the neck find its comfortable position and remount the bridge to work with that. Which is what Tobias did for me back in '85.
In Fender's defense it could be worse
Oops, what a disaster. Bridge just looks like a Badass...?
Plenty more high quality manufacturers turning out similar priced instruments that I'd be more interested in.
Here's my Fender story...
I own an Natural Elite V (black pickguard), I replaced the white nut with a black Graph-Tec Tusq XL nut. I also replaced the original high mass bridge which had uncomfortable sharp height adjustment allan screws (palm muting on the bridge was injurious) with a Chrome KSM bridge and that also added sustain and dropped a bit of weight along the way.. then I got sick of the limitations of the stock preamp blend control which may as well have just been a three way switch. I replaced that with a John East J Retro-01 Deluxe preamp which now offers a huge improvement overall as well as more eq options and a proper smooth blend control. Added to the circuitry also was the John East BLI-01 battery indicator - a very cool little accessory too!. The N4's were also noisy at certain gigs, so Nordstrand came to the rescue with a set of NJ5FS hum-cancelling split coil jazz replacements. Added some chrome Schaller straplocks and now I have a very nice usable instrument.
I'm certain to give the Ultra range a miss based on all of the information provided in this thread.
Plenty more high quality manufacturers turning out similar priced instruments that I'd be more interested in.
Here's my Fender story...
I own an Natural Elite V (black pickguard), I replaced the white nut with a black Graph-Tec Tusq XL nut. I also replaced the original high mass bridge which had uncomfortable sharp height adjustment allan screws (palm muting on the bridge was injurious) with a Chrome KSM bridge and that also added sustain and dropped a bit of weight along the way.. then I got sick of the limitations of the stock preamp blend control which may as well have just been a three way switch. I replaced that with a John East J Retro-01 Deluxe preamp which now offers a huge improvement overall as well as more eq options and a proper smooth blend control. Added to the circuitry also was the John East BLI-01 battery indicator - a very cool little accessory too!. The N4's were also noisy at certain gigs, so Nordstrand came to the rescue with a set of NJ5FS hum-cancelling split coil jazz replacements. Added some chrome Schaller straplocks and now I have a very nice usable instrument.
I'm certain to give the Ultra range a miss based on all of the information provided in this thread.
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I haven't played the new Ultra but I did install the 4 string version of the Fender high mass Bridge on one of my P-Basses (50's MIM). It was a 4 string but I still had a bit of an issue with the bridges inability to allow tweaking the string spacing. The strings were about .06 off center with the neck which resulted in the G string being closer to edge of the finger board than I like. I ended up removing the Fender High Mass bridge and replacing it with the Hipshot Kickass bridge, which is similar but allows tweaking the string spacing.
IMO Fender probably made the bridge change as a combination of a cost savings and because of the following that some players have toward the Badass style bridge. I'm sure that's it's much less expensive to simply mount a bridge to the top of the bass without drilling the thru-holes and installing the string ferrules.
I also think that the move back to the traditional truss rod adjustment was primarily a cost savings. I love the truss rod wheel adjustment.
As a side note, the issue that you state is the very reason that I don't own a Musicman 5 string bass. I purchased a really nice one several years ago and the neck is just not wide enough to accommodate the 5 strings. The G is just too close to the edge of the finger board. Very easy to pull over the edge.
Fender literally doesn't seem to care about their bass products any more. I suspect the business looks at bass sales and shrugs their shoulders. Development and Production of basses are both after thoughts vs guitars. Here we have an obvious production issue, and no one there even cared to glance at it.
I've tried contacting their CS folks in Scottsdale and was literally read the riot act; as in how dare I call them, and how did I get the phone number. They have just turned into a nasty and arrogant company, as far as bass players go. I highly doubt they are even paying attention to the Production problem and will continue ignorantly and arrogantly shipping a product which doesn't work. The fact that they can't get their 5 string basses right and don't care is very telling. Almost a foregone conclusion that no one at Fender ever "wastes" time to see what Talk Bass is saying about their products.
Which presents the bass community with a bit of dilemma. Here we have practically our main bass maker blindly paying zero attention to the bass instruments they are making. I suppose our only "voice" would be that bass players just stop buying them. Which is sadly an unlikely response.
I am beholden to my Fenders. Detest the company they have become.
I've tried contacting their CS folks in Scottsdale and was literally read the riot act; as in how dare I call them, and how did I get the phone number. They have just turned into a nasty and arrogant company, as far as bass players go. I highly doubt they are even paying attention to the Production problem and will continue ignorantly and arrogantly shipping a product which doesn't work. The fact that they can't get their 5 string basses right and don't care is very telling. Almost a foregone conclusion that no one at Fender ever "wastes" time to see what Talk Bass is saying about their products.
Which presents the bass community with a bit of dilemma. Here we have practically our main bass maker blindly paying zero attention to the bass instruments they are making. I suppose our only "voice" would be that bass players just stop buying them. Which is sadly an unlikely response.
I am beholden to my Fenders. Detest the company they have become.
I suppose another thing we could do is talk up a ban Fender month, in which we all agree NOT to play our Fenders out on the gig, as much as possible. I realize a lot of cats only have Fender basses; but, I certainly could skate by leaving my Fenders at home. No idea whether we could generate enough interest to send a message; but, just thinking out loud. Don't know how else we can influence the company to do right.
Should be darkly entertaining to see how long the Production mistake goes on before the company notices.
Should be darkly entertaining to see how long the Production mistake goes on before the company notices.
If this is the case, it's very puzzling. Back in 2008, it seemed like there was a vested effort from the company to improve/stabilize the bass line and I feel they did from 2008 - 2016. I remember the announcement of the 2008 standard line including the development of the vintage hi-mass bridge and other subtle improvements. But the overall impression was that quality improved, even down through the Squire line. I'm not sure what triggered the recent changes to the standard and deluxe lines post 2016 but the bridge change is puzzling to me. I thought there was a lot of R&D that went into the redesign. I really liked this era and I can feel the difference when playing a bass from these years compared to recent models. Not sure why they felt the need to change things up.
The common statement from dealers and any other marketing folks is that Fender is always listening to their artists and consumers, and incorporating 'improvements' into their instruments. Not sure about any of that but I wonder if it has more to do with sales stagnating and the perception that 'hey we need to reinvigorate the lines to generate more sales' type of thought process. Yes I do realize while typing this that at the end of the day, they are a business and should be focused on improving profit but still.
I definitely agree.
That one's easy. Those who don't move forward, fall behind, and they're trying to show that they're still adhering to their claims you cited about listening and improving. Just in their case, when you're working with an icon like the J or the P, how to move forward while still maintaining a strong sense of pedigree is difficult. I feel they've done a good job of walking this line with the recent changes. IMHO, I don't think this bridge thing is due to a bad concept... just bad implementation. Big difference.
How this bridge issue happened will probably remain a mystery to us customers, but it's clear they need to do something. What that is, is still apparently TBD, so IMHO, the jury's still out. I'm not willing to convict them of the things they've been accused of in other posts here... especially since I do feel they've done better in recent years like you said. I play my Elite a lot, and love it, have owned many Fenders over the years, including some I still own besides the Elite. I also have a lot of other very fine instruments, and I'm not in any way affiliated with Fender. So I at least feel I have a pretty solid base to form a reasonable perspective/opinion from. FWIW anyway.
My .02.
I think everything Fender seem to take a noticeable leap forward in quality in 2008–2016.
