MIM Precision Bass - diasappointed!

[Bassist Jay]

To the OP, your complaints are very valid. But this is a common problem with mass produced instruments. You will have QC issues thus why you can go to a Guitar Center and see 20 of the same guitar or bass on the wall, right down to the same finish, play all 20 and out of them, find maybe 2 or 3 with little to no issues.

For those reasons is why I enjoy working for smaller guitar and bass manufacturers and using their stuff. Sure, they may not be as well known but the QC is much better a majority of the time.

If you are able to, consider sending that bass back for another one if it has that many issues. Especially with your truss rod.

 

[Maxdusty]

If the OP intended to return the bass when he ordered it, the universe sent him the bass he deserved.

Probably true. Perhaps the store intended to have the bass returned to them.

I'm not going to wag my finger, get on the pulpit on morality and ethics, we do have a return policy too here in this country, some have abused it as well - but ultimately we all suffer the consequences with stores going under, offering less discounts - someone ends up paying for it ultimately. It doesn't matter which country you live in either, stores lose out on returned merchandise regardless. Whether you feel guilt about it, well - that's between you and the bass gods (Squier, Johnson , Jaco and Entwistle)

However, that bass is something I would return in a heartbeat, I've owned MIM Fender basses before, so would have an idea of what kind of quality to expect. That isn't typical quality for this, I wouldn't pay the normal new price for it.

 

[navijaz]

Well that's common practice in germany, dunno how it is elsewhere.
People here order 7 basses just to keep one and even write it in the review on the site they ordered them from, nothing special here but keep blaming me lol.

Maybe common practice for you. I don't know anyone who would do it.

 

[lermgalieu]

Disclaimer: I would never "buy" a bass for 30 days of free playtime, knowing I was never going to keep it.

However, I've definitely had a run at GC where I bought a bass (~$1100) that I played for 7-10 days at home (and at a few rehearsals) before returning it for a different bass of similar value. I then found the second bass unsatisfactory in terms of how it played and how it sat in the mix. I returned that one after a week, got a full refund, and spent my money elsewhere on a third bass. I didn't feel like I was doing anything unethical. I was spending my hard earned money and wanted a product that met my needs.

If you don't have stores in your area to play basses, I don't see anything wrong with ordering several if you intend to buy the winner. And if they are all short of reasonable expectations, I don't think you should feel obligated to keep any. Again, this is with the assumption that you are legitimately looking to buy something "for keeps."

Jeesh, the only slight hiccup being it is a *violation of the terms of sale.* Everyone who is saying this is an ethical issue, sure, but it is also a legal and contractual issue. Sure, no one could prove it (except by looking at the stupid crap you post on the public internet), but yeah, they could sue you if it was remotely worth their while.

EDIT: “you” being directed at the OP.

 

[beaglesandbass]

I've owned and played several MIM Fenders, never had any issues, but any mass produced product can have issues that get past QC.

As far as buying a bass with no intent on keeping it, well, stores here wise up to that after a while and stop letting that happen. It would just be terrible if that happened to you.

 

[Grahams Groove]

Just read through the GC return policy. Aside from excessive returns, I don't see where it violates a legal contract of any sort - assuming you return them in the condition they were received. Again, I don't agree with the practice of ordering just to mess around with a bass. But I don't see the issue if you ordered and returned several basses before finding the one that suits you...

 

[beaglesandbass]

Just read through the GC return policy. Aside from excessive returns, I don't see where it violates a legal contract of any sort - assuming you return them in the condition they were received. Again, I don't agree with the practice of ordering just to mess around with a bass. But I don't see the issue if you ordered and returned several basses before finding the one that suits you...

If you don't like it and decide to return it, that's one thing, I've done that. OP stated that he bought it and never intended on keeping it. That's just wrong.

 

[alaskaleftybass]

Up to now I always played jazz basses and hollowbodys, never tried a precision, so I ordered a MIM standard p-bass, just to get an idea what they're all about. It's one of the new ones with the Pau Ferro fretboard.

Yesterday I received the package and what can I say? Well, let's just get into it...
Bare with my english, I'll give my best.

NECK
As soon as I took the bass out of the package I noticed that there's something
off about the neck.
View attachment 2797556

See that edge? It feels just as sharp as it looks, almost like holding a 2 by 4.
The fretboard is very rough for the most part, only in the upper register you find some smoothness. The frets are not polished as far as I can tell, they look dull, feel rough and most of them have these dark spots on the sides. First I thought, they cut to deep into the fretboard and filled it up with woodfiller but these spots seem to be markers. The back of the neck is covered with some very weird, plastic-like stuff that feels very slippery and unorganic. Very different from any neck I ever hold in my hand.

NUT
While tuning the thing up I had problems with the E-string. It's impossible to get a stable
tuning and I think I found the reason.
View attachment 2797576

The slot for the E-string is far to wide as you can see.

TUNERS
They turn smooth and everything but the holes where you put the string in are far too small.
A lot of people including me bend their strings, before cutting them so you end up with a
hook type of string end which you put into the tuner. Well that's not possible here and even
just getting the strings in and out is a pain in the neck because it's so narrow in there.
Take a look:
View attachment 2797620

For comparison my CIJ jazz bass:
View attachment 2797621

TRUSS ROD
Does it work? Probably yes, because the neck has a back-bow but I'll never know for sure.
Why? First of all, the tool they gave me is FREAKING BROKEN:
View attachment 2797586

Fortunately I have several allen keys in the exact same size but none of them did fit!
Btw, the foil is intact so the allen key must have been broken, when they put it in there.

SETUP
There is none to speak of. The Instrument comes in virtually unplayable condition.

ASSEMBLE QUALITY
I don't know if the guys and gals in mexico are working under extreme time pressure
and I don't wanna judge anyone but they surely didn't look too close, while assembling this bass. There is a cable stuck under the pickguard:
View attachment 2797597

The knobs are not aligned but that's a minor thing compared to everything else.
This is how it looks, after I got in there:
View attachment 2797603

Yup... still bent. They used a cheap ceramic capacitor btw. At least the solder job is decent.
But this is another thing, I've never seen:
View attachment 2797604

TONE CONTROL
Roll it off 95% and you have a nice high-cut, roll it off 100% and it sounds, like you rolled
it off 50%. This is NOT how a tone control is supposed to work. Probably just cheap, bad pots.

BRIDGE
The bridge is... weird. I love high action and set it up just like my jazz bass, take a look:
View attachment 2797616

Compare it to the bridge on my jazz bass:
View attachment 2797617

As you can see almost everything about this bass is weird and off but not everything!
Let's talk about the good stuff!

BODY AND FINISH
The way they combined the wood pieces, the sunburst... just perfect, I love it.
It looks like one solid piece of wood. Nice on photo but stunning in real life:

View attachment 2797623
View attachment 2797624

SOUND
After spending a good hour or two setting this mess up with some Labella's I had laying around it was ready for a sound check. Good thing the Labellas are high tension, they just about cured the back-bow. I'm sure the pickups are not the best and they sound kind of
one dimensional but it's sooo much fun to play this thing! Put some foam by the bridge
and thump thump thump, great.

So yeah that's my experience with this thing. It's a fun instrument but honestly it feels
like a cheap toy and the thought of someone getting this bass as a birthday present made
me feel sad, lol.

Thank you for posting your honest review of the bass. It brings to mind an experience I had many years ago with a computer company called Gateway Government Computers. They made beautiful computers that arrived perfectly functioning and always enjoyed deploying them. Then, one year, I got a batch and nearly half the computers had issues. Turned out many of them had missing connectors, parts that didn't get snapped in correctly, etc. I found out that Gateway had moved their assembly to Mexico. QC went down the toilet and the next year was as bad.

When three computers came without hard drives I spoke with the boss and we moved to Dell. Turned out they closed the Gateway plant in Mexico because, even though it was was only assembly, the entire operation had cost Gateway hundreds of thousands of dollars. Lost wages. Theft. Drugs. Not to mention millions of dollars lost revenue due to their destroyed reputation. Eventually, Gateway lost so much money and all its customers, it was forced to be sold to Micron and Micron only used the company for Net Operating Losses tax incentives. The company was rendered worthless.

You'll find there are a lot of people here very touchy about anything Fender. If the neck arrived unattached it was probably the UPS guy's fault. Fender people are very loyal. That's a good thing for Fender.

It's not cool to buy seven guitars, write reviews, then return them under false pretenses. I can hope you are a decent person and spoke of this practice like you didn't realize it might not be good. But take this as a lesson. When you buy a bass, buy it to keep it. This is better for your karma and good luck.

Good luck on your next bass. Even if it's a long drive, go to a music store and try one out first.

 

[Grahams Groove]

If you don't like it and decide to return it, that's one thing, I've done that. OP stated that he bought it and never intended on keeping it. That's just wrong.

Agreed, the big difference is in the intent to actually keep a purchase...

 

[alaskaleftybass]

There's nobody in this thread who hasn't screwed up more than once in their lives, especially musicians, so I would suggest everyone get off their high horse. I know I'm no innocent lamb. But we grow up and learn from our mistakes. For crimini's sake would it hurt any of you to try and teach someone something instead of tearing them up???

 

[beaglesandbass]

There's nobody in this thread who hasn't screwed up more than once in their lives, especially musicians, so I would suggest everyone get off their high horse. I know I'm no innocent lamb. But we grow up and learn from our mistakes. For crimini's sake would it hurt any of you to try and teach someone something instead of tearing them up???

With all due respect, no one is ripping anyone for screwing up/making a mistake. We're talking about intentionally deceptive, unethical practices for which they show no remorse for.

 

[alaskaleftybass]

With all due respect, no one is ripping anyone for screwing up/making a mistake. We're talking about intentionally deceptive, unethical practices for which they show no remorse for.

Duly noted sire, however, I am guilty of making bad decisions when I was young. When we get older one of our skills we should develop is empathy and understanding. Ever known anyone who's eaten a grape from the grocery store fruit section? Or grabbed a piece of ham from the salad bar? As small as that seems it's still stealing. It's human nature that we make mistakes. The quality of our forgiveness is what's important. I just feel there's too much 'internet tough guy' going on in this post. I am not a confrontational person by nature by the way. I come here for enjoyment and learning.

 

[Admiral Akbar]

Ham from the "salad bar"??

Lol

 

[Bthebassplayer]

At least where I come from, that's unethical as sin. You really think that is the intent of the return policy? The intent is for you to try a bass YOU INTEND TO BUY IF YOU LIKE IT, not so you can have a free plaything.

Nowadays it’s almost the only way you can check out basses. Where I come from (The Netherlands) shops don’t have a lot of basses in stock anymore, cause they can’t compete against the big stores. Some stores only have cheap ass basses only to sell for example beginners.

 

[beaglesandbass]

Nowadays it’s almost the only way you can check out basses. Where I come from (The Netherlands) shops don’t have a lot of basses in stock anymore, cause they can’t compete against the big stores. Some stores only have cheap ass basses only to sell for example beginners.

Like I've said in another post, the problem people have isn't buying, trying out, end up not liking and returning. The problem is with no intent on keeping and return before the 30 days is up. A rent free bass for 30 days.

 

[tradernick]

1. Nice pictures in the OP! I wish all the FS ads had pics as nice.

2. Clearly this is a QC fail. Whoever said this could have been the result of a drop during shipping, please. Give me a break. Someone else said you can see 20 identical basses on the GC wall and find 2 or 3 that are decent. This is my experience of Fender basses as a whole, not just foreign made ones. Fender QC is just not what it should be.

3. Sorry, but I don't believe it's common in Germany for people to abuse the returns system in the way you did. Surely you must understand that this is not the point of a 30 day return policy. If you want to demo something, establish a relationship with a retailer. I can walk into my local and grab a bass and demo it for 72 hours and if I want to return it, no problem. You can almost certainly work something out with a retailer even if you haven't established a relationship there. Brick and Mortar retailers are keen to get your business these days.

4. Geez Louise... that bass seems to have a bunch of bad issues. Can't believe it sells for 700 Euros over there. You could do way better buying a bass from the FS threads here and having it shipped, as long as you find a willing seller.

 

[DavidEdenAria]

Like I've said in another post, the problem people have isn't buying, trying out, end up not liking and returning. The problem is with no intent on keeping and return before the 30 days is up. A rent free bass for 30 days.

This is why some stores have re-stocking fees....Otoh, i live in the USA where we easy and open access to Fender and other brands....I KNOW from selling tubes overseas, some items are very hard to come by and at a premium.

In my case i never buy new guitars, amps or effects...i own 5 MIM Fenders and ALL had some issue or issues but i bought them at a steep discount used because my market is FLOODED with MIM Fenders in pawns and stores.

Each one of my MIM Fender guitars or basses had neck or setup issues, pots etc....i spent many hours on each one...however, if i were to pay someone for what i did it would be $100 to $200 likely in parts and labor.

I ASSURE you, if i had my eye on a specific brand new Fender that i paid a premium for, it better be right...MIM are not cheap new anymore.

Buying with the intention of returning is NOT cool....BUT, that is why companies have pricey re-stocking fees as i mentioned....i would have no issue returning something several times if i paid a premium for a new MIM P bass and it had glaring issues.....these are fairly simple as basses go, imagine something way more complicated like my 97 MIJ Ibanez SR800 that i spent hours getting the action and corrosion (stripped corroded screws etc) remedied, i bought it fairly cheap.

I darn near returned that SR800, something i rarely do but i loved the neck and it was resonant, which is 1st and foremost imo!

 

[Chrisk-K]

The OP bought a MIM bass and expects a Sadowsky quality...

 

[Vinnie Boombatz]

Should have bought a Classic 50's.

 

[Gianni "Orlandez" Orlati]

Will do so! But first I spend a few more days thumping away. After all I have 30 days return warranty!

Ah ah ... so then it’s not that bad after all ... why you don’t simply request the shop for replacing the bass?