MIM Precision Bass - diasappointed!

[Bthebassplayer]

Beat me to it. While consumers have done it to themselves by failing to support stores to save a few dollars, that is the market now in many places. But OP had no intent on buying a bass. You want to try out a bass just for kicks? Find someone with one, or rent one.

I totally agree that also the customers have something to do with that. I personally miss the times when I could go to a store and just try out a lot of basses before I decide!!

 

[Eternal Day]

Wow, this thread exploded!

Seems like a lot of you guys are mad but believe me after this I'm never gonna go for a new Instrument anymore and btw this is the first time, I ordered a bass or anything for that matter just to check it out. About a year ago I bought a Höfner Verythin with intent on keeping it but it was just as messy as this one, warped neck, messed up binding, really bad dead spot on the e-string, sharp edges... a nightmare and it was just as expensive as this one.
I was really disappointed because it COULD have been a gorgeous bass so this time I didn't expect too much in the first place. If the quality was good, it would be really hard for me to send it back and I would probably keep it, because as I said it's a really fun instrument but for 700€ this is just ridiculous! I bought my CIJ jazz bass last year on ebay for 800€ used and only now do I realise how good it really is. Compared with the MIM it's absolutely incredible, everything about it seems right and feels right.

The main reason why people here order instruments and gear just to try it out is the simple fact that there are VERY few shops here, where you find a decent variety and the ability to check it out on the spot, especially electric instruments. There is nothing similar to guitar center here (aside from thomann)
and shop owners don't want you hanging around for hours, checking every detail, it's just different from how it is in the states. Different people, different mentality. Of course it sucks for the shop owners when someone orders 7 basses and sends 6 of em back but it happens and people make no bones about it. If you want to try out an instrument, that is not available in your region you either order it or you don't. The only other option is to drive for hours.

To those of you questioning, if this bass is actually a genuine fender and unused, I had to cut through this sticker to get to the bass, probably some can tell if this is genuine or not:

Also check out the ones on the other side:

And someone wanted to see the headstock? Here you go:

 

[Axstar]

I love these Talkbass threads that become an exercise in moral relativism.

 

[Acoop]

I ordered one direct from Fender. Problem?

I'd never purchase a bass without trying it, no two are alike. ... I'm not knocking you did, maybe there are no stores in your area, But, here there is no shortage of points of purchase. So, you ordered one and are very disappointed, ... I should ask you, Why are you surprised? ... Then you bash the instrument on TB. ... Why not just send it back and deal with Fender?

 

[DavidEdenAria]

99% of Fender owners (which comprehends me too) say Fenders, expecially MIMs and Squiers, are hit or miss and must be tried.
You said you have few shops around, but if you took a chance to go out and try 2-3 P basses in person you would have probably found something way better than that clearly unlucky example.

As for your points, the neck pocket routing and knobs alignment rants are just silly, sorry. You're not supposed to see the neck pocket and the screws on the knobs are just not pointers.

Other things make that bass just returnable for another one.

I'm sorry but you just took a blind chance on maybe the most variable model possibile. I happily (and luckly) got 3 MIMs without a test and didn't go half as badly as you. Knowing in your area most people flip instruments I wouldn't be that surprised.

Look, the MAIN thing is the overall quality and resonance of the neck/body....if that aint happening, a bass can have the best workmanship in the world and it is still potentially a dog.

I have played 100's of various MIM Fender basses and guitars...have wound up with 5 all purchased used......i will put these up against most any similar bass or guitar now after my setups,slight repairs and slight mods.

I never expected any MIM Fender to be perfect out of the box.......AND they dont have that overall plastic feeling of some of the better Squiers from the far East (which are nice basses).

My 1992 MIM Strat now feels, looks and sounds like a decent old USA Strat...it is ageing nicely...do i love my MIJ 80's Strats? Sure...but there is something about my MIM Fenders that seem to get better with time once i sort of personalize them and work out some flaws.

Maybe i am attracted to guitars that are 'diamonds in the rough' at least to me, these are sometimes, just that.

 

[Axstar]

You americans are the pot calling the kettle black with this so called "unethical" talk haven't read a history book lately I presume.......... silly americans

Aye, because every other country is a paragon of moral virtue right enough. America has been able to cram a fair degree of nonsense into a short period of time (overthrowing the democratically elected leader of Guatemala for bananas, for feck's sake, takes some beating), but Jeysus, man. Europe carved up Africa with a knife!

 

[DavidEdenAria]

Those MIM P basses are certainly not created equally. I've owned two, and played a half dozen more. In short, the good ones are basically one unit of P bass. They aren't the bass Jamerson played, they aren't a signature model and they aren't trying to be the sort of P bass that rattled off the production line in 1957. They are the basic ticks-all-boxes P bass and, as a blank canvas, they serve as good basses. They don't get my pulse racing by any means, but they are usable 'cooking' basses and can be modded easily as they are real Fender and made using real Fender dimensions.

I've encountered the issue of the slot in the tuners being too tight, especially for a silk-coated E string. Those MIM tuners are an odd size, and only Hipshot (I think???) make a drop-in replacement.

The ceramic capacitor might be 'cheap', but as long as it works it works. No need to sink an Orange Drop cap in a bass like that as it makes no difference. From memory the pots are CTS-brand with indentations in the back and a small hole that the base of the shaft protrudes through. Perfectly usable pots, though maybe the taper wasn't the best choice if the tone control is too binary in its function.

The trapped wire is annoying, but it happens. I've done it all the time, especially with P basses and Strats where you're screwing down a vast, flexible plastic sheet to the front of the instrument. It does indicate that the bass wasn't rigorously scrutinized before it went out the door, which I find slightly worrying.

The sharp fretboard sides are simply because it would cost more, either in time or expense, to either pay a worker to roll the fretboard edges or to somehow machine a roundover onto the fretboard edge. In turn it would make fretting the board more tricky. I tend to roll the edges of new necks, but I also like to check the frets are properly leveled and crowned, so I'm maybe more of a tinkerer than the average bassist.

A broken Allen Key takes proper skill, so I hate to think how that happened.

High action is quick to fix. The back bow in the neck is alarming, especially if it can't be dialed out.

The backbow is what blew me away....frets leveled and crowned should be decent for a recent MIM Fender

Understand folks, THIS bass never should have been sent out in its condition as a "NEW bass".... and a broken allen wrench, are YOU KIDDING?

 

[buldog5151bass]

@Eternal Day - you are missing the point. I understand it can be tough to find instruments to try when you are deciding what to buy. The point is, you had no intention to buy the instrument. You just wanted to play with it. There is a big difference.

 

[Axstar]

The backbow is what blew me away....frets leveled and crowned should be decent for a recent MIM Fender.

I guess it happens! I would expect too much relief on a neck from the factory. Fender set this stuff up quickly to fairly rough specs, and the bass has to be sorta playable in some of the driest and some of the most humid regions of the planet.

From experience Mexican Fender fretwork is better now than it has ever been, but the frets are judiciously leveled and the crown isn't necessarily restored at this point. The frets, especially in the upper register, can appear to take the form of a Kit Kat chocolate bar, with a wide plateau on the top of the fret.

 

[DavidEdenAria]

You are correct - I hadn't read this prior to my comment, or their terms of sale. It is technically not a violation of these contracts. But that doesn't really matter, since it is also technically fraud.





Exactly. And the intent is what makes it fraud.



Why? OP is not unaware of what he is doing - he is making a practice of ordering multiple instruments with no intent to keep them. That is by basic logic a drain on business, and it is just plain dumb and off-putting to come on TB and brag about it. Sorry for having morals and ethics.

Once again, thats why some have re-stocking fees, if they dont, that's on the company....

I've worked for several successful companies in the past 45 years, they didnt argue with customers when there were glaring issues with product (it was a rare occurance) BUT a bass like this never would have left the showroom.

Taking your hard earned money and sending something like this, especially with the backbow and broken allen wrench....those are GLARING issues even if the OP was WRONG in his intent to send the bass back in the 1st place.

 

[DavidEdenAria]

@Eternal Day - you are missing the point. I understand it can be tough to find instruments to try when you are deciding what to buy. The point is, you had no intention to buy the instrument. You just wanted to play with it. There is a big difference.

Look while that is true, i would have been thoroughly PISSED if i received a new Fender with these issues.

Honestly, my local Guitar Centers seem to have a pretty good grasp on setups....backbow and a broken allen wrench wouldnt have happened at one of the main Guitar Centers in my area.

Heck, ive heard one of the main managers remark "its a dog really" or "meh" on a few guitars in their showroom and then steer you to something better....that is HONESTY from the retailer and probably why this particular GC has decent business....their setups are good really from what ive seen.

With MIM the history of "potential issues" is always there and trust me as an owner of many 80's Japan guitars, the MIM arent as well crafted overall as MIJ (though much better in recent years).

That doesnt mean a MIM cannot potentially be great......i have 5 that are very good with some work.

 

[PunkNerve]

There aren't to many music shops where I live and the shipping was free so that was the easiest
way to get my hands on a p-bass.



Don't know what OP stands for but I got it shipped by DHL. There is no damage on the outer or inner package,
nor on the bass or the bag containing the wrench. Dunno how all of this came about haha.

OP means "Original Poster". It's common forum lingo for the starter of a thread.

I'd say some Ensenada QC worker allowed that to slip late one Friday or early Monday. Some of the nicest instruments I've played were MIMs. MIM (and MIA, MIC, MIJ, MIK, and so on) are all production line products and their factories will always let an occasional lemon slip by.

Now I'm not condoning that Fender not do anything about this. I think you should contact Fender support and see if you can get it replaced under warranty.

 

[jaminjamesp]

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.

Honestly, I don't think this is unethical at all, if you are upfront when you make the purchase. When I purchased my Road Worn Jazz Bass from Sweetwater, I told my Sweetwater guy I was buying 3 and only going to keep one. He was fine with that and said it's not a common thing, but people definitely do it.

With the shift to everything being online these days, I think companies that sell instruments online know this is going to happen. It's such a personal taste thing, that it's kind of far fetched to think that EVERYONE is going to love the first instrument they order every time. So buy a few, play them all, and keep your favorite.

 

[buldog5151bass]

Honestly, I don't think this is unethical at all, if you are upfront when you make the purchase. When I purchased my Road Worn Jazz Bass from Sweetwater, I told my Sweetwater guy I was buying 3 and only going to keep one. He was fine with that and said it's not a common thing, but people definitely do it.

With the shift to everything being online these days, I think companies that sell instruments online know this is going to happen. It's such a personal taste thing, that it's kind of far fetched to think that EVERYONE is going to love the first instrument they order every time. So buy a few, play them all, and keep your favorite.

For the last time (and then I give up), OP specifically said he was not going to buy the instrument (or any other instrument). He wanted 30 days to play with it, then was going to return it, no matter what.

 

[DavidEdenAria]

Honestly, I don't think this is unethical at all, if you are upfront when you make the purchase. When I purchased my Road Worn Jazz Bass from Sweetwater, I told my Sweetwater guy I was buying 3 and only going to keep one. He was fine with that and said it's not a common thing, but people definitely do it.

With the shift to everything being online these days, I think companies that sell instruments online know this is going to happen. It's such a personal taste thing, that it's kind of far fetched to think that EVERYONE is going to love the first instrument they order every time. So buy a few, play them all, and keep your favorite.

This....It likely happens more than many would admit....guitars ARE so personal....but a broken allen wrench and backbow on a neck are ridiculous on a new bass.

 

[gln1955]

For the last time (and then I give up), OP specifically said he was not going to buy the instrument (or any other instrument). He wanted 30 days to play with it, then was going to return it, no matter what.

Hard to say now, since the OP is changing his story with his latest post.

 

[40Hz]

I'd never purchase a bass without trying it, no two are alike. ... I'm not knocking you did, maybe there are no stores in your area, But, here there is no shortage of points of purchase. So, you ordered one and are very disappointed, ... I should ask you, Why are you surprised? ... Then you bash the instrument on TB. ... Why not just send it back and deal with Fender?

Um…I’m not the OP. I was just responding to your question about who ever orders an MIM.

For the record, the MIM I got was an extremely nice PB. Nicer than some MIAs I’ve owned and played. And I’ve owned several PBs over the last 40 years, so I have hands-on experience to base my opinion on.

Like you, I recommend and prefer to try before I buy. I didn’t buy my first bass sight unseen until 2014. But with modern manufacturing processed and CNC machining, the risks are far fewer than they used to be. And most businesses have a return provision, so it’s highly unlikely you’ll ever get stuck with a total lemon if you’re not buying from a private seller.

It took me a few decades to come around to accepting the fact you can get a very decent instrument you'll be happy owning without seeing or playing it first. But today it is very possible. That’s the only point I was trying to make.

 

[lermgalieu]

Once again, thats why some have re-stocking fees, if they dont, that's on the company....

I've worked for several successful companies in the past 45 years, they didnt argue with customers when there were glaring issues with product (it was a rare occurance) BUT a bass like this never would have left the showroom.

Taking your hard earned money and sending something like this, especially with the backbow and broken allen wrench....those are GLARING issues even if the OP was WRONG in his intent to send the bass back in the 1st place.

If you read every one of my replies here, NOWHERE did I say someone shouldn’t return a defective product. It has less than zero to do with my point.

 

[greggster59]

With mass production basses, quality control is not very reliable so it is very important to try a bass before buying it.
In my experience, the cheaper the bass model, the more basses I need to try to find a really good one. A blind purchase is a roll of the dice, IMO.

 

[DavC]

most things seem fairly normal ... these don't have a rolled finger board edges .. ( mine does now )

i've got wires stuck under pickguards myself ... simple fix

other parts ... i always upgrade them anyways .. !

to me , i'd spend my time bringing things up to my specs ... or i'd take/send it back , i find complaining to the universe a waste of time , unless i can talk to the exact person who did the work .. !!

these are the reasons i'll just build my own parts basses lately ... and i have seen and had my own share of issues with boutique basses ( $5k + ranges ) .. been there / done that ..

i am a firm believer in the 25% Restocking fee ... which helps eliminate most returns ... having worked in a few music stores over the decades , it is hard to sell an item " as-new " when someone has played it for a while .. !!?? Demos usually get a discount , ... so i would think that if a customer turns a new item into a Demo , then they should be the one paying that discount .. ! ( Restocking fee ) sadly the big box retail stores have made the ' i'll just return it ' mantra , very popular the last couple decades .. !

personally , i feel like a fool if i need to return something .. ! why , because i'm a smart well informed shopper, who makes wise choices .. !! and i'll just fix issues versus whining about them ... ?! YMMV