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NBD: 2015 Fender Steve Harris Precision Bass

Crackle

Crackle

Nov 3, 2007
650
1,183
Plano, TX
#1
I placed an order for the 2015 Fender Steve Harris Precision Bass from Sweetwater back in January. Last Thursday, I finally got notice that my bass had arrived and was shipping . . . that's 6 months later. For whatever reason, Fender Mexico has huge delays on this model.

The bass arrived yesterday and I was initially stunned at the beauty and tone of this all-maple beast. That said, I am unfortunately having to do a return because of multiple QC issues:

a. The volume knob is loose. Granted, this is an easy fix.
b. The stings are way out of alignment with the fretboard.
c. One of the four pickup screws is broken off in the body.
d. The pickup saddles are uneven. Meaning one side of the E saddle is higher than the other side. Another easy fix.
e. The action is way high on this bass, and a neck shim will be required. The neck tends to move slightly in the neck pocket, even though the screws and plate are tightened correctly.

I can't believe this bass passed through QC and still landed in this condition. My 2001 and 2009 Fender Steve Harris models were both incredible out of the box, and they still are - although it's worth noting they were made in Japan. The new model is made in Mexico.

I suggest anyone wanting to buy the 2015 Fender Steve Harris give them more time to become consistent. I will look at re-purchasing at some point.

Here are the photos Sweetwater took of the actual bass and sent to me prior to shipment:

MX15605422-angle-large.jpg
MX15605422-backbody-large.jpg
MX15605422-back-large.jpg
MX15605422-detail1-large.jpg
MX15605422-detail2-large.jpg
MX15605422-detail3-large.jpg
MX15605422-front-large.jpg
 
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#2
One thing worth noting is the bass comes strung with roundwound strings. Although I don't play them, it includes a boxed set of Steve's signature flatwounds as well. Built-in Schaller straplocks too, though I prefer Dunlop.

The G string saddle is all the way down against the bridge, yet the G string is still too high. There is a reasonable amount of adjustment on the other strings, but it is close. A neck shim would be mandatory; I almost did until I found the broken pickup screw.

The paint is spectacular.
 
#5
If that's the bass, why does it have both pickup screws in place? That would mean whatever happened there happened after it left Fender. Have you tried re-seating the neck? They often shift during shipping and you can unbolt it, position it correctly and then tighten the bolts back in. If there's still a string alignment issue after that, it probably means the bridge is misaligned and should be returned. While the neck is off, you can check for a shim...there may already be one there but could have been poorly placed to one side, thus accounting for the odd saddle height on the G side.

Nevertheless, the bass still should have arrived in better shape and its your right to get what you paid for. Definitely inform your Sweetwater rep.
 
#7
On the broken pickup screw: The one broken is on the A side of the first coil. It is actually broken halfway down, so the pickup is holding the upper portion of the screw in place. The lower portion has about .5 inch of screw sticking out of the pickup cavity. The opposite screw and the pickguard are keeping the pickup stable, which means it could potentially go unnoticed.

I setup all of my own basses, and in fact the first thing I did was remove the neck to access the truss rod adjustment. That went well enough, and the neck is straight now. There wasn't a factory shim.
 
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#8
The neck is seated correctly. I'm not sure why the strings are out of alignment but the A string is riding on the black dots and the D string is more distant. You can also see the A string sitting on the edge of the truss rod at the headstock. It's way more obvious in-person.
 
#12
Looks beautiful - sorry to hear about the issues.

A couple of the smaller things I would have let slide, but it sounds like the neck pocket is messed up (too wide if the neck moves and possibly too deep) and is throwing all the geometry out of whack. With the screws tightened, the neck shouldn't move around even if the pocket is wide, but if the holes in the neck have been made too large from someone trying to "fix" the alignment of the neck, then the neck itself could be a problem now, fixed only with dowels and fresh holes, and obviously not something you should have to do on a brand new instrument.

Return it for sure - hopefully Sweetwater doesn't simply recycle it as new to someone else.
.
 
#13
The neck pocket isn't terrible but I am mystified by the positioning of the strings on the fingerboard. I was going to let it slide, considering it is a virtual clone of an early 70s P Bass. The broken pickup screw was the actual deal breaker. Sweetwater is issuing a return and I will wait for another one. Maybe next year.
 
#14
With Fender bolt on necks, if you loosen the 4 neck screws a little, you can actually pull the neck upwards a little - which would re-align the neck so that the strings are centered and shoot straight to the bridge - and then tighten the screws back down. This would/could solve a couple of the issues, but not all.

It sounds almost like the body blank wasn't planed to the correct thockness (or was not totally flush to the work surfrace) when it was put on the CNC, which would make the pocket too deep if the bit was milling to the correct depth. A different bridge that allows the saddles to go lower would help, but again, this shouldn't be your problem to solve - it just sucks you'll have to wait for so long to get another.
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#15
The neck is pulled up into the pocket as far as it will go. There is something whacked about the neck or body or both. You can even see where the A string is slightly overlapping the truss rod at the headstock. The D string isn't doing that, but the truss rod should be running center between A and D.
 
#16
Crackle said:
I placed an order for the 2015 Fender Steve Harris Precision Bass from Sweetwater back in January. Last Thursday, I finally got notice that my bass had arrived and was shipping . . . that's 6 months later. For whatever reason, Fender Mexico has huge delays on this model.

The bass arrived yesterday and I was initially stunned at the beauty and tone of this all-maple beast. That said, I am unfortunately having to do a return because of multiple QC issues:

a. The volume knob is loose. Granted, this is an easy fix.
b. The stings are way out of alignment with the fretboard.
c. One of the four pickup screws is broken off in the body.
d. The pickup saddles are uneven. Meaning one side of the E saddle is higher than the other side. Another easy fix.
e. The action is way high on this bass, and a neck shim will be required. The neck tends to move slightly in the neck pocket, even though the screws and plate are tightened correctly.

I can't believe this bass passed through Fender's QC and Sweetwater's 55-point check and still landed in this condition. My 2001 and 2009 Fender Steve Harris models were both incredible out of the box, and they still are - although it's worth noting they were made in Japan. The new model is made in Mexico.

I suggest anyone wanting to buy the 2015 Fender Steve Harris give them more time to become consistent. I will look at re-purchasing at some point.

Here are the photos Sweetwater took of the actual bass and sent to me prior to shipment:

View attachment 652510 View attachment 652511 View attachment 652512 View attachment 652513 View attachment 652514 View attachment 652515 View attachment 652516
Click to expand...

First, congratulations on your new bass!!

I always wanted that bass (since 95..) and always wondered why Fender had that blue one instead of the west ham as a signature.

As a lefty I had to go custom to get one several years before Fender decided to do it so I know how you feel...I'm lucky enough to have an awesome luthier with me to magically setup every basses I bring him. That's the first thing I would do before returning the bass.

Again, congratulations on your decision to buy this bass, I don't feel alone anymore.

Btw, yours seem much prettier than mine ;-)
 
#17
I've never found a luthier who can setup my basses to my liking. I will trust a luthier for fret work and nuts, but I do my own electronics, neck shimming, truss rod adjustments, bridge / intonation adjustments, and string changes. This one is just not good. It is beautiful with incredible tone.
 
#18
That really sucks that you have to send it back, especially since it appears you collect the Steve Harris models. In the meantime, how about you show us some pics of your other S.H. basses? UP THE IRONS!
 

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