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NBD: 2015 Fender Steve Harris Precision Bass

#41
Spirit of Ox said:
Oh, I'm going to have search for those videos. I have two of the SPB4s and I think they are the best production P bass pickups to date. Are they the same specs as the pickup that Steve had Duncan custom wind for him?
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The SPB-4 is supposed to be the Steve Harris SPB-1 in mass production. It sounds close to the SPB-4, but the bass is made of light basswood which by default has a fatter midrange than heavy alder or maple. I have the SPB-4 in my 2009 Steve Harris bass, and it sounds great.
 
#42
I'm really keen to try out one of these new basses.
It sounds to me like the bass has been perhaps knocked about during shipping and delivery to you.

I can't imagine Fender then sweetwater sending out a bass with broken screws etc.

Looking forward to pics of your new one when you get it. How bout a video too
 
#43
The box was in good condition when I received it, so I think it was handled ok during shipping.

If Sweetwater didn't try to change the pickup height, they would not have noticed the broken screw. It's broken halfway down between the pickup and the bottom of the cavity, so the pickup cover is holding the upper portion of the screw in place.
 
#45
I really like the look of the bass, except for the West Ham crest LOL (I'm a Manchester United fan). It really is too bad that it has so many problems. I had no idea that this model had a maple body, I was thinking either ash or alder.

Crackle said:
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.
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I wonder if the nut isn't cut correctly? It would seem to me that if the nut was cut correctly, then the A string wouldn't pass directly over the truss rod plug, as the string would travel in the direction of the nut slot even if it wasn't aligned properly with the fretboard. It's a moot point, the bass should go back and either a new one sent or something else purchased in it's place.
 
#46
Why is the body maple? I thought the only options were Ash or Alder, and short runs of Walnut and whatever. Was his original Maple for some reason? What is the build year of his original?

Huge Maiden and Steve Harris fan. Was very lucky to catch several Powerslave tour dates in Germany, mostly at smaller "sports" stadiums.

Sanctuary from the law, yeah!
 
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#47
Arizona Jones said:
Why is the body maple? I thought the only options were Ash or Alder, and short runs of Walnut and whatever. Was his original Maple for some reason? What is the build year of his original?

Huge Maiden and Steve Harris fan. Was very lucky to catch several Powerslave tour dates in Germany, mostly at smaller "sports" stadiums.

Sanctuary from the law, yeah!
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Steve's primary bass was made somewhere between 1969 and 1972 -- they have never said for sure. A few years ago it was found that the bass has a maple body. Apparently this was done because of wood shortages around the time his bass was built - even then, it was an odd thing for Fender to do.

Fender tried to build a clone of Steve's bass for him on a couple of occasions, and he said they felt identical although they were still lacking the tone. This was because they were not built with maple. If you look at the specs for the 2015 model, it looks very accurate. Exceptions being it does not have a Badass II bridge, and the neck profile might not be correct.

I've seen Maiden on every tour through Texas since 1992. Some shows twice. A total of 14 times. I missed the 80s as I wasn't an adult until 1992.
 
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#50
Chrisk-K said:
SW 55-point inspection is a joke. I wonder what they actually inspect. I recently bought a brand new Lakland 44-01 (Vintage White) with a 55 inspection completion tag (the inspector's name was on it). The bass came with (1) a 2-inch long ridge-like artifact behind the 1st and 2nd frets, which I couldn't remove, and (2) a ding behind the 1st fret.
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Dunno about that. I recently bought three instruments from them. This was the first time I ever bought any instrument I hadn't played first so I was a little leery about it.

What I bought wasn't anything unusual or expensive (VM Jag Special, CV Jazz, CV 50s Tele.) All arrived in perfect condition. No nicks, dings, or finish flaws.

The Jag required some minor setup because I immediately swapped out the rounds it had on it for a set of Roto flats. So that can only be expected. But the CVs arrived nicely setup and ready to play. Haven't had to do anything on either. Swapping out the original strings on the JB for a set of DR True Blues didn't even require any adjustments afterwards.

The Tele I'm still playing exactly as it arrived. I'm not a guitarist, so maybe I'm not that fussy when it comes to guitar setups. But my GF is a guitarist (favors Fender Strats of which she has three including a Select) and is very fussy. And even she thought the existing setup was just fine.

So ok, maybe I was just lucky. But three times lucky on instruments that cost less than $400? That's some lucky streak in my book. I don't doubt some turkeys slip through from time to time. Nor dispute people who say they received one. If they did they did. But it seems a little harsh to call the company's entire preflight check a joke. Especially when you consider how many people buy guitars and basses from Sweetwater. If they were routinely shipping junk they wouldn't be getting the good reviews they do. Nor the repeat business. Which is an even better indication they just might be doing something right.
 
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#53
Hummm, after a really bad experience involving two banged up Fender American basses in two weeks from "another online dealer," I just bought an American Jazz from Sweetwater, in no small part based on their inspection of each insturment. (Yup, even after I swore no more online buying without having hands-on first....)

I'll find out Friday if they are as good as their word.

Sorry about your Steve Harris, an especially bitter pill after that long wait.
 
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#55
The neck misalignment must have happened in shipping as it looked good before, very common. The action should have been medium, Sweetwater is suppose to set up prior to shipping, medium is where it would be if they did so, from them to you at this time of year weather shouldn't have changed set up drastically and if so that's not a stable neck at all.

Mexican Fenders are great, I own a few currently, as well as 2 80s Japan Fenders and 3 USA models. That said Japan made Fenders have always been consistently better for me. I have had 5 Geddy Lee's and the worst was the one of the 5 that was made in Mexico, heavy, thuddy and a sloppy neckpocket and terrible fret/nut work. It was a shame they shut down the Japan plant IMO.
 
#56
Not that it matters since it is going back, and it may just be the angle of the photo, but it almost looks like the post holes angle ever so slightly toward the center from bottom to top. The post for the g string looks almost centered in the headstock with the nut cut wrong so the strings descend straight down from the posts.
 

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