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NBD! Fender Dimension

deeptubes

deeptubes

Feb 21, 2011
1,884
881
#1
Picked up an '04 Fender Dimension 2 days ago. Did a proper setup. Had to make some alterations to the bridge saddles. Need to replace the nut, G slot looks misplaced. The pickup blend pot needs replacement. When rotated all the way to the neck position, the signal breaks up. Have to roll it back a touch in order to work. P/j pickup configuration. 3 band active EQ. Body is rather small and style is reminiscent of the Ibanez SR series. Weightwise, it may be the lightest bass I've ever owned. Fretboard has a 12" radius, very easy to play. Has a great natural timbre. Haven't even amped it up yet, been enjoying the unplugged tone. It may not be perfect (yet), but i am loving this bass!
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Check out the string spacing:
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#3
carlos840 said:
Man, that looks like an Ibanez with a Fender decal!

Never knew they existed...
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My understanding is that Fender hired some designers away from Ibanez, and this is what they came up with. They didn't sell as well as the traditional Fenders. So, they had a limited production run before getting axed. I've been playing for more than 25 years, and I am really enjoying this bass.
 
#6
Had a hard time digging up info on these. Here's what I got in an email from bass guru Brother Dave:

"The Dimension is another case of Fender making a better than expected modern bass that didn’t sell as well as the Jazz or Precision. For the money there were other more traditional Fenders available and people bought far more of those.

These were obviously based on the Heartfield bolt-on basses of 1989 through 1993 made at FujiGen in Matsumoto using an international design team of the best guitar and bass minds in the world, including people stolen from Ibanez and some who would go on to found Lakland. Specifically the Dimension IV looks to me pretty much like a Mexican version of the Heartfield Prophecy II. The Heartfield Prophecy II was also marketed as the Fender Prophecy II after FMIC retired the Heartfield brand. The hardware on the Dimensions is as good but the electronics are not quite as good as on the Heartfield. While the Heartfield wood quality was fairly uniformly above average, there was more variation in tone wood quality on the Dimensions. Some Dimensions have fantastic woods and others the below average Corona reject caliber woods common on Mexican Fenders. The see-through or translucent Dimension finishes, such as the Cherry Sunburst, will usually have the best woods while the run of the mill alder blanks got opaque finishes. The one big design change was that the Dimension has 24 frets while the Prophecy II had 2 less frets. So they did make an “improvement” there. The Dimension models so far as I know were all made in Mexico and I think the 2005/2006 model year was the end of the Dimension, yet now and then I’ll hear about some dealer with a brand new one that is new-old-stock.

The body shape, neck width/radius, headstock shape, control layouts, tuners, bridge, etc are very similar to the Japanese made Heartfield bolt-on basses. They have a 12 inch radius as I recall which made them very easy to setup and they play well."
 
#8
I like it a lot. Then again I'm a fan of Ibanez. I like Fender too. That's a cool obscure piece of Fender history. I'd like to have one someday along with a Prophecy III.


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#9
Nobody said:
I like it a lot. Then again I'm a fan of Ibanez. I like Fender too. That's a cool obscure piece of Fender history. I'd like to have one someday along with a Prophecy III.


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I certainly see the similarities.

Had an ESP 5-string that got very little play time. So, I sold it and picked up this Dimension. Think I came out ahead. Gonna plug it into the GK tomorrow, when the wife and baby aren't home. :D I've got 3 "different" Fenders now - P Elite II, HM, and Dimension. Really dig them all. Might make collecting "different" Fenders my thing. Definitely a Fender guy.
 

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