• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

New Fender Antigua models...

#321
Zoomie said:
Joe, glad things worked out. For a moment there, I thought that we might have to get together and have a caffiene intervention on your behalf! :D
Click to expand...

Yes.

And I'm not kidding. I was actually in a pretty bad way yesterday... I'm in the middle of an online course that I'm required to do for my day job, plus learning material that was put on me last minute for some gigs I have coming up. Coffee had it's place in the day too. I fully realize I was getting a little overly emotional about something that wasn't all that big a deal. I think my past experience with Fender was also tainting my experience.

In regard to the other comments, regarding my comments :), I do have lots of allen wrenches. Just don't have one that fits the bullet in this bass. And as far as the condition of the arriving bass, the setup was perfect - for most. It was very playable, the action was medium to low, I just know it could go much lower and wanted to tighten the neck up a bit. The G string did snap off when I went to tune it and I definitely had a true caffeine moment there. I initially thought it broke, and that I'd have to break up a set of strings to even check the bass out. Not sure how or why it was wound as it was, but the string was fine. Just snapped off for reasons unkown.

So, yeah, the bass is fine. I'm digging it. Seems totally solid and unlike some of my past experiences. I suspend my Fender predjudice, and open my mind to the possibilities.

My apologies if I came off as over caffeinated to anyone. I'm feeling much better today.
 
#322
Joe Nerve said:
Yes.

And I'm not kidding. I was actually in a pretty bad way yesterday... I'm in the middle of an online course that I'm required to do for my day job, plus learning material that was put on me last minute for some gigs I have coming up. Coffee had it's place in the day too. I fully realize I was getting a little overly emotional about something that wasn't all that big a deal. I think my past experience with Fender was also tainting my experience.

In regard to the other comments, regarding my comments :), I do have lots of allen wrenches. Just don't have one that fits the bullet in this bass. And as far as the condition of the arriving bass, the setup was perfect - for most. It was very playable, the action was medium to low, I just know it could go much lower and wanted to tighten the neck up a bit. The G string did snap off when I went to tune it and I definitely had a true caffeine moment there. I initially thought it broke, and that I'd have to break up a set of strings to even check the bass out. Not sure how or why it was wound as it was, but the string was fine. Just snapped off for reasons unkown.

So, yeah, the bass is fine. I'm digging it. Seems totally solid and unlike some of my past experiences. I suspend my Fender predjudice, and open my mind to the possibilities.

My apologies if I came off as over caffeinated to anyone. I'm feeling much better today.
Click to expand...

No apologies necessary, at least from my perspective.

Trust me when I say that I was laughing WITH you versus at you.

Love your vid by the way. Groove is killer.
 
#323
Zoomie:
"I miss the good old days of having little responsibility back when I was a young pup. Those simple days consisting of playing in (what was fondly referred to as) 7/8 time.

I: Puff, puff, play, puff, puff, cough, play :I

Now it's

coffee, coffee, rock, coffee, coffee, rock, nappy"

Ah yes, life as we get older :)
 
#325
Joe Nerve said:
Yes.

So, yeah, the bass is fine. I'm digging it. Seems totally solid and unlike some of my past experiences. I suspend my Fender predjudice, and open my mind to the possibilities.

My apologies if I came off as over caffeinated to anyone. I'm feeling much better today.
Click to expand...

Joe, Please chime in on your experience with it during rehearsals....I love my Jazz for recording, but my EBMMs just always make it to the stage as it's 'easier' for me on the gig, no fuss, no muss.

Let us know.

M
 
#326
Joe Nerve said:
In regard to the other comments, regarding my comments :), I do have lots of allen wrenches. Just don't have one that fits the bullet in this bass.
Click to expand...

:D

Never doubted it for a minute! :D

Seriously though, I DO recall it being a bit of a bear finding the proper allen wrench for my 75 Jazz.....I keep it in the case now along with the smaller key for the "micro tilt".

Cheers!!
 
#327
So my P came in today. Overall really impressed with everything about it. Fit & finish is great. Setup is nearly perfect for my preferences. Pickup sounds great to me. The included gigbag is fine, but I prefer a hardshell and plan to acquire one for it soon.
I slapped on a set of Fender flats I had laying around and fit it with Schaller straplocks and I think I'm good. Played it for a good hour tonight. Can't wait to hear it with the band!

D
 
#328
Bassmunnky said:
Joe, Please chime in on your experience with it during rehearsals....I love my Jazz for recording, but my EBMMs just always make it to the stage as it's 'easier' for me on the gig, no fuss, no muss.

Let us know.

M
Click to expand...

It's a keeper.

Rehearsed with a fairly hard hitting drummer, and a heavy guitarist cranking through a marshall. I was plugged into my Carvin BX500, driving an old Ampeg SVT. It was beefy sounding, not thin at all, and I liked very much what it did when I dug in. I got rid of my Highway One because it sounded too thin to me, and when I played hard it got distorted. Kinda farty. Not this one. Growled big time, almost Rickenbackerish. I'm not too good at describing tones, but it was thick, sat well in the mix, and got grindy and growly when I wanted it too. Not too difficult to dial in sounds I really liked either, though it's going to take some getting used to. I kept the neck pickup dimed for the most part, and used the bridge and tone controls to dial in what I wanted. Best sound for me was with the bridge about half way, and the tone about 3/4 up. The amp was set pretty flat with just a bit of contour, and I pushed the treble a wee bit, cuz I like it like that.

It won't replace my MMs, I've just grown to love so much how they feel and what they do, but it's going to be the only bass I use with the Zep tribute. I did 1 zep show with a Stingray. :) Nobody seemed to notice or care, but I did. It was like doing a Hendrix tribute with Les Paul. Started bringing my Jaguar to the Zep gigs, and while it sounded fine, it still felt somewhat sacriligious. Like bringing a Tele to that same Hendrix gig. Now I feel good about what I'll be doing. Feel I finally landed a Jazz bass that I'm happy with.
 
#329
Hey, I just noticed my PBass did not come with the thumbrest installed. It wasn't in the accessory kit or in the gigbag either. ***? Has this happened to anyone else?
I sent Fender an email, doubt they're actually open today. Hope they respond.
 
#332
Well, I got mine unpacked this morning. I smelled a rat when one of the boxes had been opened and was missing the staples. The Jazz of course.

Sure enough, it had clearly been messed with and sent back. Called vendor and they said it was probably placed in new stock versus returned by accident. They shipped me a new one today, no questions asked and sent me a UPS return slip!

The P is the bomb and the neck feels fantastic. Can't hear it until I get home, so I'll post another update once I have had some noodle time.

As info, the finish was stunning on both instruments. The shade changes versus the orginal make it far more appealing to look at, no disrespect to owners of the orginals. It's just that I prefer this shade.
 
#333
Well I put in about three hours on the Precision last night grinding timing practice. While I havent heard it in the mix yet, the pick ups sound fantastic. I am used to Highway One necks and I did notice that the neck was a hair thicker. After initially noticing, I completely forgot about it.

I played the crap out of this thing and never reached for anything else. I also had a heck of a lot of fun which is good thing when you are practicing.

Great bass. Fit and finish are excellent. Really, really close to recent USA standards, if not on par.

Curious if anyone has slapped some TI flats on theirs yet. I have them on another P and prefer them but I may just leave RW's on this one.
 
#334
I have not read this entire thread.

I saw this (and other, similar statements here and there) on another forum. Is it true that Antigua was the result of QC issues at the Fender factory?

You're close Aug. 1977 was the first year that antigua was used on anything other than the coronados. 1966 was the year that the first antigua guitar was made and it was a coronado. The workers weren't familiar with binding the bodies so they had to go back and redo the binding on a lot of the coronados so Fender came up with antigua to cover up burn marks caused by the re-binding process to salvage the instruments that they ****** up. Antigua is just another example of how big of cheap-skates CBS were when they owned Fender.
Click to expand...
 
#335
An Antiqua P bass will be my next purchase.

It's like the Fender rep said either you love or you hate it.

I have ALWAYS loved it!

I was even thinking about having a P Bass repainted Antiqua.

Drop a '57 pickup in it and it will be golden...
 
#336
wvbass said:
I have not read this entire thread.

I saw this (and other, similar statements here and there) on another forum. Is it true that Antigua was the result of QC issues at the Fender factory?
Click to expand...

I don't know if this is true or not, but I really doubt that's why they "invented" Antigua. I'm sure just about any opaque finish would be able to cover any such eff-ups, why invent a new one?
 
#340
nubs said:
just ordered one!! my last two Fender purchases were MIA....i sure hope i am not gonna be disappointed!
Click to expand...

Why would you be? I got my first Indonesian Squier after I had just gotten my '08 MIA Jazz, and I wasn't even remotely disappointed. I liked the Squier for what it was, an excellent bass at an excellent price. I suspect the same will go for a MIM as well.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back