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To Me, Fender Is.......

#321
low2groove said:
Instruments I have to continually fix or upgrade for customers. I have no nostalgia for fenders and only loath the name when I hear it.

Here is the good part. They keep my business thriving and I'm only thankful Gibson didn't make any basses worth buying either. Saying that name leaves an awful taste in my mouth, lol
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I read the above, looked at your avatar, and laughed out loud. You may have built it, but everything about that bass speaks of Fender. Perhaps your seeing more Fender basses in your shop is directly related to their being more Fender basses sold than any other brand. :smug:
 
#322
if I was saying something and it wasn't true, sure. I wouldn't be putting them down if there wasn't an ongoing problem. this is why I don't get into these discussions. read the title of the thread and you'll know why I responded as I did. I'll just do as usual and keep my mouth shut, enjoy your fenders.
 
#325
without fender would any other guitars look like they do. I don't know I think Gibson was out shortly before fender. or did leo just modify a design from an acoustic guitar. who cares. it's like saying reynolds wrap, is the other guy that makes aluminum foil stealing the design from the reynolds wrap company. or maybe the guy who designed the first television should sue every other television manufacturer. instruments look basically the same way for one reason or another, mostly it's because they fit our hands and bodies. it doesn't matter who came up with it. It matters how you use the design you have at your fingertips.
 
#327
I'll remember that when I say something derogatory that's untrue. fender has many employees. I have me! when I have more than one me I'll go ahead and worry about it. plus you're taking this all the wrong way. I can see you wouldn't use this as constructive criticism, only that I'm putting someone else down. don't you think it might be nice if fender read what I wrote and would like to fix these issues so it's not a problem on future instruments. remember I'm only going by what people hand me to fix and I also have owned 17 fender basses from the early sixty's right up to the eighty's. how about I say that Sadowsky and mike lull build killer basses in a fender style or fender is better than johnson basses. nobody is going to agree on these issues. maybe these kind of questions should be banned from a forum. Or you just take it with a grain of salt when you get an answer like mine and you don't like it. I thought I was actually pretty truthful and gave a clear and concise response. Have a good one!
 
#328
To Me, Fender Is.......

such a diverse product line and of such diverse quality that the name by itself means nothing to me. I started playing in a world where Fender and Gibson always meant quality. Now most large instrument makers put out stuff just to wring the last dollar out of whatever shreds of their reputation they still have. Drums and cymbals are the same way.

To give the devil his due, however, bang for the buck for beginning players is at an all time high.
 
#329
low2groove said:
Poor neck construction, terrible fit at the neck pocket allowing movement. Finishes, especially on the mim are usually pretty bad. Nuts, even on the USA stratocasters are poorly cut. Everybody wants to replace those cheap bridges. Why they didn't do away with them in the 70's was a bad choice. Bad fretting. And just overall disappointment in a new instrument. One of my students just went through 3 mim deluxe players strats before we got one that the neck finish didn't show cross sanding marks in the wood. 1 of my other students got a lower $ u s a strat, what a joke. another with a jazz bass that needed almost everything fixed on it. and the list goes on and on. I really don't even have time for this discussion, I'm working on instruments that aren't made by the dozens on a cnc machine. Leo may have had the original idea and inspired generations, but almost everything out there is better than a Fender. thanks and have a great night!
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I have had pretty good luck with Fenders over the years i guess. I had a couple of jacks go bad, and a neck go bad on an MIM fender. That was a bummer because the replacement neck they gave me just didn't sound quite as good as the original one, but i guess I have been lucky. I own MIA and Custom Shop Fenders and have been impressed with the better build quality on some of the MIA Fenders that have come out in the last few years. Hopefully you will see fewer of the 2008 and newer Fenders. Thanks for sharing your experiences.
 
#330
Fender is standard. Leo was an innovator. I have never understood how fender doesn't improve their designs. Their bridges don't make any sense to me. Look at g&l. They make a great bridge and it's a company Leo started. How can fender not copy others to make things better?

I personally have not loved and of the fenders I have owned. On the other hand I have loved every g&l. Fit an finish is great! Also m thumb bass has jazz pickups so there's something....
 
#332
low2groove said:
without fender would any other guitars look like they do. I don't know I think Gibson was out shortly before fender. or did leo just modify a design from an acoustic guitar. who cares. it's like saying reynolds wrap, is the other guy that makes aluminum foil stealing the design from the reynolds wrap company. or maybe the guy who designed the first television should sue every other television manufacturer. instruments look basically the same way for one reason or another, mostly it's because they fit our hands and bodies. it doesn't matter who came up with it. It matters how you use the design you have at your fingertips.
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See it is comments like this, that you think are just off the cuff, that create the animosity. Fixing basses is COMPLETELY different than modifying, one is necessary and one is voluntary! And if you are going to make historical comparisons, one would think it might be wise to actually know what the history might be. I am a Fender player because I happen to really like them. I am not a defender of any company, they need to do that for themselves. I also play basses from other companies that I also really like. Everyday I have to get on my 11 year because he never "does" anything and will argue until he is blue in the face that he is right no matter how much evidence exists against him, it gets old...
 
#333
I seem to go through this from time to time on TB and it does get old. It is nice to see people defend their right to be different. When I met Leo years ago I applauded him for his ground breaking design with electric guitar and bass. I then thanked him for helping me find my life calling passion. He was a nice guy. Just because I don't like the way others are running his factory and quality control doesn't mean I don't respect the man and his accomplishments. I've always been misunderstood, lol
 
#335
What? ".....almost everything out there is better than a Fender." :eyebrow:
I don't think so! :p


tumblr_lxjm4n4umw1rn1xxfo1_400.gif
 
#336
C.Linton said:
Just checked the Fender forums, a post dated in january/Febraury of this year e-mailed Fender customer realtions asking about this and he got this reply:

This product is made in our Japanese facility. I have included the
spec sheet for this bass for your records.

Model Name: '70s Precision Bass(r)
Model Number: 026-6202-(Color #)
Series: Classic Series
Colors: (300) 3-Color Sunburst,
(305) Olympic White,
(Gloss Urethane Finish)
Body: Alder
Neck: Maple, '70s "C" Shape,
(Gloss Urethane Finish)
Fingerboard: Maple, 9.5" Radius (241 mm)
No. of Frets: 20 Vintage Style Frets
Scale Length: 34" (863.6 mm)
Width @ Nut: 1.625" (41.3 mm)
Hardware: Nickel/Chrome
Machine Heads: Vintage '70s "Fender" Stamped Open-Gear Tuning Machines
Bridge: American Vintage '70s Precision(r)/Jazz(r) Bass with Single
Groove Saddles
Pickguard: 3-Ply Black/White/Black
Pickups: 1 Vintage Style Precision Bass(r) Split Single-Coil Pickup with
AlNiCo Magnets
Pickup Switching: None
Controls: Master Volume, Master Tone
Strings: Fender USA, Super Bass 7250M, NPS, Gauges: (.045, .065, .085,
.105)
Unique Features: Black Fingerboard Binding,
Black Block Inlay,
Upper Thumb Rest,
Synthetic Bone Nut,
'70s Vintage Styling,
'70s Fender Logo Decal,
4-Bolt "F" Neck Plate
Source: Japan
Accessories: Deluxe Gig Bag
U.S. MSRP: $1,099.99
INTRODUCED: 8/2011
I would gather from this official response, BOTH models (white and SB) are MIJ. Sweetwater may have gotten a pic of an early prototype that was MIM.
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http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f8/fender-70s-precision-bass-788341/

Poster #235 in that thread has first hand experience with it.

Both models WERE MIJ, until very recently. The Sweetwater one is recent production, which (for the white at least) has apparently shifted to Ensanada sometime after Jan/Feb of this year. Whether the production of the 3TSB will move also has yet to be determined. Kind of disappointing, but understandable considering all of the rest of the classic series is MIM. I'll just wait for a used white MIJ to turn up.

Enough threadjacking, now back to the existential Fender thread.:D
 
#337
low2groove said:
I seem to go through this from time to time on TB and it does get old. It is nice to see people defend their right to be different. When I met Leo years ago I applauded him for his ground breaking design with electric guitar and bass. I then thanked him for helping me find my life calling passion. He was a nice guy. Just because I don't like the way others are running his factory and quality control doesn't mean I don't respect the man and his accomplishments. I've always been misunderstood, lol
Click to expand...

sir,..

you are a serial Fender basher! (the last time i saw you, you were trying to promote your superior custom work) do you really think those thoughts or is this another attempt at guerilla marketing?!!:rollno:
 
#340
I don't know if anyone can disagree that there are companies out there with better qc. I do agree fenders aren't all great from the factory. Although go anywhere and play a non set up instrument with old strings and it will probably sound poor. I have bought Warwicks and g&ls because I find their quality control to be exceptional to alot of other companies. I also love how they play and sound but I am most impressed by how solid there instruments are.

Of course this is a lifelong debate for any forum. I get why people like fenders. I would live a fender inspired jazz bass by someone like mike lull or something.
 

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