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What were good years for Fender
- Thread starter JaredBT
- Start date
The standard TB response to this would be some variation of:
"Play them before you buy them. Fenders are mass produced product and QC doesn't get all the bad ones. Every year will have lemons and players."
"Play them before you buy them. Fenders are mass produced product and QC doesn't get all the bad ones. Every year will have lemons and players."
Expect an avalanche of opinions from people who've happily been playing Fenders for decades, and opinions from people who have very little experience with owning Fenders.
Don't worry about a "good year", it's not that complicated. Good luck.
The current ones seem pretty good. I've got four USA Fenders, an 89 Strat, late 90s Tele, 2011 J bass and 2013 P bass. All are good. The Tele and P are outstanding IMO.
For what it's worth, my 1982 Fender Japanese Precision '57 Reissue (?) is quite nice, outside of the damage caused to the neck by spending 20 years in a guy's attic.
The most consistently good years for Fender USA models are 2008-present IMHO.
I have never picked up a Fender Precision or Jazz bass that I couldn't make sound at least really good, regardless of vintage.
Some took more effort than others...
Some took more effort than others...
I have a 2002 MIA Precision that's quite nice along with my 2010 Precision V.
If I had to get a P-Bass for whatever reason, I'd just look at new or very lightly used newer ones.
Fender USA has been building nice ones these last many years.
YMMV
This... although I have played a few 2013's that I didnt really love.
I have a 2008 Precision that is magnificent.
The best and worst made P-basses I've ever had my hands on were both mid-70s models (still kicking myself for missing out on the first one a few months back). Good and bad from every era/plant.
I think that the best years are right now. The AVRI line and the Custom Shop line are outstanding! (although expensive, in terms of the value of the USA dollar, they cost about the same as the pre-CBS did for their time)
The MIM and CIJ (if they still have it) are very good!
Can't beat the price on Squires.
The MIM and CIJ (if they still have it) are very good!
Can't beat the price on Squires.
Asking "what were the good years for Fender?" implies that most of the years were bad and a few were good.
So... what were the bad years for Fender?
Or is it easier to list the good years?
So... what were the bad years for Fender?
Or is it easier to list the good years?
Last half of the seventies and early eighties were tough years for Fender. I have a 78 pbass that has a big neck pocket gap and runs in the finish on the maple neck. It also is easy to play and is a really good sounding bass. Go figure.
I agree. The average quality of Fender in that time period was lower than before or after.
There was a thread just yesterday talking about the first couple of years of Squier production being better than what was going out with the Fender label on it at the time. That would be 1982/83 or so.
I recently picked up my first Fender, a well used black with rosewood and red tort guard '05 MIA P at a resale shop for a good price. I got it even after seeing it needed some work and having read here on TB that in the early 2000's Fender may have had some QC issues and this particular P bass reflects that they did in fact have some pretty serious issues.
First issue, bridge was crooked. I mean crooked like I could see it with my naked eyes. Measuring only confirmed my suspicion. It was 1/4" closer on the G string side than the E string side. It was centered, just not straight. It was also mounted 1/2" too far back. The string thru holes were drilled crooked as a result as well. I had to remove it, fill the holes with some small dowel rods and glue and remount it properly. I left the string thru holes alone for now. I may fill them in later on if I ever decide to refin the body. A crooked ass bridge is not what I would have expected on an MIA. I have owned a lot of cheap basses in the past and I've never ever had an issue like this before.
Second issue, which is not a repairable issue or a QC problem but more of a design flaw and it seems to be inherent to most if not all Fenders and their clones. The 6th fret is a huge dead spot. The note there does not ring. It doesn't buzz out, it just decays very rapidly. No sustain whatsoever. Anywhere else on the neck is great, nice clear ringing tone, even the 5th and 7th frets, but that 6th is just dead. Some say adding mass to the headstock can reduce this, others say it just moves the deadspot. I don't buy snake oil, so I just deal with it.
Third and final issue, may or may not have been a factory screw up. The nut was sloppy as I've ever seen. Not just the slots, the location of it was off. It wasn't centered in the groove on the neck. It was sticking out on the E side and recessed on the G side, enough to where it was quite noticeable. I swapped it with a graphite nut. Again, that could have been done after it left the factory, there's no way to know for sure.
2005 also has the infamous S1 switch, which is a useless option on a P bass.
Having said all of that, now that I have the problems worked out of it, I love it. It's easily the best player I have ever owned. The tone is fantastic, full and fat without any mud. So don't let my experience spoil you from buying a Fender. As with any bass purchase, play before you buy if possible and examine it as closely as you can if possible.
Good luck and remember, have fun. That is why we do this right?
First issue, bridge was crooked. I mean crooked like I could see it with my naked eyes. Measuring only confirmed my suspicion. It was 1/4" closer on the G string side than the E string side. It was centered, just not straight. It was also mounted 1/2" too far back. The string thru holes were drilled crooked as a result as well. I had to remove it, fill the holes with some small dowel rods and glue and remount it properly. I left the string thru holes alone for now. I may fill them in later on if I ever decide to refin the body. A crooked ass bridge is not what I would have expected on an MIA. I have owned a lot of cheap basses in the past and I've never ever had an issue like this before.
Second issue, which is not a repairable issue or a QC problem but more of a design flaw and it seems to be inherent to most if not all Fenders and their clones. The 6th fret is a huge dead spot. The note there does not ring. It doesn't buzz out, it just decays very rapidly. No sustain whatsoever. Anywhere else on the neck is great, nice clear ringing tone, even the 5th and 7th frets, but that 6th is just dead. Some say adding mass to the headstock can reduce this, others say it just moves the deadspot. I don't buy snake oil, so I just deal with it.
Third and final issue, may or may not have been a factory screw up. The nut was sloppy as I've ever seen. Not just the slots, the location of it was off. It wasn't centered in the groove on the neck. It was sticking out on the E side and recessed on the G side, enough to where it was quite noticeable. I swapped it with a graphite nut. Again, that could have been done after it left the factory, there's no way to know for sure.
2005 also has the infamous S1 switch, which is a useless option on a P bass.
Having said all of that, now that I have the problems worked out of it, I love it. It's easily the best player I have ever owned. The tone is fantastic, full and fat without any mud. So don't let my experience spoil you from buying a Fender. As with any bass purchase, play before you buy if possible and examine it as closely as you can if possible.
Good luck and remember, have fun. That is why we do this right?
