What's wrong with the Fender Dimension Basses?

[tekhedd]

Asymmetric profile is thicker on the bass side, thinner on the feeble side.
Not sure of the various offerings on the Dimensions.

I haven't seen a Dimension that wasn't asymmetric. It always seems backwards to me--putting the slim side on that end means that if you put your thumb in the middle you're playing a neck that's tilted the wrong way for the arc in your fingers, making it sort of difficult to play. I mean, you adapt after a bit and it's not a big deal, but I don't totally see how it's exactly better.

 

[rogerbmiller]

The Mexican Deluxe Dimensions have symmetrical necks. That is why I bought mine. I played a USA Dimension at Matt Umanov's when it was still open and I was really put off by the neck. The shape felt weird and the oil finish felt cheap and rough. I did some reading and the Mexi seemed to have the specs I wanted- gloss neck, 12" radium, symmetrical profile, etc. I picked up a Mexi V and loved it. I ended up buying another. Both play great and sound great. My only complaint is the preamp sounds a little harsh. It is hard to tame the high mids. But it cuts through my band so this is more of a peeve when I am playing by myself at home.

 

[bigtone23]

I haven't seen a Dimension that wasn't asymmetric. It always seems backwards to me--putting the slim side on that end means that if you put your thumb in the middle you're playing a neck that's tilted the wrong way for the arc in your fingers, making it sort of difficult to play. I mean, you adapt after a bit and it's not a big deal, but I don't totally see how it's exactly better.

This is from a review of the American Standard Dimension. It's not only asymmetrical, but has a 9.5-14" compound radius.
The Dimension’s neck puts more beef on the bass side of the neck while the fingerboard flattens out as you go for higher notes. This instills a feeling of a familiar rounded touch in the “money” zone with a flatter, more comfortable approach in the higher register. If you’re unfamiliar with the concept and this sounds like something you’d have to adjust to – it’s not. The effect is one of those subtle feels that will have you wondering why this bass plays so nicely until you read the specs. Even more, an asymmetrical neck joint gives your thumb more clearance to reach the notes at the top of the fretboard.

 

[bigtone23]

The Mexican Deluxe Dimensions have symmetrical necks. That is why I bought mine. I played a USA Dimension at Matt Umanov's when it was still open and I was really put off by the neck. The shape felt weird and the oil finish felt cheap and rough. I did some reading and the Mexi seemed to have the specs I wanted- gloss neck, 12" radium, symmetrical profile, etc. I picked up a Mexi V and loved it. I ended up buying another. Both play great and sound great. My only complaint is the preamp sounds a little harsh. It is hard to tame the high mids. But it cuts through my band so this is more of a peeve when I am playing by myself at home.

I have the 5 string MIM Dlx H, the neck is certainly not asymmetrical, nor is the neck pocket--it's pretty much the same profile and pocket as my 98 US Jazz V Dlx and 00 US P V Dlx. I really like that profile, given that I have been playing my J since it was brand new!

 

[Greevus]

Remember "you got chocolate in my peanut butter"? Well they got Gibson in my Fender! Never played one, but that was my first reaction when I saw it.

 

[rogerbmiller]

I have the 5 string MIM Dlx H, the neck is certainly not asymmetrical, nor is the neck pocket--it's pretty much the same profile and pocket as my 98 US Jazz V Dlx and 00 US P V Dlx. I really like that profile, given that I have been playing my J since it was brand new!

similar neck to the new DLX JVs. That was a selling point to me.

 

[FatOwlBass]

The electronics are lacking in my opinion. They seem to have went to far away from being able to get the Fender tones of a J or P. If Fender would have had Nordstrand wind the pickups and drop a Nordy 3 band in with active/ passive option that bass would have been a hit. It looks cool to me. Also solid colors with a matching headstock like the urge bass would have been cool.

 

[MonetBass]

They seem to have went to far away from being able to get the Fender tones of a J or P.

That was the point, I believe. And they succeeded in that it didn't sound like either of those, nor did it sound like a Stingray. To each his own.

 

[FatOwlBass]

That was the point, I believe. And they succeeded in that it didn't sound like either of those, nor did it sound like a Stingray. To each his own.

And that is a great point. People gravitate towards the familiar. A unique sound may be great but not accepted if it strays from the familiar. My point was in reference to why it isn't a big seller. But indeed, to each his own. If you love it, screw peoples opinions!

 

[daveobieone]

Just to add my 2 cents worth...
I have the Squier version, in trans-red. I think it's a beautiful bass. It plays like a dream to me. Might have the lowest action of any long-scale bass I own. I also find the body shape very comfortable.

Mine was active. I put a switch on it to bypass the active electronics...just as a test. I found that I liked the passive sound better, so I pulled the active stuff, and just replaced it with a pair of 500k pot (volume and tone). I then put a very small toggle switch on it to switch between two different tone caps (0.047, and 0.1).

The reason I preferred the bass running passive is this... This bass is by far the growliest bass I own, and I own 28 basses now. When the active electronics were used, the bass lost some of the fundamental below A-1. It sounded like I was mostly hearing the harmonics of everything below A. That combined with the super-growl of the pickup, made it WAY to biting for my ears. In passive mode, the bass kept the growl, but the fundamental tone of the low notes was back to where they should have been. So, I kept it passive. The tone cap switch changes the color considerably...more mellow with the 0.1, brighter with the 0.047.

Honestly, I've never really been a fan of active basses anyway. I only have one other one...a P-Bass Lyte.

I have NO idea if ANY of this applies to the US or MIM versions of the Dimension, although both seem to share the growly sound. Perhaps the Fender versions have different electronics.?. I have no idea.

But I DO like the bass passive, and with flats. It really cuts-through like no other bass I own, especially for outdoor gigs, when you really need the cut-through. I play with a 10 piece horn-band btw...so there's a LOT going on spectrally.

Dave O.

 

[bigtone23]

The reason I preferred the bass running passive is this... This bass is by far the growliest bass I own, and I own 28 basses now. When the active electronics were used, the bass lost some of the fundamental below A-1. It sounded like I was mostly hearing the harmonics of everything below A. That combined with the super-growl of the pickup, made it WAY to biting for my ears. In passive mode, the bass kept the growl, but the fundamental tone of the low notes was back to where they should have been. So, I kept it passive. The tone cap switch changes the color considerably...more mellow with the 0.1, brighter with the 0.047.

Honestly, I've never really been a fan of active basses anyway. I only have one other one...a P-Bass Lyte.

I have NO idea if ANY of this applies to the US or MIM versions of the Dimension, although both seem to share the growly sound. Perhaps the Fender versions have different electronics.?. I have no idea.

I wonder if this fundamental tonal tweak happens on the MIM, too. Mine sounds great, TBH, but I don't know exactly what you are hearing.
When I was initially looking for a Dimension, the active Squier 5 string was the target, just for the price. Finding one in black was pretty rare locally, so I was going to order a used one blind from Ebay or Reverb when it popped up. Well, a black active MIM popped up for $75 more than the Squires, so it was a no brainer. Comparing mine to pics and service diagrams of the US and Squiers shows some differences. The Squier uses a different pre and pickup. The MIM and US versions use the same electronics.

 

[daveobieone]

I wonder if this fundamental tonal tweak happens on the MIM, too. Mine sounds great, TBH, but I don't know exactly what you are hearing.
When I was initially looking for a Dimension, the active Squier 5 string was the target, just for the price. Finding one in black was pretty rare locally, so I was going to order a used one blind from Ebay or Reverb when it popped up. Well, a black active MIM popped up for $75 more than the Squires, so it was a no brainer. Comparing mine to pics and service diagrams of the US and Squiers shows some differences. The Squier uses a different pre and pickup. The MIM and US versions use the same electronics.

What I was hearing was what sounded like a high-pass filter in the active electronics of my Squier version. I'm a player who loves to hear his fundamentals coming through. That's why I usually have a 15 cab in the mix. The 40hz (roughly) open-E fundamental is back in the output of this bass when the active electronics were removed. A lot of folks running 4x10 cabs etc. might never notice.

 

[bigtone23]

What I was hearing was what sounded like a high-pass filter in the active electronics of my Squier version. I'm a player who loves to hear his fundamentals coming through. That's why I usually have a 15 cab in the mix. The 40hz (roughly) open-E fundamental is back in the output of this bass when the active electronics were removed. A lot of folks running 4x10 cabs etc. might never notice.

I see. My bass seems to be good with fundamentals, however, I tend to play it direct and with in ear monitors. My IEMs are high passed at 60hz and I let the rumble from FOH provide the oomph. When it is rarely played at home through an amp, it seems fine-nothing seems to be missing, compared to any other bass I play at home.
I wouldn't be surprised if the preamp of the Squire is not the same tuning as the MIM/US pre, regarding the high and low pass filtering, frequency centers, etc... The quality of Squier preamps is certainly not of the same build and tonal quality of the domestic Fenders, have seen that many times before.
Another thing with single H Dimensions (as well as Stingrays) is that pickup location. As the pickup gets closer to the bridge, the harmonic structure changes a lot. I have a Peavey Patriot with an added Super Ferrite single coil neck pickup (centered right where the 24th fret would be). That pickup soloed has a deep and solid fundamental, moreso than the same pickup in the P sweet spot (like on my Foundation) or the bridge pickup of the Patriot (which is pretty much where a Stingray pickup resides--which is punchy, but not a solid fundamental tone.

 

[daveobieone]

I see. My bass seems to be good with fundamentals, however, I tend to play it direct and with in ear monitors. My IEMs are high passed at 60hz and I let the rumble from FOH provide the oomph. When it is rarely played at home through an amp, it seems fine-nothing seems to be missing, compared to any other bass I play at home.
I wouldn't be surprised if the preamp of the Squire is not the same tuning as the MIM/US pre, regarding the high and low pass filtering, frequency centers, etc... The quality of Squier preamps is certainly not of the same build and tonal quality of the domestic Fenders, have seen that many times before.
Another thing with single H Dimensions (as well as Stingrays) is that pickup location. As the pickup gets closer to the bridge, the harmonic structure changes a lot. I have a Peavey Patriot with an added Super Ferrite single coil neck pickup (centered right where the 24th fret would be). That pickup soloed has a deep and solid fundamental, moreso than the same pickup in the P sweet spot (like on my Foundation) or the bridge pickup of the Patriot (which is pretty much where a Stingray pickup resides--which is punchy, but not a solid fundamental tone.

I don't doubt that the electronics are different, since even the pickup seems different...although both sure do have a similar, and profound growl!

It would be great if there was a way to look at the schematics of the two for a comparison. Some smaller value coupling caps in the Squier would surely cause a high-pass function.

I used to own a EB MusicMan Stingray 5 string, which was active of course. Lovely bass, but I couldn't make the transition back and forth between 4 and 5 strings worth a darn, so I sold it. The Squier running passive sounds closer to the active Stingray 5 than it did with the active preamp in the mix. It's likely some better, aftermarket electronics in the Squier would have improved things too. For now, I'm happy with it passive.

 

[frankie5string]

It was relatively expensive, and didn't really give players anything they couldn't get elsewhere. Especially now that most instrument makers are working the lifestyle angle. How is a "Dimension Bass" considered a new lifestyle angle?

Look at how many times they've divided up their lines, Professional, Player, Ultra, Elite, Plus, American Standard, Standard, AVRI, Vintera... Do all those designations really sell that many more instruments? At least they all have the same basic designs so most of the differences relate to electronics and hardware which can be less intensive on the production line.

Nice try though... good effort?

 

[studio848]

What's wrong with the Fender Dimension Basses???

Not a D@mn Thing!!

I'm talking about the ones built in the USA.

I owned a USA Deluxe Dimension V, natural/maple, and it was great. I sold it only because I'm done w/active basses; I'm taking the A-train back to passive-ville.

I just picked up this USA passive V, and love it (see pics). Mfg in 2014. The neck/action is excellent, the tone is great, and IMHO the string retainer on the low B that Fender added really works (just like my USA Deluxe Jazz V).

I'm going to install a new wiring harness w/switches that will allow splitting the humbuckers for the single coil jazz tone. And that will be that...

 

[selowitch]

I just picked up this USA passive V, and love it

Fantastic score. Those are so nice!!

 

[Tommy Styles]

Is there not love for Dimension Basses?

View attachment 2630890

I'm not trying to call out the Dimension fangirls and fanboys here to chime in about how awesome the Dimensions are (though if you like 'em tell us why),
What's the deally on these things?

‘I’ll tell holy why I got mine. The American deluxe version (not the others as far as I can tell) has a custom compound radius neck that is perfect for me. Absolutely the most playable neck I’ve ever felt on a bass and I tried three different Basses in different stores before getting the one I have. That’s the only thing about it that I can’t find on something else.

 

[amper]

Is there not love for Dimension Basses?
What's the deally on these things?

The Dimension basses are really great instruments, but they just aren't popular, because they are essentially Fender's take on a StingRay, and Music Man already offers that. If you want a StingRay, then you want a StingRay. Very few people go to Ernie Ball and say, "make me a Jazz Bass" (disclaimer: I've done this), and very few people go to Fender looking for a StingRay.

Disclaimer again: My first bass was a 1992 Fender Jazz Bass Plus V Ash, stock Fender/Lace Sensor pickups and stock Kubicki preamp. My current main bass is a Music Man StingRay. So, the Dimension and I would get along just fine.

 

[bigtone23]

There is a black US Dimension V H Deluxe for a good price on ebay. I have a black MIM V H Deluxe. If I was currently gigging, I would buy it and do a shootout and keep the better of the two. However, it would only be possibly replacing a MIM with a MIA--and spending about $400 to do so if I landed on the MIA and sold the MIM. My MIM is a fantastic bass. It plays as well as my other MIA Deluxe basses, and sounds great.
Electronically, they are the same. Most of the hardware is shared, too. It would come down to the neck. The MIA has a white guard, mine has black. Don't like the white guard.
Someone buy it and remove my temptaion! lol