Why no string-through in Fender Ultra basses?

[PotsdamBass8]

Yeah, my Pro has that too but sadly not the Ultras. The Himass bridge on the Ultra is what makes it so inconvenient with the Phillips screws. It's a very poor decision to have these screws recessed deep inside the bridge. The screwdriver needs to be really thin to reach the screws through the narrow holes but not TOO thin or it will strip the heads. They should have left the screws on the surface like on most himass bridges. Or used hex screws instead, like on the Pros.

Somehow I suspect they must have intended to use hex screws on the Ultras too but someone messed it up at the factory. Why else would they include the same tool as for the Pro? It doesn't fit anything on the Ultra.

The allen wrench used for intonation on the Pro would have been a much better choice for the Ultra. At least now I've got two... (which may come in handy if one gets lost as they're not you typical "guitar size" allen wrench.

Did your Pro come with the wrong size allen wrench for the saddles? Mine did. Too small. Fender QC again (not to mention the rest of the sorry mess that was my American Pro but I won't get into THAT again...)

Mine didn’t come with anything, because guitar center couldn’t find the matching hard case that came with it

 

[Michael Eisenman]

I have to wonder why you are asking us what Fender were thinking.

 

[JW56789]

Because it's fashion, fad, whatever you want to call it. For several years, the string-through bridges caught on, and the tennis ball subject it is gets batted back and forth across the net between 'it's the greatest thing ever' and double-faulted on the other side of the court with 'it's all BS'. But enough people think it's some big ju-ju that's going to give them something that will mystically improve their playing. It's just as well, Kirk Hammett would probably not let Fender print Ouija board graphics on a bunch of basses, which would probably be as effective . . . .

Evidently, Consumer Market Research has told the honchos at Fender the ju-ju has faded, and so the Ultra's . . . aren't string through. Horrors !

OK, I'm ready, let me have it. I don't hear it, can't feel a difference, and as the Almighty has a sense of humor, you're STILL going to have the Floppy B-String Blues.

Me, personally? Nope, doesn't do anything for me except probably buying long scale strings . . . . . that probably aren't long enough. I feel for the heartbroken flats guys that can't use them, Life is Just Unfair.

 

[WillyW]

Because I hate string thru...

 

[Honkey tonk]

AM pro bridge looks nicer, more to its original

 

[crankypants]

G&L stopped doing string-thrus a few years ago.

It's not really a fad imho they've been around for a while. It's not in fashion right now I'll agree.

I used to think string-thru was better but the cost/benefit analysis is negligible or even negative.

I have one string-thru 5 tho so that's cool.

 

[MYLOWFREQ]

I like string-through not because I think it changes the sound but because once I saw a bass with its bridge pulled from the body by the strings.. I know it's probably very rare, or the body was made of cardboard but I since then I prefer string-through bridges as they don't pull the bridge off the body.

And I like the look of string-through bridges better.

 

[cnltb]

Why no string-through in Fender Ultra basses?
One thing less to do and pay for.

 

[Relsom]

I like the look and having the option of using a wider range of string lengths.
Another reason to love my Elite.

 

[eccles77]

I don`t care about string through versus bridge through, I have never noticed a difference. If it had a Badass or Omega bridge, I wouldnt mind as much as they look cool but that Fender one just looks clunky with that F logo on it.

 

[TrevorG]

Another question is this:


Except for those damned stupid Phillips screws the Ultra Precision is pure perfection for me. I wasn't expecting to like it because I've never really bonded with active Fenders before but it is absolutely amazing. Great sound, all the good stuff from a vintage P-bass with more punch (if you want it). The finish is absolutely stunning (mocha burst in my case). Lovely fretwork, MILES better than any Fender I've purchased since the American Vintage series. Perfectly set up from the factory too! I don't think I've ever said THAT about a Fender before.

My sentiments exactly. Amazing instrument. I have always had a guitar kit with every type of screen head in it so have never been bothered by screws. While I don't like the look of the high mass bridge the sustain sometimes takes my breath away.

As for through stringing - I just don't trust the tuning. Too many points of contact for the bumpy winding to make its way around.

I will say the battery life is criminally short and have had to buy rechargeable ones to avoid resentment.

 

[Deleted member 271037]

I will say the battery life is criminally short and have had to buy rechargeable ones to avoid resentment.

Thanks for the warning. Early days still here so I haven't noticed yet. But yeah, GREAT bass. It just feels right in every way (except the Phillips screws, lol).

Fender really nailed it with this one and I NEVER thought I would say that about an active Fender bass. This is probably the first new Fender I've owned that I find comparable to stuff like Sandberg or MIJ Yamaha when it comes to objective quality.

That's two really great MIA Fenders in a row for me. First the Orginal 60s Jazz and now this one. I very nearly gave up on Fender USA after the shockingly poor American Pro and American Original 60s P-basses I purchased last year. I'm glad I gave them a second chance.

(And just to be clear: I'm not saying the AmPro and AO P-basses are poor by design. The problems with mine were all down to poor craftmanship and even worse QC. If you find a good one they're are both fine basses.)

 

[TrevorG]

Thanks for the warning. Early days still here so I haven't noticed yet. But yeah, GREAT bass. It just feels right in every way (except the Phillips screws, lol).

Fender really nailed it with this one and I NEVER thought I would say that about an active Fender bass. This is probably the first new Fender I've owned that I find comparable to stuff like Sandberg or MIJ Yamaha when it comes to objective quality.

That's two really great MIA Fenders in a row for me. First the Orginal 60s Jazz and now this one. I very nearly gave up on Fender USA after the shockingly poor American Pro and American Original 60s P-basses I purchased last year. I'm glad I gave them a second chance.

(And just to be clear: I'm not saying the AmPro and AO P-basses are poor by design. The problems with mine were all down to poor craftmanship and even worse QC. If you find a good one they're are both fine basses.)

Tried the Sandbergs, Mayonnes and many other boutique brands. Some had the right sound and wrong feel, some - the right feel and wrong sound. Some had both with a silly price tag. Aficionados and luthiers are not too impressed but I've not played a Fender this likeable either. Plus I got one in ash ahead of them being discontinued!!!

 

[Wisebass]

Hi guys

Why did Fender ditch string-through construction

Why use Phillips screws inside deep holes

why include the truss rod adjustment tool that's used to intonate the American Pro series when it doesn't fit anywhere on the Ultra?

that's all I have!


greetings

Wise(b)ass

 

[MattB88]

Has to be cost related. After all the hype I was so disappointed. They made the bass much worse. The worst of all being the Gotoh battery box they added. Those things go bad quickly and cause all sorts of crackling problems and then eventually just go caput. The elite was a much nicer bass.

 

[dbsfgyd1]

Dunno, but those exposed string ball ends I just cannot stand, never have. It's like Miss America with zits.

One could install the soap dish cover...

 

[LowEndOperative]

One could install the soap dish cover...

Yep. "Clearasil" for basses. I'd use one if the holes were already drilled for it.

 

[dbsfgyd1]

Clearisil.....LOL!! Haven’t heard of that stuff since I was in high school...48 years ago.

 

[Quadzilla]

Has to be cost related. After all the hype I was so disappointed. They made the bass much worse. The worst of all being the Gotoh battery box they added. Those things go bad quickly and cause all sorts of crackling problems and then eventually just go caput. The elite was a much nicer bass.

Agreed. The Elite was superior. In addition to the battery box thing, I also prefer the MM truss adjustment and the string-thru bridge on the Elite. Ultra is a downgrade. Not saying that the Ultra isn't a good bass. Just not as great as the Elite in my humble opinion...

 

[Nihal]

I just think that Fender should have at least given the option of going string-through, considering that this is their top-of-the-line product. It costs the most out of all their factory offerings. This is supposed to be the creme de la creme right? They even jacked up the prices going from the Elite series to the Ultra, so why remove features when you are increasing the price?

As for the question of whether it actually affects tone/sustain, that is up to the individual player. In our community, everyone will have an option on this subject. I personally feel that string-through looks cool, and the aesthetics do matter to me. I hope it matters to a lot of other players as well. Does removing string-through construction really make that big of a financial impact? I am assuming that the Ultras would be selling in even smaller numbers now because of the increased prices, decline of the economy, and just the better value a player would get if they got an American Pro - so the question is, does the small cost saving they achieve by foregoing string-through construction really scale up that much?

As someone has already pointed out, Fender is still going to move a lot of pieces no matter what. But for someone like me who would really love to get a nice Fender with modern features, great aesthetics; the cost is pretty high. And it bugs me that they would take a great bass like the Elite, and re-badge it into something underwhelming, even inferior in many ways. With ash and ebony now pulled from factory models(no fault from Fender), the absence of string-through is yet another thing we as consumers are losing out on.