Mexican Fenders Substandard?

[Amafi]

Hi all,

Iv'e just been to collect my replacement Fender Jazz 70's stylee Standard Bass from the store. (Mexican)

The original NEW Fender had problems with the saddles lowering by themselves causing the bass to go out of tune.

This one is completely different..I got it home and began to set it up and it just [i]wrong.[/i]

The neck is straight as a die, yet still get fretbuzz even though the saddles are really high, which of course makes the action at the higher end terrible.
The saddles also seem to splay out a bit, making me think it's poorly made.

I have been playing for 20+ years and have set up a few basses in my time but even the previous one was completely different.

Has anyone had problems with inferior quality in this range? Or am I just unlucky~?

Amafi

[lemmywinks]

Some people think they can be on par (or better) than USA Fenders, some experience bad ones that er, aren't!

I tried a few and they were all well below par for a £400+ bass, i ended up buying a Squier because it was a far better bass. However there are extremely good ones, some folk on here swear by them

[rasher80]

I had a somewhat problematic MIM Jazz, i had it sent back to Fender and now it's been fixed and had some decent pickups installed, it plays like a dream.

[rjb]

[quote]The neck is straight as a die, yet still get fretbuzz even though the saddles are really high, which of course makes the action at the higher end terrible.[/quote]

Have you tried different strings? It might have a very light set on at the moment. This could get very rattly if you're a pick player....

As for the bridge, that's easily swapped for a Badass, of course.

Edited May 14, 2009 by rjb

[MythSte]

I've just bought exactly the same bass and mines perfect

[Amafi]

[quote name='rjb' post='487784' date='May 14 2009, 12:33 PM']Have you tried different strings?

As for the bridge, that's easily swapped for a Badass.[/quote]


No, the guitar is straight from the shop. About 3 hours old!

I noticed a slight bend in the neck while in the shop, but thought it wouldn't be a problem once I set it up. The previous one (1 Week old) set up easily, except it had a different (aforementioned) problem.

The guitar cost £529 and to be honest, I expected better.

I realise that the parts can be swapped, but the guitar still has the tag on it!

Guess I'll have to get back in touch with the shop. They are gonna be sick of the sight of me hehe.

Thanks for replies

Amafi

[Machines]

My Mexican Jazz is... ok. New pickups improved the sound a lot but the neck and bridge are what let it down. I'm sure a Badass would be great but i'm not spending £50 on a bridge !

The neck is a bit of a pain, action has to be quite high to ensure a buzz free high end, low end isn't so bad. A previous owner had also stripped the truss rod nut but I've managed to sort that out and ajust the neck. Might get some heavier strings.. might make life easier.

Even though i've slagged it off - I'm glad I have it, it has that great old school sound to it and I imagine, these problems are nothing compared to how some Fenders have been.

[flatwound]

[quote name='Amafi' post='487762' date='May 14 2009, 09:17 PM']Hi all,

Iv'e just been to collect my replacement Fender Jazz 70's stylee Standard Bass from the store. (Mexican)

The original NEW Fender had problems with the saddles lowering by themselves causing the bass to go out of tune.

This one is completely different..I got it home and began to set it up and it just [i]wrong.[/i]

The neck is straight as a die, yet still get fretbuzz even though the saddles are really high, which of course makes the action at the higher end terrible.
The saddles also seem to splay out a bit, making me think it's poorly made.

I have been playing for 20+ years and have set up a few basses in my time but even the previous one was completely different.

Has anyone had problems with inferior quality in this range? Or am I just unlucky~?

Amafi[/quote]
I think Skankdelvar might be the man to talk to, as he seems to be a Fender man, but for my 2 bobs worth.....my mate is a "Fender Nut" (for want of a better description), and has about 30 years experience on bass and he has quite a few of em, only Fenders. He bought a Fender Precision, (MIM) about 9 months ago now, and it lasted about a week before he took it back to the shop and told them to "shove it"...you know where. Not sure exactly what the problem was, with the bass, I think from memory it was a slight twist in the neck, and something else ?? He is a fairly pedantic sort of bloke and likes everything to be spot on, which in my opinion is fair enough, but this one really pissed him off..... so I don't think you are alone in that respect and NO I don't think you are [u]unlucky[/u]. His second favourite "[i][b]Fender Precision[/b][/i]" is made in [b][b]Japan[/b][/b] what does that say to ya.....??

[Buzz]

For the £500 you spent, go get a Jap one or a second hand USA.

The Jap's are very good in the QC department and to my knowledge, there has not ever been a mention of a bad Jap Fender on this forum or it's previous incarnations (iirc ofc).

Or get a top end Squier. The Classic Vibe and Vintage Modified series's are fantastic.


Edit: The Jap ones fall between the Mexi and MIA range as well, the higher Jap's with proper wood bodies (Ash/Alder etc..) often come with USA pickups. Check out GuitarEmporium if you want a Jap one, Malcom is a top bloke.

Edited May 14, 2009 by Buzz

[KASH]

I have a MIM jazz...it's ok, does the job. The knobs are crap and loose all the time, bridge could be better and the pickups..not great, but not that bad i suppose. Overall it's a nice instrument but does feel a bit cheap in some aspects. I bought it 2nd hand for £200 so in your case it's different...and must be really dissapointing. We've all been there mate, in one way or another, the good thing is, it still is under the warrany and that's a good budget to purchase a nice axe. Good luck

[Amafi]

I may just fork out a little extra and go for a better model.

I loved the feel and sound of the MIM Jazz, but am seriously put off now.

Back to the shop i suppose

Thanks again for opinions so far, helped me a lot..

I'll let you know what I get if you really want to know

Amafi

[thisnameistaken]

[quote name='Amafi' post='487762' date='May 14 2009, 12:17 PM']The original NEW Fender had problems with the saddles lowering by themselves causing the bass to go out of tune.[/quote]

I had that on a new USA Jazz (actually gigged with an allen key tied to the bridge so I can adjust the action between songs). I think country of manufacture is no indication of quality any more, you just have to play a few until you find one that wasn't built on a Friday afternoon.

Edited May 14, 2009 by thisnameistaken

[King Tut]

I had a similar bridge problem with a MIM Jazz - ie bridge saddles lowering themselves. This is easily fixed with a tiny dab of loctite on each saddle screw.

[iamapirate]

I got an american jazz a few months ago and it's been brilliant. what I don't see is why thyey would make the same basses in mexico for £300 less if they're just as good? I think there's a reason why the american ones cost less, and it's not just swine flu!

Pirate

[s_u_y_*]

I owned a Mexican Precision once... let's just say I was happier with the build quality of my Squire Precision. The OP almost described almost everything that was wrong with mine.

I'll admit that experience has somewhat coloured my experiences of Mexican Fenders and now I'm probably more likely to buy a Squire, especially with the recent improvements in QC.

Edited May 14, 2009 by s_u_y_*

[Amafi]

Well, I took it back..again and decided to bite the bullet..

I forked out for a Marcus Miller signature bass. Not that I'm an avid fan or anything, but if it's good enough for him, it's good enough for me

Still haven't told the missus I used the credit card tho..

If I don't post again..I'm dead.

Amafi

[OutToPlayJazz]

As others have said, you can get good and bad of all the Fender ranges, be they Mexican, American, or otherwise. I've been lucky with my three Americans (one S1 jazz & an 08 Am.Std Precision & Jazz) but my original Mex Std 5 went rusty all over the place within a month & the neck on my Japanese Geddy Lee was horrendous. It would last a week between needing to be adjusted again!

Although, some of the best jazz basses I've played have been off the shelf Mexicans. As with all mass-produced stuff, you need to keep digging through the pile to find a really good one. Thankfully now I have a really good 09 Am.Std Jazz which I adore.

Keep going, you're bound to get a good one eventually

[Soloshchenko]

I got lucky. Mail ordered a MIM Fender Jazz and it's a great bass for the money, easily as nice as some US ones in my opinion. I DID have to replace the bridge with a Gotoh 201 because the stock one was a piece of tin sh*t!

You can play some horrible Fenders though, across the range, guitar or bass.

[skankdelvar]

[quote name='flatwound' post='487830' date='May 14 2009, 01:00 PM']I think Skankdelvar might be the man to talk to, as he seems to be a Fender man...[/quote]

Far too kind - others, e.g. Musky, Wateroftyne are the real gurus round here. And I know a lot more about shouting at people in shops than I do about Fenders.

But it's disgraceful that any bass should leave a factory in a relatively unplayable condition - or maybe they're more focussed on relic-ing than on delivering product that's fit for purpose.

As mentioned on this forum before, Fender QC seems to be notoriously variable, whether Mex or USA. The neck warp issue is (apparently) because they rush to buy in wood that hasn't been seasoned for long enough. Never before heard of self-lowering saddle screws, though. Perhaps it's a new 'Robot' bridge

FFS, don't they think that forums take the lid off failings like this? If they had the intelligence and the balls, someone from Fender UK would be watching this site and posting on it.

[/rant]

Edited May 15, 2009 by skankdelvar

[Grissle]

My guitar tech toured the Mexican Fender factory about 5 or 6 years ago and I distinctly remember him telling me that he was talking to one of the employees who told him that Fender had cautioned/told the management to back off on the quality! Apparently (good jobs being scarce in the country) many workers were doing there absolute best, hoping to get their family members jobs at the factory as well. Interesting? And I have noticed that the Standard Basses use to get pretty good reviews up until a few years ago.

[Soulfinger]

Mexican Fenders still are a bit hit and miss, and most shops obvioisly don´t feel the need to adjust them to be actually playable.

But IMHO they made a big step forward with the 2009 updates. I especially like the improved shielding on the new MIM Standard Jazzes - they are dead quiet even in single pickup mode (unlike their American siblings ). The new look and the maple board options are nice too.

[MartyBRebelMC]

This statement worries me -

'The neck is straight as a die, yet still get fretbuzz even though the saddles are really high, which of course makes the action at the higher end terrible'.

That sounds about right if you mean there's no neck relief - it will tend to buzz even with a very high action- the fender website support area has a setup guide which is very helpful.

Of course you may have just meant there was no twist in the neck in which case i'll just shut up..

[Grassie]

[quote name='King Tut' post='487949' date='May 14 2009, 02:45 PM']I had a similar bridge problem with a MIM Jazz - ie bridge saddles lowering themselves. This is easily fixed with a tiny dab of loctite on each saddle screw.[/quote]
Mine did the same too. Decided to replace the bridge. Still waiting for my local shop to tell me it's arrived...

[Dr.Dave]

[quote name='Grant' post='491635' date='May 18 2009, 05:40 PM']Mine did the same too. Decided to replace the bridge. Still waiting for my local shop to tell me it's arrived...[/quote]

Replacing it with the same bridge Grant?? Maybe you mean it still has some warranty and the replacement's coming gratis.

Whatever - I think I'd take the opportunity to upgrade the bridge. I'm a fan of the badass and there's a sticky about it in the repairs forum. There's loads of others though.

I don't think many will disagree that other than replacing pups a bridge replacement will make the biggest difference to your sound. Note , though , the word 'difference'. I think the difference is far better but that's opinion.

Re loctite on saddle screws.... it can get really tight - nail varnish doesn't and the 'joint' will crack under allen key pressure leaving you able to adjust the saddles easily.

[Brother Jones]

I've played quite a few, and have yet to experience a Mex that didn't feel dead and 'lumpy'. A second-hand Jap is almost always a better bet.