New Road Worn Jazz - it's got a few issues

[mrawlins]

Hi there, I'm new to the forum - looks like an amazing resource.

I'm posting because I just bought a new Fender Road worn Jazz - it seemed perfect in the shop but you can never tell until you get an instrument home and play it for a few days what it's really like.

So I discovered a few issues and I'm hoping to get some advice whether to setup, repair, replace parts or take the bass back.

1. The pickups will not be raised or lowered. If I loosen the screws the screws just come out of the pickups and the pup stays in the same place, it is not raised. The screws will not tighten any further. The pickups are at sort of a middle-low position.

2. (this is why I tried to adjust the pickups) The G is way, way louder than the other strings. On my RME software mixer it shows as something like 8db louder than the other strings. So it will clip my input even when there is plenty of headroom for everything else, and of course the notes stick out like sore thumbs in a bass line.

3. The neck had dead spots (string hitting the frets) on the first fret (fretted) and also up past the 14th. I loosened the truss rod and raised the saddles but it's still an issue and now also the action is high. The action was dead low when I got it but I couldn't hear the dead spots or fret buzz in the shop.

I bought it five days ago and can potentially take it back to the shop tomorrow. But I'm kind of concerned that they will laugh at me...

Can anyone offer any advice? I like the bass but it was quite expensive and I just want a bass with no issues, for once!

Cheers all

Martin

[Clarky]

Take it back and list the points you mention - some may be easy to fix (eg, the foam may be a bit compressed under the pickups so that they don't move with the screws as they should), other may be more worrying (eg, loud G or dead spots). if they have a decent on-site set-up person, they may be able to sort these out with little/no difficulty. Either way, they are obliged to replace if its not fit for use. RW Fenders are not cheap and should be perfect!

[thepurpleblob]

If I had spent proper money in a shop and they laughed at me I would be demanding a full refund and going somewhere else.

Definitely take it back. Most shops I deal with will give you a free setup on a new bass - especially if it has been hanging from the wall for ages. You shouldn't have to fight with it.

[dave_bass5]

Thats bad news, sorry to hear that.

Regarding the pups, i had a MIM 70's last week that i also couldn't budge the pups. To me it looked like they were hard against the pick guard and that was stopping them from moving. Same sort fo thing, the screws would come out but the pup stayed where it was. I had to get a screw driver down the side to help raise it.

Neck dead spots are usually where the note is too low or has no sustain, not really anything to do with fret buzz IMHO.

Im no expert when it comes to setting up a bass, although i do all mine so dont take this as gospel.

I would actually try to take out some of the relief, this will help get the action lower. Have you checked the height of the offending frets? are they sticking up?
I find that when played in isolation, or at home, i can get a bit of fret buzz that can really bug me, as i like a low action (2mm 12th fret E string) but at a gig its never been noticeable.

Personally, i would take it to the shop, explain your issues and get them to sort it.

Good luck, and welcome.

EDIT: wow, in the time it took to type this there has already been two replies. I must try to type faster.

Edited July 26, 2010 by dave_bass5

[mrawlins]

Thanks guys for the fast and sensible responses!!

Yes I mainly play at home and do recording so it's really an issue.

What I didn't mention is that I live in Beijing and we foreigners tend to get laughed at anyway for our foreign ways, bad chinese and "huge noses". I'll take the bass in tomorrow and let you know how I get on.

Cheers

Martin

[dave_bass5]

Good luck, hopefully it can all be sorted quite painlessly.

Edited July 26, 2010 by dave_bass5

[algmusic]

[quote name='Clarky' post='905627' date='Jul 26 2010, 11:50 AM']Take it back and list the points you mention - some may be easy to fix (eg, the foam may be a bit compressed under the pickups so that they don't move with the screws as they should), other may be more worrying (eg, loud G or dead spots). if they have a decent on-site set-up person, they may be able to sort these out with little/no difficulty. Either way, they are obliged to replace if its not fit for use. RW Fenders are not cheap and should be perfect![/quote]

I agree take it back. I bought a 2nd hand roadworn tried it, as it sounded good, but needed a bit of setting up, but then took it to the bass gallery just to tweek etc it and it's sounds great. But if you buy it from a shop that should do that.??? .three words

TAKE IT BACK

[OldGit]

Ah ....
A recent thread on buying basses in China I found an expats website that said many of the Fenders in China are fakes so that may be something you need to look at...

[geoffbyrne]

From what you say, I'd try *tightening* the truss rod until it's pretty nearly straight (very, very slight UP-bow) and raising the saddles. I reckon your hitting the bottom frets because there is a bow in the neck & the saddles were too low.

I'd take out the pups & replace the foam underneath with layers cut to shape from a mouse mat, and you can make it that these hold the bass side higher, reducing the output from the G - also a decent set of strings might also be in order.

Good luck whatever you do.

Geoff

[mrawlins]

[quote name='OldGit' post='905716' date='Jul 26 2010, 12:46 PM']Ah ....
A recent thread on buying basses in China I found an expats website that said many of the Fenders in China are fakes so that may be something you need to look at...[/quote]

I'm fairly confident this is real, they had the whole road worn series - strats, a tele, another road worn Jazz (now sold) and also a P bass. They also had Marshall amps, Orange, Jet City, a John Mayer Strat, a Jaco bass - all good stuff so I think this is one of the kosher shops. The fakes are usually dead obvious.

But yeah it was a risk buying here due to after sales service which will be non-existent, and also Fender doesn't even have offices here (unlike Gibson who seem to be taking China very seriously as a market).

[mrawlins]

[quote name='geoffbyrne' post='905759' date='Jul 26 2010, 01:10 PM']From what you say, I'd try *tightening* the truss rod until it's pretty nearly straight (very, very slight UP-bow) and raising the saddles. I reckon your hitting the bottom frets because there is a bow in the neck & the saddles were too low.

I'd take out the pups & replace the foam underneath with layers cut to shape from a mouse mat, and you can make it that these hold the bass side higher, reducing the output from the G - also a decent set of strings might also be in order.

Good luck whatever you do.

Geoff[/quote]

Thanks Geoff, that's very interesting, I will definitely try the foam trick if they don't play ball with me tomorrow. Actually I'll take the neck off now and adjust the rod the other way.

I can't figure out why the G is so loud, acoustically it doesn't seem too bad but when I plug it in it's just ridiculous.

[yorks5stringer]

Let's hope you get it sorted, we don't want a China Crisis.....

[mrawlins]

[quote name='yorks5stringer' post='905815' date='Jul 26 2010, 01:51 PM']Let's hope you get it sorted, we don't want a China Crisis.....[/quote]

Boom boom!

[redstriper]

How do the prices in China compare to the UK ?

[Davo-London]

Dead spots are normally found around the D, Eflat or E on the G - string. The note doesn't sustain as all the others do. I dies quickly. I always check for dead spots when trying a new bass.

Davo

[redstriper]

[quote name='Davo-London' post='906455' date='Jul 26 2010, 11:05 PM']Dead spots are normally found around the D, Eflat or E on the G - string. The note doesn't sustain as all the others do. I dies quickly. I always check for dead spots when trying a new bass.

Davo[/quote]

What do you do when you find one?

[mrawlins]

[quote name='redstriper' post='906187' date='Jul 26 2010, 06:48 PM']How do the prices in China compare to the UK ?[/quote]

Well the road worn jazz was 8900rmb - £865 which I was surprised by as things like this (luxury goods) are normally much more expensive here. The cheapest I've heard of people finding road worn basses for in the UK is £800.

[mrawlins]

I should clarify when I said dead spots, I was being lazy with my language, I really meant identifiable parts of the fretboard where there is fret buzz regardless of setup (as I have now found with the truss in 3 different positions from loose to tight and saddles as high as they will go).

[mrawlins]

OK so it went better than I thought, of course the G being louder was still inaudible in the shop but they definitely understood the fretboard issues.

Re. the pickup, he tried adjusting the pickup on a '62 reissue Jazz and it had the same problem, so "it's the way it's supposed to be". They both actually do move, fractionally.

So they are going to hold on to it for a few days and try and get it properly set up, and if there's still a problem I might get my money back or they might try and give me another Jazz... which I'm not sure I want.

[Prime_BASS]

It's supposed to be like that?
They may return your money?

The product is quiet clearly broken, and was so before you paid for it, so I'm pretty positive they have to give you the money back, or at the very least exchange it.

Also if what you say is true I doubt that they will get it much better.

[mrawlins]

OK guys, so I got my money back - I had to pay a small fee to keep them happy, in fairness Fenders never seem to be perfect, we tried quite a few Jazzes off the rack and they all had buzzes somewhere regardless of action. I had the bass for 5 days so I considered it rent. No regrets.

I actually do think I was being a bit of a perfectionist about that bass but I managed to return it so now I can start planning what to get next (in the UK!!!).

Can you tell me, what is the go-to destination for bass shopping in London? I'll probably check out Vintage & Rare but there's nothing on their website that suits me right now. Somewhere that stocks the Pino Precision and stuff like that would be awesome.

I'll only have one day in London to do this so I'll need a place with a good selection.

Thanks again for your support!

Edited July 28, 2010 by mrawlins

[dave_bass5]

I'll be the first to say visit the gallery in camden town. In London it's THE bass shop. Not always the cheapest compared to online but they have a huge stock and some very nice higher end basses.
You can spend hours there. Alex is the guy who runs it and will sort you out.

Good luck.

Edited July 28, 2010 by dave_bass5

[mrawlins]

[quote name='dave_bass5' post='907817' date='Jul 28 2010, 08:00 AM']I'll be the first to say visit the gallery in camden town. In London it's THE bass shop. Not always the cheapest compared to online but they have a huge stock and some very nice higher end basses.
You can spend hours there. Alex is the guy who runs it and will sort you out.

Good luck.[/quote]

Brilliant, thanks Dave.

[OldGit]

[quote name='dave_bass5' post='907817' date='Jul 28 2010, 08:00 AM']I'll be the first to say visit the gallery in camden town. In London it's THE bass shop. Not always the cheapest compared to online but they have a huge stock and some very nice higher end basses.
You can spend hours there. Alex is the guy who runs it and will sort you out.

Good luck.[/quote]


+1 and they will sort all the setup stuff there and then for you - important if you only have a day.

[algmusic]

[quote name='OldGit' post='907841' date='Jul 28 2010, 08:56 AM']+1 and they will sort all the setup stuff there and then for you - important if you only have a day.[/quote]


+2

I agree. The bass gallery is the best place I've been when it comes to service and choice in London. They sorted out my 'road worn' bass when it needed a setup etc and it sounds great now. Not the cheapest, but you know if you have any queries, they will sort you out

I don't think you should have paid a 'fee' for the bass.. it's their screw up not yours.. but nevermind. What's the name of the shop..

NAME AND SHAME!!! NAME AND SHAME!!!NAME AND SHAME!!!NAME AND SHAME!!!NAME AND SHAME!!!