It is currently Mon Mar 16, 2020 10:25 am

All times are UTC - 7 hours



Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 22 posts ]  Go to page 1, 2  Next
Go to page 1, 2  Next
Author Message
Post subject: Make a better $1700 bass for God's sake
Posted: Tue Dec 20, 2011 2:08 am
Offline
Hobbyist
Hobbyist

Joined: Tue Dec 20, 2011 1:34 am
Posts: 11
Got my 2010 American Deluxe Jazz bass V 2 weeks ago, love it.
While the bass plays good, but I realize there is a noise problem & the volume pot is not working at all.

Without spending even a second talking to the fender representatives,
I used my Physic 101 and opened the Bass up, and guess what, no shielding and volume pot is not grounded.
I need to spent 18 dollars on copper tape. The bass is now quiet.
About the volume pot, do we have wireless ground technology now?
20 more dollars on a soldering iron to row off it off.
On top of these, the outside look gorgeous but it was mad dusty inside plus wire jackets, wood chips are flying around.
1700 should be something better right?


Top
Profile
Fender Play Winter Sale 2020
Post subject: Re: Make a better $1700 bass for God's sake
Posted: Tue Dec 20, 2011 1:33 pm
Offline
Roadie
Roadie

Joined: Thu Nov 04, 2010 6:31 pm
Posts: 261
So you spend money to purchase a MIA Deluxe J Bass and without allowing Fender to set things right, you completely void your warranty and are out more cash on top of it?

Manufacturers track warranty repairs to provide important QC on the production processes. When you elect to circumvent that by fixing things yourself, Fender has no idea that there was a problem with that Bass and the product production process never improves for future buyers.

Your complaint has less standing now and you have no warranty.


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Make a better $1700 bass for God's sake
Posted: Tue Dec 20, 2011 10:14 pm
Offline
Hobbyist
Hobbyist

Joined: Tue Dec 20, 2011 1:34 am
Posts: 11
Don't worry man, I modified electric guitar before, plus all those junks I've learn in physic class, circuitry lab and robotic design... a Fender deluxe Active/passive circuit should not be a big problem.
limited lifetime warranty? its more like a joke than a promise to me.
Try to read the statement, they will handle the volume pot if i ship my baby back to California or drive all the way to downtown to the authorized luthier. but a soldering iron could fix the problem in 2 second (plus 3 minutes to heat it up). Time is money, gas is money, shipping is money, but 20dollars plus 3min 2 sec, DIY seems like a better choice to me.
Same concept applies to the shielding problem, a few hundred buck to get a "professional job" or 18 dollars plus 4 hours of hard work I rather do it myself.

I am new to Bass and this site but not circuitry.
My points is we are all fans/owners/future owners of fender bass, 1700 should gave us something nicer from inside out.
I want everybody proud to be an owner a MIA deluxe, and be able to say "this baby work right out of the box" instead of questioning about "the noise i paid 1700 for" or "I just paid 1700 for a not working volume pot".
My case, if my bass has any problem i'll just fix it.

QC? I did research online and i am not the only person with noise problem, fender knows it? They have the ground wires screwed onto the body; one next to the neck pickup and one underneath the bridge pickup, the only thing missing is the shielding paint, the black graphitish paint.
volume pot? add this to the QC list.
dust, wood chips, wire jackets? vacuum the cavities after they finish the wiring.


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Make a better $1700 bass for God's sake
Posted: Wed Dec 21, 2011 12:31 pm
Offline
Hobbyist
Hobbyist

Joined: Sun Dec 18, 2011 1:56 pm
Posts: 5
I'll bet the Japanese guys make 'em dust-free inside and out.
Work ethic in the land of the rising sun is culturally more important.
Their Friday afternoon basses are as good as their midweek jobbies.

My guess is you got an I'm-a-little-bit-tired-from-the-weekend bass.

And yes I have a MIJ Jazz.

So why do I still want an American Fender. ;-)


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Make a better $1700 bass for God's sake
Posted: Thu Dec 22, 2011 12:44 pm
Offline
Hobbyist
Hobbyist

Joined: Tue Jan 25, 2011 8:00 am
Posts: 27
Benjulio, I'm with you on this one. I had to shield and reattatch the ground on my 2010 American Deluxe V. Once that job was done, my bass played like a dream and is one of my main players. Too bad Fender couldn't have done this from the factory. Sending it back and waiting weeks or months to get it back when you can do it yourself is just so much easier. BTW, I'm sure Fender will be happy to deal with any of youe warrenty issues in the future. Good luck with your bass.


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Make a better $1700 bass for God's sake
Posted: Thu Dec 22, 2011 2:33 pm
Offline
Hobbyist
Hobbyist

Joined: Tue Dec 20, 2011 1:34 am
Posts: 11
> bloc riff nut, Asian Rocks (I am Asian). Well, they take things seriously and personally. They don't work for the company; they are the company. I wish I had moved to Japan with my ex few years ago so that I could pay the same amount to get a Japaneses custom hand made guitar/bass; and we gonna have some MIJ kids too, lol. But no one can't turn back time, we could only do the best we can right now. So, rock on.

> Fender America, shield your Bass; QC the circuitry; dust and junks off the cavities, bloc riff nut needs a reason.

>Gougedeye, copper tape or graphite paint? I got 18yard 1/2 inch copper tape by mistake, but this thinner roll allows me ground my baby with out cutting a single wire. If one day I quite being a nerd, I might make/fix axes.


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Make a better $1700 bass for God's sake
Posted: Fri Dec 23, 2011 1:52 pm
Offline
Rock Star
Rock Star
User avatar

Joined: Thu Aug 07, 2008 3:12 pm
Posts: 6355
Location: Albemarle, NC
benjulio wrote:
> bloc riff nut, Asian Rocks (I am Asian). Well, they take things seriously and personally. They don't work for the company; they are the company. I wish I had moved to Japan with my ex few years ago so that I could pay the same amount to get a Japaneses custom hand made guitar/bass; and we gonna have some MIJ kids too, lol. But no one can't turn back time, we could only do the best we can right now. So, rock on.

> Fender America, shield your Bass; QC the circuitry; dust and junks off the cavities, bloc riff nut needs a reason.

>Gougedeye, copper tape or graphite paint? I got 18yard 1/2 inch copper tape by mistake, but this thinner roll allows me ground my baby with out cutting a single wire. If one day I quite being a nerd, I might make/fix axes.


Oh my kittens! I would have been back to the dealer SOOOOOOOO fast! REFUND! Then get a bass made on a Tuesday. All that is really hard to believe in one top of the line instrument. Except the grounding issues which I have no trouble believing. Shielding paint isn't worth a hoot compared to building a grounded copper cage around everything. But then Fender instruments in general have never been known for shielding. Not just basses, but guitars too benefit from a thorough shielding to ground job. People think it is the pickups humming, but more often than not it is EVERYTHING and then a less than optimal connection to the bridge only exacerbates the issue. Noiseless pickups often reduce, but do not cure the almost total lack of shielding. That is why I copper shield everything.

A bass that hums is like a set of bagpipes in that no matter how well you play, it still sounds like rubbish.


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Make a better $1700 bass for God's sake
Posted: Sat Dec 24, 2011 1:37 pm
Offline
Hobbyist
Hobbyist

Joined: Tue Jan 25, 2011 8:00 am
Posts: 27
Copper shielding tape from StewMac. It took me an hour, but it was time well spent! No other issues now and, like I said, it plays like a dream!


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Make a better $1700 bass for God's sake
Posted: Thu Dec 29, 2011 9:49 am
Offline
Hobbyist
Hobbyist

Joined: Thu Jul 19, 2007 6:48 am
Posts: 74
Location: Tampa FL
I know. You would think for the cash you would get a bass with linear CTS pots and a pio cap with a decent shielding job for the price. I've had to do some work to get my Jaco sig playing correctly and cleanly. My '77 jazz was a great mess as well. Actually the work in there was way worse since it is from the late '70's.


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Make a better $1700 bass for God's sake
Posted: Mon Jan 02, 2012 8:47 am
Offline
Hobbyist
Hobbyist
User avatar

Joined: Tue Apr 01, 2008 12:05 pm
Posts: 93
Location: Regina, SK Canada
i wonder if this was a quirk of only your unit or across the line? i am going in today or tomorrow to order one.... really hoping not to have issues... as this has kept me away from active instruments in the past....

_________________
Fender American Standard Jazz
Fender Geddy Lee Jazz
Rickenbacker 4003

Mesa M6 Carbine head
Mesa Powerhouse 4x10 cab
Mesa Powerhouse 1x15 cab


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Make a better $1700 bass for God's sake
Posted: Tue Jan 03, 2012 5:48 am
Offline
Hobbyist
Hobbyist

Joined: Thu Jul 19, 2007 6:48 am
Posts: 74
Location: Tampa FL
kgerry wrote:
i wonder if this was a quirk of only your unit or across the line? i am going in today or tomorrow to order one.... really hoping not to have issues... as this has kept me away from active instruments in the past....

I have a love/hate relationship with active instruments. You really need to spend more cash on high quality pre-amps which would make the basses too expensive for most...think Fodera or F-Bass or what have you. Rick Tuner has written plenty of articles on this. If you want an active Jazz Bass you are better off buying the best sounding passive one you can find, plugged and unplugged. (Of course best playing as well) Then buy a high quality pre like a U-Retro or Audere or whatever you like and install it yourself, or pay a good tech if you're shy with an iron. Then if you don't like it you can remove it and eBay it and still have your original bass like new. Even the high quality after-market pre-amps available as on-board electronics tend to be crappy since they are very low voltage (9v-18v)to keep batteries from dying too quickly. Also they have to be made as cheaply as possible to make them profitable. I really hate seeing a $399 bass with active electronics. A phantom powered pre makes more sense since you can run it at 48 volts and get decent headroom. That however means a low z mic style cable like Alembic basses. I don't think many bass amps have a low z input that's phantom powered. My Markbass head has a low z in but I'm not sure it's powered. A good alternative would be a pre amp pedal like the Sadowsky Outboard Bass Preamp/DI Pedal. A bonus is you can use it with all your basses rather than installing it in one. There is a reason why Anthony Jackson doesn't even have a volume knob.


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Make a better $1700 bass for God's sake
Posted: Thu Jan 05, 2012 10:17 pm
Offline
Professional Musician
Professional Musician
User avatar

Joined: Fri Mar 28, 2008 3:19 pm
Posts: 1480
Location: Vancouver, BC Canada
I'm just wondering?? to all out there with this buzz issue on their basses......... when you tried the bass out in the music store was it buzzing?? & when thinking of purchasing an American Deluxe Jazz bass did you research the pro's & con's of this bass?? & did you search this Board to see others experience & opinion of this bass??
( I owe one & other than getting minor buzz in active mode that's since been rectified..
I gotta say this is one quality instrument)

Unfortunately in the world of mass production be it a guitar, car or piece of furniture,..
for every 10 items made you're gonna get one that needs an adjustment or replacement
of a faulty piece of electronics.. & manufacturers are aware of this & thats why they have warrenties on their products....this also means they stand behind their product.

If I had a bass with an issue that was missed at the music store I wouldn't fix it myself I would be back to the store requesting a solution like (get a different bass) or keep the bass & get the problem fixed.
By fixing it yourself you now own it with a void warrenty (just my opinion.)
If I bought a new car & it had an issue I wouldn't be fixing it myself...... :( hence warrenties

This board has some great knowledgeable bassists & good charactor people who will answer & question or help solve a problem...it's too bad more people don't use this board to educate themselves with the pro's & con's of the bass they're about to buy.....
I do this all the time.

I also think that the $1700. I spent on my AM DLX 5 was money well spent & all the reviews I read online & in reputable Bass guitar magazines all seem to agree that this line of Bass guitars from Fender is good bang for your buck... :)


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Make a better $1700 bass for God's sake
Posted: Fri Jan 06, 2012 6:22 am
Offline
Hobbyist
Hobbyist

Joined: Thu Jul 19, 2007 6:48 am
Posts: 74
Location: Tampa FL
Yep best thing to do with a faulty new instrument is return it. I generally buy used so I get a few issues when I get one. In fact they are cheaper if there is some buzzing or shorted electronics lol. I do love Fender Jazz basses. They generally play awesomely and have the sound. Went the full circuit of 1983 Jazz Bass to 1993 Jazz bass with emgs to a 1988 5 string active Guild Pilot bass to a 6 string Fender Heartfield back to a passive 1977 Jazz and a 2008 Jaco Bass. Still have the 6'r but I prefer the sound of the passive.


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Make a better $1700 bass for God's sake
Posted: Fri Jan 06, 2012 10:33 am
Offline
Hobbyist
Hobbyist
User avatar

Joined: Tue Apr 01, 2008 12:05 pm
Posts: 93
Location: Regina, SK Canada
i test drove a black/maple on NYE (played thru my Mesa rig) and didnt notice any noise at all.... that's why i was wondering if your problem was an isolated one.... guess i'll find out as i just ordered a wine transparent w/rosewood this week.....

_________________
Fender American Standard Jazz
Fender Geddy Lee Jazz
Rickenbacker 4003

Mesa M6 Carbine head
Mesa Powerhouse 4x10 cab
Mesa Powerhouse 1x15 cab


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Make a better $1700 bass for God's sake
Posted: Fri Jan 06, 2012 11:37 am
Offline
Hobbyist
Hobbyist

Joined: Thu Jul 19, 2007 6:48 am
Posts: 74
Location: Tampa FL
kgerry wrote:
i test drove a black/maple on NYE (played thru my Mesa rig) and didnt notice any noise at all.... that's why i was wondering if your problem was an isolated one.... guess i'll find out as i just ordered a wine transparent w/rosewood this week.....


I would imagine noise as bad as that would be a bit of a rarity. Not sure though since I have only played a Marcus 5 of a friend of mine and it was pretty decently quiet. It was on a loud stage so who knows? I wouldn't sweat it too much and if it is a problem the bass should be returnable.


Top
Profile
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 22 posts ]  Go to page 1, 2  Next
Go to page 1, 2  Next

All times are UTC - 7 hours

Fender Play Winter Sale 2020

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 2 guests


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum

Search for:
Jump to: