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Post subject: Anybody else with an American Deluxe Zone Bass ??
Posted: Thu Jul 19, 2007 1:43 pm
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:roll: :roll: Hello People! I have a Fender American Deluxe Zone Bass, probably the most beautiful instrument that I own. But it is currently in the "guitar hospital" because I am having major issues with it. Due to the fact that there are two 9-volt batteries in the active electronics, we have this static thing that is loud, obnoxious, and just won't quit. To add insult to injury, I have to stand still when playing it because every time I move, I am getting annoying pops and clicks from the amplifier. I am currently playing it through my Mesa/Boogie M-Pulse 750+ with a 4x10 powerhouse cab. I have had it looked at by the people from whom I purchased it, and they suggested it be seen by an authorized Fender repair-person, as it is still under warranty. The scary part about all of this is that there may NOT be anything really wrong with it. I am hearing that Fender has discontinued this bass. I would just like to know if anyone else has one, and have they experienced these problems. In the meantime......turn up the volume (on one of my other basses) and rock on!


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Posted: Tue Jul 31, 2007 1:12 pm
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wow i was wondering the same thing (if someone else owned one of these). lol. it is a very beautiful bass but unfortunately i do not use mine because it has fret buzz on the A and E strings. neither myself nor my local shop can get rid of it. its not too noticeable if i play soft with fingers but i play hard with my fingers and use a pick primarily so...hmph. im very dissapointed about it cus i paid around $1300 for it. i love it though, perfect weight , feel , sound, tonal control, and looks too. i was thinking of maybe defretting it since i cant get a replacement neck (let alone know if the neck itself is the problem). it has a very "different" neck. let me know if you would be interested in selling yours if they cant resolve your issue (which i hope they can cus it is a great bass.)

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Post subject: Re: Anybody else with an American Deluxe Zone Bass ??
Posted: Tue Jul 31, 2007 1:54 pm
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fenderjbassbabe wrote:
The scary part about all of this is that there may NOT be anything really wrong with it. I am hearing that Fender has discontinued this bass.


Are you saying that you think maybe Fender discontinued this bass because of bad electrical connections? :D Uh... that's not even close a potential worry. The electrical problems are not "due to" the presenceof the batteries, either. That 18-volt system is the best-sounding preamp Fender ever installed, IMO.

Don't be scared... there is definitely something wrong with your bass. Since it cracks and pops when you move, it's probably a worn-out input jack or input connections.

This American Zone basses are real nice instruments. I almost bought one myself, but I ended up with a smashing American Precision Deluxe that I just fell in love with.

fendergep, if your repairman can't figure out how to get a single fret buzz out of a $1,300 instrument, than you need a new repairman. It probably just needs its frets leveled.


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Posted: Tue Jul 31, 2007 2:07 pm
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its wierd though, it buzzes on the E if i play the first 3 or 4 frets and then it buzzes on an open A. messing with the action doesnt help and the neck isnt mishaped so adjusting the truss rod does nothing either. im pretty sure it needs fret work but why would something new need fretwork?

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No Matter How Many Basses I Put My Hands On, I Always Come Back To Fender.

--American P-Bass / Black w/ Maple FB / SPB-3 PUP / Custom U.S.A. Pride P.G.
Jazz Knobs / Ashtray Bridge Cover
--D’Addario Chromes 45-100 / Dunlop Delrin 500 .71mm Picks


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Posted: Tue Jul 31, 2007 4:23 pm
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Well....the pretty little honey-color Zone came back from the shop, (the only one in the area where the owner does warranty work on Fenders). He said that there isn't anything wrong with it, that the noise has been a commonly-reported compaint to the Fender company itself by others, and so long as it doesn' override the sound, most people who have experienced the problem just put up with it. He suggested replacing the pre-amp with a Duncan unit, which I considered for all of about two and a half seconds. I can use it at home for practice sessions, but cannot record into the Korg with it because the static cracking ends up sounding like uninvited guests disguised as 'sound effects'. I don't want to sell it, mainly because it is a really beautiful instrument, and in the right situation, sounds like melodic rolling thunder.

I have many basses which I regularly play in a rotation of sorts, and this pretty little one isn't used very often. Therefore, I didn't suspect any jack problems. Nonetheless, that was the first thing that the store owner from which I originally bought it checked for. Everything checked out fine. It does play so easily and is so light and small, that it is "almost perfect" as far as Fender basses go. I will continue to use it at home, and likely will take my '75 American re-issue J-bass out to play and stash my purple custom-made Carvin in the van "just in case". Except there never has been any "just in case" with my others. The other Fenders that I own are dependable, no surprises.

Thanks for your opinions and thoughts.

FJBB - hate the weather in CT



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Posted: Tue Jul 31, 2007 4:55 pm
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wow im sorry to hear that. theres no reason there isnt something wrong with it if its doing what your saying its doing. i never had any problems electronic wise with mine so i dont know what hes talkin about when he says that its a common thing. mines as clear as crystal, except for the fret buzz. maybe the bass just wasnt manufactured to standards and after finding out about all these problems, they discontinued it. im guessin IDK.

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No Matter How Many Basses I Put My Hands On, I Always Come Back To Fender.

--American P-Bass / Black w/ Maple FB / SPB-3 PUP / Custom U.S.A. Pride P.G.
Jazz Knobs / Ashtray Bridge Cover
--D’Addario Chromes 45-100 / Dunlop Delrin 500 .71mm Picks


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Posted: Wed Aug 01, 2007 9:08 am
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jbassbabe - In my opinion, that's BS. That jerk is most likely, as guitar store employees are wont to do, lying to you.

Call Fender Consumer Relations right now.

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fendergep, something new might need a fret or two leveled because nothing is perfect. Just find someone who knows how to work on a guitar and have it taken care of.

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In my town, there are a dozen guys who will tell you they are professional guitar technicians. 10 of them are complete hacks who have literally NO IDEA what they are doing. Two of them are good.

Don't EVER take the word of the first guy to look at your axes, especially when he says something grotesquely stupid like "well, it can't be fixed, that electrical crackling is a common problem, Fender knows all about it..."


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Posted: Wed Aug 01, 2007 10:17 am
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well ill definately have it looked at again by someone else when i get home. thanks for the advice. i love this site. 8)

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No Matter How Many Basses I Put My Hands On, I Always Come Back To Fender.

--American P-Bass / Black w/ Maple FB / SPB-3 PUP / Custom U.S.A. Pride P.G.
Jazz Knobs / Ashtray Bridge Cover
--D’Addario Chromes 45-100 / Dunlop Delrin 500 .71mm Picks


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Posted: Wed Aug 08, 2007 10:08 am
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So what happened with this? Did you call Fender?


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Posted: Fri Aug 17, 2007 2:49 pm
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i guess they didnt. ill be home in like a month and a half so ill get my frets checked out then.

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No Matter How Many Basses I Put My Hands On, I Always Come Back To Fender.

--American P-Bass / Black w/ Maple FB / SPB-3 PUP / Custom U.S.A. Pride P.G.
Jazz Knobs / Ashtray Bridge Cover
--D’Addario Chromes 45-100 / Dunlop Delrin 500 .71mm Picks


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Posted: Thu Sep 06, 2007 10:42 am
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u know i have a 2003 zone bass. before i had a buzzing noise with it i think it is due to having 2 9 volts and the high output of the pickups. i had mine looked at and the repairman cleaned and adjusted the input jack. that is part of the noise. but remember it will have a little distortion but u should try a precision or jazz bass with noiseless pickups. is sounds good and no hum or buzzing or static. but it is a good instrument but since they only made it for a few years possibly they didnt perfect a few minor details though. i recommend the american deluxe jazz bass as i own also.


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Posted: Mon Dec 03, 2007 4:14 pm
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I'm quite surprised at what I'm reading about the Zone Bass and more surprised that it is no longer available. I purchased an American made Zone Bass about 2 years ago. It did take a bit of adjustment to refine it but it is a wonderful instrument. My adjustments are as flollows:

1. Neck adjustment to reduce the curvature it arrived with. There is now a fairly mild cure (or bow) to it.
2. Bridge hight adjustment.
3. Bridge intonation adjustment.


I have not measured it but I have a suspecian that the body is a bit smaller or has a slightly different shape than the other fender basses as it fits my body much better than the P or jazz basses.

A few more notes:
1. I have not experienced any electronic problems as another writer has indicated.
2. The sound people where I play constantly comment (positively) on the tone and clarity of my bass.
3. After my neck and bridge adjustments there is no buzz at all even though I have the strings fairly low.
4. The neck plays as good as any and better (far better than some) than any other bass I've tried.
5. It look great!


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Posted: Wed Dec 12, 2007 3:11 pm
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I also own and play an American Deluxe Zone Bass and love it. My only complaint about this guitar is the electronic buzz. I only get the noise when I am not touching a metal componet. If I keep my hands to the steel, no buzz. I use a bassman 250/15 amp


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