nikininja, I completely agree. Had I known what to look for then I probably wouldn't have bought mine and that was only 300$ or so.

Niki , remember that guitars are made of wood. It will change shape, and mass given different environmental conditions. It can rattle and walk over during shipping. Unless the misalignment is caused by a manufacturing defect, like holes drilled in the wrong spots it is just one of those things you kind of have to accept as happening from time to time.

In a perfect world, no guitar would ever leave a shop without this being adjusted, but given the level of competence I see in most shops I am glad they don't touch these too much. I would rather do it myself. If I am doing this the first time on a guitar, i pull the neck, and clean out the neck pocket, of all debris. There could be sawdust, or other stuff in there.

Sometimes the misalignment is caused because of a build up of paint on the sides of the cavity. This could require some filing. This is a delicate operation, as it is easy to chip the visible finish. If you ever have to file around a route you need to work carefully only making contact in the direction that the teeth of the file cut. The 'backstrokes' will chip the finish.

You probably won't have to do this. Most of the time the misalignment happens while shipping, either from the normal jostling, or from a change in temperature/humidity, or most likely a combination of both.

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I'm not an expert, but I play one on the internet.

Granted it doesnt always happen through a manufacturing fault. Although with fenders high level of machined wood i find it suprising that we see as much of it as we do. The blame rests squarely on the vendors shoulders, your contract is with the seller not FMIC. The vendors contract is with FMIC and is therefore as much the vendors responsibility to see such instruments dont get sold as it is fenders. Could you imagine the likes of rudy pensa or some of the smaller family owned vendors selling a brand new strat with the neck at an angle.

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No no and no

Thanks for all the info. guys.... They (G.C.) offered to send it back to fender... should I even bother? Just find something else in the store? I know it's just a guitar.... but other than this issue, it feels/sounds/plays great.....

Send it back, its your duty to yourself to let fender see where your displeased. Unless you let them know their never going to tighten up on it.

Dont they have any other roadworns at your local shop? Cant they order you a replacement in?

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No no and no

Don't they have a service centre? If they have one this is an adjustment they should make for you. It shouldn't need to go back to Fender unless it is truly a manufacturing flaw. that is unlikely, though possible. fender uses jigs for this, so real manufacturing errors are rare.

I still think this is probably an easily corrected issue. if you really love this guitar, i would get it adjusted. Though if they plan on sending it back to Fender, i would probably look for another guitar.

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I'm not an expert, but I play one on the internet.

They don't have a tech. .... I live in a small town in Central California... the only decent tech. in the area isn't fender authorized.... They have several other RW's both tele's and strats (50's/60's) and they all kind of sucked to be honest....
when I am looking for a new instrument I'm not bound by things like.... a certain brand/color/country of manufacture.... I generally go by feel/unplugged/amplified tone honestly.... I'm NOT a strat guy usually... I don't care for black guitars.... or relics for that matter.... the guitar just felt and sounded great and I couldn't deny that... so home with me it went.

if you really feel that way, take GC up on their offer. hell, I just bought a FCS Clapton Blackie from them for Xmas, and there was a defect in the finish. so I sent it right on back. it comes back in today.

what I'm saying is, when you find a special unreplacable peice of gear, take every chance to keep it in the best shape possible. and you can do that by sending it back to fender.

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If it's the bridge that was installed at an angle is that repairable?

If I were you I'd have Guitar Center order a replacement exactly like yours. They should let you play the replacement before you decide on trading or not. Play the replacement, and if you like it better, trade. If you don't, keep your guitar (which you obviously picked for good reason) and get it fixed. It shouldn't cost more than about $50, and new guitars always need a set up anyway. If you give it back over a minor repair, than you'll probably regret it later.

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if the mounting holes were drilled incorrectly, and the bridge is in the wrong spot, then it will be a BIG job to fix.

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I'm not an expert, but I play one on the internet.

Don't make them fix it, make them replace it!!! That problem may just be the tip of the iceberg.

I'm probably going to return it....... sucks though.... I don't think they had anything there in my price range that worked for me..... I got this on a trade by the way..... so if I just grab my money and split I'll get less money to work with..... I'm just a player..... I don't want to have to deal with all this haggling s--- .... I just want a great instrument to play..... man quality control has slipped big time.... I've got a '96 MIA tele (50th anny?) that smokes! Haven't really found another since then that floats my boat........ MIA or otherwise..... sorry for the rant!

I don't knows if a return is the best solution. You may have gotten 08' pricing. The same guitar today could cost more.

The RW was introduced at the '09 pricing. which sort of explains why they were so expensive (for a MIM) I guess.... and why they didn't increase when everything else did.