StRanger7032 Posted March 2, 2016 Share Posted March 2, 2016 I got a bigger tax return than I expected, so I took a trip to the local (80 miles away) guitar shop to check out a Mesa Boogie Lone Star Special amp. I played a few guitars through it, and was not overly impressed with the amp considering the price. One of the guitars I grabbed off the wall was a new 2015 Fender American Standard Strat. I instantly fell in love with the guitar. It had a slightly different tone than other Strats I've played, and I loved the look and feel of it. I've owned 2 American Strats in the past, and both had bad necks. The first one got returned, and the second one was sold for a huge loss after $200 of fret work. I should have known better! I noticed a bit of fret buzz, but the string height was way too low, which I assumed was the reason. The guy at the store offered to set it up, but I prefer to do my own work, so I took it home. They gave me a great price on it; less that the big online places. After 2 hours of frustration trying to set it up, its a piece of garbage like the other two. Everything is set exactly to Fender specs, and there's fret buzz and dead notes everywhere. I am so freakin' pissed right now! Out of five American made Fenders I've owned, only one has been worth a damn without major fret work (2013 Tele). I'm taking it back for a full refund and never buying another American Strat again. I have to laugh when people complain about Gibson quality control! Fender quality is going down the toilet lately. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cookieman15061 Posted March 2, 2016 Share Posted March 2, 2016 Wow that's too bad. I've owned tons of Fenders, Strats and Teles. I've owned American and MiM and never had a neck issue other than one radius I may prefer over another. The newer stuff I've bought/played have been excellent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidblast Posted March 2, 2016 Share Posted March 2, 2016 that is a bummer story, I have a 2014 standard, and though it's a real good player, I had fret problems too. the sides of many frets were rough and undressed. it looks like they pounded them in, then crowned them, strung it up and shipped it. These rough areas required a bit of dressing with 0000 steel wool and some 800 grit sandpaper to get rid of these rough spots on the sides of about a dozen frets, and I found a few high frets along the way but nothing unusual there. they all can come home with those. Then there's the ongoing saga with their amp reliability lately... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StRanger7032 Posted March 2, 2016 Author Share Posted March 2, 2016 I find it amazing that a major manufacturer can put such junk out its doors and get away with it. This thing is so bad that the quality control person had to have noticed. They just stamped the tag and boxed it up anyway apparently. Meanwhile, my 2016 Les Paul is flawless and played like a dream right out of the box with no setup. Looks like I'll be in the market for a quality Strat style guitar from another manufacturer like G+L. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidblast Posted March 2, 2016 Share Posted March 2, 2016 not wanting to jump on the hate-fender-wagon, probably should mention that I picked up a Deluxe Strat at the local mom and pop shop.. had a tag on it of $1,699 it was a total dog, horrible setup, very cheap feeling neck (satin finish) S1 switching which I just don't have much of a use for... very unimpressive.. Sitting next to that, was a MIM Thin Line telecaster, ($499) right off the rack it was obvious the setup and fit / finish was superior in every way to the deluxe at almost 4x the cost it's a crap shot! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rct Posted March 2, 2016 Share Posted March 2, 2016 I've owned many Fenders all of my life and never owned one I had to let one go because it was faulty. That's a bad experience for sure, I'm sorry that happened. rct Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LPguitarman Posted March 2, 2016 Share Posted March 2, 2016 Well, it's just a slab of wood with another piece of wood BOLTED TO IT. Whad'ya expect? [flapper] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie brown Posted March 2, 2016 Share Posted March 2, 2016 Wow, that's very sad! I've owned several Fenders, at various times, in my life. 2 currently...my Vintage '64 "L" series Strat, which I've had for 52 years, now. And, a more recent 2012 MIM Classic '60's Telecaster. NO QC, or set-up problems, with any of them. Seems like (at least) some of it should be on the dealer, to make sure they're properly set-up, and QC'd BEFORE they're put out for sale. There really isn't any excuse, for a bad product, being on the sales floor, unless it's an "as is" and/or liquidation type sale. Even then, it's questionable...IMHO. So, I'd be more concerned, with the dealer's QC practices, than Fender's. I'm sure Fender would replace or honor their warranty, IF there's something really wrong, with any of their new guitars. CB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stein Posted March 2, 2016 Share Posted March 2, 2016 I haven't really bought or played a new Fender in like...since 2008 or so. 2010? Up until then, they seemed to be getting better and better, particularly in the reissue stuff. Last few years, what I have seen (as in visually) the few times I have gone to a shop, the offerings are going downhill. The cheaper stuff has different bridges and string spacing, some bodies seem smaller, but what really I noticed, is the American "Custom Shop" reissues are WAY off as far as accuracy. CB might note, the contours are just all wrong. They USED to be darned near close to correct. My understanding, my impression, that for the standard or regular models, the ONLY difference between the American ones and the Mexican ones was the quality of the electronics (pups), and the extra finish work, mainly the frets and the neck. Hmmm. To me, the company seems to be going downhill. I haven't picked up one or played one in a while, but that's mainly because I haven't been interested or seen one worth checking out. Can't confirm or deny the above original post. I'm sure there are some nice ones available for those who need one. I would think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Searcy Posted March 2, 2016 Share Posted March 2, 2016 This is the neck joint of a 2015 Fender USA tele someone sent me last year. I can't imagen buying an American made Fender these days. The quality is hit and miss and the prices are insane. I'd put a $150 Squire Jazz bass up against any USA Jazz Bass coding 10 times as much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rct Posted March 2, 2016 Share Posted March 2, 2016 Searcy, why didn't the buyer just take it back? Why are guitar players so stupid they walk around with crap like that? Don't people get that the company has no idea what they are doing wrong unless we send them back, make the dealer and the company work it out. It's the only thing they pay attention to! rct Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
'Scales Posted March 2, 2016 Share Posted March 2, 2016 This is the neck joint of a 2015 Fender USA tele someone sent me last year. Way more precision needed on the high E than I've got Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Searcy Posted March 2, 2016 Share Posted March 2, 2016 Searcy, why didn't the buyer just take it back? Why are guitar players so stupid they walk around with crap like that? Don't people get that the company has no idea what they are doing wrong unless we send them back, make the dealer and the company work it out. It's the only thing they pay attention to! rct He did send it back. It was a mail order thing from Musicians Friend or something like that. It was some sort of $2000+ "special edition" that he just had to have but couldn't find in a local store. The high E string is actually off the frets and unplayable. This really is something that should fall on the shop though. They jump through a lot of hoops to be Gibson and Fender dealers. They should be looking out for the brands and catching crap like this when it ends up in their shops. Not passing it along to an unsuspecting player and then telling them to call Gibson or Fender and argue with customer service. The shop is supposed to BE customer service. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stein Posted March 2, 2016 Share Posted March 2, 2016 Don't people get that the company has no idea what they are doing wrong unless we send them back, make the dealer and the company work it out. It's the only thing they pay attention to! rct Not passing it along to an unsuspecting player and then telling them to call Gibson or Fender and argue with customer service. The shop is supposed to BE customer service. And to think...we vote. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pippy Posted March 2, 2016 Share Posted March 2, 2016 ...This is the neck joint of a 2015 Fender USA tele someone sent me last year... Crap body/neck fits are as old as the brand. I had a '59 Strat which, in comparison, would make that seem like a fantastic fit. I REALLY love Fenders but...........yeah. Pip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cookieman15061 Posted March 2, 2016 Share Posted March 2, 2016 I guess I'm getting all the good ones! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4Hayden Posted March 2, 2016 Share Posted March 2, 2016 1 st time shame on you , second time music store ,third time ~~~well you know the rest 4H Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stein Posted March 2, 2016 Share Posted March 2, 2016 Crap body/neck fits are as old as the brand. I had a '59 Strat which, in comparison, would make that seem like a fantastic fit. I REALLY love Fenders but...........yeah. Pip. I don't know Mr. Pippy. I kinda thought the same thing too, and wondered why such detailed shots of the sides and not the bottom. But then I saw the obvious- the strings are WAY off, meaning, this neck as it sits is shifted WAY over even as it sits. Being an obvious experienced Fender dude, you likely know as well as me and a lot of freaks that what makes the neck joint work is how well it sits in the pocket. Those four wood screws don't keep it from shifting. (And the do shift...just that when you hit it that hard, a Gibby would be without a headstock/tuners). A well cut neck/pocket will shift back into "correct" with a little bang or nudge, or often, not move in the first place. Having done a few parts guitars, has something to do with the initial fit, too. But, I digress... That pocket is kinda wide, but it's also a Tele with a square neck pocket. And 2k price range. And it's F E N D E R. They should know what's going on with this particular peculiarity of Fenderness on the high end of the bolt-on order of things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stein Posted March 2, 2016 Share Posted March 2, 2016 I guess I'm getting all the good ones! YOU have been getting the good ones for quite a while. Not just Fenders. Is it getting time to upgrade the couch yet? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StRanger7032 Posted March 3, 2016 Author Share Posted March 3, 2016 After another hour of painstaking setup, its playable. That's about all I can say. The action is on the high side of where I can stand it. There's still plenty of fret buzz, although no more completely dead notes. Its not going to get any better than it is now, so its probably going back. I compared it to my 2013 Tele just to make sure I wasn't being too critical. The Tele has lower action with slightly lighter strings and still no fret buzz. Its a shame because its a gorgeous guitar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stein Posted March 3, 2016 Share Posted March 3, 2016 After another hour of painstaking setup, its playable. That's about all I can say. The action is on the high side of where I can stand it. There's still plenty of fret buzz, although no more completely dead notes. Its not going to get any better than it is now, so its probably going back. I compared it to my 2013 Tele just to make sure I wasn't being too critical. The Tele has lower action with slightly lighter strings and still no fret buzz. Its a shame because its a gorgeous guitar. How much are these going for these days, if I might ask? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StRanger7032 Posted March 3, 2016 Author Share Posted March 3, 2016 How much are these going for these days, if I might ask? The standard colors go for $1299 from the big online sellers. The Sienna Sunburst is considered a premium color and goes for $1449. I got this one for $1250 out the door at a local mom and pop shop. Its a leftover 2015, and I think they might have given me such a great price in hopes of getting it out the door for good since they knew it didn't have a good fret job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
'Scales Posted March 3, 2016 Share Posted March 3, 2016 Seems like (at least) some of it should be on the dealer, to make sure they're properly set-up, and QC'd BEFORE they're put out for sale. There really isn't any excuse, for a bad product, being on the sales floor, unless it's an "as is" and/or liquidation type sale. This really is something that should fall on the shop though. They jump through a lot of hoops to be Gibson and Fender dealers. They should be looking out for the brands and catching crap like this when it ends up in their shops. Interesting views, and I'm not saying you are wrong by any means, but in these days where so much is sold on line there may well be a lot of stock that never sees a shop floor - I wonder whether a lot of guitars just come in to a warehouse owned by a big box 'store' in their carton and then get shipped out again - maybe a photograph gets taken, maybe they use stock photos, maybe the photo is taken by the work experience kid then back in the carton it goes - I don't know. Maybe their contract just says sell as is and if customer is unhappy do not try to fix, return to manufacturer or warranty is void - again, I don't know. If Fender has a QC dept, then the Tele Searcy photographed suggests the QC doesn't involve ANY playing of the instrument - maybe they just check the paintjob and that nothing is broken or missing? Its not going to get any better than it is now, so its probably going back. Its a shame because its a gorgeous guitar. It sure is StR - but you obviously didn't just buy it to sit and stare at it. What a shame. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retired Posted March 3, 2016 Share Posted March 3, 2016 1456978794[/url]' post='1747429']The standard colors go for $1299 from the big online sellers. The Sienna Sunburst is considered a premium color and goes for $1449. I got this one for $1250 out the door at a local mom and pop shop. Its a leftover 2015, and I think they might have given me such a great price in hopes of getting it out the door for good since they knew it didn't have a good fret job. Never had a strat, but always wanted one. I think reading through these posts now I'll never get one. Not that there aren't good ones out there but I got a 12 string acoustic for Christmas a couple of years back and noticed it had a dead spot from the 7th fret to the 12th frets, mainly on the bottom 3 high strings. I ignored it for awhile since I rarely played it that high up but before the waranty expired I took it back this year and the neck was bent and twisted. They gave me a brand new 12 in the store and it plays great. They asked if I wanted mine back after it was sent back and repaired and I said No! I'll take the new replacement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StRanger7032 Posted March 3, 2016 Author Share Posted March 3, 2016 I put the Strat back in the case and played my perfect 2016 Les Paul for a while. Not a hint of fret buzz, no matter how hard I play. Ahh...I suddenly feel much better! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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