Bought a $2,099 Eric Clapton Strat and a $189 Firefly Tele. The quality of the cheap Chinese made Tele was hands down way better than the American made Fender. I literally ended up having to file down all the sharp fret ends on the Strat. F-ing sad!
*Fender Mexico* - Overly rushed due to production demand. Quality has dipped since 2019. They have caught up in orders and backlogs for the most part, but quality has suffered. *American Fenders* - QC has dipped around 2020, and the major QC dip is due to the Staff turnover and the massive layoffs in 2022. Some of the staff that were sacked have been working for 15 years. I don't think American Fenders will improve their QC anytime soon. *Japanese Fenders* - IMO the best things you can get today. Problem is, they are elusive, and the models are limited Special Runs. If you want a new Fender one, get the new ones from Japan.
I returned a Fender American Professional II Precision Bass today. The quality control was shockingly bad, namely fret sprout and a broken truss rod. How the bass ever left the factory in Corona is a complete mystery to me. I opted to keep the Mexican P bass I have. I upgraded the pickups to Custom Shop 63 and installed a high mass bridge. It plays and sounds like a dream.
I stopped buying CS Strats. Had loads of them but these days, taken as an independent manufacturer, Fenders CS is the second largest guitar maker in the US. Nothing going on there that isn't about fleecing customers. I could point to any number of issues with CS guitars I've bought in the past six or so years.
Considering the number of guitars being built, there are bound to be occasional problems. Personally, I've ought three Strats in the last two years and the build quality has been exceptional. So the nice ones are out there, you just might have to play a few to get the perfect one. This has been the same for as long as I've been playing, and that's over 60 years now.
They got ya buddy 😢 I haven’t bought a name brand guitar in years, your better of building some parts guitars. especially if you have some knowledge about building guitars and even if your just learning you really should start building them. Good luck man
When I was around 18 (not that long ago) I saved up around $900 to go and buy myself an upgrade from my Squier I had been playing. I tested different guitars at Guitar Center to see which one suited me and almost every Fender I tried was constantly going out of tune or sounded like shit. I ended up buying an aquaburst Schecter CR-6 for $700 that was on sale, (normally $1,199, basically stealing it), and after taking it home and setting it up it plays like butter even today years later. Dont think I will ever buy a Fender any time soon, but if I do the only models I like are the Jagstang, the Mustang and the Jaguar because of their shorter necks.
I bought an Ultra Jazzmaster. Caused minor cosmetic damage just adjusting the trussrod. The headstock is not treated - softwood, doesn't make any sense. Then there is the cheap walnut hollow dowel - it cracked when the hex slipped. Was so mad I just stuck a sticker over it, lol. The bridge height adjustment uses a hex that is .05"? Do you know how easy it is to lose or break that wrench is? 3rd - have only had a few months, much of which has been in the case and the pickup switch is already crackling like hell in the middle position. My first and possibly last American Fender. I have heard the MIJ's are as good/better for a fraction of the price.
I went for the player plus top rather than the plus. Glad I did, needing a setup which is standard for a sub 1k guitar. Needed a new nut and a fret level. I was sceptical about the noise cancelling pickups that come on the plus, you've confirmed my suspicions with them now. Only thing I'd have wanted from the plus was the rounded fretboard edges.
I have one of these somewhere around here but it came with locking tuners( yechhhh). I thought all the Player Plus ones come like that. And yeah I had to fix the nut and the fret ends. I never play it. Those noiseless pickups are barf I think. I have an American Pro 2 I don’t like much more. Vintage 2 is the only one I ever use when I play a Strat.
The only issue I have with my Player strat is excessive fret sprout all over the neck. It is extremely annoying. Other than that, the guitar is built really well.
You are absolutely right ,it's def less than 50 miles between the 2 factories and watching Anderton's recent tour the vast majority of the Corona factory are Mexican so I buy Mexican with pride.Also the most sought after Strats are the ones built by Todeo Gomez.
Bought a roadworn 60's jazz bass brand new last week just as something new. I swore off anything MIM when it came to Fender as i've had so many QC issues. I learned this many years ago and now only have US MM, GL, PRS, GIBSON. I had a bad feeling about this bass coming in and when it did.....within the first minute or so i noticed a 3/4 depth crack at the headstock that extended from the end of headstock, to underneath the E string Tuner. This was a brand new unused Fender in a Fender Classic hardcase. Although i have liked my US Fenders, i refuse to buy anything from Fender again.
3 years ago I bought a shiny new Player Series Telecaster online. The neck was so far out of alignment that the top E string was beyond the edge of the fret board at the body joint. I had it fixed as part of set-up - now I find the neck pick-up is microphonic... Last Fender I will ever buy - there are so many other, better brands - I was being a snob and wanted the logo.
I bought a MiM Fender Strat 12mts ago, and after owning Fenders before, along with Squier's, Sire's, Harley Benton's, My MiM Fender, is a Beautifully made Instrument, and I would Never Pay 3x the Price, for a American Made One I've had a Japanese Fender ST61 before and this is a Much nicer Guitar, the Player Plus Fender, comes with Noiseless Pick ups! and they are Awful, wooly Sounding, and you should have Known that before Purchase
I haven’t had much issue with that as of yet. But I also have not adjusted the truss rod. When I take it to the luthier he however might and I’ll ask him about it
I've bought 3 mim fenders, 2 tele's and a strat, all 3 had qc issues, necks not straight, so had to be fettled, the strat bridge plate wasn't on straight and had to be fettled.. One of the tele's had a large dent in the fingerboard and was swapped for another, the replacement had 4 signatures on the qc tag, it was spot on, the others only had 2 signatures on the tag, they weren't spot on, that's telling a tale to me. None were as bad as yours though!
I'm sure theres the typical set up inconsistencies, like any guitar under around $1500 now. I guess I don't buy mid teir guitars expecting them to be perfectly set up to my liking. All I've ever heard for years is how great all these MIM guitars from Fender are? I've never even bothered with a Fender, and stay away from big name brands. I can tell you some of the AJ sigs from Epiphone came with very little QC checks, and many of the guitars in the first few batches had some major issues. They dialed them in for the 3rd and subsequent editions, and I've heard little complaint since. Having a misaligned neck or poorly set nut is actually fairly common. What price should be enough to prevent inconsistencies like this, is up to the individual.
you see those fun videos yet? "my temu partscaster is better than your stratocaster" I've seen a couple. You can never get what you want from these stock guitars and they require super modifications to get a stage/studio ready sound out of them. Then they cost too much. At xmas, stewmac had those les paul kits for 200$, what a steal, built me up a very nice sounding les paul with gibson greenybuckers in it for about 650$ total (replaced tuners, pots, toggle and pups) ... I was scoffing at the epiphone model for 1500$ ..... The best guitar that comes out of that mexican plant down there is probably stamped with Charvel ...... enjoy
I bought a USA Strat Ultra off the wall at Guitar Center about 2 years ago. The only issues I can find is a little fret sprout and I don't like the way the trem bar has to be pushed into the hole. It took an unhealthy amount of pressure to seat it into the retaining spring. I wish it was a screw in bar instead. Other than that I can find no other flaws.
Not to mention that they’re using Pau Ferro for their fretboards now. Just not the vibe at all. Fender and Gibson looking for every excuse to cut their costs as much as they can. Went ahead and bought an early 2000’s crafted in Japan for the same price. Thing sounds and looks beautiful.
@@theguitarrabbi7173 They’re honestly true. The 1999-2005 era of Fender Japan guitars are awesome. I haven’t been able to try any of the new stuff out of Japan but hear they’re great. If overseas shipping wasn’t as annoying as it is I think more people would definitely consider that
@@theguitarrabbi7173that's Japan dude. They build stuff as if their family name is on the line (Japanese code of honor and pride). They don't allow dogs out of the factory- it's unacceptable in their culture.
I’m confused… can’t you just send it back? Did you void the warranty by taking the pickups out? Didn’t you notice all this before you voided the warranty? You’re talking about that Mexican strat like you just bought a fender custom shop… the Mex’s are basically cheap strat repros. When you say they’re ’just as good’ as the American standards… come on, nobody has ever said that and meant it.
Unfortunately even custom shops aren’t always as good as you’d expect.. I just bought a brand new tele CS ‘61 ltd edition and the tuners need to be replaced as they don’t work properly and even the set up it came with is a complete mess. It’s for sure a matter of bad luck but you don’t wanna deal with such issues when you spend over 4K for a “high end” guitar..
Needs a neck shim? Anyway, Black Friday weekend 2022, I saw a sale on Amazon for the Fender Player Plus Nashville Telecaster ,33% off! Took a chance, since returns to Amazon are so easy. I can even drop it off at the local Kohl's store. Maybe I got lucky. The guitars is fantastic! Just a little turn on the truss rod, and the action was great. But I did have to set the intonation( no big deal). It sucks that you had a bad experience with you new Fender. It only magnifies the problem that major guitar companies are having with the huge inconsistencies in quality control. And it seems to me that would be job number one. Sadly, for big companies, job number one is just putting a buck in the bank. Good luck on your SRV product!
No a Mexican Strat is not like a USA made Strat. The finish, the hardware, pickups, switches, nut materials and pots are all different. I own both. And far and away prefer a vintage style USA fender, a lot of things you are complaining about sure seem like basic set up issues, and I have never had a nut on any fender neck cut short, not Mexican , not an American, not a custom shop. They were all high, and needed set up. And I have purchased many fender necks for parts builds. All were high. I really think this dude screwed up the nut himself. Mexican nuts are molded, not cut, they are all high, and he over cut it, then blamed fender. Sorry dude , not buying it. I know better.
I screwed up the nut myself without even touching the guitar when it was unboxed on the live stream? Are you high? You must work for fender because there are numerous videos showing the same issues I had straight out of the box with Mexican made and American made fenders. To be a moron somewhere else
Mexican Fenders are not going to be "the best of the best". They are one step above a Squier Classic Vibe. American ones are much better. Guitar companies put out guitars of varying quality levels so everyone can afford to buy one with the company name on it. You can't expect the cheapest Fender to play as nice as one that is twice or more as expensive. They also don't give even expensive guitars much of a setup. Setups are subjective so it is left to each owner to make it right for themselves.
I'm sorry to hear about your unexpected QC issues with your Strat. I recently received a Player Plus Nashville Tele from Sweetwater and my purchasing and unboxing experience was really great. Except for the unexpected (but understandable) "Winter Warning" sticker that advises waiting to open the box for 24 hours, it came out of the box in perfect condition. I ordered a maple fretboard because I can't stand pao ferro. I haven't put it down since. Every guitar purchasing adventure should be like this. I worked for audio manufacturing companies for many years. It's rare when a single person has a "bad day" resulting in a bad product. In my experience, there are many checks and balances along the way to catch the obvious mistakes you enumerated. Good luck with the upgrades.
He bought a MIM strat and expects MIUSA with the addition of a few cheap parts..YOU have been drinking the YOU TUBE KOOL AID MY MAN (GIBSON EMPLOYEE OR REP OR SOMETHING)
Glad to know we have a douche bag antisemitic moron in the chat with the IQ of a dandelion. You know that RUclips shows me you liked your own comment right? Lol
Doesn’t show him receiving a Fender out of a box anywhere. I know what this is. He bought a fake Chinese Fender claiming it is a MIM authentic Fender because he works for Gibson. The Fender he had on the bench in another video switching pickups is obviously not a real Fender.
Nice clickbait title. You can't make these broad sweeping statements as you can't back it up with actual numbers to prove it. Fender make so many guitars every year... 'some RUclipsrs said it... I read it on a forum' 😂 ok mr statistic
Bought a $2,099 Eric Clapton Strat and a $189 Firefly Tele. The quality of the cheap Chinese made Tele was hands down way better than the American made Fender. I literally ended up having to file down all the sharp fret ends on the Strat. F-ing sad!
*Fender Mexico* - Overly rushed due to production demand. Quality has dipped since 2019. They have caught up in orders and backlogs for the most part, but quality has suffered.
*American Fenders* - QC has dipped around 2020, and the major QC dip is due to the Staff turnover and the massive layoffs in 2022. Some of the staff that were sacked have been working for 15 years. I don't think American Fenders will improve their QC anytime soon.
*Japanese Fenders* - IMO the best things you can get today. Problem is, they are elusive, and the models are limited Special Runs. If you want a new Fender one, get the new ones from Japan.
I returned a Fender American Professional II Precision Bass today. The quality control was shockingly bad, namely fret sprout and a broken truss rod. How the bass ever left the factory in Corona is a complete mystery to me. I opted to keep the Mexican P bass I have. I upgraded the pickups to Custom Shop 63 and installed a high mass bridge. It plays and sounds like a dream.
My USA Jeff Beck Strat had a warped neck from the factory. Fender refused to do anything.
I stopped buying CS Strats. Had loads of them but these days, taken as an independent manufacturer, Fenders CS is the second largest guitar maker in the US. Nothing going on there that isn't about fleecing customers. I could point to any number of issues with CS guitars I've bought in the past six or so years.
Considering the number of guitars being built, there are bound to be occasional problems. Personally, I've ought three Strats in the last two years and the build quality has been exceptional. So the nice ones are out there, you just might have to play a few to get the perfect one. This has been the same for as long as I've been playing, and that's over 60 years now.
They got ya buddy 😢 I haven’t bought a name brand guitar in years, your better of building some parts guitars. especially if you have some knowledge about building guitars and even if your just learning you really should start building them. Good luck man
When I was around 18 (not that long ago) I saved up around $900 to go and buy myself an upgrade from my Squier I had been playing. I tested different guitars at Guitar Center to see which one suited me and almost every Fender I tried was constantly going out of tune or sounded like shit. I ended up buying an aquaburst Schecter CR-6 for $700 that was on sale, (normally $1,199, basically stealing it), and after taking it home and setting it up it plays like butter even today years later. Dont think I will ever buy a Fender any time soon, but if I do the only models I like are the Jagstang, the Mustang and the Jaguar because of their shorter necks.
The aspect of Fender's QC that sticks out to me the most is that it is very consistent and high quality.
I bought an Ultra Jazzmaster. Caused minor cosmetic damage just adjusting the trussrod. The headstock is not treated - softwood, doesn't make any sense. Then there is the cheap walnut hollow dowel - it cracked when the hex slipped. Was so mad I just stuck a sticker over it, lol. The bridge height adjustment uses a hex that is .05"? Do you know how easy it is to lose or break that wrench is? 3rd - have only had a few months, much of which has been in the case and the pickup switch is already crackling like hell in the middle position. My first and possibly last American Fender. I have heard the MIJ's are as good/better for a fraction of the price.
I went for the player plus top rather than the plus. Glad I did, needing a setup which is standard for a sub 1k guitar. Needed a new nut and a fret level. I was sceptical about the noise cancelling pickups that come on the plus, you've confirmed my suspicions with them now. Only thing I'd have wanted from the plus was the rounded fretboard edges.
I have one of these somewhere around here but it came with locking tuners( yechhhh). I thought all the Player Plus ones come like that. And yeah I had to fix the nut and the fret ends. I never play it. Those noiseless pickups are barf I think. I have an American Pro 2 I don’t like much more. Vintage 2 is the only one I ever use when I play a Strat.
Sadly Fender and Gibson QC has gone the way of Ford and GM, no wonder import guitars are superior now!
Wrong. Corona to Ensenada is 422 miles.
Google Maps is your friend. It's 187 miles literally door to door.
The only issue I have with my Player strat is excessive fret sprout all over the neck. It is extremely annoying. Other than that, the guitar is built really well.
My early 90s USA strat pluses are perfect. The best ever.
Is this the YT equivalent of Drunk Texting? this guy's at least a 12pk into a Sesh
You are absolutely right ,it's def less than 50 miles between the 2 factories and watching Anderton's recent tour the vast majority of the Corona factory are Mexican so I buy Mexican with pride.Also the most sought after Strats are the ones built by Todeo Gomez.
Bought a roadworn 60's jazz bass brand new last week just as something new. I swore off anything MIM when it came to Fender as i've had so many QC issues. I learned this many years ago and now only have US MM, GL, PRS, GIBSON. I had a bad feeling about this bass coming in and when it did.....within the first minute or so i noticed a 3/4 depth crack at the headstock that extended from the end of headstock, to underneath the E string Tuner. This was a brand new unused Fender in a Fender Classic hardcase. Although i have liked my US Fenders, i refuse to buy anything from Fender again.
you should have known you were rolling the dice buying a mid-tier guitar from the Mexico plant.
3 years ago I bought a shiny new Player Series Telecaster online. The neck was so far out of alignment that the top E string was beyond the edge of the fret board at the body joint. I had it fixed as part of set-up - now I find the neck pick-up is microphonic... Last Fender I will ever buy - there are so many other, better brands - I was being a snob and wanted the logo.
I bought a MiM Fender Strat 12mts ago, and after owning Fenders before, along with Squier's, Sire's, Harley Benton's,
My MiM Fender, is a Beautifully made Instrument, and I would Never Pay 3x the Price, for a American Made One
I've had a Japanese Fender ST61 before and this is a Much nicer Guitar, the Player Plus Fender, comes with Noiseless Pick ups!
and they are Awful, wooly Sounding, and you should have Known that before Purchase
The plastic truss rod hole looks so cheap on those MIM versions.
I haven’t had much issue with that as of yet. But I also have not adjusted the truss rod. When I take it to the luthier he however might and I’ll ask him about it
I've bought 3 mim fenders, 2 tele's and a strat, all 3 had qc issues, necks not straight, so had to be fettled, the strat bridge plate wasn't on straight and had to be fettled.. One of the tele's had a large dent in the fingerboard and was swapped for another, the replacement had 4 signatures on the qc tag, it was spot on, the others only had 2 signatures on the tag, they weren't spot on, that's telling a tale to me. None were as bad as yours though!
I hope I don’t have to have this thing refretted as well. I’ll find out all that needs to be done when it goes to the luthier next Friday
I've never had any issues myself with a MIM Fender tho I dont play strats but think you were just unlucky.
I'm sure theres the typical set up inconsistencies, like any guitar under around $1500 now. I guess I don't buy mid teir guitars expecting them to be perfectly set up to my liking. All I've ever heard for years is how great all these MIM guitars from Fender are? I've never even bothered with a Fender, and stay away from big name brands. I can tell you some of the AJ sigs from Epiphone came with very little QC checks, and many of the guitars in the first few batches had some major issues. They dialed them in for the 3rd and subsequent editions, and I've heard little complaint since. Having a misaligned neck or poorly set nut is actually fairly common. What price should be enough to prevent inconsistencies like this, is up to the individual.
you see those fun videos yet? "my temu partscaster is better than your stratocaster" I've seen a couple. You can never get what you want from these stock guitars and they require super modifications to get a stage/studio ready sound out of them. Then they cost too much. At xmas, stewmac had those les paul kits for 200$, what a steal, built me up a very nice sounding les paul with gibson greenybuckers in it for about 650$ total (replaced tuners, pots, toggle and pups) ... I was scoffing at the epiphone model for 1500$ ..... The best guitar that comes out of that mexican plant down there is probably stamped with Charvel ...... enjoy
Stick with the Harley Benton man. Can’t be disappointed when you only pay peanuts for those.
Many of the Harley Bentons have been pretty good in terms of setup. Which is sad considering the fender models are a significant amount more
I bought a USA Strat Ultra off the wall at Guitar Center about 2 years ago. The only issues I can find is a little fret sprout and I don't like the way the trem bar has to be pushed into the hole. It took an unhealthy amount of pressure to seat it into the retaining spring. I wish it was a screw in bar instead. Other than that I can find no other flaws.
Not to mention that they’re using Pau Ferro for their fretboards now. Just not the vibe at all. Fender and Gibson looking for every excuse to cut their costs as much as they can. Went ahead and bought an early 2000’s crafted in Japan for the same price. Thing sounds and looks beautiful.
I have heard amazing things about the QC and overall quality of the Japanese fenders
@@theguitarrabbi7173 They’re honestly true. The 1999-2005 era of Fender Japan guitars are awesome. I haven’t been able to try any of the new stuff out of Japan but hear they’re great. If overseas shipping wasn’t as annoying as it is I think more people would definitely consider that
@@theguitarrabbi7173that's Japan dude. They build stuff as if their family name is on the line (Japanese code of honor and pride). They don't allow dogs out of the factory- it's unacceptable in their culture.
I’m confused… can’t you just send it back? Did you void the warranty by taking the pickups out? Didn’t you notice all this before you voided the warranty? You’re talking about that Mexican strat like you just bought a fender custom shop… the Mex’s are basically cheap strat repros. When you say they’re ’just as good’ as the American standards… come on, nobody has ever said that and meant it.
Unfortunately even custom shops aren’t always as good as you’d expect.. I just bought a brand new tele CS ‘61 ltd edition and the tuners need to be replaced as they don’t work properly and even the set up it came with is a complete mess. It’s for sure a matter of bad luck but you don’t wanna deal with such issues when you spend over 4K for a “high end” guitar..
@@michaelmyers8356 for 4 grand I’d be fuming. My 1994 custom shop 1954 strat is a work of art.
But then how can you make content?
@@whatabouttheearth yeah there is that 😂
Needs a neck shim? Anyway, Black Friday weekend 2022, I saw a sale on Amazon for the Fender Player Plus Nashville Telecaster ,33% off! Took a chance, since returns to Amazon are so easy. I can even drop it off at the local Kohl's store. Maybe I got lucky. The guitars is fantastic! Just a little turn on the truss rod, and the action was great. But I did have to set the intonation( no big deal). It sucks that you had a bad experience with you new Fender. It only magnifies the problem that major guitar companies are having with the huge inconsistencies in quality control. And it seems to me that would be job number one. Sadly, for big companies, job number one is just putting a buck in the bank. Good luck on your SRV product!
Yeah,,who are you ..a Gibson shareholder
dude I hate Gibson and even I can see the writing on the wall here, Fender sucks these days
Bought a player Strat. Great from factory
No a Mexican Strat is not like a USA made Strat.
The finish, the hardware, pickups, switches, nut materials and pots are all different. I own both.
And far and away prefer a vintage style USA fender, a lot of things you are complaining about sure seem like basic set up issues, and I have never had a nut on any fender neck cut short, not Mexican , not an American, not a custom shop. They were all high, and needed set up. And I have purchased many fender necks for parts builds. All were high.
I really think this dude screwed up the nut himself.
Mexican nuts are molded, not cut, they are all high, and he over cut it, then blamed fender.
Sorry dude , not buying it.
I know better.
I screwed up the nut myself without even touching the guitar when it was unboxed on the live stream? Are you high? You must work for fender because there are numerous videos showing the same issues I had straight out of the box with Mexican made and American made fenders. To be a moron somewhere else
Mexican Fenders are not going to be "the best of the best". They are one step above a Squier Classic Vibe. American ones are much better. Guitar companies put out guitars of varying quality levels so everyone can afford to buy one with the company name on it. You can't expect the cheapest Fender to play as nice as one that is twice or more as expensive. They also don't give even expensive guitars much of a setup. Setups are subjective so it is left to each owner to make it right for themselves.
I'm sorry to hear about your unexpected QC issues with your Strat. I recently received a Player Plus Nashville Tele from Sweetwater and my purchasing and unboxing experience was really great. Except for the unexpected (but understandable) "Winter Warning" sticker that advises waiting to open the box for 24 hours, it came out of the box in perfect condition. I ordered a maple fretboard because I can't stand pao ferro. I haven't put it down since. Every guitar purchasing adventure should be like this. I worked for audio manufacturing companies for many years. It's rare when a single person has a "bad day" resulting in a bad product. In my experience, there are many checks and balances along the way to catch the obvious mistakes you enumerated. Good luck with the upgrades.
He bought a MIM strat and expects MIUSA with the addition of a few cheap parts..YOU have been drinking the YOU TUBE KOOL AID MY MAN (GIBSON EMPLOYEE OR REP OR SOMETHING)
Been to any underground tunnels lately?
Glad to know we have a douche bag antisemitic moron in the chat with the IQ of a dandelion. You know that RUclips shows me you liked your own comment right? Lol
Doesn’t show him receiving a Fender out of a box anywhere. I know what this is. He bought a fake Chinese Fender claiming it is a MIM authentic Fender because he works for Gibson. The Fender he had on the bench in another video switching pickups is obviously not a real Fender.
Than why is he promoting prs and Harley Benton? 😂
It’s funny how there is no demo of these problems being described. I think we all know what’s going on here.
Except for the video posted earlier showing it. I think i know the trolling you are doing here moron.
Nice clickbait title. You can't make these broad sweeping statements as you can't back it up with actual numbers to prove it. Fender make so many guitars every year... 'some RUclipsrs said it... I read it on a forum' 😂 ok mr statistic