Fender's QC under evaluation! I found some issues... but it wasn't Fender's fault!
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 25 ก.พ. 2023
- I bought a second American Vintage ii guitar and decided to make an unboxing video to see how they compared. Strangely, the new one had setup issues... but it doesn't look like it was Fender's fault.
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Every Stratocaster I’ve had since 1977 ( about 5 now in the last 40 years). Have had a neck pocket gap, never had a problem with them.
What a good son…lucky dad. If I had a boy I would want him to be just like you😊 Thanks for sharing. This exact guitar is on my list.
Thanks for the kind words, and thanks for watching!
Major cred to you. What an awesome gift. My daughter won't even buy dinner, ever! 😄
🤣 well thanks for the compliment and thanks for watching!
Geez, what a beautiful instrument. I just found the one, can’t wait to get it.
Cool thing to do for your dad .your a good man. I just ordered the same guitar in Olympic white . Will look cool with my American original 60s in threetone
That sounds like a great pair of Strats! Thanks for the comment and thanks for watching!
It's crazy, I'm seeing more AVII videos with QC issues or oddities than not. I bought an AV '62 Jaguar in '06 or '07 and that thing has been nothing but rock solid.
I’m glad to hear yours is in tip top shape. QC issues at this price point is flabbergasting. Im glad this one just needed a set up to fix the last guy’s set up lol. Thanks for watching!
Nice video. I think Fender rushes their setups, but they at least know what they're aiming for. That setup crossed the line from sloppy to looking like someone from the keyboard dept got a hold of it. Luckily, it sounds like no damage was done, though I would take a good look at the truss rod adjustment.
My '61 AVII had a strong smell of lacquer and the neck felt like it was still wet for the first week or 2. All it took was some air and some UV from the sun to cure the finish to fix it. My neck pocket looks tight. My trem was set up floating like your first one, which is how I like it. My main complaint is that it's a left-handed guitar and they used right-handed pots and knobs. It looks like they only put the wrong parts on the vintage models, so I assume they treated lefties poorly in '61 and they're just being period correct.
Oh wow, you left handed players really do get the short end of the stick. I think the retailer had someone who knew nothing about guitars try to set this up. Thanks for watching!
cool video! have the vintage II in 3tsb ...love the guitar and the pu's are awesome. I also like the tone knob for the bridge pu! ...my best strat 😊
Glad to hear you bonded with yours also! Thanks for watching!
@@everynotecountsofficial thx!
I like the Rosewood on your first Strat, it's got character.
Thanks, I thought it looked pretty cool also. Thanks for watching!
I hsve 2 newish Fenders and they both had a bit of friction/stickyness on the back of the neck so just got some very fine wire wool and removed a bit of the lacquer and they are lovely now..Fender necks can move a bit in their pockets but as you know you can loosen those bolts a bit and pull em into place. I make shure the neck base butts up agsinst the body properly cos the pickguard can touch the neck bsse before the body wood does. That was a really great thing you for your Dad, if he likes this Guitar then it must be good cos Dads know this kind of stuff. Have fun!!
Thank you! Yes, my dad absolutely loves it. Thanks for watching!
Always time for Guitar lovers, music will save this planet...again.
I think you can loosen the neck screws and the strings, and hit the top of the neck with your hand, below the nut, and it should tighten up. Or talk to a good guitar tech. Some Four 0000 steel wool will help the back of the neck, AND you can use it on the frets and fingerboard (followed by a good board oil), if you tape off your neck pickup. GOOD on you on buying your dad a nice Strat! That really blesses my heart!
Thank you so much and thanks for watching!
I saw 50s model vintage II in shops on display that had a gap twice the size of yours. At what fender are charging for these guitars it seems pretty unacceptable.
Wow that’s so disconcerting😬. I hope the staff takes note of that and brings it to Fender’s attention. Thanks for watching!
This is sad because my player series stratocaster has no gap at all and I bought it 500€
@@Tarnished12 yeah if neck gap is a deal breaker for someone, it’s best to evaluate these in person. Thanks for watching!
@@everynotecountsofficial That’s not much of a problem to me, but yeah it can be
Its insane because literally a couple years before, in 2021, I was able to order Fenders without looking. I got my pro ii strat brand new online and it came to me perfectly set up, and in perfect playing condition. I know the shop didnt do a set up because the guitar was stamped as an april build and I had it by mid may
Beautiful guitars! Very nice of you to get one for Dad too!
Every 61 strat that I have seen has a slight pocket gap. I personally think this is part of the design and it's there for a reason. It could be for expansion / contraction with the nitro finish.
Anyway, I hope you and your dad enjoy your guitars.
That’s interesting! Thanks for mentioning that. I am enjoying mine very much, and my dad sends me texts every so often about how he sat down with the guitar and didn’t realize he had been playing it for over an hour, so I think he is enjoying it as well. Thanks for watching!
@@everynotecountsofficial I am happy both of you are enjoying your guitars.
I have several strats from USA, Mexico, and one from Japan. All of them vary with the pocket gap. The only one that was tight in the pocket from the beginning is a 1984 strat made in Japan. I bought it new and it didn't take long and the pocket cracked. It wasn't abused in any way. I think it was too tight from the factory.
Anyway, enjoy your guitars. They are meant to be played.
@@karlp.1096 thanks for sharing your experience, and rest assured those guitars are going to get played plenty! Thanks for watching!
I also looked at one of these as well in a store. Huge neck pocket gap.
From looking at the strings that pocket gap seems to be the neck out of alignment, probable due to shipping. Easy fix
The beauty of nitro finish is how much it relics and ages over time. Just ordered the 61 sunburst and can't wait to play it!!!
I hope you bond with yours like I did to mine. Thanks for watching!
It was awful on arrival. Had to take off the neck, tighten the truss rod, tighten tension springs, adjust saddles. It needed a full set up. Now, it’s the best of my 10 Stratocasters. Absolutely amazing
I’m so glad you were able to turn it around and enjoy it in all of its glory!
W/r/t the fit in the neck pocket - when you held the instrument up to the camera, the strings appeared slightly mis-aligned over the magnet poles. If you haven’t already, you might loosen the neck bolts a couple of turns and pull the neck toward the bass side, tightly into the pocket, then re-tighten. The gap should disappear, the strings will align properly with the pickups, and you’ll get more even sound string-to-string. Thanks for the video!
I might just do that. Thanks for watching!
I was binge watching videos about american vintage Strats because they offer the Fiesta red color with nitro finish in the 60s spec. So far i can't believe what's going on here. So many issues that some time ago you would expect to see on sub 500$ guitars.
I would never buy one of those online, but that is true for pretty much all guitars anyways.
I bought one last October (Olympic White also).
In the store it was obviously in need of a setup but I felt confident I could sort it myself (playing-for-40-years-worth of self confidence).
I couldn't.
Spent weeks fucking about with neck relief, action and string gauges to no avail. It buzzed, it had dead notes (the G string sounded like it had palm mute almost everywhere), it choked on bends - you name it...a total dog.
Still I decided I owed it the best chance to earn its £2,000 price tag so I did some asking around about who the pros use for guitar setup in Glasgow and the same name kept coming up.
So I made an appointment to let him have a look. His first reaction was "What the fuck?" but assured me it was saveable.
The setup wasn't cheap but, like I said, I wanted to give it the best chance.
Long story shortened a little...it now plays like butter with 10s. No chokes, no dead notes, nice action (within the boundaries of the 7.25" radius...1961, remember?). And it sounds beautiful.
Also had it properly hard-tailed with a wood block.
It needed a full fret dress and high spots removed in several places (oh, and the nut recut). Pickup heights set to Fender's '61 specs is also a revelation....rings like a bell now.
I'm very glad I toughed it out and the more I play it the better it plays.
Should we expect perfection out of the box? Is that a little unrealistic? I think the answer to both is "it depends".
Fender definitely have some QC issues with this model (YT has many videos along the same lines) but they sold out in weeks and the back order is lengthy so there's "something" about them.
Wow what a nightmare. I’m sorry you went through all that! I’m glad it’s playing well now, but that is so frustrating. Thanks for watching!
Hey Nigel. Would love to know who you took it to.Going for same guitar and in Glasgow area. Cheers
@@georgefindlay8370 went to Jimmy Egypt on Great Western Road.
According to the 60’s Strat blueprint, it’s meant to be that way. It’s meant to walk out the tiniest bit. There’s a .84 degree angle there.
I have the the guitar Olympic white also and yes mine has some sort of finish rubbing off on the neck maybe just nitro and it will definitely age faster
Good to know that it wasn’t just mine. Thanks for watching!
Where did you order it from? I’m debating on buying either that one or the ultra.
I bought from Kraft music, which I would do business with again. I also had a great experience with Cream City Music and would have bought from them as well, but wasn’t able to buy this particular Strat from them. The vintage ii and the ultra are on opposite ends of the spectrum, so best of luck choosing between them! I don’t have any experience with the ultra, personally, but I certainly understand the appeal. Thanks for watching!
Grea Video dude
Just got 1 three days ago. Glorious!! Of all My Strats … Pro 2.. Am Std… Player Plus and Mexi Std(which is brilliant btw) this Vintage 2 is FANTASTIC
my neck pocket is ok BTW.
Glad to hear that your Strat is awesome! Thanks for the kind words also. Sounds like you have quite a few killer Strats to compare it to. Thanks for watching!
I had the opposite problem with a CS Strat - the neck pocket was TOO tight, precluding me from giving the neck a yank to the proper angle - I had the classic "High E too close to the end of the fingerboard" syndrome. Had to take it to a CS authorized repair place. Some of these should have really been adjusted better at the factory, esp. at these prices.
And what jackass set this guitar up - stringing it BACKWARDS?!
I hope it’s playing better for you now. Thanks for watching!
@@everynotecountsofficial I wish I could tell you LOL It's still at the shop; they're slower than molasses in January with this thing haha
2:58 I had one fret sink way low on one side after airport security in Atlanta removed the guitar to a little room for inspection. Do they go back there and jam on guitars for a while?
Oh wow, that’s wild.
“Up next we have Jerry and the TSA Ensemble!”
Back then when I only had 1 fender usa strat, I was really concerned about that gap that is always present on the neck pocket. But as time went by and I acquired several strats the gap did not bother me anymore. Until I started buying fender japan strats which did not have the neck pocket gap at all. I've seen several customnshop strats in the past 15 years and most of them have the neck pocket gap. I have seen a lot of fender japan strats and none of them have the neck pocket gap. Not really an issue for me, but seeing a more expensive usa strat being sent out with the strings wound like that, makes me wonder, fender laid off a lot of workers swveral months ago from what I know, did they replace them with inexperienced people to lower down the cost?
The music store I bought it from said that they adjusted the truss rod and did some other adjustments. It makes me think that this person/store either has a new person or just flips guitars and doesn’t actually play them. The action was buzzing and way too low so I took the guitar to a tech and they said that it looked like this company tried to adjust the truss rod without taking the neck off. I won’t be buying from them again. I’m hearing growing concerns about Fender’s QC, but this guitar’s problems really looks like it’s due to the retailer. Thanks for watching!
Ive got 2 st62s a 94 and 89 same
Fender Japan are superior... end of.
The QC in Japan in a matter of pride, not looking at their watch to clock off at the end of their shift.
The AVRI ll are really not the greatest .. I’d rather have the Original 60s which is identical body but beefier and flatter neck.
@@mikebarnard2689 I would love to check out a Fender Japan Strat at some point. Thanks for watching!
@@everynotecountsofficial Jv modified strats are nice but different hardware and Bass wood bodies sound good but not really vintage I actually took the bridge off and put an American bridge on and then switched it back to the original one it came with it because it reacted differently with the tone the molten metal works better with the bass wood
I have ordered one from SW. thinking if i should pay to get it plek given the qc issues
Ordering one from Sweetwater was a good move. If there is a QC issue with your order, I’m sure your rep/tech will take care of you. A plek could help with frets if they aren’t level, but from what I understand, that’s really all it will address.
Thanks for watching!
You know those things are made to be adjusted right?
And adjusted they were. Thanks for watching!
Too many excuses bro. $2200.00 , I was contemplating buying a 61 vintage ll, but your video shares the crap out of me. That's a lot of money to spend on a guitar that's got issues at all.
I was very concerned with the state that the second one arrived in, but I am very confident that it was the seller’s lack of knowledge. There is no way that it was sent from Fender with strings wound backwards. I do not plan on doing business with that seller again. It’s frustrating living in a time where lots of options aren’t stocked locally, and you have to buy the guitar to try the guitar 😔. I completely understand your hesitation. Thanks for watching!
First, congrats on your 2nd Olympic white, for your Dad! Well done, 5 Stars there right away young Man. Secondly, I know there seem to have been QC issues at Fender, but surely either that’s been set up by an amateur at the shop, or some disgruntled Fender employee needs a good talking to. Regardless, I see nothing there that couldn’t be rectified, & I’m sure you have.
Thanks for the kind words, and I completely agree- Fender didn’t do this. Whoever “set this up” at the online store simply didn’t know what they were doing. The guitar has been set up properly now and it plays great. Thanks for watching!
Hey really great video. I have watched it several times now while waiting for mine to show up which I just got a few days ago. I am more than happy with mine but noticed the lower contour that rest on your leg isnt perfect. I was wondering if either yours or your dads had that issue. Is that a 1961 thing? Thanks.
Wow, I hadn’t noticed that at all! I stacked my 61 right on top of my MIM and ran my hand down the leg-side carve. They felt the same to me. Sorry to hear that yours feels different. Thanks for watching!
@@everynotecountsofficial Thanks for the reply, Yeah i have several Fender Strats and this is the only one with that strange carve. Almost looks like a second but wasnt sold as one.
I got an extra one for my dad too but he likes fiesta red as mine was white but the only difference between our stories is that my dad is dead and has been for 15 years so I’m just borrowing his for a while and playing mine too.
Well enjoy both of those beauties and play ‘em loud! Thanks for watching!
HAAAAAA😂
I have the 2021 American Professional ll 75th anniversary, and i prefer the modern strat to the vintage models. Never mind nostalgia... Just better wiring pick ups ect.
That’s completely valid. Luckily there are enough Strat models to satisfy almost everyone looking for a Strat. Thanks for watching!
that string wrapping is ABSURD!
I have the American original 60’s from 2019. Don’t expect to relic like a real one. Trust me. It just gets ugly. You better take care of it. I wish I did.👍
Good to know. Thanks for watching!
I have two (a 50s and a 60s) American Original Telecasters… I believe the lacquer is different on This one. AM Originals have poly undercoat. I hear AM V ii are all lacquer. So, yes, probably these will age better.
Edit: correction: a further dig-down into the question reveals that actually AO and AV ii finishes are more alike than not. Probably the same.
Not every guitar will be set up to your expert opinion/expectation and Instruments, like works of art, are full of imperfection.
True! That being said, I would be nice if they wound the strings in the correct direction. Thanks for watching!
@@everynotecountsofficial the store?
I have several American Original strats (basically the exact same guitar as this except with the 9.5" fretboard radius) and they all came direct from the factory with the bridge floating 1/8" off the body as per spec. Whomever sold these to you must've been a hack -- strings wound the wrong way?!
Yeah that was crazy! Thanks for watching 🙂
Whoever set that second one up was nuts. A kid in training with no guidance? BTW, my identical looking Vintera 60s modified Strat came with perfect setup and a beautifully dark and even pao ferro fretboard…? Much nicer looking than the rosewood boards on the two Am Pro II strats I also played at the same shop and it feels just fine. Pao ferro can be hit or miss, but this one is great. I did have to dress the fret ends a bit, and decided to roll the edges at the same time. Now it feels and plays great, tho the “hot 60s” pickups are too hot for a Strat. No neck pocket issues at all. Still, was contemplating moving up to a Vintage II but now I’m not so sure.
@@ghalston5641 sounds like you found a great guitar! Yeah, if it weren’t for great return policies, I don’t know how stores expect customers to buy a guitar before they even try it out. Thanks for watching!
Oh man. I bought a HB fusion T HH Fnt in 2020. The guy said he couldnt keep it in tune and also decided to sell it to recoop from a PRS SE custom that also now wont stay in tune. He shot pics. I noticed his PRS as well as my new HB being shipped from him has the strings strung the same as your dads was. Hahahahahahah. Insane as i told the guy...Hey man you might want to string it up opposite direction due to the string alignment ....He said that shouldnt matter. I said ok....Ship it. Hahahh. Ive fixed it. Locking tuners it came with made that easy. Hahaha. I am guessing the guy was new. He said his luthier set them up. Oh man. 😅
Oh wow! Hahaha! That’s so wild that it happened to you as well. Thanks for watching!
@@everynotecountsofficial I thought the same thing. The fact yours came from Fender corona??????????? They MUST be dealing with employment issues. Labor finders. Hahah
I did buy it from a seller on Reverb, and he mentioned that he “gave the truss rod a quarter turn.” When I got the guitar and saw how he dealt with the strings, I took the guitar in to get it set up and the tech mentioned that the Reverb seller had attempted to adjust the truss without taking the neck off and scratched it up some. Personally, I think the seller did the damage and not fender.
@@everynotecountsofficial Ah. That makes more sense then. I wondered while typing that ...how fender would let that out. Hahah strung up backwards. Oh man. I hope it wasn't the same guy. Hahah. He tends to anyway 2 out of 2 I know he touched were wound backwards. Lmao.
I desperately want a 3 tone burst AVII ‘61 Strat
That’s a classy finish, for sure. Thanks for watching!
Thats a used guitar, I'm hearing too many horror stories about these Vintage II guitars, people who work in guitar shops do mess around with the guitars, like do a gig with them and bring them back to the shop and put it back on display, sell return ones back out to a new buyer, swap the G&G case for the cheaper Korean made one, etc etc. long time ago I bought an Ibanez Floral Jem, had it for quite some months when I decided to look at the wiring, I took the back cover off and couldn't believe my eyes, the wiring had been messed around with, somebody had re-wired it and then put it back to normal with absolutly atrocious soldering work, I took it back to the shop and demanded a replacement, they tried to down play my finding, I never shopped there again, and it was a well known and respected shop in London.
If they make a sonic blue, I’ll get one.
I would love to get that!
That guitar seems like a return from a clueless former buyer.
Ah interesting. I hadn’t considered that. Thanks for watching!
I just received mine. Was very disappointed in the guitar for the price I paid. The neck was a mess. Lacquer over smear on the fingerboard that covered under the B and E stings on the 1, 2, 13, 14, 19, 20 and 21st frets. Very sloppy. They were directing me to take it to a warranty place here to get the repair done on it. Paying over 2000.00 for the guitar I don't think I should be trooping all over town wasting my time and gas on getting repairs done that should never have to be done in the first place. I have no idea who their neck quality control person is but I wouldn't be bragging about that job. Being American made I was expecting much much more. I have a Japanese Strat that I purchased in '87 that puts this one to shame in quality. So unfortunately, this one was returned. So it seems after watching this video that I was right about their quality control issue.
I would have returned that mess also. Sounds like they should have replaced the guitar, not sent you on a goose chase for warranty work. Thanks for watching, and sorry to hear about the lemon you received!
I love early 60s Slabboards, the darker the rosewood board the BETTER..
Dark rosewood is a great asthenic, to be sure. It’s not a deal breaker for me, but I get why some people feel strongly about it. Thanks for watching!
Wherever you got it from looks like they did a terrible set up
Yeah, I agree 😞. Pretty disappointing. Thanks for watching!
That guitar with the messed up strings was probably a return.
After a set up from a store that knew what they there doing (unlike who I bought it from), I am happy to say that it was good to go!
@@everynotecountsofficial some of these employees at retail stores. They think they’re guitar geniuses they don’t know what the heck they’re doing.
Forget it their quality control on the new American vintage ii is horrible…I needed to get choking frets …fretting out …no smitten of quality maple on the neck…flame birdseye come on it’s a. 2200.00. Guitar and needs a radical setup ..well I sold my fiesta red ..bit the cheese at first ..but not decent compared to my fender 2012 faded sonic blue 59 reissue ..with a real cellulose guard….very poor quality control and the lacquer I think has a poly coat over it thin but …having had many guitars 68 years young …this was a disgrace …just using the brand now …off their custom shop stuff…💵💵💵💵💵💵
Yikes that sounds like a nightmare. Sorry to hear that. Thanks for watching!
I have receved a tele am vintage 2:
Poor conditions, full buzz on half of the strings(frets issues not fixable with setup), full scratch, and the worst flycase i ever seen.
The most aweful gitar i ever purchas, also the most expensive.
For me it's ashame, to sent this kind of stuff for 2200euros!!!!!!!!!!
From the ding it looks like the base coat is poly 😂
Thanks for watching!
the low "E" string should be slightly closer to the edge of the fingerboard, than the high "E" .........pro's know why !?!
Why wouldn’t you give your dad the one he liked and bonded with and give yourself the new one? Seems odd being every guitar is different. He loved that first one so give him that first one!
My dad bonded with the specs and the model, not the specific Strat. After playing the one I got him, if he felt that his 61 just didn’t feel quite like my 61, I would have traded him.
@@everynotecountsofficial Thats awesome at least you would have allowed him to choose. I’d give anything to be able to share that experience with my dad. He would have got his choice as well. ❤️
@@stevemilk4526 thanks for watching!
So, the experience having a new your own mine, that’s why he done that, that’s the deal. All the blessings of Jesus upon you Sir,
For $2200 that guitar should be almost perfect. I don't own one but just an opinion on $2000 guitars. From the reviews I've watched it seems like this is an expensive production guitar with quality issues.
I think my issues were related to the shop that sold it to me “set up,” but I agree with your sentiment- a $2k guitar should play perfectly. I hope that me getting two good ones wasn’t a fluke. Thanks for watching!
I think you got 8s on that guitar.
I doubt it, but at this point I would not be surprised about anything hahaha
The string-up is not cool at the tuners.. they could’ve done a lot better than that..
Yeah that was absolutely shocking. I don’t plan to buy from this individual again. I have serious concerns about their knowledge of guitars. Thanks for watching!
I don't care who did the reverse tuner wind, it's not correct.
Yep. I have no idea why someone would ever do that. Thanks for watching!
I wish someone would buy me one 😂
Thanks for watching!
2200$?? Can't believe it's so bad
I’m pretty sure the seller is new or guitars aren’t his specialty. He doesn’t know how to set a guitar up, that’s for sure. Thanks for watching!
This is why another of people now are buying from china a praction of the price. Fender don't even have the respect to even set there guitar up. There just been thrown together with a lot of parts from china anyway I really don't no how fender is still in business
I fully believe that Fender has let bad inventory slip through the cracks (especially in recent years). Personally, I think the person I bought this from just did a terrible job “adjusting it” before they sent it to me. Thanks for watching!
Maybe you are just as bad at setting the guitar up as you are at playing. The funniest one was the frets hurting you - what a load of bs.
Yep, I’m no good at setting up guitars because that’s not how I want to spend my time 🤷🏻. I support local guys that want to do that while I play the guitars that are already set up. Thanks for watching!
a person cannot playing guitar working as guitar quality control
Yea, it could be something like that. A guitar tech that doesn’t play guitar. Thanks for watching!
Who ever you lent your guitar to. Was probably the 1 who dinged it.
Yep, hahaha. That’s probably what happened