I finished my first self-built guitar a few months ago, I was terrified of messing up the string alignment, being an inexperienced amateur and all. But it was basically spot on. So that's kinda embarrassing, cause mine was not $1300
Getting back into guitar this was one of the first things I noticed. People have a LOT of loyalty to their brands and take any critique as a personal insult, especially regarding gibson and fender.
I used to have fierce brand loyalty issues when it came to guitar, until I started working professionally with guitars every day. Then I realized those people don't care enough about guitar to explore anything else, they care about the name on the headstock and that's all, they'd never admit it though. I used to think Gibson was the be all end all and Schecters were poorly made douche bro guitars. I don't own my Gibson anymore (or my USA Strat for that matter) but I have a Schecter KM7 MKII that gets played more than those ever did, and when I had a technically nicer Ibanez Prestige 7, the Schecter still smoked it. The only loyalty should be hand loyalty.
@@ralphieravioli7258 You are 100% right. Furthermore I wish more people were willing to learn some basic guitar tech skills. It's amazing what a good setup and rounding your own fretboard edges can do for a guitar under a grand.
This doesn't just apply to guitars unfortunately. The number of people all too willing to slobber all over their favorite company's knobs is getting stronger by the day it seems. Welcome to late stage capitalist dystopia I guess.
Good thing about Fenders and Gibson is that several local dealers in my area carry them so I can try out every one in the shop to see if one is worth buying. I recently wanted a strat and tried out several Fenders from $799 through $1599 or so and just didn't find one I really wanted to buy. Gave in and decided to take a risk on ordering a Sire S7 for $599 from Sweetwater and that thing played beautifully. It just needed a minor adjustment out of the box and the only real issue with it was the tone pot wasn't quite soldered in fully connected so it would drop out. Pots are easy fixes so just wasn't a big deal to me for $599 but would have been bigger on a $1k+ guitar. The neck on that thing is awesome and as good or better than the Fenders I played in store that were over $1k. The neck really is everything. A guitar with a near perfect neck can have almost everything else about it changed fairly easily to make it what you want, but one with a poor neck is just screwed from the start.
So, this went through a secondary inspection process, and they didn't even notice that the saddles are all in the same position and the intonation is not set? I'm not surprised.
Intonation isn't a QC issue. It's likely going go out during shipping across country, besides when getting a new guitar you really should be getting it set up right away to your preferred set up🤷♂️
@@IJIIKY9192 It's a QC issue. You can see that all of those saddles are in the same position. Shipping isn't causing that. That's just slapping them on at the factory and not bothering to even try to set it. Intonation isn't a "preference" thing. It's either set or it's not. This is lazy Fender's terrible QC.
Great review here. And great tones. Goddamn, I’m recording a pop punk record currently and I thought the tones I got were dope, then I heard you and watched this video I now have to go back and think about my life choices. Great stuff, dude. 🎉
The whole "loosen the neck bolts and shift the neck" is not a regular thing I've encountered in any of my bolt-neck guitars; it's a way of dealing with a misaligned bridge. Looking at the way the strings were going through the saddles on the original guitar, the problem wasn't the neck needed shifting, the bridge was installed in the wrong place (too much toward the bass side). And from the intonation problems on the new guitar, they installed the bridge in the wrong place again (it's at least centered this time, but installed too close to the neck pocket). I've been seeing this more and more on Fender family instruments (Squier, Gretsch, etc.) since the 2020 production year: parts just not installed correctly, misaligned, or even the drilling jigs misaligned with the things they were drilling into (a Gretsch with the tuner holes horribly misaligned with the headstock, so it always looked like the entire headstock was crooked... and the bridge installed too far over to the bass side, making string alignment over the bridge impossible, and that's a set neck so you can't loosen the bolts and shift it).
I don’t understand how this bridge mis-alignment could happen when these things are made on a CNC machine…its not like some dude is using a hand drill…it’s crazy!!!!
@@eddiejr540 Only the basic body carve and cavity routing is done with CNC (computer numerical control). None of the part instillation is automated. There are no alignment holes drilled for mounting the bridge, only possibly the holes drilled for string-through bodies, and these are not always accurate enough to be suitable for actually aligning the bridge (talking Fender style hard-tail bridge here). I would assume they use a template, but a template is only as accurate as the person applying the template. Even a 1mm misalignment can cause problems with the bridge, from strings not crossing saddles correctly to limited or no-functional intonation adjustment range. And it's worse when it includes a separate bridge and vibrato tailpiece, like a Jaguar or Jazzmaster, or where there's a Bigsby involved... instances where a straight string pull across the bridge saddle is essential to the correct function of the bridge.
What kills me is how dry the fretboards are on new fender and some epiphone guitars and a lot of stores just leave it that way because it’s a “cheap” model. However I think sweetwater moisturizes the fretboards when they go over their orders even filing sharp fret edges.
@Cognitoman sweetwater is awesome they just called me out of the blue yesterday to see how all my stuff I ordered is holding up and said to call him anytime yo get better deals on guitars said he would lower prices for me and that they are having a huge sale coming up September they are awesome and will take care of you
I can totally relate to this Hunter. I got a Mexican fender in 2019 that was absolutely perfect and is one of my favourites. An American Fender in 2020 that was just a little off and I had to work on. 2022 I bought a Mexican meteora and had to send it back to the shop 4 times with electronics issues before sending it back and getting repaired by fender who then returned it with a massive ding. The decline has been palpable and totally put me off them
@@lucasc5622 I know, the sarcasm didn’t come through right but as someone who’s rewired multiple guitars it’s about $15 bucks in parts to start from scratch
Awesome to see riffs played on these other than Blink riffs. Shortest Straw and Get Free? Hell yeah! Enjoy it, brother! I’ve got mine currently being worked on by a Fender authorized repair center for the string alignment. The neck pocket was super tight as well, so I wasn’t trying to mess with anything. Yours sounds killer through the boosted Recto. The invader is an absolute beast of a pickup!
You did the right thing. The first one they sent you should have never left the factory. Especially for that price point it is unacceptable. I don't get why people try to find excuses for multi billion dollar companies. If they want my perfect money they need to deliver a perfect product.
I enjoy your content, entertaining and informative. You should get the new hard tail Squire and compare the two, then mod it to be a clone. Squire even makes a pink one just in case. I just purchased my first Fender family bass, it's a Squire affinity Precision with a PJ configuration. Seems set up pretty good, high action but I play ultra-aggressive, so it works. As far as QC the bass seems fine, however, the gold foil had issues with bridge alignment. Seen a few videos about the way to fix it, all 4 I know of with the problem was only off by about 1/16 of an inch or so, moved to the bass side. all had to be moved to the treble side and the strings where fine. Might just be a QC issue with the certain lines or a certain time.
I agree with you sending it back. Phil McKnight specifically has been talking about how bad Fender QC has been for a couple years now, with some saying "theyre the new Gibson". Mainly its been terrible fret sprout and such, but theres been examples of bridges being poorly aligned (which you mentioned with the gold foils), so it's within the wheelhouse of something they would do currently unfortunately. I've seen the neck misalignment problem before and had to correct it myself (on an old guitar someone gave me), so while I don't think it's super super common issue, it does happen. Glad you got a good one this time. I'm a long time blink fan too, if the sign on name isn't obvious enough. First album I ever bought myself was Dude Ranch (went for Enema, but I was 9 and my mom didn't like the cover lol). My wife and I got to see the Emema 20th aniversary tour with Skiba (and Lil Wayne) a few years ago which was cool. But getting to see the main trio this year for the first time was a bucket list moment for us. We were on our honeymoon when they announced the reunion and we bought were lucky enough to get in the presale early and get tickets. It all just felt like serendipity tbh. Anyway, I was really tempted to buy one of these reissues, but it's an easy enough guitar to recreate so I think I might hold out for a signature starcaster instead and give Fender some time to hopefully get their QC in check too.
I call BS on how common this is. Have bought a lot of strats (Feder and Squier) and other bolt-ons over the years and have never had that issue. Also at $1300.00, I would have sent it back too.
Phil McKnight has also noticed a lot of QC issues with Fender as of late. I built a partscaster tele a couple of years ago (pre fender QC issues). First time assembling a guitar. Used all Fender MIM parts and a Mojotone harness. The putting on the neck was the easiest part. No shim required. I would have sent it back to if I were you.
Their QC issues started heavily when the beer bug happened. In '21 I bought a b stock player plus Tele and a player Strat that both played flawless (Tele had a golf ball size ding in the body), and both were made in '19. These kinds of QC issues seem common now with Fender for the last 2 years.
I can't for the life of me understand these people saying misaligned necks are common. I own so many bolt on guitars from Fender, Squier, Yamaha, Ibanez, Jackson, Hondo, Peavey, and B.C. Rich, etc, and I've never encountered this misaligned issue. So whoever said this is common is talking out of their ass or just accepted one of the ones that escaped QC. That first Tom Delonge definitely should not have been like that, that was a serious QC miss.
Glad you got a good one this time! I am extremely happy with mine, which is also surf green, because, duh lol. Actually, all the colors were tempting, with the yellow being the next closest contender. I had to go as far back as the stock spring would allow on the low E saddle to get it to intonate, and it is still the slightest bit sharp. Like, barely moves on a strobe tuner slightest bit. There is a good amount of spring there though which can be shortened to increase the travel, which it seems like yours will probably need. But of course, always make sure the neck relief is good first, and make sure the action/string height is where you want it, then recheck the intonation.
Glad you got a good one now. I have 3 of them. An original run Graffiti Yellow. Surf Green and Black on the new run. They’re incredible guitars. If you need to move that saddle back some more, you can trim some off of the spring to allow it to move back more.
Nah dude, it's not normal for that to happen, also it doesn't make excuses for the Fender stans acting like weirdo jerks! You did the right thing being the consumer. It's your money, not theirs!
Glad this one worked out for you. I have 4 MIM, 4 American and one Gretsch bolt on. All bought on line. They range from '14 to '23. I just checked (visually, didn't measure) to verify. I haven't had this issue. Although this is something that I look for when pictures are available for a specific guitar (e.g. Sweetwater).
Bro, so glad they made right and got you the guitar youve wanted for so long. Turned into great content! Mines been on a stand in my living room so i can constantly stop and look at it when im not playing.
So I bought a Tom Delonge Graffiti yellow guitar off of Sweet Water and when I received it the neck was "a bit" off I did have to adjust the pocket like many Fender owners have mentioned. I also have a 2008 Fender Strat MIM and there was no issue with the pocket. I complained to Fender about the neck plus a slight chip in the paint by the neck pocket and the graphic on the guitar neck being off and the CS agent was super helpful and hooked me up for the inconvenience. Im some way Fender is doing the right thing but at the same time they shouldn't have this issue. So in the long run i'm glad Fender is doing the right thing
Absolutely. I bought my first ever Fender about 2 months ago -- a Vintera Jazzmaster (my most expensive guitar purchase ever, at $1200), and it had more QC issues than any of the other 10 guitars I have owned (all of which cost way less. Even my $150 Squier telecaster didn't have these sorts of issues)
Super glad they sorted it out! I think that regardless of how common or even potentially easy to fix it is, you’re right- it’s over $1000! Should be perfect. FWIW I have 6 bolt on Fenders and none of them had that issue, so hopefully it’s not common.
9:50 - About 6 or 7 years ago I went through the same exact issue ordering a Jim Root Telecaster direct from Fender, also MiM and was $1400. Could not get the guitar to intonate. Bridge was crooked AF. Fender replaced it with no issues, took about 4-5 weeks. Seems common.
You did the right thing. Very stupid to expect you to fix a QC issue like that on a brand new guitar. Would be super interested in you reviewing a Reverend guitar at some point! Love your channel.
Hunter, I have had quite a number of guitars in my time, only two of which were not bolt-ons. (One regular set neck and one "Ultra Access" (set-through) neck, both of which I still have!) The only time I've encountered a alignment problem like that, I caused it myself with a bridge replacement that isn't spot on. The other problems I've had, I've either failed to notice or deliberately ignored. I'm with you. For the money you paid, you should be able to enjoy the axe out of the box with only mild tweaks of bridge and/or truss rod being necessary to bring about a great match between player and instrument.
I don't think it's neck alignment. To me you could clearly see the gap between the bridge and pick guard was way bigger on the treble side than the bass. I think they just simply put the bridge in the wrong spot. Off about 1/8 inch or so. Either way should have been cought by QC
Actually the neck was more bowed than I had realized. Just straightened it, raised the saddles, and pushed them forward. Everything is properly intimated now, but it means that Fender set it up going off this super bowed neck lol
I’ve seen guitars with misaligned necks but usually someone has messed with it. Every year or every couple years I loosen the neck screws on any bolt on after a restring as regular maintenance sometimes the neck will pop and reseat in the pocket, some people say it helps sustain, I don’t know about that but it definitely in my experience has improved the feel and made guitars feel more alive under my fingers.
I own 11 Fenders & Squire guitars. My oldest are 1981 Fender Tele and my 1985 Fender Stratocaster. IDK when the neck alignment/ bridge alignment issue started with Fender, but make no mistake - it is and has been an issue for at least the past four years that I know of. I first noticed the neck and bridge alignment issue on my 2020 EOB signature Stratocaster purchased for $1500.00 from Sweetwater. After that disappointing experience I started checking all the Fenders in the local music shops in my area. To my surprise most of them had alignment issues (not as severe as mine) but still had the issue. When I questioned he sales reps and luthiers at the music stores - I was told you get what you pay for and if you want perfection you will have to start at the $3000.00 and up price point with Fender. My response was that my older Fenders do not have this issue - nor do other brand guitars at a much lower than $3000.00 dollar price point. I will NEVER buy another Fender because of this issue. There are a lot other brands that make better guitars that come with better components for less money than a Fender. I don’t need the name on the headstock. Shame on Fender And Thank you Fender for fucking over your customers and turning me on to other brands that blow your overpriced shit away!🤘
I acquired a MIM Tele in a pawn shop, it was a Player series Plus Top model, not to be confused with a Player Plus (because it definitely is not). It looked like it had hardly ever been played, I had it for a month before I realized how bad the fret job was. I was mostly preoccupied with the fact that I finally had a Tele. After getting in contact with with Fender about it, they told me there was nothing they could do to help as I had purchased it from a store that had no affiliation with Fender. I now have to take the neck off and take care of these feet ends myself. They all need to be sanded down to flush, rolled, and crowned/polished
Hunter, glad it worked out.. I would expect misaligned necks from low end guitar or PARTSCASTERS where the neck and body are from different sources.. that being said.. I bought a sale blowout "Guitar Fetish Strat" cause it was cheap and had a very cool SEAFOAM green.. (yes the greeny-blue thing).. with a killer dark rosewood fingerboard.. and yes.. it had a loose neck joint and a quick alignment fixed the problem.. its still a keeper.. anyway.. Fender did it right.. however, the lack of intonation range is a bummer.. the real fix is to plug the holes and move it back 1/8".. but dang.. you should not have to.. a quick fix is to remove the spring on the low E.. or cut that spring to give you that little extra.. and keep your eyes out for similar block saddles with SHORTER bodies.. some have gone as far as to FILE off the backside of the low E saddle.. but that is a messy thing.. she looks great.. good enough for PUNK.. !!
I've spoken to a guy who worked at Ensenada (Fender Mexico plant), and he told me that two things happened during and after covid... 1. They lost a lot of their older, skilled, staff, who had worked there for years, and so they had to take on a lot of younger, unskilled, workers to replace them, who just AREN'T up to the job... And... 2. The management were putting tremendous pressure on staff, just to..."get stuff out the doors" (his exact words). Hence...Fender QC has gone down the sh*tter. 😢 Get a Harley Benton 😊😊
Also, I recently bought a strat with a badly cut nut. First 6 frets on the high e were virtually unplayable...and this was after shifting the neck. Ive never had alignment issues until that guitar.
I've experienced a Rickenbacker and a Gibson bass with misaligned strings, and they weren't bolt-ons so much harder to fix. Seemed like the bridges weren't placed correctly, though they weren't quite as bad as your previous Strat. I do have a Squier that's a little close to the treble side but it's manageable. It's yet another QC thing that I'm on the lookout for these days, and I've seen various expensive guitars with some baffling issues.
The only time I had this neck issue was when I took the neck off myself and when I put it back on it was misaligned. Then I loosened the neck and fixed it. I have never seen it that bad on a brand new instrument.
I think the whole Fender thing is over. Schecter has not only surpassed them but, the speks don't even come close. They sound so much better and on and on. Screw Fender.
I own 17 and have played over 50 various brands. Not once has this happened. No one cares at Fender, move on and be happy. Buying a 1300 guitar should not cause anxiety.
I've had many bolt on guitars. Only 2 of them were slightly misaligned. But none like yours where the bridge wasn't positioned correctly. Both of them were an easy fix by loosening the "bolts" and aligning the neck. I'm glad Fender took care of you as it's such a nostalgic guitar for you. Edit: I have to admit I thought you were generating comments with the neck alignment thing. I missed the bridge being installed incorrectly.
Yes, even on a couple of my Custom Shop Fenders the strings would slightly skewed to the treble or bass side causing them to slip off the fretboard occasionally when fretting the high E (or low E string). They all have tight neck pockets too, a quick neck adjustment solves the issue easily. However, yours looked like an extreme case, like that was way off and definitely warranted a return and replacement. Like you said, the bridge was literally positioned improperly, serious construction flaw.
Hey Hunter, try cutting your saddle springs in half, put on brand new strings, and then adjust your intonation and it should be fine. And you definitely should have returned the first one .
Purchased my much anticipated Tom Delonge Strat only to have these same QC issues and more. Sent it back to Sweetwater this morning with excitement to get the ESP LTD I wanted with an included hardshell case for $100 less. Disappointed considering this had been a dream guitar of mine
Every demo I hear of the Tom Delonge Strat has the tones set to shriekingly high-boosted. Guys... it's a trebly hot humbucker in the bridge position. Back off the high end a scoche.
As a left-handed guitar player, I had to build my own Tom Delonge Stratocaster. I just finished it last weekend and it plays in sounds amazing. I went with the surf green. I turned my Squier Strat into a Tom Delonge Strat.
I saw one other video where someone had the same Strat, loosened the bolts on the back and it made an audible click as it went into place, still not how it should've been sent out and yours had other issues as well. Glad you got a good one in exchange though
Hey Hunter, I'm pretty sure if you switch to 10's on the strings you'll find the intonation will be OK then. I'd use EB slinkys if you want them to still feel close to 9's. Peace out...
In a collection of about 50 different bolt on instruments, the only misaligned neck pocket was on my G&L Doheny. Fortunately, the retailer was quick in replacing it.
I have a VERY recent experience to share if anybody's interested! Went to my local music store here in the UK looking for a new Strat of some kind a few days ago. I was looking in the Mexican/Player/Player Plus price range. I've owned probably 10 Fender/Squier Strats before and I used to work at this particular music store for about 5 years too. I went in with fairly new knowledge that Fenders QC was kind of shoddy as of late but I didn't let that put me off trying a bunch of stuff. I expected the worst and hoped for the best, but still not trying to actively find problems with the instruments if that makes sense. As soon as I looked at some of the Strats they had, I noticed 3 all hung up next to each other with the high E slightly closer to the edge of the board than the low E. I also noticed 2 of the Player teles they had were the same too. I ended up settling for a Player Tele that did not have the mentioned issue on the day but when I asked the tech to double check the intonation for me, he came back and showed me that he could intonate all the strings on it apart from the low E. The low E was sharpening in pitch more and more as you played up the neck and it was impossible for the guitar to be perfectly in tune. (It's worth noting these are all 2023 serial number guitars too.) Following that I decided on a different Tele in a different finish, all was set up and I went home extremely happy that day. I put some 10s on about an hour after playing when I got home, then spent a further 3 hours (no exaggeration) attempting absolutely any possible setup "style" (ridiculously super high action included) and could not stop the higher frets from buzzing. The Tele absolutely hated having 10s on it. (I'm pretty competent at setting up guitars myself, it was part of the service which is why I had them do it at the shop previously) Long story short, after a lot of messing around I exchanged my Tele the next day for a Player Plus Strat, which I am absolutely in love with! I still find it buzzes a little bit but I'm going to have a "proper" luthier take a look at it and potentially level the frets for me in the near future. For now it's not enough of an issue but it's something that will need addressing at some point down the line. Like yourself Hunter, I've owned a lot of guitars (around 60 or so) over the past nearly 20 years. All ranging from £50 to £3500 from many different brands and I've never dealt with anything quite like what I have with Fender recently. My 10 year old Strat is an absolute dream to play and makes me wonder what happened to the QC as of late. So I'm very glad you've addressed it and I really hope enough people complain and don't settle for mediocre or shoddy guitars because they're scared they'll miss out on their limited run models or something like that. I hope enough people have moaned about their Gold Foils too. Anyway thanks again for this video, I don't know if anybody will end up reading this but if I could give any advice to anybody Fender shopping at the moment, it would be to make a point to check the guitar(s) out in a shop where possible, make the long drive if you have to or catch the long train/bus because it might save you a lot of time and hassle as opposed to buying online. Cheers!
I've been playing 25 years now and the neck pocket shifting out of alignment that far is NOT a common issue I've ever encountered or heard about on a brand new guitar. I also found it odd people were acting like it happens all the time in the comments of your last video. Plus, that bridge just looked way off and wasn't centered at all. It wasn't as simple a fix as loosening the neck bolts and wiggling the neck.
The fender neck issues seem to be VERY recent cuz I have three Fenders, 2 of which are Squiers, and none of them have neck alignment issues. I’ve seen recently tho that a lot of guitars from their Mexico factory have been having a shit ton of problems, specifically with the necks.
You can solve the intonation with a little turn on the truss rod. Get it to a luthier for a really good setup and it will be playing at its best. I've only just realised they are Made in Mexico Strats! I mean I love my gringo Strat but it cost less than half of what the Tom sig is costing. And mine came with 3 Seymour Duncans. In some ways it explains QC issues but I cant believe a big name piece like this isn't American built. I have to admit Fender seem to have dropped the ball with this, I would love one but parting with over $1000? I think I'd rather build my own.
Over the years I got two guitars with misaligned necks (out of 10 bolt ons I had so far) - one is an Ibanez RG standard and the other a Jackson JS. Both were not so bad and I was able to fix myself. Unscrew the neck, adjust the fit and hold on tight, then screw back in place.
Me I had a high way one jazz that had that same problem that was in 2007 it isn’t common but things happen. I took off the neck and did a few things just didn’t fix it. A tech friend of mine moved the bridge of slightly and it was fixed without showing the exposed holes. I’ve also changed necks on guitars and had that happen
The neck alignment issue is something I’ve seen dozens of times from working on bolt on neck guitars. It’s not super common but definitely does happen on occasion. I do setups and fret work on tons of guitars is probably why I’ve seen it so much. Happens to every brand not just fender. The fix is just to loosen the screws and pull the neck back into alignment, but if the pocket is so tight that may not be doable.
Misaligned necks are the reason I only buy guitars with actual photos (as opposed to stock photos). It's not just a Fender thing. G&L (obviously), Ibanez, Yamaha, all occasionally derp up a neck alignment. The reason it happens is really simple: Since bolt-ons are designed to be parts exchangeable, the CNC'ing is pretty universal, but the woods have varying degrees of moisture that don't have the time to completely cure by the time the individual parts need to be slapped together. So you might have a neck that fits tight during "QC", but when it hits that shipping container, the neck may shrink, warp, and shift. It's the same reason fret sprout happens. For example, Kiesel claims their woods are properly cured, but it never gets as dry in California as it does where I am in the New England, so I always get fret sprout or some neck shift on one of their guitars.
If you trim the saddle springs a little, say take off 30% of the length,( no more) it should give you 2 or 3 more quarter turns on the intonation and still provide enough tension to dampen vibration and keep the saddle in place.
On the Intonation, move the bridge saddles all/most of the way forward, and re-intonate. I hae 2 Fenders, an MIA and a MIM. Neither had that alignment issue.
A hard tail strat with an Invader is definitely an interesting spec and I would play it for certain things. I was in my 20s when their music came out but even though I'm a fan of punk that dude's voice was just kryptonite for my ears so every one of their songs was instant punch out for me. Liked Sum 41 from that era a lot more.
I Used to work at the FMIC distribution center as an inspector, it would blow your mind to know how poorly these guitars are inspected, not because the employees suck but because the management wants an insane amount of guitars inspected and passed in an unrealistic amount of time. You cannot properly fix sharp frets in seven minutes and properly inspect and correct issues on an entire guitar, I’ve seen it all get passed, every annoying problem on a guitar. So if you got sharp frets on a fender or Jackson, or bad neck pocket your not alone, sadly.
Good on fender for standing behind their product. I have owned countless Strat's and Tele's over the past 30 years and Fender neck alignment issues, while not uncommon, have been very minor when I've encountered them. A slight nudge of the neck after loosening the neck screws a bit to align the strings over the pickup pole pieces is all that I have ever had to do. Your original guitar issue was by no means minor - the string was at the edge of the fretboard. Definitely a QC issue and NOT normal for a Fender.
If a dry fingerboard was the only issue, then it's a big win. I feel literally every guitar I order comes with a bone dry fingerboard. I always expect to do a setup on a new guitar. That thing is pretty sweet. Love that pickguard and ust how simple the whole instrument is. Enoy!
I got mine in graffiti yellow when they first came out a few weeks back. Out of the box the thing needed a serious setup. Action was all over, neck dry as ever, intonation way off and volume knob loose. Took it to a luthier and now it plays great but seriously Fender a new guitar should have zero playability issues! Also has a couple dings out of box 😔
I have a Vintage (the brand not the age) Strat that has a critical neck alignement. Most strats I've played have little space on the high E-String but I never saw something like this before,
Here we go again... If you haven't seen the first QC-fail Delonge I bought, check it out for context: th-cam.com/video/KiabDHsHPEI/w-d-xo.html
Hi ! Did you try the Cort g210 ???
I finished my first self-built guitar a few months ago, I was terrified of messing up the string alignment, being an inexperienced amateur and all. But it was basically spot on. So that's kinda embarrassing, cause mine was not $1300
Same! Made a partscaster and was positive I would screw something up. Plays awesome and I am super happy with it.
With the amount of machinery they have access to and the budget to make these instruments, a mistake like that is absolutely inexcusable.
Yeah I’ve built/ rebuilt a few at this point and string alignment isn’t that hard to not ef up, what’s going on fender?
Same!! Built a delonge for 400$ with MIM parts lol just like this one
How about my Custom Shop Tele which came with a tool mark on the side of the neck? Lol
Glad it got fixed. The guy saying you slob Gibson's knob apparently missed you sending back a Les Paul Custom for QC issues.
Getting back into guitar this was one of the first things I noticed. People have a LOT of loyalty to their brands and take any critique as a personal insult, especially regarding gibson and fender.
Fan culture has fucked like … talking to other people in general
I used to have fierce brand loyalty issues when it came to guitar, until I started working professionally with guitars every day. Then I realized those people don't care enough about guitar to explore anything else, they care about the name on the headstock and that's all, they'd never admit it though. I used to think Gibson was the be all end all and Schecters were poorly made douche bro guitars. I don't own my Gibson anymore (or my USA Strat for that matter) but I have a Schecter KM7 MKII that gets played more than those ever did, and when I had a technically nicer Ibanez Prestige 7, the Schecter still smoked it. The only loyalty should be hand loyalty.
@@ralphieravioli7258 You are 100% right. Furthermore I wish more people were willing to learn some basic guitar tech skills. It's amazing what a good setup and rounding your own fretboard edges can do for a guitar under a grand.
This doesn't just apply to guitars unfortunately. The number of people all too willing to slobber all over their favorite company's knobs is getting stronger by the day it seems. Welcome to late stage capitalist dystopia I guess.
Good thing about Fenders and Gibson is that several local dealers in my area carry them so I can try out every one in the shop to see if one is worth buying. I recently wanted a strat and tried out several Fenders from $799 through $1599 or so and just didn't find one I really wanted to buy. Gave in and decided to take a risk on ordering a Sire S7 for $599 from Sweetwater and that thing played beautifully. It just needed a minor adjustment out of the box and the only real issue with it was the tone pot wasn't quite soldered in fully connected so it would drop out. Pots are easy fixes so just wasn't a big deal to me for $599 but would have been bigger on a $1k+ guitar. The neck on that thing is awesome and as good or better than the Fenders I played in store that were over $1k. The neck really is everything. A guitar with a near perfect neck can have almost everything else about it changed fairly easily to make it what you want, but one with a poor neck is just screwed from the start.
So, this went through a secondary inspection process, and they didn't even notice that the saddles are all in the same position and the intonation is not set? I'm not surprised.
Intonation isn't a QC issue. It's likely going go out during shipping across country, besides when getting a new guitar you really should be getting it set up right away to your preferred set up🤷♂️
@@IJIIKY9192 It's a QC issue. You can see that all of those saddles are in the same position. Shipping isn't causing that. That's just slapping them on at the factory and not bothering to even try to set it. Intonation isn't a "preference" thing. It's either set or it's not. This is lazy Fender's terrible QC.
Great review here. And great tones. Goddamn, I’m recording a pop punk record currently and I thought the tones I got were dope, then I heard you and watched this video I now have to go back and think about my life choices. Great stuff, dude. 🎉
The whole "loosen the neck bolts and shift the neck" is not a regular thing I've encountered in any of my bolt-neck guitars; it's a way of dealing with a misaligned bridge. Looking at the way the strings were going through the saddles on the original guitar, the problem wasn't the neck needed shifting, the bridge was installed in the wrong place (too much toward the bass side). And from the intonation problems on the new guitar, they installed the bridge in the wrong place again (it's at least centered this time, but installed too close to the neck pocket). I've been seeing this more and more on Fender family instruments (Squier, Gretsch, etc.) since the 2020 production year: parts just not installed correctly, misaligned, or even the drilling jigs misaligned with the things they were drilling into (a Gretsch with the tuner holes horribly misaligned with the headstock, so it always looked like the entire headstock was crooked... and the bridge installed too far over to the bass side, making string alignment over the bridge impossible, and that's a set neck so you can't loosen the bolts and shift it).
I don’t understand how this bridge mis-alignment could happen when these things are made on a CNC machine…its not like some dude is using a hand drill…it’s crazy!!!!
@@eddiejr540 Only the basic body carve and cavity routing is done with CNC (computer numerical control). None of the part instillation is automated. There are no alignment holes drilled for mounting the bridge, only possibly the holes drilled for string-through bodies, and these are not always accurate enough to be suitable for actually aligning the bridge (talking Fender style hard-tail bridge here). I would assume they use a template, but a template is only as accurate as the person applying the template. Even a 1mm misalignment can cause problems with the bridge, from strings not crossing saddles correctly to limited or no-functional intonation adjustment range. And it's worse when it includes a separate bridge and vibrato tailpiece, like a Jaguar or Jazzmaster, or where there's a Bigsby involved... instances where a straight string pull across the bridge saddle is essential to the correct function of the bridge.
7:26 was not expecting The Vines! good song, and good stuff!
What kills me is how dry the fretboards are on new fender and some epiphone guitars and a lot of stores just leave it that way because it’s a “cheap” model. However I think sweetwater moisturizes the fretboards when they go over their orders even filing sharp fret edges.
I agree, my cobain guitar was a disaster.
Not on anything under 400 bucks they don't I got a jackson js32 warrior and it was bad lots of sharp edges and a few other issues 😮
@@rockman49er Mexican made fender guitars even $900 and up are also neglected from this fretboard conditioning
@Cognitoman sweetwater is awesome they just called me out of the blue yesterday to see how all my stuff I ordered is holding up and said to call him anytime yo get better deals on guitars said he would lower prices for me and that they are having a huge sale coming up September they are awesome and will take care of you
I can totally relate to this Hunter. I got a Mexican fender in 2019 that was absolutely perfect and is one of my favourites. An American Fender in 2020 that was just a little off and I had to work on. 2022 I bought a Mexican meteora and had to send it back to the shop 4 times with electronics issues before sending it back and getting repaired by fender who then returned it with a massive ding. The decline has been palpable and totally put me off them
How difficult is it to fix electronics issues?
@@adama4791very easy lol
@@lucasc5622 I know, the sarcasm didn’t come through right but as someone who’s rewired multiple guitars it’s about $15 bucks in parts to start from scratch
I also recently received a Fender Mexican model with relatively minor issue and Fender customer service was very responsive and a breeze to work with.
Marshall Dual Rectifier. I guess this is amps.
😂 🤷♂️
Awesome to see riffs played on these other than Blink riffs. Shortest Straw and Get Free? Hell yeah!
Enjoy it, brother! I’ve got mine currently being worked on by a Fender authorized repair center for the string alignment. The neck pocket was super tight as well, so I wasn’t trying to mess with anything.
Yours sounds killer through the boosted Recto. The invader is an absolute beast of a pickup!
You did the right thing. The first one they sent you should have never left the factory. Especially for that price point it is unacceptable. I don't get why people try to find excuses for multi billion dollar companies. If they want my perfect money they need to deliver a perfect product.
I enjoy your content, entertaining and informative. You should get the new hard tail Squire and compare the two, then mod it to be a clone. Squire even makes a pink one just in case. I just purchased my first Fender family bass, it's a Squire affinity Precision with a PJ configuration. Seems set up pretty good, high action but I play ultra-aggressive, so it works. As far as QC the bass seems fine, however, the gold foil had issues with bridge alignment. Seen a few videos about the way to fix it, all 4 I know of with the problem was only off by about 1/16 of an inch or so, moved to the bass side. all had to be moved to the treble side and the strings where fine. Might just be a QC issue with the certain lines or a certain time.
I agree with you sending it back. Phil McKnight specifically has been talking about how bad Fender QC has been for a couple years now, with some saying "theyre the new Gibson". Mainly its been terrible fret sprout and such, but theres been examples of bridges being poorly aligned (which you mentioned with the gold foils), so it's within the wheelhouse of something they would do currently unfortunately. I've seen the neck misalignment problem before and had to correct it myself (on an old guitar someone gave me), so while I don't think it's super super common issue, it does happen. Glad you got a good one this time. I'm a long time blink fan too, if the sign on name isn't obvious enough. First album I ever bought myself was Dude Ranch (went for Enema, but I was 9 and my mom didn't like the cover lol). My wife and I got to see the Emema 20th aniversary tour with Skiba (and Lil Wayne) a few years ago which was cool. But getting to see the main trio this year for the first time was a bucket list moment for us. We were on our honeymoon when they announced the reunion and we bought were lucky enough to get in the presale early and get tickets. It all just felt like serendipity tbh.
Anyway, I was really tempted to buy one of these reissues, but it's an easy enough guitar to recreate so I think I might hold out for a signature starcaster instead and give Fender some time to hopefully get their QC in check too.
Because they're too busy dragging guitars on the ground and calling them Custom Shop.
The new Tom DeLonge straight got me curious but I prefer the Fender American HSS with the Shawbucker pickup. Great review video man!
You can pull out spring behind the E saddle you will get more room for intonation. I did that when I had low tunings on strats.
I call BS on how common this is. Have bought a lot of strats (Feder and Squier) and other bolt-ons over the years and have never had that issue. Also at $1300.00, I would have sent it back too.
Phil McKnight has also noticed a lot of QC issues with Fender as of late. I built a partscaster tele a couple of years ago (pre fender QC issues). First time assembling a guitar. Used all Fender MIM parts and a Mojotone harness. The putting on the neck was the easiest part. No shim required. I would have sent it back to if I were you.
Their QC issues started heavily when the beer bug happened. In '21 I bought a b stock player plus Tele and a player Strat that both played flawless (Tele had a golf ball size ding in the body), and both were made in '19. These kinds of QC issues seem common now with Fender for the last 2 years.
I can't for the life of me understand these people saying misaligned necks are common. I own so many bolt on guitars from Fender, Squier, Yamaha, Ibanez, Jackson, Hondo, Peavey, and B.C. Rich, etc, and I've never encountered this misaligned issue. So whoever said this is common is talking out of their ass or just accepted one of the ones that escaped QC. That first Tom Delonge definitely should not have been like that, that was a serious QC miss.
Glad you got a good one this time! I am extremely happy with mine, which is also surf green, because, duh lol. Actually, all the colors were tempting, with the yellow being the next closest contender.
I had to go as far back as the stock spring would allow on the low E saddle to get it to intonate, and it is still the slightest bit sharp. Like, barely moves on a strobe tuner slightest bit. There is a good amount of spring there though which can be shortened to increase the travel, which it seems like yours will probably need. But of course, always make sure the neck relief is good first, and make sure the action/string height is where you want it, then recheck the intonation.
Glad you got a good one now. I have 3 of them. An original run Graffiti Yellow. Surf Green and Black on the new run. They’re incredible guitars. If you need to move that saddle back some more, you can trim some off of the spring to allow it to move back more.
*off
Karl Sanders from the death metal band Nile used a Fender Strat with an Invader through a Marshall DSL for years, it definitely chugs.
Nah dude, it's not normal for that to happen, also it doesn't make excuses for the Fender stans acting like weirdo jerks! You did the right thing being the consumer. It's your money, not theirs!
Glad this one worked out for you. I have 4 MIM, 4 American and one Gretsch bolt on. All bought on line. They range from '14 to '23. I just checked (visually, didn't measure) to verify. I haven't had this issue. Although this is something that I look for when pictures are available for a specific guitar (e.g. Sweetwater).
Bro, so glad they made right and got you the guitar youve wanted for so long. Turned into great content! Mines been on a stand in my living room so i can constantly stop and look at it when im not playing.
"Nostolgia is a hell of a drug" great quote.
So I bought a Tom Delonge Graffiti yellow guitar off of Sweet Water and when I received it the neck was "a bit" off I did have to adjust the pocket like many Fender owners have mentioned. I also have a 2008 Fender Strat MIM and there was no issue with the pocket. I complained to Fender about the neck plus a slight chip in the paint by the neck pocket and the graphic on the guitar neck being off and the CS agent was super helpful and hooked me up for the inconvenience. Im some way Fender is doing the right thing but at the same time they shouldn't have this issue. So in the long run i'm glad Fender is doing the right thing
Absolutely. I bought my first ever Fender about 2 months ago -- a Vintera Jazzmaster (my most expensive guitar purchase ever, at $1200), and it had more QC issues than any of the other 10 guitars I have owned (all of which cost way less. Even my $150 Squier telecaster didn't have these sorts of issues)
Super glad they sorted it out! I think that regardless of how common or even potentially easy to fix it is, you’re right- it’s over $1000! Should be perfect.
FWIW I have 6 bolt on Fenders and none of them had that issue, so hopefully it’s not common.
9:50 - About 6 or 7 years ago I went through the same exact issue ordering a Jim Root Telecaster direct from Fender, also MiM and was $1400. Could not get the guitar to intonate. Bridge was crooked AF. Fender replaced it with no issues, took about 4-5 weeks. Seems common.
You're right about that one...nostalgia is a hell of a drug! Love that you threw The Vines and Bowling for Soup riffs in there...
You did the right thing. Very stupid to expect you to fix a QC issue like that on a brand new guitar.
Would be super interested in you reviewing a Reverend guitar at some point! Love your channel.
Hunter, I have had quite a number of guitars in my time, only two of which were not bolt-ons. (One regular set neck and one "Ultra Access" (set-through) neck, both of which I still have!) The only time I've encountered a alignment problem like that, I caused it myself with a bridge replacement that isn't spot on. The other problems I've had, I've either failed to notice or deliberately ignored. I'm with you. For the money you paid, you should be able to enjoy the axe out of the box with only mild tweaks of bridge and/or truss rod being necessary to bring about a great match between player and instrument.
Your covers of Papa Roach, Blink 182, Bowling for soup, and Sum 41 made me happy!
I don't think it's neck alignment. To me you could clearly see the gap between the bridge and pick guard was way bigger on the treble side than the bass. I think they just simply put the bridge in the wrong spot. Off about 1/8 inch or so. Either way should have been cought by QC
Wait till you try to intonate it and then you will realize the bridge has been installed too close to the pickguard.
Actually the neck was more bowed than I had realized. Just straightened it, raised the saddles, and pushed them forward. Everything is properly intimated now, but it means that Fender set it up going off this super bowed neck lol
@@agufish Cool very good. You lucked out.
@@agufishproperly intimated. Lol.
I’ve seen guitars with misaligned necks but usually someone has messed with it.
Every year or every couple years I loosen the neck screws on any bolt on after a restring as regular maintenance sometimes the neck will pop and reseat in the pocket, some people say it helps sustain, I don’t know about that but it definitely in my experience has improved the feel and made guitars feel more alive under my fingers.
No excuse for that kind of issue getting past QC.
Get it together guys!
I own 11 Fenders & Squire guitars. My oldest are 1981 Fender Tele and my 1985 Fender Stratocaster.
IDK when the neck alignment/ bridge alignment issue started with Fender, but make no mistake - it is and has been an issue for at least the past four years that I know of.
I first noticed the neck and bridge alignment issue on my 2020 EOB signature Stratocaster purchased for $1500.00 from Sweetwater.
After that disappointing experience I started checking all the Fenders in the local music shops in my area.
To my surprise most of them had alignment issues (not as severe as mine) but still had the issue.
When I questioned he sales reps and luthiers at the music stores - I was told you get what you pay for and if you want perfection you will have to start at the $3000.00 and up price point with Fender.
My response was that my older Fenders do not have this issue - nor do other brand guitars at a much lower than $3000.00 dollar price point.
I will NEVER buy another Fender because of this issue.
There are a lot other brands that make better guitars that come with better components for less money than a Fender.
I don’t need the name on the headstock.
Shame on Fender
And
Thank you Fender for fucking over your customers and turning me on to other brands that blow your overpriced shit away!🤘
My OCD can't handle the pup's pole pieces not aligning with the strings. 😅
I acquired a MIM Tele in a pawn shop, it was a Player series Plus Top model, not to be confused with a Player Plus (because it definitely is not). It looked like it had hardly ever been played, I had it for a month before I realized how bad the fret job was. I was mostly preoccupied with the fact that I finally had a Tele. After getting in contact with with Fender about it, they told me there was nothing they could do to help as I had purchased it from a store that had no affiliation with Fender.
I now have to take the neck off and take care of these feet ends myself. They all need to be sanded down to flush, rolled, and crowned/polished
Hunter, glad it worked out.. I would expect misaligned necks from low end guitar or PARTSCASTERS where the neck and body are from different sources.. that being said.. I bought a sale blowout "Guitar Fetish Strat" cause it was cheap and had a very cool SEAFOAM green.. (yes the greeny-blue thing).. with a killer dark rosewood fingerboard.. and yes.. it had a loose neck joint and a quick alignment fixed the problem.. its still a keeper.. anyway.. Fender did it right.. however, the lack of intonation range is a bummer.. the real fix is to plug the holes and move it back 1/8".. but dang.. you should not have to.. a quick fix is to remove the spring on the low E.. or cut that spring to give you that little extra.. and keep your eyes out for similar block saddles with SHORTER bodies.. some have gone as far as to FILE off the backside of the low E saddle.. but that is a messy thing.. she looks great.. good enough for PUNK.. !!
That's not a neck issue. They installed the bridge in the wrong spot. It's a problem thats been happening with recent Fenders.
I've spoken to a guy who worked at Ensenada (Fender Mexico plant), and he told me that two things happened during and after covid...
1. They lost a lot of their older, skilled, staff, who had worked there for years, and so they had to take on a lot of younger, unskilled, workers to replace them, who just AREN'T up to the job...
And...
2. The management were putting tremendous pressure on staff, just to..."get stuff out the doors"
(his exact words).
Hence...Fender QC has gone down the sh*tter. 😢
Get a Harley Benton 😊😊
Also, I recently bought a strat with a badly cut nut. First 6 frets on the high e were virtually unplayable...and this was after shifting the neck. Ive never had alignment issues until that guitar.
The misaligned neck was the special edition part.
you don’t need the spring on the low e saddle. take it off and it should allow you to move the saddle further back fixing your intonation
I've been wondering about this for over 8 years now too!
I've experienced a Rickenbacker and a Gibson bass with misaligned strings, and they weren't bolt-ons so much harder to fix. Seemed like the bridges weren't placed correctly, though they weren't quite as bad as your previous Strat. I do have a Squier that's a little close to the treble side but it's manageable. It's yet another QC thing that I'm on the lookout for these days, and I've seen various expensive guitars with some baffling issues.
The only time I had this neck issue was when I took the neck off myself and when I put it back on it was misaligned. Then I loosened the neck and fixed it. I have never seen it that bad on a brand new instrument.
8:24
Hearing a The Darkness riff in this review was a welcomed surprise
I think the whole Fender thing is over. Schecter has not only surpassed them but, the speks don't even come close. They sound so much better and on and on. Screw Fender.
I own 17 and have played over 50 various brands. Not once has this happened. No one cares at Fender, move on and be happy. Buying a 1300 guitar should not cause anxiety.
I've had many bolt on guitars. Only 2 of them were slightly misaligned. But none like yours where the bridge wasn't positioned correctly.
Both of them were an easy fix by loosening the "bolts" and aligning the neck.
I'm glad Fender took care of you as it's such a nostalgic guitar for you.
Edit: I have to admit I thought you were generating comments with the neck alignment thing. I missed the bridge being installed incorrectly.
Yes, even on a couple of my Custom Shop Fenders the strings would slightly skewed to the treble or bass side causing them to slip off the fretboard occasionally when fretting the high E (or low E string). They all have tight neck pockets too, a quick neck adjustment solves the issue easily. However, yours looked like an extreme case, like that was way off and definitely warranted a return and replacement. Like you said, the bridge was literally positioned improperly, serious construction flaw.
Hey Hunter, try cutting your saddle springs in half, put on brand new strings, and then adjust your intonation and it should be fine. And you definitely should have returned the first one .
Purchased my much anticipated Tom Delonge Strat only to have these same QC issues and more.
Sent it back to Sweetwater this morning with excitement to get the ESP LTD I wanted with an included hardshell case for $100 less.
Disappointed considering this had been a dream guitar of mine
Oh man! Busting out that vines riff! I forgot how much i loved that song!
I’ve been waiting two weeks for Gibson to get back to me so that’s good to hear.
Yahoo! My new Tom Delonge strat! I can’t wait to play all my favourite Sum 41 riffs 😅. Haha I jest, great video, glad there was a happy ending!
Every demo I hear of the Tom Delonge Strat has the tones set to shriekingly high-boosted.
Guys... it's a trebly hot humbucker in the bridge position. Back off the high end a scoche.
I had this issue with a Fender Player Telecaster MIM. The trick with loosening the neck screws and push the neck in place worked for me.
Yup my EOB strat had a misaligned neck. Just loosened it and straightened it out and tighten it back up
As a left-handed guitar player, I had to build my own Tom Delonge Stratocaster. I just finished it last weekend and it plays in sounds amazing. I went with the surf green. I turned my Squier Strat into a Tom Delonge Strat.
$1300 guitars shouldn't require anything to be fixed by the customer.
I have several Fender's and a Squire and never experienced the neck alignment issue ever.
My Squier Offset Tele was misaligned like that. I was "BARELY" able to shift the neck over enough in the pocket.
I saw one other video where someone had the same Strat, loosened the bolts on the back and it made an audible click as it went into place, still not how it should've been sent out and yours had other issues as well. Glad you got a good one in exchange though
Hey Hunter, I'm pretty sure if you switch to 10's on the strings you'll find the intonation will be OK then. I'd use EB slinkys if you want them to still feel close to 9's. Peace out...
In a collection of about 50 different bolt on instruments, the only misaligned neck pocket was on my G&L Doheny. Fortunately, the retailer was quick in replacing it.
Lacking saddle wiggle room in that bridge is it feasible to go up in string gauge to help with intonation?
I have a VERY recent experience to share if anybody's interested!
Went to my local music store here in the UK looking for a new Strat of some kind a few days ago. I was looking in the Mexican/Player/Player Plus price range.
I've owned probably 10 Fender/Squier Strats before and I used to work at this particular music store for about 5 years too.
I went in with fairly new knowledge that Fenders QC was kind of shoddy as of late but I didn't let that put me off trying a bunch of stuff. I expected the worst and hoped for the best, but still not trying to actively find problems with the instruments if that makes sense. As soon as I looked at some of the Strats they had, I noticed 3 all hung up next to each other with the high E slightly closer to the edge of the board than the low E. I also noticed 2 of the Player teles they had were the same too. I ended up settling for a Player Tele that did not have the mentioned issue on the day but when I asked the tech to double check the intonation for me, he came back and showed me that he could intonate all the strings on it apart from the low E. The low E was sharpening in pitch more and more as you played up the neck and it was impossible for the guitar to be perfectly in tune. (It's worth noting these are all 2023 serial number guitars too.)
Following that I decided on a different Tele in a different finish, all was set up and I went home extremely happy that day. I put some 10s on about an hour after playing when I got home, then spent a further 3 hours (no exaggeration) attempting absolutely any possible setup "style" (ridiculously super high action included) and could not stop the higher frets from buzzing. The Tele absolutely hated having 10s on it. (I'm pretty competent at setting up guitars myself, it was part of the service which is why I had them do it at the shop previously)
Long story short, after a lot of messing around I exchanged my Tele the next day for a Player Plus Strat, which I am absolutely in love with! I still find it buzzes a little bit but I'm going to have a "proper" luthier take a look at it and potentially level the frets for me in the near future. For now it's not enough of an issue but it's something that will need addressing at some point down the line.
Like yourself Hunter, I've owned a lot of guitars (around 60 or so) over the past nearly 20 years. All ranging from £50 to £3500 from many different brands and I've never dealt with anything quite like what I have with Fender recently. My 10 year old Strat is an absolute dream to play and makes me wonder what happened to the QC as of late. So I'm very glad you've addressed it and I really hope enough people complain and don't settle for mediocre or shoddy guitars because they're scared they'll miss out on their limited run models or something like that. I hope enough people have moaned about their Gold Foils too.
Anyway thanks again for this video, I don't know if anybody will end up reading this but if I could give any advice to anybody Fender shopping at the moment, it would be to make a point to check the guitar(s) out in a shop where possible, make the long drive if you have to or catch the long train/bus because it might save you a lot of time and hassle as opposed to buying online. Cheers!
I've been playing 25 years now and the neck pocket shifting out of alignment that far is NOT a common issue I've ever encountered or heard about on a brand new guitar. I also found it odd people were acting like it happens all the time in the comments of your last video.
Plus, that bridge just looked way off and wasn't centered at all. It wasn't as simple a fix as loosening the neck bolts and wiggling the neck.
If you put a smaller spring on the bridge saddle you might have enough room to intonate that E string .
Stoked you got one that made the grade. But you continue to tease me with the Phil Sgrosso Charvel in the background. 😢
This is Hunters equivalent of Glenn’s rage towards the Dave Mustaine Flying V from Gibson
The fender neck issues seem to be VERY recent cuz I have three Fenders, 2 of which are Squiers, and none of them have neck alignment issues. I’ve seen recently tho that a lot of guitars from their Mexico factory have been having a shit ton of problems, specifically with the necks.
Music is like sports, everyone has their opinion and think it is the most important one.
Glad to hear you got a replacement quickly.
Get free by the vines is so underrated lol. Good shit!
You can solve the intonation with a little turn on the truss rod. Get it to a luthier for a really good setup and it will be playing at its best.
I've only just realised they are Made in Mexico Strats! I mean I love my gringo Strat but it cost less than half of what the Tom sig is costing.
And mine came with 3 Seymour Duncans. In some ways it explains QC issues but I cant believe a big name piece like this isn't American built.
I have to admit Fender seem to have dropped the ball with this, I would love one but parting with over $1000? I think I'd rather build my own.
Over the years I got two guitars with misaligned necks (out of 10 bolt ons I had so far) - one is an Ibanez RG standard and the other a Jackson JS. Both were not so bad and I was able to fix myself. Unscrew the neck, adjust the fit and hold on tight, then screw back in place.
Me I had a high way one jazz that had that same problem that was in 2007 it isn’t common but things happen. I took off the neck and did a few things just didn’t fix it. A tech friend of mine moved the bridge of slightly and it was fixed without showing the exposed holes. I’ve also changed necks on guitars and had that happen
The neck alignment issue is something I’ve seen dozens of times from working on bolt on neck guitars. It’s not super common but definitely does happen on occasion. I do setups and fret work on tons of guitars is probably why I’ve seen it so much. Happens to every brand not just fender. The fix is just to loosen the screws and pull the neck back into alignment, but if the pocket is so tight that may not be doable.
Black Shuck is my go to riff, nice to see them get some love!!
You just gotta take it to pep boys and get an alignment man.
Misaligned necks are the reason I only buy guitars with actual photos (as opposed to stock photos).
It's not just a Fender thing. G&L (obviously), Ibanez, Yamaha, all occasionally derp up a neck alignment.
The reason it happens is really simple: Since bolt-ons are designed to be parts exchangeable, the CNC'ing is pretty universal, but the woods have varying degrees of moisture that don't have the time to completely cure by the time the individual parts need to be slapped together.
So you might have a neck that fits tight during "QC", but when it hits that shipping container, the neck may shrink, warp, and shift.
It's the same reason fret sprout happens. For example, Kiesel claims their woods are properly cured, but it never gets as dry in California as it does where I am in the New England, so I always get fret sprout or some neck shift on one of their guitars.
If you trim the saddle springs a little, say take off 30% of the length,( no more) it should give you 2 or 3 more quarter turns on the intonation and still provide enough tension to dampen vibration and keep the saddle in place.
On the Intonation, move the bridge saddles all/most of the way forward, and re-intonate. I hae 2 Fenders, an MIA and a MIM. Neither had that alignment issue.
A hard tail strat with an Invader is definitely an interesting spec and I would play it for certain things. I was in my 20s when their music came out but even though I'm a fan of punk that dude's voice was just kryptonite for my ears so every one of their songs was instant punch out for me. Liked Sum 41 from that era a lot more.
I Used to work at the FMIC distribution center as an inspector, it would blow your mind to know how poorly these guitars are inspected, not because the employees suck but because the management wants an insane amount of guitars inspected and passed in an unrealistic amount of time. You cannot properly fix sharp frets in seven minutes and properly inspect and correct issues on an entire guitar, I’ve seen it all get passed, every annoying problem on a guitar. So if you got sharp frets on a fender or Jackson, or bad neck pocket your not alone, sadly.
Good on fender for standing behind their product. I have owned countless Strat's and Tele's over the past 30 years and Fender neck alignment issues, while not uncommon, have been very minor when I've encountered them. A slight nudge of the neck after loosening the neck screws a bit to align the strings over the pickup pole pieces is all that I have ever had to do. Your original guitar issue was by no means minor - the string was at the edge of the fretboard. Definitely a QC issue and NOT normal for a Fender.
Great video and good on Fender for getting on it so quick! You should steal Ola's idea of filming you setting up the guitars while doing some Q&A!
If a dry fingerboard was the only issue, then it's a big win. I feel literally every guitar I order comes with a bone dry fingerboard. I always expect to do a setup on a new guitar. That thing is pretty sweet. Love that pickguard and ust how simple the whole instrument is. Enoy!
Dude I saw Sum 41 live Sunday night so hearing you play those riffs was sick
I got mine in graffiti yellow when they first came out a few weeks back. Out of the box the thing needed a serious setup. Action was all over, neck dry as ever, intonation way off and volume knob loose. Took it to a luthier and now it plays great but seriously Fender a new guitar should have zero playability issues! Also has a couple dings out of box 😔
I've never had a string alignment issue on a Fender like that. So I'm on your side with it being a QC issue. (So was Fender apparently.)
I have a Vintage (the brand not the age) Strat that has a critical neck alignement. Most strats I've played have little space on the high E-String but I never saw something like this before,