Do Not Buy A Guitar From Fender's Mod Shop!

In the first installment of OCD Guitar Reviews, I describe my experience with Fender's Mod Shop. Let's just say my dream guitar is a quality control disaster. And by the way, Fender's customer service is nonexistent. Moral of the story: buy an ESP instead.

[@mars6433]

The power of social media. Your video was very respectful. That guitar should have never left the factory. Make it right, Fender !

[@ocdguitarreviews]

I appreciate you thinking so! I agree. Fingers crossed they do. I swear if they send the same guitar back...lololol.

[@beefnacos6258]

This right here. Being respectful.

[@SasquatchLovesMe]

Yesterday I took the liberty of reaching out to Fender on your behalf. I told them I recently bought a strat from the Mod shop and provided a link to this vid. I told them this was unacceptable if they want to keep customers. They responded to me tonight to let me know a person has reached out you. If true, glad it happened.

[@ocdguitarreviews]

I actually just got off the phone with them. Thank you for reaching out on my behalf! I was really grateful and surprised when they said that one of my viewers sent them the video :) I really, really appreciate it. They just sent me a shipping label to return the guitar and they are trying to facilitate a rebuild. I plan on posting an update as soon as I have a new guitar in hand.

[@SasquatchLovesMe]

@@ocdguitarreviews Awesome! I didn't expect a response, but that's great!

[@ocdguitarreviews]

@@SasquatchLovesMe thank you again! It really means a lot :)

[@Jonnydrums413]

Good job

[@borasmussen4794]

Dude way to go!!!!! 🎉🎉🎉 I love fender but this is deplorable!!! So glad you got ‘em by the balls!!! Just think about the thousands of people that don’t get the quality they paid for that these companies don’t do anything about!!! We gotta band together to take these companies ideas of so called customer service and make them adhere to the standards they preach!!!!

[@hairlab9646]

I'm convinced that at least some Mod shop guitars are thrown together from parts that didn't pass QC. Just after the Covid pause I paid full MSRP to make a AM Pro/Nocaster mashup to choose the body color and avoid the hassle of sourcing and swapping PUPs. The fretboard markers were comically misaligned and before returning it, I took it apart: the neck had clearly been on a blue guitar (I ordered copper) which leads me to believe that a blue AM Pro, perhaps headed to a dealer at wholesale price, failed QC and someone at Fender thought "let's just use it on a guitar we're selling direct for full retail." Amazing.

[@ocdguitarreviews]

I never thought of this, but this would definitely explain it! Thank you for sharing :)

[@petevadelnieks]

I have a Jaguar I got from the Mod Shop, amazing guitar. It does not feel like leftover parts or ones that didn't pass QC. Sorry that your Strat was fucked up, glad to hear Fender is doing the right thing

[@samdeters6162]

@@petevadelnieks I think the point is that they're not doing the right thing at all

[@hairlab9646]

@@petevadelnieks Yes. To Fender's credit, their communication was excellent. They gave me the choice of return or "repair." I liked the Tele (Very good PUPS and a light(ish) body) and could have had Fender send a new neck to the nearest AD and covering the cost of the labor per their "Faulty Product" policy. If the AD's backlog was shorter (again this was when everyone was waiting for everything post COVID) I would have opted for the new neck.

[@beefnacos6258]

That's messed up because those guitars should be fhkin perfect

[@am2p.]

I hope you keep this video up, even if fender ends up fixing the issues you pointed out. People should understand that it’s not acceptable for instruments of this price point to have this level of quality. But they should also understand that despite the name on the headstock, issues like this can still happen

[@ocdguitarreviews]

I definitely will post an update, but I'm not taking it down. I hope this prompts them to take a closer look at their QC and offer returns for defective mod shop builds.

[@skpepi]

I find it amazing that you kept it so calm, this whole experience sounds infuriating. I really hope you can get some good customer service!

[@ocdguitarreviews]

It takes a lot for me to get angry hahaha. I was really disappointed though. Hopefully Fender makes things right.

[@264boresteve]

I’ve noticed Fender’s American lines have been suffering quite a few quality issues in the past few years. Lately, I’ve purchased a couple of Player Strats, made in Mexico, for the purpose of creating my own modded guitars. These came from that factory absolutely flawless! If they can get it right in one factory, then they need to apply the same employee mindset at the other.

[@ocdguitarreviews]

That's the funny thing. The Mexican Fenders have always been better for me. Even my American Ultra Telecaster was a bit of a miss.

[@LucasJRice]

How do you explain the gold foil problems then. V

[@ocdguitarreviews]

@@LucasJRice that's a whole nother story hahaha. The bridge placement on those basses is whack.

[@davidharding200]

It’s not just the last few years. I bought a Clapton signature series strat around 1991. Brand new. It’s been a dog in every respect. Truth be told has probably not had more than 200 hours play (not a lot over 30 yrs) but has so many major issues primarily the fretboard where the lawyer has come off in parts and the frets tarnished green. It’s so bad I couldn’t get a reasonable price for it to sell.

[@ocdguitarreviews]

@@davidharding200 I had an Eric Johnson Stratocaster that was a dog as well. Wouldn't stay in tune for more than a few seconds and all of the metal on it started corroding immediately. I was lucky I was able to get rid of it. That being said, I do have an American Ultra Telecaster that's great :)

[@swagmanners1486]

Just read that Fender hit you up and is trying to make this right. Their customer support is usually amazing, so it seemed odd that they just told you to refer to the two year warranty.

[@ocdguitarreviews]

I agree. I thought it was really odd, but unfortunately their mod shop policy is essentially no returns for any reason, even a defective product. I hope this video prompts them to change that.

[@swishersweets777]

Their customer support is terrible. Bought an amp, speaker malfunctioned before my warranty from guitar center expired. Fender told GC they wouldn’t fix it because it was past the one year Fender warranty. GC fought Fender and finally got them to help out by having me take my amp to a certified Fender repair tech an hour away from where I live. Tech had my amp for over a month before reaching back out to tell me Fender does not make my amp anymore so they aren’t going to replace my speaker. Repair tech tried to fight Fender on my behalf and finally Fender stated they “found” an amp in their Mexico factory in a dark corner that had the same speaker. After all was said and done it took like 6 months to get my amp back and multiple people had to plead with Fender on my behalf to get a replacement speaker after Fender continually tried to just shrug their shoulders and play the “oh well” card because it was past their one year parts warranty. Big guitar manufacturers don’t care about the little guy. They only give a shit about customer service if you’re a sponsored player.

[@StevenRockwood]

​@@swishersweets777 Your last statement couldn't be more unagreeable. How many people in this world do they sponsor? ... It's nothing compared to the masses that actually play their instruments. Sponsored individuals usually have third parties involved and if you're talking about KZbin creators, I simply do not consider that to be a real sponsorship. They may send you one for review, even then stipulations would definitely apply. They have some of the best customer service representatives out there. I wanted a guitar immediately after seeing it in a certain colour in which many guitar shops told me was unavailable to be sent to Canada. I called Fender, a representative was on the line in less than 5. I explained my issue and he gave me his personal name and a reference number for the call. He told me to get the guitar shop to call him. I did so, and the next day the store called me back and said I was in-luck as Fender was going to ship it up. I paid over the phone and it arrived a month later. We all have our own stories and experiences ... 🤔

[@liammalone9263]

Whenever any major brand sends someone a fuck up they always send them to me at sam ash for warranty work, sam ash doesn't do warranty work and they should just replace their goddamn junk

[@BarnyardTheSilverback]

Sharing this because that is insane. I've got an ASG Recoil that I bought when the company was going out of business and it doesn't have even 1/4 the issues you've detailed here, and it was super cheap by comparison. When a company going out of business has better QC than one of the biggest American companies there is, you know someone if getting too comfortable with their status in the guitar world.

[@ocdguitarreviews]

I feel like Fender has just gotten to the point where they are comfortable riding on the coattails of their former success.

[@1148-w1d]

I've spec'd out numerous Mod Shop Strats and drooled over them...I will never order from them after hearing and seeing you experience. Thank you for posting and saving me money. I have the exact same OCD and wouldn't even begin entertaining keeping that guitar.

[@ocdguitarreviews]

I'm glad my video helped! All of the imperfections were driving me nuts.

[@ernieb3626]

Great video OCD. He did a great job without renting. Stating the points giving good pictures. I’m glad to hear that. They reached out to you. They should be giving you something a little extra but I’m glad it’s getting ironed out. Please keep us posted and informed on the new guitar. God bless.

[@ocdguitarreviews]

Thank you! I really appreciate the kind words :) I will definitely keep you updated. Fingers crossed they don't send the same guitar back to me lol.

[@noquarterdesign]

Oof. Sorry to hear of your struggles. I just ordered an esp snapper that's on back order and am so happy to receive it!

[@ocdguitarreviews]

I have a E-II snapper that I love. Honestly, the smoothest neck in the whole world. You will love your new guitar!

[@James-uz2ne]

I'm surprised they didn't tell you. You just have a road worn edition. Thanks for this review. Well I'm never getting a modded fender now. I went and got a guitar from (all in one guitars) instead. It's beautiful, inexpensive, and plays great! Looking forward to seeing a follow up on this if any.

[@ocdguitarreviews]

That's one way to think of it hahaha. I will let you know if I hear anything from Fender, but I am doubtful :(

[@skapslag]

@@ocdguitarreviews PRS and Sire too, they are incredible for the price.

[@ocdguitarreviews]

@@skapslag I'm thinking of getting one of the new Mark Holcomb models from PRS :)

[@skapslag]

@@ocdguitarreviews nice, you won't regret it. Get a sire too, cheaper than fender and definitely much better quality. Specially that sweet edgeless neck.

[@ocdguitarreviews]

@@skapslag I definitely need to check out one of their guitars! I've been seeing them pop up on Sweetwater.

[@jeffanderson8384]

Love my Fender MOD shop Strat - perfect out of the box. Sorry to hear you had a bad experience. Same experience with the lack of communication when placing the order and receiving the final guitar. I do think Fender could certainly step up their game with the MOD shop orders.

[@ocdguitarreviews]

Yes, the lack of communication before receiving the guitar was really bizarre. I was almost second guessing whether or not my order was received lol.

[@jeffanderson8384]

@@ocdguitarreviews Fact. I see you got a hardtail also. The only reason I went the MOD route. Hint, hint Fender make some hardtail strats.

[@ocdguitarreviews]

@@jeffanderson8384 yes! Fender needs to offer some hardtail production strats.

[@peterklein5861]

I'm glad you used ESP as a standard of quality. Fender make my favourite guitars but I just got an ESP and what you get for your money in terms of specs, finishing and quality control really highlights Fender's laziness (or arrogance).

[@ocdguitarreviews]

Yes! ESPs are the best. What ESP did you get? I have an Eclipse and Alexi Laiho model that are flawless. I'm going to try to review them soon :)

[@peterklein5861]

@@ocdguitarreviews I got a Horizon III. It's the first guitar I've owned that I can describe as a "precision instrument", the attention to detail is incredible!

[@ocdguitarreviews]

@@peterklein5861 that's awesome! I've been eyeing up a few Horizons.

[@user-lk7lp9pg5q]

@@ocdguitarreviews alexi laiho is my favorite guitarist, which model have you got? the prettiest imo is the scythe, such an iconic guitar

[@ocdguitarreviews]

@@user-lk7lp9pg5q I have a black one with yellow pinstripes. 2005 or 2006, I can't remember which lol.

[@SixString_J5]

About 4 years ago I bought a Fender "pro series" strat online and when it arrived I was crushed. the only thing it had going for it were the pickups sounded great. Immediately I noticed that at least 7 frets were flat with file marks from leveling in QC but they never crowned and polished them and the Pickguard didn't sit flush. I loved the way it sounded and I know how to level, crown, and polish so I convinced myself to give it a try. I played it a couple days and then I went to rectify the issues. I took the strings off and went to level the frets and step one is staightening the neck with the truss rod...... the truss rod was frozen and wouldn't move. Probaby wood glue seeped into it and it can likely be broken free, but It's straight not returnable if you strip the truss rod allen nut. I got on the phone and put in for return and sweetwater immediately gave me a shipping label and subsequently my money back. NEVER again am I buying an American Fender.

[@ocdguitarreviews]

That's why I love Sweetwater. They will always do whatever they can to make things right by the customer.

[@LouisTomczak]

File a dispute with your credit card company immediately. Edit: Just saw you'd be disputing. For anyone in the comments, always document and dispute if anything like this happens.

[@ocdguitarreviews]

So actually Fender saw this video and called me, promising to rebuild my guitar. Fingers crossed they don't send the same guitar back lol.

[@DisruptedSinner]

This is absolutely brutal, and I feel for you man. I've never owned a Fender or a Gibson and I never will. They just don't care about craftmanship anymore - it's all about suing other companies and riding their own brand name coat-tails. There are so many alternatives out there there I love such as Schecter, Ibanez, PRS... and yes even some Jacksons. I hope you get some recognition and payback for this.

[@ocdguitarreviews]

Thank you for the support! I love my Ibanezes, especially my JEM. That guitar is flawless.

[@DisruptedSinner]

@@ocdguitarreviews Oh for sure! And 1 overpriced Fender can buy you all of these 1 Ibanez, 1 Schecter and 1 PRS. No brainer. :)

[@godbyone]

Get a prs. You pick up any prs. It’s set up are perfect

[@3Torts]

Jackson...............

[@AnthonyWilliams-ew3wp]

Disagree about Gibsons. The top of the range models are still outstanding.

[@jogmas12]

I’ll probably never own a fender since a lot of other guitar companies make pretty good guitars more cheaply in Indonesia, South Korea etc…

[@ocdguitarreviews]

I agree! ESP's LTD guitars from South Korea are incredible.

[@joematiacio3449]

Thanks for the review, that just made my decision to look elsewhere. What eventually happened with this guitar?

[@MistaaFeast]

That is INSANE. I’m glad you made a video on this because that’s just completely unacceptable. I personally could overlook the scuffs but all that combined with the volume knob literally not working is just way way too much. I’m glad you got the issue resolved. I’m a huge fender fan but that sucks ass

[@ocdguitarreviews]

Let's see what happens. Fingers crossed they don't send the same guitar back lol. On the aggregate, I am still a huge fender fan, which made my experience all the more depressing.

[@richarde3378]

This is why I buy guitars in person now. When I'm in the store I go OCD on the guitar before I buy it! Thanks for the great post, bro!

[@ocdguitarreviews]

That's the best way to do it! Thank you for watching :)

[@Ottophil]

Ocd isnt real. Oh geez the channel name…ಠ_ಠ lame

[@godbyone]

Yes and just get prs.

[@ocdguitarreviews]

@@godbyone I had a PRS Mark Holcomb signature that I miss dearly :( Really regret selling it.

[@TK-fk4po]

I’m glad to hear they are making things right. That’s some major issues for a guitar in that price range. Especially the volume pot!!

[@ocdguitarreviews]

I agree! The volume pot was the biggest frustration to me.

[@Mr59Esquire]

I had a Fender chorus pedal that crapped out on me a month after the warranty was voided. Called and talked to them told them the problem . They sent me a brand new one and told me keep the old one . Excellent service on their part. Was too far for me to drive to get the old one serviced.

[@ocdguitarreviews]

That's awesome! I'm glad to hear their customer service isn't always terrible :)

[@mikepalmieri3375]

Thank you! I was considering ordering from the Mod Shop, no more! Again thanks! Good luck with your return.

[@ocdguitarreviews]

You're welcome! I'm glad my video could help you make an informed decision.

[@Psichlo1]

I have been a Fender fan since I started playing guitar 30 years ago. I hate to say that they have gone down the same road as Gibson with their QC. Their prices have continued to increase on made in the US guitars and the quality has steadily dropped. I ordered an SRV strat a couple years ago and paid about 1600 for it; when I got it the frets were in horrible shape, the neck was crooked with the high E string coming off the fretboard at about the 10th fret. I loosened the screws and straightened the neck in the pocket, but this wasn't the end of the issues. Intonation was almost impossible to get right, and it had fret buzz in almost ever location up and down the neck. I took it to a luthier and paid about 200 dollars for a full setup. Turns out it had 7 high frets that had to be leveled, crowned and re-polished. The nut was cut badly causing binding and affecting the tuning stability. Too many little things to list, but it was enough to essentially swear me off purchasing a Fender any time soon. The big two have begun to live on their legacy and it's a sad state that the import versions of Gibsons and Fenders are better quality than the American made ones. Let me be clear, having to have a setup on a guitar is not a big deal, but paying almost 2k for a guitar that is essentially unplayable out of the box, is unacceptable.

[@ocdguitarreviews]

I agree! I received an Eric Johnson strat with similar issues. Basically unplayable out of the box and wouldn't even stay in tune for a minute. Probably my most disappointing purchase to date.

[@brianphelps1183]

Sorry to hear your issues. I ordered a Mod Shop Strat back in 2020 and had no issues. Fender should stand behind their product.

[@ocdguitarreviews]

I'm glad you got a good one :) I'm hoping that Fender makes things right. They called me in response to this video and promised to rebuild my guitar and give me some money back. Fingers crossed that they don't send the same guitar back lol. Let's see what happens.

[@brianphelps1183]

@@ocdguitarreviews Let’s hope so.

[@ocdguitarreviews]

@@brianphelps1183 I'll let you know :)

[@Tuhqa]

Ive owned 2 guitars from the Mod Shop, a strat and a tele. My strat also came with many things/blemishes I found unusual especially for how much I had spent. My strats fretboard has an ungodly amount of divots and dents, and also came with a strange gunk or something on top in several spots. I cannot remove the weird haze or gunk or whatever it is and its frustrating. My tele was a pretty flawless guitar but my strat not so much. Its an absolute shame to see what happened to you with your experience.

[@bryanstrader1740]

First things, I am a fan of fender guitars - and have given thought to doing a mod shop build myself, but their reaction to your issues has me thinking twice. Good for you on taking action and doing so with a calm approach. You shouldn't have to create a you tube video and call them out for them to do the right thing,

[@ocdguitarreviews]

I agree! They should have just fixed it from the get-go.

[@KennedyIvy]

Wow. This is concerning. I just bought a $200 squier and it was perfect, everything worked well and no flaws. I would be super upset if a custom fender had this many mistakes, sad

[@ocdguitarreviews]

That's the craziest part. All of my Squires have been flawless. I'm not sure what Fender is doing over here in the states.

[@tanker1960]

I cannot see selling my 2008 Indonesian Squire Stratocaster at all. Trying to decide new neck or refret.

[@tasosdiaforetico7377]

Damn I meet folk in the Chinese factory in China got a Squier it played better or the same

[@Guvnor513]

I was coming here to say this about Squiers: I played on recently at our local Guitar Center and it was a fantastic little guitar. There was a Player series Fender, basically the Mexican Strats, and it was absolutely horrible. The fretwork was atrocious.

[@chuckdriver8269]

I was a Fender player for decades. Four years ago I wanted a change and bought a PRS. Best decision ever.🇺🇸

[@ocdguitarreviews]

I'm really tempted to try out some PRSs, but I'm not sure how I would feel about the scale length. What are your thoughts?

[@bryanstrader1740]

I recently acquired a PRS silver sky SE, and am completely amazed out just how good the quality is for an SE model.

[@palehorsenameddeath7731]

@@ocdguitarreviews PRS are fantastic guitars the SE, CE and S2 are fantastic for the money. The Silver shy is a Strat killer for sure. It is everything a Strat should be. Check them out.

[@ocdguitarreviews]

@@bryanstrader1740 I really want to try one of those out!

[@ocdguitarreviews]

@@palehorsenameddeath7731 I'm a huge John Mayer fan boy, so I am really tempted to order one. My only gripe is the gig bag. It really should come with a hard case at that price lol.

[@ralphdamatojr]

Wow... That was really nice someone reaching out on your behalf.. you deserve an immaculate 🎸.. it was built for you and you paid for that... I don't mind putting wear on my guitars, but I wanna be the one to put the wear on.. not get a guitar blemished up.. you deserve that too.. I am a crazed Fender guy.. anything with its name on it I love, so this is hard to see... I can't wait to see your follow up with the new guitar.. please post buddy 🙏🏻👍🏻🎸👏🏻🤟🏻

[@ocdguitarreviews]

I agree! I am incredibly appreciative of that :) I'm planning on recording an update this upcoming Friday. I love Fenders too, so this whole experience was incredibly disheartening to me.

[@brodyevans7710]

Love how you reply to every comment. Probably why this video got pushed out so hard. Hope everything works out for you👍

[@ocdguitarreviews]

Thank you Brody! I try my best :) I want to make sure everyone has their voice heard.

[@mikekellyjcmo1]

Sorry you feel this way. I ordered a P bass from the Mod Shop. It arrived in less than 45 days from the date of order (late COVID era). It had my order list in the case when it got here along with 3 different views of the order. The guitar was in pristine condition. I'm looking to buy a jazz bass from them soon. Absolutely no complaints.

[@ocdguitarreviews]

I'm glad your Mod Shop experience was great! I was actually hoping to order a p-bass from them after this, but my experience soured me :(

[@jamesalley7387]

Same, I have a used mod shop I picked up and it’s flawless.

[@aphotosyntheticworld]

Also had a great Mod Shop experience and its become my go to guitar but I do know that Fender can send out some absolute duds even from their Corona factory. Happy with my purchase but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't very worried that shit QC would lead to receiving a blemished guitar.

[@palehorsenameddeath7731]

Same with me My guitar was flawless and fantastic. I would do it again.

[@ocdguitarreviews]

@@jamesalley7387 that's awesome! Glad to hear :)

[@Childofbhaal]

I was buying my first real splurge purchase guitar recently and went back and forth between a Fender Tele or a G&L ASAT and I’m honestly so happy I went G&L. The build quality was absolutely outstanding. Right out of the box it was just flawless and sustains like a dream. I’ve never been able to make a guitar have that “singing” tone like I have with my ASAT

[@ocdguitarreviews]

I really want to try out a G&L. I have been hearing nothing but good things about them :)

[@Childofbhaal]

@@ocdguitarreviews All I do is sing their praises now 🤣 My guitar was a USA model and decently expensive but I’ve never been more happy with a purchase in my life. I feel so much more confident and comfortable with my instrument and that means the world

[@mindfield9832]

G&L is way better. Man, I played a bunch of Fenders at Guitar Center a couple weeks ago and every one of them had sharp fret ends protruding outward but then none of the Squires I picked up had that issue. But Squires are bullshit as well. You can get better quality starter guitar for less money by getting a Gretsch but I still haven’t found a strat or tele style guitar with the same quality and price as the lowest priced Gretsches.

[@baybae92]

So sorry this happened to you! I’m hoping Fender makes it right :) I hear such varying reviews of their quality. My Mexican Player Series Tele HH has been flawless. Just as an aside, and I say this with respect and love - being aware of detail is not “OCD.” OCD is a debilitating mental condition that involves unrelenting intrusive thoughts and causes those who suffer from them to perform ritualistic compulsions in order to silence the thoughts. Unfortunately, acting in compulsions makes them worse. I hope you’ll reconsider your use of “OCD” as being someone who gets annoyed by small detail. Much love and best of luck with getting a replacement! This build looks cool :) Sincerely, An OCD Sufferer and Guitar Nerd

[@ocdguitarreviews]

Most of my Mexican Fenders have been flawless too :) I also suffer from OCD, hence the name of the channel. Meditation has been helping me a lot lately though.

[@Wildman9]

I gave you a like and sub. for bringing this to our attention. You shouldn't have to bring your guitar to a repair facility if this Qcd. at the factory. I have over 20 fender guitars, the only problem I've run into was with a Squire ,it wouldn't intonate,stress cracks at the neck pocket . And the blue metafllake finish was cloudy in places. But they exchanged for another one. Same thing ,I called their service rep. He said that I could have my choice of any guitar the make except for the Corona strats. So I chose a Squire classic vibe in Burgundy mist. This thing was better sounding than some of my more expensive strats. They usually will work with you if you just keep your cool . That's cool if they just send you another one .Good luck young man .

[@ocdguitarreviews]

Thank you! I really appreciate the support :) Fingers crossed they don't send the same guitar back to me lol.

[@glenclarkchidley3637]

People are catching on. Fender has always sold overpriced wood!

[@ocdguitarreviews]

I think you're on to something! Lol. Thank you for the comment.

Awesome review 😊!! can't wait to see more 😲. Also, has anybody ever told you, you look a bit like the guitarist of the band bury me? 🤘

[@ocdguitarreviews]

Do I really? I'm a huge fan of that band!

[@burymeband5410]

The resemblance is uncanny!

[@ocdguitarreviews]

@@burymeband5410 right?

[@palehorsenameddeath7731]

Wow, I sorry this happened to you and your new guitar. New guitar day should be fun and exciting.Not a let down. I ordered a Mod shop tele last year. My guitar was flawless and is a fantastic player it is one of my favorites in my collection. It's sad that the level of GC is not consistent. On what I received I would definitely order from the Mod shop again. I hope Fender makes this right for you.

[@ocdguitarreviews]

I'm glad to hear you got a good one :) I hope they make this right too, because this was my dream guitar.

[@foxorian]

I had a similar experience recently, except it was an example of customer service done right (or at least better) -- granted, with a couch, not a guitar, but nontheless it was an $1800 sofa from Crate & Barrel that I waited about 6 months for (standard delivery time for a special order piece,) and it arrived with a hole in the fabric on the rear of the couch (shipping damage.) Crate & Barrel delivered the couch to me anyway so I could have a couch to use, but they informed me ahead of time without me even doing anything that the damage was noticed and a replacement couch has already been reordered for me, free of charge. They told me I can use the damaged one as a loaner all I want, they'll come pick it back up and replace it with the clean one as soon as it arrives. (The small hole is on the backside which is against a wall anyway, but the principle of the matter was still dealt with.) Pretty impressive, really. I do wish they would've asked me if I wanted to get a whole new couch or get like $500 of the price refunded (I would've taken the refund) but I'm glad it was such an effortless experience for me either way. -- In your situation, Fender should've noticed the problems before it was boxed up and simply started a new one without you even knowing it was an issue to begin with. (Though if it were my guitar, I also would've taken a nice discount to keep the one I got too hahah) Hope you get it sorted, man

[@ocdguitarreviews]

That is some top notch customer service! Other companies should take note from Crate and Barrel. I hope so too. They actually called me in response to this video and said they would rebuild my guitar and give me a partial refund. I'm yet to see the refund, despite following up about it :(

[@kayasper6081]

I worked in a big guitar shop for years and was responsible for the quality control. The Fender agent hated me for sending back many of their guitars. There just were issues on a regular basis regarding the quality.

[@ocdguitarreviews]

What sort of issues did you observe?

[@kayasper6081]

@@ocdguitarreviews Most times it were minor defects, but just serious enough to prevent a clean sale. Like imperfections in the finish or small but annoying issues in the electronics. Once in a while it was more severe, like too much relief in the neck or bad neck-body alignment. And almost with every single Fender guitar the set up /adjustment had to be done better.

[@ocdguitarreviews]

@@kayasper6081 that's rough having to setup every single new Fender. You would think that Fender would try to do a modest setup at least before sending their guitars out.

[@db.5811]

I’m shocked that the customer service was so bad especially considering it’s a mod shop Guitar. I expected more from Fender. Glad it’s getting resolved with the help of your viewer.

[@ocdguitarreviews]

I was shocked too, but currently their policy is "no returns" even for defective builds. They really need to revise their policy. Fingers crossed they don't send the same guitar back lol.

[@beefnacos6258]

I mean you can build up a custom Gibson and not get any customer support at all

[@db.5811]

@@beefnacos6258 that’s a real shame.

[@db.5811]

@@ocdguitarreviews wow yeah no returns even if defective? Doesn’t inspire confidence but looking at it from their end, I guess they are afraid of making a bunch of custom builds and people finding the smallest reason to return. I think your reasons are more valid but I wouldn’t put it above others to return a guitar for a 3mm surface scratch. Shoot when I first started I returned an Epiphone LP that played fantastic for some cosmetic imperfections. What i didn’t know then is how little that mattered and what a gem I was sending back. After picking some real duds as replacements I realized my mistake. These companies prob can’t afford to build custom Guitars to inexperienced folks (like my younger self) and bad apples.

[@ocdguitarreviews]

@@beefnacos6258 is that really what their customer service is like? That's sad to hear :(

[@Amazology]

As an aside. Could be a dry joint on the volume pot ? It may be that if you pop off the stretch plate and just heat the pot the solder will soften at the point and the pot will function properly.

[@ocdguitarreviews]

That certainly is possible, but I didn't want to mess with the guitar too much and risk further damage lol.

[@larrybethune3909]

Just imagine if other product designs, say your car, had changed very little in 70 years but the price was 10x more than it used to be. Where's the value in that? My last guitar purchase was a Harley Benton. C$500 + shipping. Saved at least $1500 over similar brand name 24 fret guitars. It sounded and played great right out of the box. Perfect action, intonation, fit and finish. All I did was change the strings. I now have a lovely pink strat and 3 tele's begging for attention.

[@ocdguitarreviews]

I've been hearing a lot of great things about Harley Benton. Very tempted to try one out!

[@synonyx]

Thanks for the honesty. I recently had two American vintage strats show up. Both had QC flaws. Luckily SW gave me a nice discount to make up for it. I really wanted to order a mod shop Guitar but I think I’ll hold off for now. I hope they make it right. Fender needs to step it up ASAP. Big YT channels are now calling them out for bigger QC issues than this!

[@ocdguitarreviews]

That's what I love about Sweetwater! They will do everything they can to make things right for the customer. Fender should take some notes from their approach.

[@reno145]

I am a Fender fanboy, no doubt about it. But, I think I would get a Schecter after seeing their factor tour video from Rob Scallon.

[@ocdguitarreviews]

I loved watched that factory tour! They Schecter team seems like a bunch of great guys that really care about their craft.

[@ocdguitarreviews]

@@joefabeetz1029 I had one of their new Blackjacks for a minute, but unfortunately Sweetwater butchered the setup on it, so I ended up returning it :( The guitar itself was awesome though. I wish they would bring back the hipshot bridges on them.

[@ruthguitars7711]

I think the mod shop could be a really cool thing for those guys wanting a sorta custom shop guitar. I enjoyed this watch a lot very insightful. Thanks for sharing!

[@ocdguitarreviews]

Thank you for watching! I really appreciate it :)

[@randomonlineactivity]

Volume knob doesn't function?!!! How are you gonna get your clean Fuzz tones?!!!

[@whiteshedrecordings]

I would assume that they were churning them out in record pace to keep up with the covid demand. I’m done with Fender also. The last one I bought new was a 2020 Player Series Tele with frets sharp enough to cut your hand, and a neck pocket finish crack. I sold it immediately and started building my own using Warmoth parts. IMO Squier CS has surpassed Fender Mexico and American quality control. Hope you get your guitar fixed or refunded.

[@ocdguitarreviews]

I'm sorry to hear that :( I'm thinking of building a guitar out of Warmoth parts now. I agree. All of the Squiers I have purchased have been flawless, with the exception of the Bass VI that I couldn't get intonated for the life of me.

[@Tony_SZ97]

Wow....Fender should be ashamed of having a product like this coming out of the factory lines...absolutely unacceptable however what shocks me the most is their lack of customer service, respect and interest for their customers...unbelievable!!!! BIG KUDOS @Mark Anderson for pitching in!

[@ocdguitarreviews]

I agree! I really appreciate Mark for reaching out to them. The saddest part about this though is if I didn't post this video, Fender would have been completely fine forcing me to live with a defective guitar. As a long-time Fender customer, this really disappointed me.

[@Tony_SZ97]

@@ocdguitarreviews Agree, unfortunately seems like they are no longer what they used to be that is unless you decide for an expensive Customer Shop model which unfortunately gives a very wrong impression to say the least...

[@ocdguitarreviews]

@@Tony_SZ97 that's for sure. My dad's old strats were a dream to play. It's seems they have followed Gibson's path in the recent years lol.

[@jacobnicoletti1235]

Honestly man, thanks for bringing up the issue you had with the fret buzz despite the neck relief being perfect. I've had the same issue with my Fender Player HSS Strat. Set it up to a t with the music nomad set up kit and can't get my action the way I want it because of the buzz and choke out on higher frets. Nobody should have to deal with issues like this if you're spending more than 500$ on an instrument. Mine was $879 and yours even more costly. I hope they're able to fix these problems for you. Unfortunately I'll have to iron out the issues I have on my own. I've since replaced the bridge with a Wilkinson 2 pt WVS50iik, Fender locking tuners, brass nut, and HH Seymour Duncan JB/Jazz pickups. Next thing to come is definitely a fret level and crown because as it sits, it's just not as comfortable and seamless as I want it to be.

[@ocdguitarreviews]

I hope you're able to get this sorted out. Fret buzz is vexing. It does sound like fret leveling is your only option at this point.

[@jacobnicoletti1235]

@@ocdguitarreviews I ended up doing the fret job and it plays much better but the 17th fret is still high. Everything looked fine when I was leveling and I even checked everything with a fret rocker. I think the fret either needs to be seated (hopefully) or it will need to be replaced. I think it moves around when I adjust the truss rod.

[@arturobarrios8327]

I faced a similar situation two years ago... I bought a MIM Fender Powercaster. I fell in love with the looks of the guitar and I wanted that pickup combination. I tested it quickly at the store with no gain (my mistake) and I bought it. Later, while playing at home, I found out that the bridge was not wired to the ground as it should be. It was really noisy. I opened it and found the ground wire attached to nothing. Also, the pickup selector would sometimes produce no sound at the bridge pickup. I sent an email to Fender, but they told me that I had to solve that with my dealer (I don't live in the USA). In the end, my dealer sent me to another store where the wiring got fixed. I cleaned the pickup selector and now its doing good. I still have the feeling that it is too noisy and that something's wrong with the wiring. I mean, the guitar is good, but after all of that I don't really like it anymore and I know that's kind of dumb. I think that both of these guitars should have never left the factory in these conditions. I've seen some other comments on KZbin about the Powercaster having issues with the wiring... :/

[@ocdguitarreviews]

I'm sorry to hear this happened to you :( I would have been soured by the whole situation too. You shouldn't have to get a new guitar fixed.

[@jvanb231]

You earned a Sub.. let's see this channel take off! Also, I like to stick with Fender Japan over any of their other series guitars.

[@bradleyclosson5042]

I just played a brand new mij strat that had terrible frets

[@jvanb231]

@@bradleyclosson5042 Maybe I've just been lucky :)

[@ocdguitarreviews]

Thank you so much for the support! I really wanted one of their paisley guitars made in Japan. I'm a sucker for guitars with flashy finishes lol.

[@bradleyclosson5042]

@@jvanb231 It did sound good though and was very light and resonant but I can't believe they let it leave the factory with those terribly unfinished frets.

[@ocdguitarreviews]

@@bradleyclosson5042 that had to have a really bummer, especially considering how good it sounded.

[@LydianLunch]

I have been planning to order a Fender mod shop guitar when I had the money, but now I think I’ll just go with something I can try out at a store. Thanks for the video but it really depressed me. I hope your situation works out.

[@ocdguitarreviews]

That's honestly the best thing you can do. Thoroughly inspect it before you make your purchase lol. Fender called me in response to this video. I will be posting an update soon :)

[@samdeters6162]

If you want a custom guitar and are okay with not trying it first, I highly recommend building a warmoth partscaster. Have a good luthier do a deep setup once it's together or have them build the whole thing. Depending on what your preferred specs are, you could save SO much money and have EXACTLY what you want

[@ocdguitarreviews]

@@samdeters6162 I think I'm going to give that a try! It would give me a lot more flexibility and save me a lot of money.

[@pookievanderbilt6889]

What amp are you using with the guitar in this video? And what pickups are in the guitar? Sounds so good man

[@ocdguitarreviews]

Thank you! It was a VOX AC4 and Fender's noiseless pickups.

[@ursafan40]

The Mod Shop isn't charging bargain basement prices so you should expect to get a guitar without bargain basement problems.

[@ocdguitarreviews]

That's what I'm saying!

[@LovesDaBears]

I just got a mod shop and it also has a nasty buzz fretting notes. I actually like the guitar but, I feel the Texas specials are worth more than the actual guitar is.

[@ocdguitarreviews]

I'm sorry to hear that :( I'm so tempted to sell mine, order a Kiesel, and drop some Texas specials in it.

[@ramencurry6672]

If you have a bad neck with bad frets, possibly an authorized repair center can probably have Fender ship a replacement neck. This happened to me with a Squire Bass. I was fortunate to live 30 minutes away from an Authorized repair center and they took care of it for me since they have a relationship with Fender. I paid them to do a set up and some upgrades so that probably gave me some advantage

[@ocdguitarreviews]

@@ramencurry6672 I'm glad to hear they were able to help get your Squire sorted out :)

[@alexdenton6586]

The best options is Fender’s made in Japan I have an old FENDER Stratocaster ST'57 DSC 'order made' HGM "RARE" 1990 with a scalloped fretboard and it’s still perfect I hope it get fixed

[@ocdguitarreviews]

I've really been interested in trying some of their made in Japan stuff. I still love Fender, their Mod Shop just let me down. I hope they make things right in the end.

[@alexdenton6586]

@@ocdguitarreviews That's what I don't like about products that are made outside of Japan, the quality is not consistent, one time it's going to be good one time it's going to be average one time it's going to be exceptional When it's made in Japan, it's always good

[@ocdguitarreviews]

@@alexdenton6586 exactly! My Japanese guitars have been invariably awesome.

[@hankramos8663]

Man that's gotta be a pisser! I ordered my 06 tele in 2006 from the Fender custom shop in Corona Ca to my personal specs; triple chrome plated solid brass bridge plate, aluminum saddles, a one piece wide and thin quarter sawn eastern hard rock maple neck w/12" radius and Indian rosewood fret board with Dunlop 6100 jumbo frets, one piece solid pine body, pickups with alnico 2 mags wound up at 8.5k bridge and 6.5 neck it took them 8 weeks to complete and I actually drove there to pick it up being I lived under 45 minutes away. It was flawless in every way...for nearly 3 grand it better be!

[@ocdguitarreviews]

It sure was. I was so disappointed :( I'm glad to hear your custom shop order came out great. I would love to see a picture of it.

[@raoulduke344]

What pickups do you have in it? I have a similar looking FSR strat (MIM) with Fat 50s and, honestly, I couldn't be happier with it.

[@ocdguitarreviews]

I ordered this with noiseless pickups. The pickups definitely sound great!

[@jonnykanesantos]

Commenting just cuz I know it's good for video engagement. It's time for the big brands to put up and do better. Fender(and Gibson for that matter) can't even compete with $900 LTD guitars these days. I do not play a ton of metal but I'd take an ec 1000 over these kinda issues any day. I also had an american Fender with some issues but to get this kinda customer service from the mod shop is a bummer. You aren't being picky at all especially with the volume knob not working. I have a Gibson LP Special and the neck pickup only works sometimes...noticing a pattern on US guitars VS South Korea. South Korea kills it

[@ocdguitarreviews]

South Korea is killing it nowadays! I love my EC-1000. I'm not sure if you tried one yet, but the Matt Heafy signature from Epiphone is surprisingly good. It's like a beefed up EC-1000 with a free hardshell case :)

[@jonnykanesantos]

@@ocdguitarreviews I’m left handed and Matt even got those lefty so it’s def on my short list. Just being included makes me want one lol thanks for the suggestion. I actually have a Trivium tattoo hahaha. Shogun is one of my favorite albums ever

[@ocdguitarreviews]

@@jonnykanesantos Shogun is so good! Down From The Sky was actually one of the first songs that got me into metal lol.

[@R1GAMBLER]

$2K Mod Shop? WTF Fender!

[@ocdguitarreviews]

That's what I'm saying!

[@ramencurry6672]

I would have just bought Strat parts or a Warmouth and hire an expert tech to put it together. It’s like hiring a personal guitar assistant to help you achieve your goal. I’ve done similar in the past and have gotten incredible results

[@ocdguitarreviews]

@@ramencurry6672 I think I'm going to give that a try in the future :)

[@FineArtbyAldo]

Thanks for the heads up as I have been contemplating ordering a Fender Mod shop guitar. I guess all of the custom options aren't really custom as they probably use damaged parts instead of new to put the guitar together, I can literally take the temptation of my hands now. I hope you come out on the winning side of your dispute. I also totally agree, shame on Fender.

[@ocdguitarreviews]

That's what I've been hearing! Thank you for the support :) Fingers crossed they don't send the same guitar back to me lol.

[@bigtuna6463]

I had problems with a new guitar last year just sent it back bought a used one off Reverb The volume not working is not good mine was a dead pu . Crazy hope all is made right.

[@ocdguitarreviews]

What guitar did you have problems with?

[@CagedPaps]

Reading in the comments it sounds like you're getting it sorted. But, what about the poor sods who think this is acceptable - I wonder if Fender would do anything even if they did raise it? I generally like Fender so this isn't me bashing them - but when you'd be better off buying a Squier - they need to improve. But funnily enough I saw another dude recently post about similar issues with a Schecter - albeit made in Asia but 'inspected and setup' in the US and it wasn't playable. I wonder if the actual workers are put under unrealistic targets and these just get churned out like cans of spam and the accountants running it will see this as an acceptable return rate.

[@ocdguitarreviews]

I generally like Fender too, so the whole experience was really disappointing. My Squiers have all been awesome. I think this might be the case. Too much pressure to produce quickly, without time to check and make sure things are coming out right.

[@scottcarpenter701]

i feel with you.. skipped wiring the volume. WTF. (: Although i didn't order custom/mod, my (only 2 year old) strat can with similiar 'dings' and such in paint.. Indeed it is funny they can not figure out how to paint and finish.. i guess science is busy elsewhere.

[@ocdguitarreviews]

I thought they would have at least checked the electronics before letting this one go lol.

[@ShaneStoneOfficial]

How do you hate fret buzz? I understand if it’s bad but every guitar should have a small amount of fret buzz

[@tomaslopez2940]

It's not just the mod shop either! Last year, I bought a GC-exclusive Player strat in Ferrari Red. As much as I loved the 2-point trem, bridge tone control, and 22-fret ebony fingerboard, the guitar did have some weak downsides. The fret ends are sharp, but what really ground my gears was that the middle strings would buzz whenever I played an open note. Several setups, a new nut, and an additional string tree later, the buzz was finally brought under control. I love the strat now, but it's worth noting that I got a Yamaha Pacifica 612 around the same time that had none of those issues, despite being stuck on a container ship in the Suez Canal or off the coast of LA for more than a year!

[@ocdguitarreviews]

Ahhh, the fret sprout would have killed me lololol. I have been hearing a lot of great things about Yamaha's guitars. I have to try one out.

[@tomaslopez2940]

@@ocdguitarreviews You definitely should! I'm hoping to get a Revstar eventually too because the Pacifica was that good! Just be warned that they may still have a bad supply chain. I waited for a year and two months before my Pacifica arrived.

[@ocdguitarreviews]

@@tomaslopez2940 that's a bummer :( I'm really impatient when it comes to guitars lol. I hear that ESP is still like two years behind due to supply chain issues.

[@squidwardjtentacles]

Man those white fretboards are cheap looking. That would put me off. I reached out to Fender about a VERY rough weight range for mod shop guitar and they wouldn't answer the question in their reply. The reply was really disappointing and I got the impression that they didn't care.

[@ocdguitarreviews]

This is something I noticed. They almost look too light lol. I would prefer a more caramelized look. This seems about right for them. I hope this video prompts them to improve their mod shop's customer service, because not answering or sending warranty information is not an appropriate service response.

[@Xaltar_]

Lucky it wasn't Gibson, the comments would be flooded with either people saying what did you expect, or, offering to buy it from you because the dings and QC issues "add value"..... It's sad it took a video to get Fender to pay attention, up to now they had a bit more of my respect than Gibson but it seems they too are not as interested in their customers as they should be.

[@ocdguitarreviews]

Lololol. There are always a few people that say these blemishes "add character", but I think a new guitar, especially at this price, should be flawless. That is the sad part. Had this video not gained any traction, they wouldn't have thought twice about me.

[@benplayssongs8849]

My mod shop has holes drilled in the wrong place. The string tree for example is crooked. Mine also has the dirty looking stuff all over like you showed on the volume knob but mostly I see the grime on the bridge saddles. My buddys Mod Shops bridge pickup died within a few months. I think they're flawed often.

[@ocdguitarreviews]

I'm sorry to hear yours had similar problems :( Fender needs to get their act together.

[@Elivagar666]

Fender's quality control is some of the worst in the industry, and it isn't talked about nearly enough online. Glad folks like you are making videos like this.

[@ocdguitarreviews]

That's what surprised me the most about this. Hearing so many stories of bad quality control from Fender.

[@craigpetterson3962]

41800+ plus views, 2.1k likes and only 353 subs!!! Come on folks let's give this young man some support. Give him a like and a sub it costs nothing and we can give his channel a big boost. Thanks for sharing and drawing out attention to this. It has certainly changed my thoughts on my next Fender purchase.

[@ocdguitarreviews]

Thank you so much for the support Craig! I really appreciate you encouraging other people to subscribe. You're welcome :) I hope Fender gets their act together.

[@emmanuelibus]

For $2k, I expect better.

[@ocdguitarreviews]

I certainly did! My Squires have all been better than this.

[@FlameFlickers]

Well done you. One of the great things about the internet is it can massively re-balance the power dynamic between the global corporation and the consumer.

[@ocdguitarreviews]

Thank you! I'm honestly really surprised this video gained any traction, but I'm glad it did.

[@MrBuion]

Wow, this is totally Gibson level quality control. Didn’t think Fender would do it like this.

[@ocdguitarreviews]

Right? These were my thoughts exactly!

[@MrBuion]

@@ocdguitarreviews That is why I don't really want to have big Brand guitars. Best is a local luthier who builds your own design, I don't understand why we should go always with a 50s design and never change it. Otherwise is always good to go to a store and choose exactly the one you buy.

[@ocdguitarreviews]

@@MrBuion I agree. These brands really need to update their approach in the modern era. I wish I had a music store nearby! I'm in the middle of the woods lol.

[@MrBuion]

@@ocdguitarreviews I am lucky I live near Stuttgart Germany and we have 3-4 good stores. The biggest one changed their opening rules and you have to make an appointment if you want to check some guitars out. I don't think it will help them. But for buying a guitar you can travel 2-3 hours and try lots of stuff and take the one home that you really want. Buying online especially when I see what happened to your Order is not a good experience.

[@beefnacos6258]

It's been going on for years? Wake up people

[@fretboardsurfing]

This is sad to hear. I bought a tele deluxe from the mod shop back in 2020 and did receive email updates about when the guitar went into production and shipped. Interestingly enough, when I received it, there were two cosmetic errors - wrong pickguard and knobs from what I ordered which was concerning. I emailed the the salesperson who had been sending me updates and they responded back within hours. They sent me a shipping label and had me overnight the guitar all the way back to California from NY. They fixed it and sent it back to me a few days later. Hopefully they realize they’ve been slipping when they see your video!

[@ocdguitarreviews]

I'm glad to hear that got things sorted out for you! This was the customer service I expected, but certainly not the customer service I received lol.

[@PostColorGear]

That low E spring issue seems to be an issue with all fenders. At least in my experience. I have the same issue with my telecaster. Not sure why they don't invest in smaller springs for that one string, so that we can intonate.

[@ocdguitarreviews]

Do you have any idea why this might be a problem with Strats?

[@PostColorGear]

@@ocdguitarreviews unfortunately no, I wish. I got lucky with my Strat. Like you mentioned, it seems that their QC department isn't the best, at all. It's like a dice roll if the guitar is in good shape or not.

[@ocdguitarreviews]

@@PostColorGear based on what I'm hearing, this definitely seems to be true.

[@frankramsey8134]

Any new updates on this .... unfortunately customer service is not like it use to be.... recently I'm still waiting for a response from ESP and Kramer for some serious issues on 2 guitars I ordered..it's been a month...very sad

[@ocdguitarreviews]

So Fender saw the video and promised to rebuild my guitar and give me some money back. I am yet to receive the partial refund after following up about it. Let's hope they don't send the same guitar back lol. What issues did your ESP and Kramer have?

[@Steve_ATL]

I just bought a stock guitar from Fender’s website and never got a shipping notification. The guitar just showed up about 4 days later. I wasn’t even able to see status online.

[@ocdguitarreviews]

That's really bizarre. I don't understand why they don't send shipping notifications.

[@allwatched5322]

Thanks for the review, I almost buy from Mod Shop also about a month ago but my heart tells it doesn't quite right, I don't know man my head now looking for other brands. I have some experienced more-less same with you, I was bought Fender vintage tuning machine from 6 pegs 2 was jammed, bought some pickups mid and bridge dead, I don't know what happened with Fender nowadays. The quality control was downgrade 100% especially the cheapest one (Squier) with cheap labors out of best qualities compared with Yamaha etc. While others sold their instruments but Fender sold their Brands. Hope Fender with a big name will not have the same fate as Gibson. I'm outside US btw can you imagine if I had to returned Fender products that I bought the shipment cost, the time.

[@ocdguitarreviews]

You're welcome! Thank you for watching :)

[@NotoriousV.I.C.]

Absolutely unacceptable! Please continue to post updates!

[@ocdguitarreviews]

I definitely will. As of now, they have my guitar back in hand. I haven't not received any money back, despite being promised a partial refund and following up about it.

[@5urg3x]

I will never even look at ESP ever again. I ordered an Eclipse 2 from American Musical years ago, got it and treated it like a baby. One day I opened the case to play it (always kept it in the case), and there was a giant finish crack in the neck area. No problem, I thought. Surely they will just warranty claim it, right? Nope. I got an email from their president, Matt something, who assured me that finish cracks on multi thousand dollar brand new ESP instruments are very common and don’t affect playability so they won’t be warrantying my guitar. I later found out that the reason why this happens; they don’t allow the wood / paint time to dry, and they put the finish on too quickly, the guitar goes to another climate, and the moisture causes it to expand underneath the finish, and eventually it expands to the point where the finish cracks.

[@ocdguitarreviews]

I'm sorry to hear this :( I thought ESP would have been better to you than that. If you don't mind me asking, what ESP did you get?

[@5urg3x]

@@ocdguitarreviews A Snow White eclipse 2. I loved that guitar. Only guitar I ever had with EMG active pickups, they sounded so perfect when playing trivium or Metallica style riffs.

[@ocdguitarreviews]

@@5urg3x I have a black Eclipse 2. I wish I had one in white too, minus the finish cracks.

[@therapist6328]

If you were to spend an entire month of your income, what kind of guitar would it be versus what kind would you want it to be?

[@ocdguitarreviews]

I would like it to be a guitar that functions properly lol.

[@user-st5ys2tl5c]

I wish I had seen this before I ordered a bass. I had the same experience that I did not receive a confirmation email that it shipped. The bass showed up. The pickguard as well as the pickups look used. The pickguard has scratched all over. The pickup pots are dirty. Only one of the split coil pickups had a plastic cover on it. I have not plugged it in yet. It needs a professional set up too. I hope more problems are not there. It is still a big let down to get what looks like used gear.

[@ocdguitarreviews]

That's what I'm saying! At this price point, you would expect something that is basically flawless, not something that looks like it was pieced together from factory seconds.

[@anx925]

Glad I saw your video! I have been thinking of ordering a Mod Shop guitar; now, I absolutely will not.

[@ocdguitarreviews]

I hope this video prompts them to take a closer look at their quality control and offer a return policy for defective products!

[@Vern859]

And that's why i buy guitars from G&L! All G&L guitars have a 10-year warranty. If any thing is wrong, they will make it right. All the G&L guitars i have purchased have been fender custom shop quality without that 6 grand price. Course things have went up but you can get a great guitar for less then 2 grand and you have options.. Im glad Fender made it right, but in my opinion, none of that had to happen to begin with. Your guitar should have never left the company.. Fire the guy that sent it to you. 👍

[@ocdguitarreviews]

I really want to try something from G and L! I regret not getting one of their Jerry Cantrell signatures when they made them.

[@LucasHaneman]

Totally totally unacceptable! For me as someone who plays live a lot I don’t get extremely bothered by small chips or cracks, but the combination of all of it including the volume control not even being connected to the circuit shows a complete lack of respect for the customer on Fenders behalf. For years I have owned a 1994 fender Strat plus that I used to gig and play all the time. Eventually I ended up coming into a hand made Stratocaster style built by the late great Gerard Melancon from Louisiana for about the same price as an artist edition Mexico made Strat about five years ago. Ever since receiving that Melancon guitar I’ve learned what a Great Strat can be. I started to realize issues with my old Fender such as the neck pocket not being cut correctly, the trem having issues, and a grounding problem that is subtle, but started to bother me in recording scenarios That small shop built Melancon has none of the issues my fender has, and I’ve come to not care about the name on the headstock with any instrument. Play ability is the most important thing to me. In the last few years I have played many $200 squires with straight neck pockets, beautifully rounded fret ends and overall great set up work. I know fender is a huge Company turning out so many guitars that of course quality control will slip from time to time, but it boggles my mind that so many Squyres, Yamaha Pacifica‘s etc. really seem to be out performing even the American fenders. I still have my old Strat and play it from time to time for sentimental reasons, but all of my gigging electrics are made by smaller companies these days as I just find them to be super reliable and comfortable to play. I have a G&L tribute parts caster that I bring out if I’m not sure what the venue will be like as well as for travel purposes sometimes. It was a $400 guitar at the time of purchase and just like those Squires and Pacifica‘s I’ve tried as of late it plays great and has no issues. When I bought that old fender Strat plus off my guitar teacher used when I was 12 years old it was the holy Grail to me. I keep it around for that reason, but I’m happy to have discovered other instruments in the meantime. I wish you nothing but the best of luck in getting this issue resolved. Come on Fender!!

[@ocdguitarreviews]

That's the craziest part to me: many cheaper guitars (e.g. Squires) are grossly outperforming American made instruments. Thank you for the kind words and support! Fingers crossed they make this right.

[@danfan78]

Thanks for posting. I was about to spend around $2k on a new guitar and was seriously considering a telecaster. Think I'll go with Warmoth now to know I'm getting much better quality. If the guitars Fender is making are like this, ROI isn't even a consideration since they'll never be worth anything. Customer service is only great until they have your money at a lot of places now.

[@ocdguitarreviews]

I think I might try Warmoth in the future too! Everyone has been saying great things about their parts. No truer words have been spoken regarding customer service lol.

[@martinthompson2425]

I’ve assembled four guitars (three Strats and one Tele) using bodies and necks from Warmoth and I have been completely and totally satisfied with the quality of their products. I bought the bodies unfinished and stained or painted them myself. I reliced a few of them. I used hardware and pickups from a variety of companies such as Callaham, Duncan, Suhr, Lollar, CTS, Switchcraft and StewMac. I decided about seven years ago that rather than buying a Fender and modifying it in a multitude of ways, I would just buy the exact parts that I wanted including types of wood, neck shapes and radiuses. Do the finishes and wiring myself. And I have ended up with guitars that I am really happy with. The Fenders actually rarely come out to play. Not that they aren’t good guitars. But the ones I put together are really well suited for what I want from my guitars. I probably spent between 1200 to 1500 dollars in parts on each of my builds. I would have had to spend WAY more to get the same quality and customization if I had bought from Fender or any other major manufacturer. It would definitely have been a Custom Shop purchase. I highly recommend Warmoth!

[@ocdguitarreviews]

@@martinthompson2425 with all the good things I have been hearing about Warmoth, I really think I need to build a partscaster now! I have a great luthier I know that could help me piece everything together.

[@martinthompson2425]

@@ocdguitarreviews . It’s the coolest thing to see and make your own vision of what you want in a guitar come together! Go for it! Best of luck!

[@mikesanders1863]

Thank you so much for making this video. I was going to pull the trigger on a Mod Shop guitar; however, since you have amde me the wiser to Fender's shenanigans, I will not buy ANY Fender product until they've made things right for you. To bad, so sad.

[@ocdguitarreviews]

You're welcome! I would say hold off at least until they allow returns for defective merchandise. I will keep you updated on what happens to my build.

[@nomad5375]

Great vid and I had a similar experience. Just bought a YJM strat and the action was super high and neck screws not even tightened! It was misaligned and the e string kept falling off the fretboard. So after spending 2 grand on a guitar, I still had to have it completely set up. Lame.

[@ocdguitarreviews]

That's terrible :( A guitar should come ready to play right out of the box. I had an Eric Johnson strat that was equally awful. I couldn't even look at it without it going out of tune.

[@joshL28]

Well damn idk what to do now was ready to drop $$$ on a mod shop tele, strat, P bass, and J bass…

[@ocdguitarreviews]

I would say hold off until they get their quality control in line. Also, it is worth noting that their policy is no returns, even for defective products. This is borderline criminal, in my view lol.

[@loganpotts9623]

The Average "entire months salary" at the Corona plant is $62,597. Which still seems very low for California... Because the average house in Corona is $693,000.. AND that comes to $5,216 a month, (After tax roughly $4000 a month to take home) ...almost double what this guitar cost, Which I'm only guessing they still cost around $2300?? That being said, I have noticed a lot of guitars in the past few years that are sub-par coming from Corona plant... Loose neck pockets, uneven frets, crappy casting of bridge parts... You know, they legally had to remove the "Made in USA" from these? from sourcing parts outside the county.

[@ocdguitarreviews]

I had no idea! That's crazy to hear. That sounds like what Kramer was doing in the late 80s. Making parts in Japan, assembling them in the U.S. and calling them "American" guitars.

[@jeffreycurtisjr9195]

I had to return a limited edition Johnny marr in yellow 2400 guitar the paint had a paint issue and was flaking

[@ocdguitarreviews]

I'm sorry to hear that :( That's a really cool looking guitar though!

[@nathankim9329]

Dang, I can’t believe a guitar that’s almost 2000 dollar has QC issues. It seems though that the majority of people who receive it are fine though. Did you get the guitar back yet and did they actually fix it?

[@ocdguitarreviews]

Yes, but it's a long story. Stay tuned! I'm recording an update today :)

[@burymeband5410]

Are Fender guitars used on any Bury Me recordings?

[@ocdguitarreviews]

I heard their guitarist might have used a Charvel Joe Duplantier Telecaster ;)

[@StopyerBitchin]

I love Fender guitars. I bought a new American Stratocaster in 1988, on sale, for $499. It was perfect in everyway. Over the next decade I bought a couple Squire Strats. In 2005 I wanted a new Telecaster. I ordered a Muddy Water Telecaster. I had to wait 6 weeks to get it. When it arrived, the setup was nonexistant. There was literally over a 3/8's of an inch gap between the strings and the 12 fret. I contacted Fender at the time and got the same basic responce you did. Take it to a dealer and have them look at it. To adust the truss rod on that guitar you must remove the neck, make your adjustment, then reinstall the neck, and strings to check to see if the string height/neck angle is correct. I did not have the patience so I paid an authorized dealer to do the setup. Another $90 on top of the $650 I paid for the guitar. The tech got the setup perfect but told me to never bring it back into their shop. I contacted Fender again hoping for some sort of reimbursment....nope. I played it about a hour over the next couple months, but the whole experience just left a bad taste in my mouth. It has not been out of the case for nearly 20 years now.

[@ocdguitarreviews]

I'm sorry to hear this. That sounds like an absolute pain. Fender's whole "take it to it a dealer" approach to customer service is going to end up costing them a lot of customers. To be fair, I love my dad's old American Standard. I think the Fender of yesteryear might be gone.

[@mkds7756]

The closest Fender “authorized repair and warranty shop” to be used to be 75 minutes away from me. That shop decided to back out of their deal with fender because it was nearly costing them money to do fender’s repairs. Now the closest shop is 2 hours away. I drove back and forth several times and after weeks of back and forth with fender they replaced my very microphonic humbuckers with a different set of very microphonic humbuckers. I love fender guitars, but for me, from now on, I’ll be buying used.

[@ocdguitarreviews]

I'm sorry to hear that :( You shouldn't need to go to through that kind of rigmarole trying to get a guitar fixed.

[@mkds7756]

@@ocdguitarreviews you shouldn’t at all, especially on a $2k American made guitar. Everything else about the guitar is fantastic, it just sucks that I’m going to have to sink another $400+ in pickups. At this point financially I’m getting in Les Paul territory with this guitar.

[@ocdguitarreviews]

@@mkds7756 that's really not fair at all for a new guitar :(

[@thelowmein9143]

Fret buzz and the broken volume knob would be enough to send it back for me, and maybe even the tarnish on the tuners. Sounds like they are making it right for you though.

[@ocdguitarreviews]

Fingers crossed they do! I am still yet to receive the partial refund I was promised, despite following up about it.

[@marknielson2099]

I did keep the Strat, those ‘57 pickups they replicated sounds great , the issues should not have been on a $2100. guitar. They drilled the holes in the body for the neck wrong, the 2 tops holes were drilled a little wide and you can see where they “ wabbled “ the drill bit to get the holes to line up. I only discovered this as after about a month I wanted to sand a slight ramp down on the last 10 frets due to getting a slight fretting out on the high e string. Took the neck plate off and wow, there it was . The also did not let the nitro cure before assembling the guitar, removing the neck plate, the lacquer come off with it. Two screws in the pickgaurd were in at a slight angle also. I repaired all the issues, doweled the holes in the neck, drilled new ones , repaired the lacquer and the holes in the body pertaining to the pickguard. I build guitars so it was not much of an issue for me, just disappointing. The guitar plays great, that 57/62 neck is amazing and those pickups…. Get yourself a Sire, I have the Telecaster T7( non vintage) with the 2 humbuckers and what a sweet guitar, immaculate! A great friend of mine bought the L7 and loves it.

[@ocdguitarreviews]

I'm sorry to hear you had to go through the trouble of doing all of those fixes :( I have been hearing great things about Sires. I need to try one out!