Fixing Fender's Gold Foil FLUB! - PLEK, Bridge Repositioning & More! - LowEndLobster Fresh Look

[@neilslorance6786]

Some quality crustacean content right here

[@LowEndLobster]

Thank you! I'm really happy with how this came out

[@henryeowens]

It has a smooth tone. The levels are much more consistent now. It sounds nice, but I agree it’s still not worth $1300. Good content.

[@bridgefan87]

I absolutely love how he genuinely taught us how to do this. Most techs I have met wouldn’t embrace this. Love it!!!!

[@MegaTerryNutkins]

I like seeing all the different methods of doing things, for lining bridges up I've always put masking tape on either side to mark the intonation points from low to high then strung up some old fishing pole elastic to get the lateral placement correct. Has always worked for me.

[@LowEndLobster]

Me too! This dude has forgotten more than I feel like I could ever know about guitar building. Absolute epic human and master luthier. I have some DIY bridge alignments and replacements coming soon as well :)

[@carlosrivera9348]

Great! I just replaced some pickups and felt great. Now, after watching this video, I'm back to feeling "unqualified"😂

[@LowEndLobster]

Hahaha dude is an absolute master of his craft. He's a legend in the vintage Martin guitar world.

[@carlosrivera9348]

@@LowEndLobster Mr Lobster. In an unrelated subject, what is your take on Albride bass bridges, are they worth the money?

[@loondoo]

TJ is a legend! Not as well known for working on basses as his restoration of classic Martins, but nice to see him working on a bass! And wild that he’s casually mixing paint on a John D’Angelico notepad!

[@12to3Guitars]

Misalignment of the bridge is one of my biggest annoyances. Noticed a certain model of a certain bass which is not this one seems to have a similar problem judging from photos on retail sites.

[@r.l.rachel740]

Very nice to see a skilled craftsman at work noting that it takes approx a decade to acquire the mastery needed to achieve flawless rework. Appreciate this non standard bass video. Thx.

[@jamesrose8778]

Pretty cool what he is able to do. I bought one of these guitars because I really liked the way it sounded. I was fortunate that mine didn't have any issues out of the box. Mine was setup well and the bridge was in the right spot. I really like the bass, it has a unique tone to it and the one I got does feel like a quality instrument. I'll agree though, the $1300 price point is pretty high. I'm someone who has a fair amount of disposable income, so to me the price tag wasn't a big deal but for someone who doesn't have the extra money laying around I think it'd be a really hard sell. For that money you could definitely get something you'd probably be much happier with. The truss rod adjustment is a head scratcher as to why they put it where they did. That's probably the biggest gripe I have with it. I haven't needed to adjust it yet, but if I ever do I'm not going to be happy about it.

[@nellayema2455]

I love the look and the sound! It's sad how that left the factory, considering that it is a $1300 guitar. Glad you got it sorted out. I have a gold foil Supro guitar. I find the output to be lower than a lot of guitars, but the tone is really good.

[@Farbocaster]

Very nice, Lobster. I've alway been curious about how the Plek machine worked. In reality, it is much more of a hands-on diagnostic instrument than I had imagined. I thought it was going to be an "insert guitar then push the button" machine. Clearly it is much more than that. I think the bass came out sounding pretty good. I'm happy to hear that it played so much better. Thanks for another outstanding, informative video.

[@bridgefan87]

That’s exactly what I thought it was. Push button or you insert the guitar. Machine goes see guitar fix guitar lol

[@ironblast5]

I get a feeling alot of places using a plek do just plug them in and hit go. Tj is just far better and more skilled then most shops doing this so he takes the extra effort and planning to remove as little material as possible. Maybe I'm wrong but I haven't gotten the impression that most pleks are this well thought out

[@jerryjb]

This is a ridiculous amount of work needed on a brand new $1300 bass. One reason I'll never buy a new Fender. Thanks for sharing this, Lobster.

[@mistamovegas]

TJ was so good and methodical. I like his style. Thank you both for showing the process. Did the bridge screw hole end up showing up?

[@tonycampbell9626]

True artisan. Modern Day Rembrandt!

[@peekaboo4390]

I hope that Fender headquarters sees this video and takes note about their QC. This is definitely not the first time I have seen misaligned bridges on their basses...shameful.

[@joel_anderson_t]

I was going to say that. I agree with passion. Fender has been very successful when it comes to making bass models, including in their Squier lines. Learn from their mistakes and accomplishments.

[@mathieufoley2339]

yes! the beard is coming back!

[@LowEndLobster]

Def not hahaha

[@liamtahaney713]

This guy is a really creative tech and cleary a master of his craft. Very fun to watch. The slap tones were very weird. I kinda love the tone kinda dont.

[@bassimprovjams3772]

We all need a man like this driving distance from us! He literally just schooled Fender unfortunately, I’m just blown away that they call this a J bass it’s literally a P bass with a J pickguard

[@philosophicallyspeaking6463]

Except that it has a J bass neck, which is to many the more important part of the player 'felt' experience.

[@bassimprovjams3772]

@@philosophicallyspeaking6463 oh lol it’s still missing the one important thing that made a J bass, the bridge pickup idc what size neck is on it, you won’t get a Jazz tone from this with only a neck pickup

[@mr.bluenotedoobop]

TJ’s the real deal. After taking my new P Bass to three different places, he finally got it amazing. I def recommending Pleking. I’ll probably take my new Geddy Lee to him too even though it’s already pretty well set up.

[@cliffords2315]

I had it done on my 2007 Les Paul

[@chrisjs6123]

Awesome content. Really interesting - this guy knows his stuff.

[@debhart4302]

Just adding a couple of comments or suggestions here. If the neck is not sitting flush in the body pocket, the whole pleck 1st evaluation will be wrong, as well as the amount of fret material that needs to be removed will be higher on the side of the neck sitting higher in the pocket. So, its very important to be sure the neck is sitting flush in the pocket, with any paint clumps or ridges removed from the pocket before beginning the evaluation run or the actual Pleck. Another thing that may be helpful, sometimes removing the pickguard screws and sliding the pickguard away from the end of the neck may allow you to access the truss rod adjuster okay. I use a StewMac tool called a Tele truss rod tool, that is the exactly the right size blade screwdriver end and its on a super tight right angle flat tool that has 2 ends. It gets on the adjuster and you can confidently adjust the truss rod, with the pickguard out of the way if needed. Look at StewMac for it. Having one has saved me from neck removal all but one time since I purchased it. Fender has huge issues with "more than not" of their bridges being in the wrong place. And, also the nuts being cut with the outer string slots not having equal distances from the outer string to edge of fingerboard edges being equal, as they should be. So many have the treble side of the nut with that string either too close to being on the edge of the fingerboard, or dangerously close to it, and the bass E is inward way too far. There is no excuse for this!! Fender should be using CNC's to predrill the bridge mounting holes in the exact spots they need to be. And, the nut slot spacing, nut width, and nut slot depth width can be cut correctly with the CNC process too. Then they could just put the nut in place with 2 drops of glue, and put the final "shoulder" on the nut to be perfect. Nut slots can then be deepened in setup if needed. The CNC doing the work there, instead of the current hand cutting would save time, money, and have the quality where it should be. I've looked at thousands of Fender guitars and basses in the last 3 years, looking to buy several, and 90% of them have nut slot alignment and nut issues, and/or bridge alignment issues. For example, Geddy Lee basses at a national web based seller with pictures of each one by serial number--4 out of 5 basses suffer from 1 or both of these issues, and I do not purchase one, and keep waiting, for years now... Doesn't matter what model, bass or guitar, I see the same crap. This gold foil bass and its issues are unfortunately Fender's "normal" right now. Such a sad thing....

[@GBMcus]

great to see this behind the scenes stuff

[@penyemangat_short]

this is awesome...true guitar technician...this talent became rare nowaday...

[@guitfidle]

For knocking the dowels down to the right diameter, I just hammer it through a dowell pate. If you don't have one, you can make one by just drilling the right size hole in a plate of steel. Just tkes a minute to make, and then it's literally seconds to size the doel.

[@pine3737]

Thank you for calling Fender out. They have a responsibility just by being Fender Musical Instruments to live up to a quality and the service their reputation requires. They just can't sell a piece of garbage that does not meet the lowest of retail standards. The product is not playable out of the box? Your a good man Charlie Brown! I am sure I feel this way because I bought my first Fender Jazz Bass new in 1972 $400 bucks and it was the state of the art! How much does this all cost to just to make it play correctly?

[@MrGul]

That is a totally fearless man, running Windows Vista on his PLEK computer. Hats off to you, sir!

[@GoodmanRecordingsTokyo]

Wow, there are so many great techniques and knowledge in this video. Thank you so much.

[@ronrichards2233]

Great video and watching TJ work was amazing. I kept thinking “how much must that plek machine cost?”

[@4headgaming448]

What a difference! This was a great watch.

[@MooreBass]

I really enjoyed watching the process, very nice work! I've owned 6 Squiers at one time or another, and none of those basses had/have the bridge in right place, I would think they would have a template or jig to align the bridge before drilling the holes but apparently not. I have 2 Squires now and both with Hipshot Kickass bridges which allows me to align the position of the strings. I bought a Sire V5 in late March and love it! I'm selling one of the Squires and buying a Sire P5R, the quality is just so much better! Love those necks! Thanks!

[@offbeatbassgear]

I've used the KickAss as a replacement bridge on a couple of upgrade projects and it does a great job of updating the Leo Quan Badass design.

[@timlarge2334]

So much better response on the E string. Over all I like that bass.

[@blaksunshine100]

Cool format on this vid. Enjoyed the content. Wasn’t really interested in the gold foil thing, especially with qc issues and the just plain dumb truss adjustment, but watching your guy fix it and make it a serviceable instrument was pretty cool. Personally, no way I’d put that much money into fixing a brand new instrument that should have clearly been caught by qc before it was sent out.

[@thomasfioriglio]

I enjoyed this video. Nice follow up to your review. Nice to see the behind the scenes work that went into getting this into shape.

[@lordimpaler3899]

There be good info here 👍 On a bit of a random note: Would you ever do a review on the new Burns basses? They look really nice

[@Pookiestud]

I bought a used Vintera 60’s Jazz…. Same color and vibe as this bass but more versatility and a bit cheaper! I did throw some noiseless pickups in it. My one issue is the truss rod adjustment placement.

[@edwardmiller3469]

Fascinating video. Great work!

[@Belman5]

Great work fixing that bass! Very impressed by TJ's skills and his attention to detail.

[@1234drums]

Your videos are always a pleasure to enjoy, Sir ❤❤❤❤

[@jackshittle]

This would be a good value for $599 to $799 but over $1,000 is crazy. So many better options.

[@RadioSaladStudios]

First, so glad it worked out. It's a great axe now. I did not expect you to be beardless..

[@samlelowitch]

Aesthetically, the bass is really beautiful. It sounds pretty good if a little subdued.

[@rvbsoundfactory]

$500, I thought it was going to be expensive fix.. on top of a brand new instrument.. great show a good resource.

[@In_MT]

What an amazing look behind the curtain!

[@laktoze_]

this was such a cool video! i always wondered how those PLEK machines worked. its such a shame fender messed up such a cool concept for a bass.

[@cliffords2315]

his was the first Fender Bass ive seen with a problem like that in 50 years of playing bass, so the odds are good he just got a lemon, but he made tasty lemonade out of it.

[@rodneyfritz3461]

I was considering getting one of my basses pleked. This was super informative! Awesome content.

[@michaelcrouse246]

10:47 - 10:55 is the definite highlight of the video Oh yea the whole plek thing was great too. I didn’t know this shop existed.

[@chrismorris3897]

That you getting Bully's Bass fixed, and thank you for another Great video!

[@TeleCaster66]

I didn't think TJ worked on anything but vintage Martin's. I would have him plek a guitar, I'll have to call him. Didn't know Low End Lobster was local to me either, let's jam!

[@englewoodrecords2872]

Two questions: 1. If you buy a HiMass Bridge or one with a wider footprint, would that negate the need to fill in the holes? 2. Is there a better pickup that will easily fit as an upgrade?

[@englewoodrecords2872]

Okay, I repaired the bridge. Now, I need a better pickup

[@michaelblaney4461]

Very Interesting ! Maybe there should be a class action suit against Fender for these 😅 About half of these I have seen have had the strings misaligned with the pickup.

[@englewoodrecords2872]

Thanks for doing this fix

[@thecrayondemo]

Interestingly Agufish has the same issue on his Blink182 signature guitar 😮

[@LowEndLobster]

I saw! Jeez hahaha

[@thecrayondemo]

@@LowEndLobster what's your recommendation for a none fender but fender money and a 51 p bass style

[@JessePoage]

I would love to ask TJ about what instruments he’s seen come through consistently higher or lower quality

[@ramshaar2597]

Sound good + low power engine nice for basic bass playing

[@ninovalenti96]

Aside from the single coil hum, it sounded good. You should have had the tech add a spokewheel to adjust the T-rod.

[@wbertie2604]

Ah, the beard returns. Excellent.

[@LowEndLobster]

Oh it's not coming back lol trust me

[@danielbealer7736]

​@LowEndLobster why not?

[@wbertie2604]

@@LowEndLobster that's a shame. We love the infectious laugh and the beard.

[@TenFalconsMusic]

Well, this should convince everyone to test drive instruments first hand or purchase from 100% guaranteed return/refund policy from online vendors. Or at very least, read multiple reviews (especially the negative ones) before pulling the trigger.

[@bertrandmajorik6589]

Gold foil Jazz, with a single pickup, Precision bass with a single coil in the bridge..... mercantile CHAOS !!!!

[@MartinReche-kn5hf]

Awesome vid! The bass itself sounds much better but sadly not great in my opinion. Nervertheless, great and entertaining stuff. Thanks!

[@brochg]

Thank you very much for putting out this great videos! What bass brands can we expect to get a bass from in order to avoid these gymnastics with?

[@boddumblues]

My new Gibson 50's Les Paul is factory plek'ed but going over with a fretrocker several frets needed help, Plek is not a 100% guarantee that setup is correct!

[@facelessman7733]

Love it when you can reel in experts in marine life like this.

[@charliebigred]

Value and quality control of this particular instrument aside, I was kind of shocked how much I liked one of the ones of these I played.

[@rqkeating]

Nice video showing the repairs. I think the low E sounds a bit weak though.

[@AndreaAustoni]

Thank Leo the beard is coming back

[@LowEndLobster]

haha no this was filmed before I shaved (well the first part)

[@thecrossroadcafe7291]

I had a new Ibanez Talman 100 that I also had to move the bridge on. I'm not sure how that happens on a CNC. More so, how does it pass QC?

[@meyersguitars2196]

I am not sure if the action is lower now or not but feel it sounded better in your first review. This outcome makes me not like it as much. I loved the video though and you taking us on the journey of this bass.

[@offbeatbassgear]

This was SUPERB!!

[@eoin474]

hey low end lobster could you do a review on a sandberg tt4 california please thanks !!

[@jugglerj0e]

This video was soooo cool!

[@daviddesmond2143]

I would never buy a bass that requires taking the neck off to adjust it. Enjoyed TJ Plecking it. I bet he is going to get tons of work from Lobster Lovers

[@sylvaingagnon3211]

I’m so impressed by instrument repair experts. In the era of cheap gear, it’s difficult to justify spending money to get everything perfect. Nobody blinks at the high cost of a brake job, a process that can be done in someone’s driveway but paying for instrument repairs is considered expensive. The expertise to repad a flute, take dents out of a trombone slide and realign it or like in this post, reposition a bridge is way more complicated than a brake job. No offense to professional mechanics out there.

[@18hot30]

I can realign a bridge easily but change a car brake? nah, would first need to know how to drive

[@jagpanzer16]

Very COOL!!!! video, Thanks Lobster!!!!

[@greyfoxzero]

Oh cool, a Plek vid.

[@bobt5778]

Super glue for wood? I thought anerobic adhesives were for non porous surfaces such as plastic and metal.

[@barackmycat9448]

You would think a major brand would do better. Excellent video. That`s the old Digital town.

[@grantkoeller8911]

That bass is incredible!!!!

[@TenFalconsMusic]

☝😂

[@ALFONSOKELEVRA]

Ey man! Greetins from Mexico, I love your gear reviews, i have one question.. What tuners do you recommend for a sterling ray 34?

[@martintaylor1758]

I’m going to be buying a bass soon. I’m no expert but I just don’t have the confidence to roll the dice on a Fender. Will definitely be looking at other most likely cheaper brands.

[@dantesinfernopurgatory7826]

That pickup looks like something designed by Gretsch. Nice tone, B.T.W.

[@thefool2007]

Great video!

[@rotorhead58d]

Keep in mind Fender makes thousands of different bass guitars every year. Just because a few get by QC doesn't mean they are all junk. I have owned dozens of Fender basses of all years and models and have never had an issue like this one had. I love my Fender guitars and will continue to play them until I no longer can.

[@scottbrower9052]

I bet Fender just loves this content 😂🤣😂🤣

[@diegodefante]

wheres the link to buy this bass on your reverb shop???

[@WalterDiamond]

Gretsch: Let's put single-coil pickups in and see if anyone notices. Fender: Hold my beer!

[@blaksunshine100]

😂

[@BYLRPhil]

This series should have been called “Fender Gold Foil, Toil, and Trouble”

[@JoshuaPickenpaugh]

Impressive shop!

[@Funkybassuk]

Squier Paranormal Rascal > Fender Goldfoil Jazz. I say that as a guy with 5 Fender Jazz basses.

[@bonolesso]

It still sounds a bit papery in the treble and somewhat thin in the bass.

[@xdoctorblindx]

Love the video, but the volume fluctuations are pretty rough. I totally get that this isn't your usual style of context, but your luthier's mic was so so quiet and the montage music was super loud.

[@LowEndLobster]

Thank you, this is great feedback! I'll keep that in mind next time I do a vid like this

[@TheDarkKnight73]

Tj did great work for bully.

[@Bass.Player]

There is a manufacturer that plecks every bass they sell, I can't remember who it is.

[@AaronKoskelainenBass]

Lakland at least i think

[@TenFalconsMusic]

Wal

[@LowEndLobster]

Yep Lakland!

[@godsinbox]

Lobster, with his fancy car and fancy eyebrows!

[@bartwitek9526]

Definitely sounds better 😆.. low output pickup isn’t necessarily a flaw

[@jasondorsey7110]

Should have 2 though like a proper jazz bass, especially for the price

[@kevinturvey8213]

fender should reimburse you the full cost of all that extra work!

[@LowEndLobster]

They won't lol

[@philosophicallyspeaking6463]

Okay! I tried 3 of these in 3 different stores, and all 3 were flawless (with finished fret ends and polished tops, correct bridge placement, and a sonorous ringing E string well serviced by the pickup placement). None had any of the QC issues noted by the this 'reputable' influencer, whose 'personal' experiences have been parroted by less invested and less ethical fan boys/commentators who had never bothered to try one themself, but who nonetheless piled-on in practice of the worst kind of disinformation. No other note worthy influencer has had that negative experience either, and several of them have since testified to that fact. Each of the instruments I put through their paces was well balanced, reasonably set-up, and articulate after the fashion intended by the employ of this unique pickup. So, I bought one! Because its generous 'presence' and singing upper partials are a good fit for the powerful and euphonic all tube amp I use, with its obligated subtractive-circuit tone controls.

[@Sanemancured]

That E string is so much better.

[@BARTFUNKBASS]

Forget the bass and show me that car behind your left shoulder! 😁

[@LowEndLobster]

You have good taste ;). That's my Integra A Spec 6mt

[@egroegmcdonald9870]

Glad you got it fixed, sort of..Like you said the pickup in it is pretty meh. At that price there is zero excuse for either the poor pickup and definitely not what the end user has to do just to make it playable. Growing up there was an old saying about this sort of work. It was called, "putting wheels on miscarriages.". I think that's what you have there.

[@philosophicallyspeaking6463]

Be advised that I've just heard back from Fender and they will not sell you these pick-ups if you've an ambition to add a second, AND...'may' not even have any to supply repair or warranty work. They were made for Fender and are 8K, not the 5K or 6K look alikes on sale elsewhere.