Is Fender Better? 🤔

[@mannydecastro8604]

I just received a Leo Jayme’s $71 guitar kit for my grandson and the neck to body fit is at least the same . Keep it real, that’s why we tune in 🎸🎸🎸

[@j-man9457]

@@mannydecastro8604 so what you're saying is this 1300$ fender Strat's neck to body fitment is about the same as a 71$ budget kit? Hahaha that's funny 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@JasonViator]

J-Man Thanks for EVERYTHING you do. After watching so many of your videos, I feel like your an old friend from "back in the day!" On your recommendation I bought a Musi Virgp over a Fender Vintera. It arrived today....it is AMAZING!!! Thanks, I don't have a lot of money and because you go through everything you do, I get to spend it wisely! MANY thanks from Mobile, Alabama!

[@j-man9457]

@@JasonViator hey man thanks so much! Glad these info sharing videos can help from time to time! 😁 Enjoy the Musi. The Music's are my main guitars now. Fender should take a page out of their book when it comes to features and pricing hahaha!

[@jimmyz2098]

Cool comment! I hope you are loving the Virgo. Let us know, Brother.

[@russellharris5072]

A few years ago I walked into a guitar shop and came out with a C F Martin CEO7 guitar,I've never had to do anything to the setup and that is what Fender should be aiming for on their expensive models...................................................

[@j-man9457]

@@russellharris5072 exactly what I think.... As soon as you hit the 1000$ mark, you should be getting an instrument that is performance ready, Period!

[@MitchHaman]

Sounds great J-Man. Even my very expensive Gibson Les Paul standard needed a setup when I got it. I'm all about budget guitars now from here on out. Thanks for the video..

[@j-man9457]

@@MitchHaman cool man! I don't understand how a high end guitar can not be dialed in?! Oh I can see it maybe needing a fresh set of strings and maybe a slight intonation adjustment, but frets, nut height, neck angle, hardware, should be perfect and of high quality for the prices these are selling for. 🙄

[@danrunnoft6642]

I just bought a Donner DST-152 refurbished on eBay for $65 US. It needed a little bit of work to make it great, but probably no more than the Fender. I'm going to put my dog's name on the headstock.

[@j-man9457]

@@danrunnoft6642 hahaha dog gonnit! Sounds like a great deal to me man! 😉

[@_Yep_Yep_]

You know, J-Man, I am hard pressed to generalize pretty much any company for their product just always being better except for very nuanced stuff (boutique law, health care, and...Guinness). I love Fender, but they hardly make the best stuff always. It does fascinate me that a few guitar brands have the most irrational hyperbolic brand loyalists ready to shell out their money and fight you in the front yard over their chosen mark. Id rank guitar brand drama prolly 3rd behind politics, and professional/college sports rivalries on the list of things for otherwise sensible people to just lose their fuckin minds over :)

[@j-man9457]

@@_Yep_Yep_ hahahaha! Now that's well said! Rock on man! 😎

[@iamanovercomer3253]

For me, I bought a " budget " guitar and for me that is a miracle, because every budget guitar I checked out, the necks were too sticky. This guitar I bought neck (12" radius) was smooth and there was a lot of guitar for the money. 2 months playing the new guitar, my fretting fingers were numb with vibration ‼️ I was told that I play hard, my response was I play the same way with my 🇺🇲 Fender stratocaster.....so I bought a 2018 Fender player telecaster for $350 in mint condition. And there is no issues with my fretting fingers. Conclusion was Basswood is not a wood I would ever consider buying again....Basswood ( budget guitar) > tone is thicker, muddy and the vibration is off the charts. Alder ( Fender telecaster) tone is brighter and yes I can feel vibration on the low e string but it is very mild....and I feel at home with Fender ‼️ I do agree that Fender has gotten too corporate.... the budget guitar had locking tuners and stainless steel frets and the telecaster I just bought doesn't. So what ⁉️ I'm not a professional musician and what good are the bells & whistles if I can't play the guitar without issues. Hands down this Fender player telecaster is a much better guitar for me. The budget guitar is a good guitar for the money

[@iamanovercomer3253]

I was looking at a professional 2 telecaster and I checked out a G&L Fullerton ASAT CLASSIC....well the G&L is a much better built guitar than fender....

[@iamanovercomer3253]

When I bought my 🇺🇲 strat in 2016 for a thousand dollars, the store set up the guitar for me, without asking. So what happened with your friend ⁉️ Well when people want $25 / hour for a minimum wage job ........corporations are going to do the work overseas and sooner or later 🇺🇲 corporations will not be offering work for the legal citizens.....

[@j-man9457]

@@iamanovercomer3253 hey that's awesome. I'd buy Fender too If I could get one for $350! Then you could mod it and still have an affordable guitar... But at 1300$ and all of the work it needs to make it a gig worthy instrument, no way... I'll stick with my customized budget guitars hahaha! Funny about the basswood. Eddie Van Halen used basswood for his custom guitars all the time and his tone was fantastic! Glad you found something you connect with. That's what it's all about in the end! Rock on!

[@iamanovercomer3253]

​@j-man9457 so true ‼️. I was looking at Jet guitar and the 2 dealers near me, well it didn't work out the way I thought BUT actually BETTER ‼️ God is FAITHFUL to guide us, if we seek Him first ❤ I was never into EVH, most Jeff Beck, Rory Gallagher,, Alivin Lee, Roy Buchanan

[@billgregg6836]

Great video…thanks for the extensive overview and as usual the unbiased comments. It’s a gorgeous guitar and sounds great (after your thorough setup)…but in my head, I just can’t justify the expense when the only premium feature appears to be the name on the headstock. Not when you can buy a high-quality stuff for $150-250 from Firefly, Xaviere, WestCreek, Bullfighter, etc. and add $50-150 in upgrades and end up with something that looks and sounds just as good (and in some cases, better) than a Fender or Gibson. *Especially* not when you’re going to have to invest an afternoon of elbow grease (or an expensive visit to a luthier if you don’t have the time, tools, or knowledge to do the work yourself) to make it play and sound right either way. If it plays well and you know what to do with it, the only people in an audience who would care about what it says on the headstock are guitar snobs who need to self-justify the money they spent themselves. This is why I love when you close your videos with “It doesn’t matter what it says on the headstock…” It makes me feel better about owning 9 modest guitars + 1 cheap bass which cost me, in TOTAL, less than a single Les Paul. They look good and sound great, and I would be proud to walk out on stage with any of them (if I could actually play worth a damn 😂).

[@j-man9457]

@@billgregg6836 hahahaha well said Bill! I play my budget guitars live every weekend and I've never noticed the dance floor suffer because of it hahaha! Rock on man! 😎

[@TedTalksGuitars]

Thanks, brother man. Another great video expressed with humility, passion, and some great picking, Rock on!

[@j-man9457]

@@TedTalksGuitars ahhh thanks man! Appreciate the support😃👍

[@jimmyz2098]

This is why I will only go to a certain $ amount on a Fender guitar. I love having 3 or 4 of them laying around at any given time. I have 1 Tele (which I built - Just a Fender neck). And 4 Fender Strats. I love them. But they are not the best Quality. They're solid quality, and that's about it. But I love that they say "Fender," and I know they are real Fenders. But I hand-picked each of them, and I loved them. Each of them is a Player Series, except for one. Which is a China build... and that is prolly the best one. LOL All of them were on great sales. And I just can't spend a Grand or $1,500 for a pretty good guitar. Or worse if you get a lemon. My sweet spot with Fender is $500 to maybe $650, and it better be a looker and a player. Something that speaks to me. My 2 cents. I also usually trade for one if I dig it. So I'm not even out that much cash. Maybe a few hundy. Edit: Dang! That is a cool guitar. Tell your Buddy I dig it !

[@j-man9457]

@@jimmyz2098 right on JZ! I agree 100% once you hit the 1000 dollar range you get better pickups and a better switch, but honestly that's it! Just not worth the cash they are asking! 500$ will give you the same bones and same quality as 1000$ and then you can still justify modding that if you wish! When you have to start upgrading parts on a 1000$ guitar, there is something wrong with the picture lol!

[@AndrewAHayes]

In 1984 I went to buy the Fender Telecaster I had been saving up to buy for the majority of my childhood, when I got to the local guitar shop they had three models in stock and all three had issues, I didn't want a brand new guitar with problems and so I was about to leave and go to the city where there were loads of music stores with lots more stock. The salesman brought out a Squier Telecaster and gave me some BS that Fender called their guitars Squier by Fender in Japan, this guitar was perfect in every way, I loved it and I bought it, I still have this guitar and would put it up against any Fender guitar. The modern Fenders are downgrades from the vintage Fenders IMO, unless of course you are paying a small fortune for one, I liked the days when they only had one version of each model.

[@j-man9457]

@@AndrewAHayes 100% agree! And you know what, I think there was a small period in time when the Squire brand was made in Japan! But then it got sent to China and Japan started making the Fender models when the Fender plant in America burnt down... If you do in fact have a Japan made Squire, yeah hang on to it for sure. Haven't worked on a fender in years where I felt it was worth the money! It's sad. It's like they think we are stupid musicians and can't tell the difference hahaha!

[@summersleepmusic]

Three West Creek guitars for me: DC, TT-20 (Tele), and Revenge. Never had to do anything beyond change the strings, oil the fretboard, and smooth out THREE frets between them. I could have gone from unbox to stage within an hour with three guitars. COMBINED COST: Less than $500 USD total.

[@j-man9457]

@@summersleepmusic I know! That's exactly my point! If they can do it what is the brand name companies' excuse? Hahaha

[@ShredCo]

Nice job. Clean

[@j-man9457]

@@ShredCo thanks! 🙏

[@allenmahan9393]

Good one 🎸 Appreciated 😁 .My next axe is gonna be a Leo Jaymz SG ... Cant hardly wait: $120 w $20 off coupon. Amazon.

[@j-man9457]

@@allenmahan9393 nice! And I'll guarantee that you could put real SG tuners, pickups, and hardware on that thing and it would be just as good or better than the real SG and still a fraction of the price! 😁

[@lazvt8469]

So many budget brands of Asian persuasion that can be modded to compete well with MIM or even MIA Fenders...T-style particularly. I have about a dozen T-style from HB to Fender Custom Shop. I say go budget, find a used set of boutique pups (NoCaster, Suhr, Lollar, Fralin, McNelly) and set it up properly to play like butter. It should play and sound as good as any $1200 guitar. Heck, I just sold my new Tele Pro II...it was great, just not inspiring enough to keep.....much prefer my AIO TC4 with Suhr Classic Ts. Great vid as always.

[@j-man9457]

@@lazvt8469 thanks man. I agree 100%. I'd rather have something I can customize the way I like and still have cash in the bank haha!

[@birdman316]

plus a 1300 dollar unit should come with SS frets...no matter who makes it... great film my brother!

[@j-man9457]

@@birdman316 one would think! Haha

[@calbrockocat8728]

The thing with Fender is it's now world-wide and there are shareholders to keep happy. Products are designed at a certain price to sell for a price guaranteeing the company's future. Fender has a myriad of options at various price points, from the lowly Squier Debut all the way to their Custom Shop Fenders. The only playable ones out of the box are likely the Custom Shop guitars. Let the dealers and players deal with their issues. Fender doesn't really care. Their sales are good and that is all that matters. Oops, quite the rant! Great job, modding this one, J!

[@j-man9457]

@@calbrockocat8728 not a rant buddy! Just truth! It's rediculous that someone needs to spend 3 hours setting up a 1300$ guitar! Come on Fender!

[@JLong-py6mx]

Is Fender better? This one is now. 🙂 I appreciate all the work you put into this guitar to get it set up and 100% for me brother. Great videos as well!

[@j-man9457]

@@JLong-py6mx thanks man! Yup it's dialed in. Those new saddles are much better!😃

[@Vern859]

I agree. I have played some high dollar Fenders in music stores that im not sure i would pay over $200 bucks. If you want a gig worthy Fender, you will have to pay at least 6 grand the best i can tell. I own 3 option order G&L guitars that i paid less than 1600 bucks for, and they will blow a custom shop Fender out of the water🤷‍♂️. So J-Mann your correct on everything you say there. 👍

[@j-man9457]

@@Vern859 thanks Vern.... I'd love to sit in at one of Fender's product evaluation meetings! Hahaha

[@Vern859]

@@j-man9457 Yea!! They might kick you out or hire you!!! Lmbo!!!🤣😂😁😆🙋‍♂️👏

[@j-man9457]

@@Vern859 hahaha! Probably the former! Hahaha

[@barackmycat9448]

I don`t want to pay Sweetwater (Or anyone else) 350 extra to do what you did on a guitar I never saw. If someone cared (which they don`t) a company could step up the game with a well set up guitar. They just want to pop them out the door.

[@j-man9457]

@@barackmycat9448 seems that way doesn't it! I have been playing M-Musi guitars now for almost 2 years. These guitars are 1/3 the price and they have nicer features than any thousand dollar Fender I've ever played or worked on but more importantly, I have pulled them out of the box tuned them up, checked intonation and gone out the door to a gig with 0 issues! So if they can do it, fender can too!🤔

[@timscarrow9151]

Well I sank about 900$ US on my strat project, mexi body vintera parts custom pups and musikraft neck. I even put the decal on it. Worth every penny.

[@j-man9457]

@@timscarrow9151 yeah I bet! Well this guitar based on today's Canadian conversion rate would be 965$ USD. And I'll be your parts caster would put this to shame... However my arguments with this video is that it shouldn't! See, neither you nor I should be able to piece together a guitar in our basement that could rival a factory built guitar from a company who's been in the business of building these for Almost 80 years! But we can and it's not hard to do hahaha! I don't understand how these companies can charge what they charge and still get sales when there are so many other options out there! 😄

[@mauricehashie6283]

Hey J-man, great job on this video. Great playing as well. You sure know a lot about guitars. I just play em! lol

[@j-man9457]

@@mauricehashie6283 haha thanks! Still lots to learn! 😊

[@1revwilly]

No Dr. Seuss today? :-) I loved your rant just before you played the guitar though, you are right on for sure. I have a couple buddies who got thousands of dollars in Fender and Gibson guitars and I can't play any of them properly because they are so out of whack with set up issues. I have a couple cheap modded guitars that blows their Fenders and Gibsons out of the water for way less money! I used to do some set ups on new guitars at a music store back in the day and very rarely did a Gibson or Fender come in from the factory that was properly playable. Just about everything needed intonation at least, many needed some fret work, neck adjustments, bridge height adjustments, etc, it was crazy. Folks think they have the world's best guitars when they buy these brands because of the history of the brands and the brainwashing of the brand's marketing over the years like you stated. Oh well! lol

[@j-man9457]

@@1revwilly wow cool man! Thanks for the info. Good to hear from someone who worked hands on with these at the retailer level! These companies have everything they need to make these guitars awesome and still reep a profit. I don't understand why they don't!🤨🤔

[@Ro-Bucks]

I got a new Jackson 3 years ago and I think there made by fender now cause it came with fender stickers and a fender free guitar lesson. even the screws they use to put the pickguard in is junk now. Seems like every little part of them got a budget cut and at the same time every guitar on the line got a price hike.

[@j-man9457]

@@Ro-Bucks agreed 100%

[@peterpellerin1374]

It's sad for the major that I had to do NONE of this on my baby blue West Creek double cut. Okay, I did shim the P-90 though. But, it's sub $200!!! I wanna try a d/c Slick next.

[@j-man9457]

@@peterpellerin1374 hey Peter, yeah exactly! I fully expect to do this stuff on an overseas 200$ guitar... Absolutely! But when I have to do all of the same stuff to a $1300 guitar to get it playing properly, what's wrong with this picture? Hahaha

[@summersleepmusic]

West Creek is pound-for-pound the best budget guitar company out there. I feel like West Creek, M Musi, and Firefly are all made in the same factory, on the same machines.

[@j-man9457]

@@summersleepmusic highly possible!🤔

[@guitarzan0515]

Budget Guitar’s rule! No offense to the Bog Boys, but in today’s guitar environment, it’s so much better to but inexpensive, and mod to taste! Great stuff J!!!! Oh yeah, Now it works like it should have in the First Place💪👍

[@j-man9457]

@@guitarzan0515 yup I agree been buying and building part casters since 2012!

[@robjones7725]

I just got an indonesion Schecter Omen Elite 6 for £550 delivered. Perfect playability, fit & finish out of the box. The tuners are average at best but will be upgraded to locking tuners that I trust. What is £550 in Canadian dollars? Not 1300 maple leaf dollars for sure. The Schecter I bought is way better value and a better guitar than the strat in this video imho. Good video, good points made. Fender relies on their name and heritage, as do another very big US guitar co!

[@j-man9457]

@@robjones7725 hey Agreed man! SCHECTER makes fantastic instruments! I can't get them here... But one day I'll get one of their tele versions to demo!

[@theguitarprofessionals8584]

Probably

[@j-man9457]

@@theguitarprofessionals8584 hahaha! Or probably not! Hahaha

[@theguitarprofessionals8584]

Fender the guy..... nobody could beat so they made him sell it... There is a club Jason... you got to stop believing all the lies...they do this stupid crap on purpose to F people over.... ill take a tele over anything else.... AMERICAN... not anything else

[@robertclarkguitar]

Awesome video. Amazing skills. (Sorry its a fact😂) ...Hows the frets feel as far as finger tips rubbing the fret board on that mim? Mine seems like the frets are a bit lower than on my CV 60s. Rather taller frets. Awesome to see ya bud.

[@j-man9457]

@@robertclarkguitar hey good to hear from you! How's your father doing? Frets are good on this one. Lots of meat. But they sprayed the fretboard with Poly which gives it that plastic feel! It's too bad!

[@2bikemikesguitartopics145]

Great work and compassion info. For the money and specs, the capricorn is a better deal and guitar. I have an American 2011 strat and my capricorn was better on arrival than Fender was.

[@j-man9457]

@@2bikemikesguitartopics145 wow! Thanks for sharing! Yeah I love my Musis too. And for a 1/3 the price it makes a 1000 dollar Fender look bad!

[@AnnoyingCritic-is7rp]

Those stamped saddles are annoying and break easy. Just ordered some Musically brass roller saddles for my CV 60 for $20.

[@j-man9457]

@@AnnoyingCritic-is7rp yeah I agree they are a dust catching, tone sucking, functional nightmare hahaha!

[@dbrown6451]

@@j-man9457what kind of saddles did you use? I use graph-tech string savers on my MIM, love em!

[@philmcglauflin]

If I have my eye on a Fender Player Plus Tele and your convinced I can get a better guitar for a lot less $ with needing a good set up, what would I look for? Love your videos man.

[@j-man9457]

@@philmcglauflin Hey Thanks! The player plus Tele is $1380 before taxes. Here in PEI Canada with Trudeau's 15%, it comes out to $1586 out the door. Here are the specs: SERIES: Player Plus BODY MATERIAL: Alder BODY FINISH: Gloss Polyester NECK: Maple NECK FINISH: Satin Urethane FINGERBOARD MATERIAL: Maple NUMBER OF FRETS: 22 FRET SIZE: Medium Jumbo POSITION INLAYS: Black Pearloid Dot NUT MATERIAL: Synthetic Bone NUT WIDTH: 1.685" (42.8 mm) TUNING MACHINES: Deluxe Cast/Sealed Locking (all short posts) SCALE LENGTH: 25.5" (648 mm) BRIDGE: 6-Saddle Strings-Through-Body Tele® Other than the fact it comes with a $280 dollar set of Fender noiseless pickups, and a belly cut it's a very basic telecaster. If you want the bragging rights, the Fender logo on the Headstock and don't mind the almost $1600 dollars these cost, then by all means go for it. It will more than likely need a good set up but it will be a good guitar. For me, I'd rather get a WestCreek TT-20, for $249, then mod the crap out of it! I could buy this guitar, the noiseless fender pickups, new switch and pots, a pure tone jack, staggered locking tuners and I'd have a killer tele for less than half of what the player series would cost. Plus I'd have full body contours (heel, belly and forearm) and a roasted maple neck which the player series doesn't have.... That's just me though... You have to ask yourself these questions: -Do I play professionally or just for fun? -do I need to make payments on this or do I have the cash? -Can I do my own work or do I need to pay someone at a guitar shop to do it? -Is the brand important to me? -Will an expensive guitar motivate me to play more? Then make the decision that's best for you! If it were me, I'd get both. I mean what's another 249$ for a whole other guitar when I'm already spending 1380$ anyway? hahaha And then, before the 30 days are up, keep the one you feel the best about and return the other! Good luck brother! You do you. Don't let me or KZbin or anything else influence your decision. Buy what you want and enjoy! Cheers!

[@wasteddude9387]

👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼Bravo! 👏🏼 Bravo! 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 Well said, buddy! That was perfect! If Fender (the naked emperor) was truly that great (or anywhere near that great) a thousand dollar Fender would be the best thousand dollar guitar on the market. But they’re not. They are not. Not at all! (Sorry - you were that great. lol) GAME BALL, Fender fans.

[@j-man9457]

@@wasteddude9387 hahaha! Thanks. It wouldn't be hard for fender to make guitars at any price point that exceed expectations... But they don't! Boggles the mind! 😵‍💫

[@rainerjaschke5216]

All fine and dandy, little to no fret sprout but I think for $1300 dollars I can live with some sprout on my $89 Ammoon. LoL. My guess is Fender is not going to send you a Guitar to review. You're too honest!

[@j-man9457]

@@rainerjaschke5216 hahaha! Yeah I will not hold my breath on Fender sending me a guitar lol!

[@Acreustic]

I have a $90 Squire Strat I modded for $100 and I put it up against any Fender Strat.. $190 vs $1300 - no brainer..

[@j-man9457]

@@Acreustic 100% 👍

[@sgt.grinch3299]

Ok. No one is leaving ratios options.

[@hustlinc3540]

who is WE?

[@j-man9457]

@@hustlinc3540 We the Guitar players and weekend band warriors that work on our own instruments, and have been around them long enough to know when a guitar is worth the money. With work, this is a good guitar, but no way in heck it's worth 1300$! Without the fender logo on the headstock, this from any other manufacturer would have an MSRP of $399 at best. Maybe $449 since they actually shielded the cavities in this one... Fender is not what they used to be 30 years ago!

[@hustlinc3540]

@@j-man9457 i find it weird when YTubers talk in plural: We set up the action etc. Who is we? I aint done nothing but watch hahaha. I agree. No bolt on should cost more than 500$ - bare bones. And I mean set up right!! Everything else should be a moderate up-charge. These solid color fenders are usually 4-5 piece bodies made up of god knows what. A lot of corners are cut just so the corporate greed could be satisfied. Sadly, Fender does have resale value. Everything else is a gamble even tho it might be a better guitar. And it usually is. People buy with their eyes. Period. Last time I was at a store that stocks new fender guitars I was actually surprised how well they played. Well most of them. Then again the price tag on a Vintera is 1000+ euros. Is it too much? Absolutely!! DO people buy into the brand crap? Absolutely.

[@cvanhetkaar96]

Why not buy a Gibson if you have this problem with Fender ? If i understand well, you bought a second hand guitar which originally costed 1309, you paid 300, you do not know what previous owner(s) did to it, and have a range of issues, like neck pocket fit etc. or did i catch that wrong?

[@j-man9457]

@@cvanhetkaar96 yup you got it wrong hahaha! This is my friend's guitar. These sell new for 1300 out the door here in Canada! He bought it used and it has never been set up. This is how it came from the store... I don't buy brand name guitars anymore. They are simply not worth the price tag!

[@JLong-py6mx]

I bought this guitar a while back. One owner before me. No setup had been done, intonation was way out, output jack was crappy and the nut slots were quite high. I just wanted the J-man treatment done on it, so I dropped it off and asked him to do whatever he would do with it if he had just bought it and was setting it up for himself. I’ve got three Fenders hanging on my wall. This one needed work and there is no one better to do what had to be done than my buddy J.