I recently ordered these from Sweetwater to upgrade my Squire bass.
When I received them, I found the pickup covers to be scratched/marred and the inside cover of the ‘jewel box’ package to be similarily scratched/marred. The magnets in the pickups had some sort of crap on the top (not smooth metal) and there were a few dings/scratches/divots in them.
Sweetwater overnighted a replacement…same exact thing! So back they both go.
So I decided to try from Amazon instead, we shall see what they come looking like.
Called Fender and they said they had not heard of this issue.
My question is, has anyone else seen this or am I the lucky one?
They didn’t say ‘reliced’.
For $189, I would expect these to at least be of as good quality as the ones that came in the Squire.
Those look like something you would find at a garage sale!! For $189 I would have sent them back as well. If I was the customer service guy at Sweetwater I would have looked at what I was sending you the second go round before overnighting the same crap out!!
I 100% agree with you that it’s a Fender problem! I guess I’m more of a get to the bottom of this kind of guy and I would have looked at what I was shipping out and not just assume Fender sent quality items to Sweetwater.
Poking around the internet I see 3 different packaging variations of these pickups.
Will spin the wheel and see what Amazon brings tomorrow.
If they are trash too will zip to NYC to the only place I can find them listed for sale locally (Guitar Center in Manhattan) and see them before buying.
What burns me is I have to believe either Fender or Sweetwater knows this is an issue. How does Sweetwater not look into this?
The odds of me (and only me) getting TWO bad sets is pretty low, so, somewhere in a database there should be little red flags popping up on these puppies.
3rd time was NOT a charm…
Ordered from Amazon, same deal…
Based on this I am thinking it is a Fender Quality Issue.
Will call Fender again tomorrow when they open and see what the heck is going on.
Plastic ruled out.
However, the wax might be a thing, as I decided to throw them in the bass as I can always return them, and in doing so some of that wax did come off, assuming the rest comes off over time?
Also thinking they all just might be like that, who knows.
They do sound really good!
Will call Fender tomorrow, again, and try to get some actual answers though.
If this is what they are, they sound great, most of the scuffing on the covers was actually some of waxy crap from the pickups. There are still slight scuff marks on the pickups - this is surely do to the plastic jewel case they are in and rubbing against each other.
There is waxy stuff on the jewel case cover.
This could all be something that looked good when it left Fender but as it rubs in the jewel case, it makes a big mess.
BTW, Sam Ash in NYC had a set, I had them look at them and same thing, so, they are what they are I think.
