I do actually have a blister on my finger (from hand carving wooden spoons, not playing a Duo Sonic!). Great that this is a genuine unboxing. The whole intonation, general set up and quality control is a big issue for me with companies like Fender. I teach guitar to younger students and parents bring me new instruments wondering why they're always out of tune, or crackly, or whatever. You wouldn't buy a vacuum cleaner and then expect to have a tech set it up for you before it could pick cornflakes off your carpet!
@@tomblaze2 Good. Fender's policy is to keep price rises to a minimum by dropping bags/cases and then giving you the option to buy one if you want to. I have 7 Fenders; when will I ever need 7 bags/cases? In real terms (i.e. adjusted for inflation) Fenders today are cheaper than they were 10 years ago. In 1998 I paid £379 for a (Mexico) Standard Strat. That is £734 in today's money. Today I can find the modern equivalent (Player Series), which is a much better guitar remember, for £579. In real terms, £155 less for a better product (enough to buy a case or 4-5 bags). Isn't that great? Well done Fender.
@@Peter-ff1tp Fender sells two cases for the Duo-Sonic. Catalogue numbers 0996126306 and 0996121306. They also sell a bag specifically for short-scale electrics (0991513206), though you can of course use any full-sized bag as the Duo isn't that much shorter than a Strat, overall.
@@joebryant8500 My friend purchased a TVL MEX JAZZMASTER and had the same problem with the toggle and it came in a Fender hardshell case, i think they should be more carefull with it.
Great video... I have a duo sonic 2021 HS, it took me 6 months to find the right way to set it up... Something very impprtant is to set up the tension of the strings using adjusting the truss rod, this is a must if you want to leep it in tune and have the best tone. It has a really great sound... And feel so confortable to play... Easy to fall in love with this guitar once is right set it up.
I collected my 2016 Fender Duo-Sonic today after being at a guitar tech for over a week. Having a full set up has transformed it 10 fold! I purchased the guitar this year as well. A guitar player/band goer myself for many years, i have many guitars/equipment, but the duo-sonic is something else.. How light it weighs for a start...just cool!
I agree about bonding with the guitar- if it sounds good and plays well, I would far rather replace one part myself. We shouldn’t have to though!! Come on Fender- get your procurement in order!
Its a mass produced guitar their are gonna be mistakes, even in qc, just cuz of the scale. it's whether or not they own up to those mistakes that make them a good or bad company imo.
I can't find the follow-up video; did you ever get it done? I'm trying hard to justify the Fender Duo-Sonic HS over the Squier Bullet Mustang HH, and your thoughts on a working DS would help. Thanks. Oh, and I do have metal swarf stuck in my thumb.
I've seen so many of those duo sonics with bad switches that I got blisters on my fingers, back when they were in the offset series. 2017 maybe? Sad to see that they still haven't fixed that problem. The one I bought had a working switch. Buuut I got bored before long and gutted and put in new electronics not long after buying it.
Nice how you work your guitars under your skin! You've got a metal splinter in your thumb. Grab it with nail cutters. They have a precise grip and won't slip like tweezers. Good review! Do you have another review where the DuoSonic works properly?
I've got blisters on my fingers. Spent the day drawing out the plan of a climbing frame for my kids and it turns out a foot underground in my garden it's solid granite! Need to hire a pneumatic drill just to put a few posts in! So thanks for entertaining me :) Also, I've seen better packaging on a postcard, poor job, Fender!
There you go stealing Ryan’s ideas again!!!! In the words of 311 come original ya gotta come original. Mang you had me at straplocks ✊🏽for acostinking Metal 🤘🏽
It’s a shame the way it came in like that Andy but at least it shows that not onlyHarley Benton’s come with QC issues. But like HB I’m sure most come in great condition. I would love one of these though. The sound is gorgeous. I wouldn’t have blisters in my finger with one of these. It’s great that you Aired it. Great video
The switches on the Duo-Sonics re-releases have always been garbage. We’ve had to replace numerous ones. It’s a shame. Switches are not expensive .. certainly less expensive than the bad customer experience. They should be better. And, I got blisters on my fingers ... “that doesn’t make sense does it” ... ow, I got a splinter in my finger... how many of these am I supposed to write? ... love the vids!
Oh yeh, they had or maybe still have a squier one in the same colour I was very tempted to buy. Those pick-guards are lovely and suits the guitars colour so well. Looks twin to the Squier J Masic jazz sig. They need more guitars with anodized pick-guards.
"I've got a splinter in my thumb!!" What a shame - I was actually considering purchasing two of these to do up!! If you actually have a penchant for Mustangs and Duo Sonics, Callaham do make a compensated, three saddle bridge so it is possible to retain that old world look and make the instrument sound better, as well!!
I have the same guitar. The switch is funky also. When I switch to neck pickup sometimes it doesn't work until I jiggle it a bit....do you think it could just be dirty?
Btw if you are used to squire necks, any actual fender neck will feel beefy. Squires have a narrow nut with and slimmer back than a standard Fender neck. MIM Fenders are standard spec just made in Mexico instead of the USA.
I've got blisters on my fingers. I got a tele instead of one of these. But I've still got my eye on one of these. Out of all the offsets the Duo Sonic looks ergonomically cleaner and it's a hardtail which is a bonus for me.
Splintered finger here. Thought: Switch may have been broken in transit. Fender may need to reconsider packing materials. Epiphones I have bought are packed with a small block of polystyrene over the switch to protect it
I feel your pain. I got a Squier Classic Vibe Mustang and the tone knob had moved around in shipping and a wire had broken off internally. Their shipping & QC leaves a lot to be desired. Looks super though and sounds great in your giant hands. Hope Fender sends you a switch for this and pays the medical bill for the splinter in your finger.
I actually do have blisters on my fingers from composing a lead break yesterday. Shoddy control, I bet those two named Q.C. guys seriously regret not using a squiggle themselves now.
bought a duosonic HS, had the same problem with the switch! 2 years late...does anyone had simmilar problems as well?...other than that, a really fun guitar
That little guitar certainly is a looker. Too bad about the switch and, perhaps, more so, the tuning, which didn't seem interested in cooperating. Now, what was the secret phrase... Something something blisters? Something something splinters? Something something metal bits?
Blisters on my fingers! Bad switch aside, I love the Duo Sonic; it oozes cool and is super basic - a lot like a P-bass. I'm really surprised by the broken switch. Better than a bad neck, a poor fret job, or something big, but still..._YIKES!_ I always buy USA Fenders, but the QC at Fender Mexico is quite solid these days - far better than in years past. Out of a hundred or more guitars they made in that year, my guess is they made maybe 5 that were defective, and you got one.
Well... that guitar’s a part of you now. Literally. So the bonding shall commence! Once it’s sorted and video complete- it could be a candidate for modding to the ultimate TINY GUITAR
I gave you a bleedin' thumbs-up for this video..! :-) That's the main problem with buying online - unless the guitar is packaged securely and/or in a case, it's a gamble with what comes out of a flimsy cardboard box with no/very little packing material. The main target for this guitar will be students who will spend a bit extra (currently ~£499 in the UK) wanting that logo on the headstock but Fender should really be ashamed to have let this leave the warehouse packaged that way, even if the switch hadn't been broken... No wonder Harley Benton are doing so well.
++ i think it`s no surprise because it wasn`t well packed for shipping. i bet the guy at QC did a good job and the switch was ok at that time++ very nice guitar++
So interesting. My 2016 duo sonic (surf green with Pau Ferro board) came with a bum switch just like that one. I assumed maybe they'd fixed the design for 2020! Apparently not!
Pickup switch aside, that's a great looking guitar. I'm actually quite gutted the switch broke because I wanted to hear more of what it could do! haha I've got blisters on my fingers!
hello , i'm sure it's not a quality check error ,probably it's due to a bad shipping , only one box to ship a guitar is not good ,double boxing is safer ! anyway fender give a you switch if you don't replace the entire guitar ,(not sure they have an other model if it's a limited edition) .request a commercial gesture .this duo sonic look cool ,i love it ! give some news about the troubleshooting . take care ,be safe !
Wow....bet you didnt want that to happen and a splinter to boot.....great....anyway I was at Andertons music shop last year purchasing my G n l asat bluesboy semi ( which is beautiful by the way ) when I happened upon a duo sonic in white with the mint green colour plate....I love the feel and the sound of it and it played lovely. It was second hand for around £280 or sommin like that....I almost came out with 2 guitars but noticed just before reaching for my card that it had a 1 inch crack in the body next to the neck joint which had been filled....so I was like.....naaaa fanks....lol....but I was impressed with the quality feel of it all...anyway....still a great video here thanks, its not always gonna go to plan with guitars is it. There produced like cars really and sometimes you just get unlucky with one. Cheers guys.....James in gloomy cold Sidcup.
Don’t feel bad. Just got a paranormal baritone (Squier) from SWEETWATER with the pick up switch snapped off clean at the base, and a crack in the body. Definitely shipping damage. Not packed well.
odd place to put a switch, they should've made a normal selector switch similar to a Strat near the other knobs. because i gotta imagine that switch is gonna get in the way peoples playing, they also look rather cheap if im being honest. these things go for 800 easy, there's no excuse to have cheap buttons and switches. on a lower end Squier i can see, but 250 vs 800 is quite a jump. so you expect the quality to be better, it's a nice looking guitar, but if i just bought that I'd be a little upset. that's not a starter guitar despite how it might look, that's more for the guy that's looking to upgrade from a Squier, Yamaha, or a Ibanez Gio.
I had to trade mine because it just slapped way too treble-y to me. It is a really comfy guitar to play but I could never find the magic tone for me..even with pedals. I still wish I just kept it anyways..mine was orange and I loved the look
Everyone seems to like these Duosonic Afroman Very cool Definitely like the switch as opposed to the little clicky things above the strings how they used to be Good looking guitar IMO But you might have gotten an anodized 🍋 Why I don't buy a guitar w/o playing first but I can see your not too thrilled even though your giving it a good GO 9.5 radius as well 😂 Last demo I saw on the exact same 🍋 I mean guitar it was really pretty nice QC might be an issue w this one
Ow! I've got a splinter in my finger! 😩 Andy, no one can accuse you of not putting blood sweat and tears into your videos. Today it was blood! Also Blood Sweat and Tears, a good band. Fun fact, Mike Stern was recommended to audition for the band by Pat Metheny who was teaching Stern at the time. 😁
Splinter finger. Reminded me a little sonically if the dano dc 59. I think it could do with some thicker strings it seemed to flub out when you strummed. Seems alright though
I love your style and honesty. Maybe I'm biased because I'm European but I trust/prefer a British review to an American one. Not saying there aren't honest Americans! But there's a lot less bull/hype this side of the Atlantic I find. Anyway, thank you for your time and effort. Rock and Roll man!
Hostia puta tío! Con los dientes? Get some tweezers or something! Love your honesty man. Thanks for the vid. Big love. PS. What's 'almost two meters to you? Just curious... I'm only 1,69 (a whole centimeter taller than Tom Cruise, Shane Williams, Messi...)
Este amigo pasó mas tiempo destruyendo la guitarra que tocándola, me gustan sus videos pero me hubiera gustado ver mas a la guitarra en acción, como mexicano me emocionaba ver esta guitarra ser reseñada por alguien fuera de mi país pero me decepcionó un poco, hubiera sido bueno verla en acción con diferentes efectos y en diferentes géneros, pero bueno, saludos.
