UNBOXING MY NEW TOM DELONGE STRAT REISSUE (WHAT IS GOING ON WITH FENDER'S QUALITY CONTROL??) 

Here we go again... If you haven't seen the first QC-fail Delonge I bought, check it out for context: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-KiabDHsHPEI.html

I finished my first self-built guitar a few months ago, I was terrified of messing up the string alignment, being an inexperienced amateur and all. But it was basically spot on. So that's kinda embarrassing, cause mine was not $1300

Glad it got fixed. The guy saying you slob Gibson's knob apparently missed you sending back a Les Paul Custom for QC issues.

Getting back into guitar this was one of the first things I noticed. People have a LOT of loyalty to their brands and take any critique as a personal insult, especially regarding gibson and fender.

So, this went through a secondary inspection process, and they didn't even notice that the saddles are all in the same position and the intonation is not set? I'm not surprised.

The whole "loosen the neck bolts and shift the neck" is not a regular thing I've encountered in any of my bolt-neck guitars; it's a way of dealing with a misaligned bridge. Looking at the way the strings were going through the saddles on the original guitar, the problem wasn't the neck needed shifting, the bridge was installed in the wrong place (too much toward the bass side). And from the intonation problems on the new guitar, they installed the bridge in the wrong place again (it's at least centered this time, but installed too close to the neck pocket). I've been seeing this more and more on Fender family instruments (Squier, Gretsch, etc.) since the 2020 production year: parts just not installed correctly, misaligned, or even the drilling jigs misaligned with the things they were drilling into (a Gretsch with the tuner holes horribly misaligned with the headstock, so it always looked like the entire headstock was crooked... and the bridge installed too far over to the bass side, making string alignment over the bridge impossible, and that's a set neck so you can't loosen the bolts and shift it).

What kills me is how dry the fretboards are on new fender and some epiphone guitars and a lot of stores just leave it that way because it’s a “cheap” model. However I think sweetwater moisturizes the fretboards when they go over their orders even filing sharp fret edges.

I can totally relate to this Hunter. I got a Mexican fender in 2019 that was absolutely perfect and is one of my favourites. An American Fender in 2020 that was just a little off and I had to work on. 2022 I bought a Mexican meteora and had to send it back to the shop 4 times with electronics issues before sending it back and getting repaired by fender who then returned it with a massive ding. The decline has been palpable and totally put me off them

I also recently received a Fender Mexican model with relatively minor issue and Fender customer service was very responsive and a breeze to work with.

You did the right thing. The first one they sent you should have never left the factory. Especially for that price point it is unacceptable. I don't get why people try to find excuses for multi billion dollar companies. If they want my perfect money they need to deliver a perfect product.

Awesome to see riffs played on these other than Blink riffs. Shortest Straw and Get Free? Hell yeah! Enjoy it, brother! I’ve got mine currently being worked on by a Fender authorized repair center for the string alignment. The neck pocket was super tight as well, so I wasn’t trying to mess with anything. Yours sounds killer through the boosted Recto. The invader is an absolute beast of a pickup!

Glad you got a good one this time! I am extremely happy with mine, which is also surf green, because, duh lol. Actually, all the colors were tempting, with the yellow being the next closest contender. I had to go as far back as the stock spring would allow on the low E saddle to get it to intonate, and it is still the slightest bit sharp. Like, barely moves on a strobe tuner slightest bit. There is a good amount of spring there though which can be shortened to increase the travel, which it seems like yours will probably need. But of course, always make sure the neck relief is good first, and make sure the action/string height is where you want it, then recheck the intonation.

Great review here. And great tones. Goddamn, I’m recording a pop punk record currently and I thought the tones I got were dope, then I heard you and watched this video I now have to go back and think about my life choices. Great stuff, dude. 🎉

Marshall Dual Rectifier. I guess this is amps.

I call BS on how common this is. Have bought a lot of strats (Feder and Squier) and other bolt-ons over the years and have never had that issue. Also at $1300.00, I would have sent it back too.

I agree with you sending it back. Phil McKnight specifically has been talking about how bad Fender QC has been for a couple years now, with some saying "theyre the new Gibson". Mainly its been terrible fret sprout and such, but theres been examples of bridges being poorly aligned (which you mentioned with the gold foils), so it's within the wheelhouse of something they would do currently unfortunately. I've seen the neck misalignment problem before and had to correct it myself (on an old guitar someone gave me), so while I don't think it's super super common issue, it does happen. Glad you got a good one this time. I'm a long time blink fan too, if the sign on name isn't obvious enough. First album I ever bought myself was Dude Ranch (went for Enema, but I was 9 and my mom didn't like the cover lol). My wife and I got to see the Emema 20th aniversary tour with Skiba (and Lil Wayne) a few years ago which was cool. But getting to see the main trio this year for the first time was a bucket list moment for us. We were on our honeymoon when they announced the reunion and we bought were lucky enough to get in the presale early and get tickets. It all just felt like serendipity tbh. Anyway, I was really tempted to buy one of these reissues, but it's an easy enough guitar to recreate so I think I might hold out for a signature starcaster instead and give Fender some time to hopefully get their QC in check too.

Nah dude, it's not normal for that to happen, also it doesn't make excuses for the Fender stans acting like weirdo jerks! You did the right thing being the consumer. It's your money, not theirs!

7:26 was not expecting The Vines! good song, and good stuff!

Bro, so glad they made right and got you the guitar youve wanted for so long. Turned into great content! Mines been on a stand in my living room so i can constantly stop and look at it when im not playing.

Glad this one worked out for you. I have 4 MIM, 4 American and one Gretsch bolt on. All bought on line. They range from '14 to '23. I just checked (visually, didn't measure) to verify. I haven't had this issue. Although this is something that I look for when pictures are available for a specific guitar (e.g. Sweetwater).

I enjoy your content, entertaining and informative. You should get the new hard tail Squire and compare the two, then mod it to be a clone. Squire even makes a pink one just in case. I just purchased my first Fender family bass, it's a Squire affinity Precision with a PJ configuration. Seems set up pretty good, high action but I play ultra-aggressive, so it works. As far as QC the bass seems fine, however, the gold foil had issues with bridge alignment. Seen a few videos about the way to fix it, all 4 I know of with the problem was only off by about 1/16 of an inch or so, moved to the bass side. all had to be moved to the treble side and the strings where fine. Might just be a QC issue with the certain lines or a certain time.

You're right about that one...nostalgia is a hell of a drug! Love that you threw The Vines and Bowling for Soup riffs in there...

"Nostolgia is a hell of a drug" great quote.

You can pull out spring behind the E saddle you will get more room for intonation. I did that when I had low tunings on strats.

Glad you got a good one now. I have 3 of them. An original run Graffiti Yellow. Surf Green and Black on the new run. They’re incredible guitars. If you need to move that saddle back some more, you can trim some off of the spring to allow it to move back more.

Their QC issues started heavily when the beer bug happened. In '21 I bought a b stock player plus Tele and a player Strat that both played flawless (Tele had a golf ball size ding in the body), and both were made in '19. These kinds of QC issues seem common now with Fender for the last 2 years.

Karl Sanders from the death metal band Nile used a Fender Strat with an Invader through a Marshall DSL for years, it definitely chugs.

You did the right thing. Very stupid to expect you to fix a QC issue like that on a brand new guitar. Would be super interested in you reviewing a Reverend guitar at some point! Love your channel.

I've been wondering about this for over 8 years now too!

Hunter, I have had quite a number of guitars in my time, only two of which were not bolt-ons. (One regular set neck and one "Ultra Access" (set-through) neck, both of which I still have!) The only time I've encountered a alignment problem like that, I caused it myself with a bridge replacement that isn't spot on. The other problems I've had, I've either failed to notice or deliberately ignored. I'm with you. For the money you paid, you should be able to enjoy the axe out of the box with only mild tweaks of bridge and/or truss rod being necessary to bring about a great match between player and instrument.

I've had many bolt on guitars. Only 2 of them were slightly misaligned. But none like yours where the bridge wasn't positioned correctly. Both of them were an easy fix by loosening the "bolts" and aligning the neck. I'm glad Fender took care of you as it's such a nostalgic guitar for you. Edit: I have to admit I thought you were generating comments with the neck alignment thing. I missed the bridge being installed incorrectly.

I acquired a MIM Tele in a pawn shop, it was a Player series Plus Top model, not to be confused with a Player Plus (because it definitely is not). It looked like it had hardly ever been played, I had it for a month before I realized how bad the fret job was. I was mostly preoccupied with the fact that I finally had a Tele. After getting in contact with with Fender about it, they told me there was nothing they could do to help as I had purchased it from a store that had no affiliation with Fender. I now have to take the neck off and take care of these feet ends myself. They all need to be sanded down to flush, rolled, and crowned/polished

Great video and good on Fender for getting on it so quick! You should steal Ola's idea of filming you setting up the guitars while doing some Q&A!

Oh man! Busting out that vines riff! I forgot how much i loved that song!

Super glad they sorted it out! I think that regardless of how common or even potentially easy to fix it is, you’re right- it’s over $1000! Should be perfect. FWIW I have 6 bolt on Fenders and none of them had that issue, so hopefully it’s not common.

Get free by the vines is so underrated lol. Good shit!

I’ve seen guitars with misaligned necks but usually someone has messed with it. Every year or every couple years I loosen the neck screws on any bolt on after a restring as regular maintenance sometimes the neck will pop and reseat in the pocket, some people say it helps sustain, I don’t know about that but it definitely in my experience has improved the feel and made guitars feel more alive under my fingers.

Your covers of Papa Roach, Blink 182, Bowling for soup, and Sum 41 made me happy!

Stoked you got one that made the grade. But you continue to tease me with the Phil Sgrosso Charvel in the background. 😢

The new Tom DeLonge straight got me curious but I prefer the Fender American HSS with the Shawbucker pickup. Great review video man!

Black Shuck is my go to riff, nice to see them get some love!!

Glad to hear you got a replacement quickly.

Yahoo! My new Tom Delonge strat! I can’t wait to play all my favourite Sum 41 riffs 😅. Haha I jest, great video, glad there was a happy ending!

I had this issue with a Fender Player Telecaster MIM. The trick with loosening the neck screws and push the neck in place worked for me.

Glad this worked out for you and says a lot that Fender fixed it quick and right. I would say that it is important that musicians learn the basics of guitar setup, soldering and replacing parts. It will cost less in the long term and make your instruments last longer and play better. I would say the same for the wall of amps in your studio. This stuff fails, changes, gets dropped etc. If you’ve got a great tech nearby, awesome but you’ll appreciate many small things about instruments from learning to work on them.

you don’t need the spring on the low e saddle. take it off and it should allow you to move the saddle further back fixing your intonation

So I bought a Tom Delonge Graffiti yellow guitar off of Sweet Water and when I received it the neck was "a bit" off I did have to adjust the pocket like many Fender owners have mentioned. I also have a 2008 Fender Strat MIM and there was no issue with the pocket. I complained to Fender about the neck plus a slight chip in the paint by the neck pocket and the graphic on the guitar neck being off and the CS agent was super helpful and hooked me up for the inconvenience. Im some way Fender is doing the right thing but at the same time they shouldn't have this issue. So in the long run i'm glad Fender is doing the right thing

Phil McKnight has also noticed a lot of QC issues with Fender as of late. I built a partscaster tele a couple of years ago (pre fender QC issues). First time assembling a guitar. Used all Fender MIM parts and a Mojotone harness. The putting on the neck was the easiest part. No shim required. I would have sent it back to if I were you.

Yup my EOB strat had a misaligned neck. Just loosened it and straightened it out and tighten it back up

I saw one other video where someone had the same Strat, loosened the bolts on the back and it made an audible click as it went into place, still not how it should've been sent out and yours had other issues as well. Glad you got a good one in exchange though

Yes, even on a couple of my Custom Shop Fenders the strings would slightly skewed to the treble or bass side causing them to slip off the fretboard occasionally when fretting the high E (or low E string). They all have tight neck pockets too, a quick neck adjustment solves the issue easily. However, yours looked like an extreme case, like that was way off and definitely warranted a return and replacement. Like you said, the bridge was literally positioned improperly, serious construction flaw.

Sounds killer! 🔥🔥🔥

I've experienced a Rickenbacker and a Gibson bass with misaligned strings, and they weren't bolt-ons so much harder to fix. Seemed like the bridges weren't placed correctly, though they weren't quite as bad as your previous Strat. I do have a Squier that's a little close to the treble side but it's manageable. It's yet another QC thing that I'm on the lookout for these days, and I've seen various expensive guitars with some baffling issues.

Me I had a high way one jazz that had that same problem that was in 2007 it isn’t common but things happen. I took off the neck and did a few things just didn’t fix it. A tech friend of mine moved the bridge of slightly and it was fixed without showing the exposed holes. I’ve also changed necks on guitars and had that happen

Absolutely. I bought my first ever Fender about 2 months ago -- a Vintera Jazzmaster (my most expensive guitar purchase ever, at $1200), and it had more QC issues than any of the other 10 guitars I have owned (all of which cost way less. Even my $150 Squier telecaster didn't have these sorts of issues)

Also, I recently bought a strat with a badly cut nut. First 6 frets on the high e were virtually unplayable...and this was after shifting the neck. Ive never had alignment issues until that guitar.

I’ve been waiting two weeks for Gibson to get back to me so that’s good to hear.

I only ever saw the neck alignment issue once on a friends P bass that he bought from a used shop and was already like 13 years old that had to be shimmed because it would fall out of alignment after being re-bolted a couple times, but that's like one guitar out of 50 that I've worked on. I was also unaware that this was common knowledge to some but happens I guess.

Appreciated the Get Free riff 😂 🔥

Hey Hunter, I'm pretty sure if you switch to 10's on the strings you'll find the intonation will be OK then. I'd use EB slinkys if you want them to still feel close to 9's. Peace out...

That's not a neck issue. They installed the bridge in the wrong spot. It's a problem thats been happening with recent Fenders.

The neck alignment issue is something I’ve seen dozens of times from working on bolt on neck guitars. It’s not super common but definitely does happen on occasion. I do setups and fret work on tons of guitars is probably why I’ve seen it so much. Happens to every brand not just fender. The fix is just to loosen the screws and pull the neck back into alignment, but if the pocket is so tight that may not be doable.

Purchased my much anticipated Tom Delonge Strat only to have these same QC issues and more. Sent it back to Sweetwater this morning with excitement to get the ESP LTD I wanted with an included hardshell case for $100 less. Disappointed considering this had been a dream guitar of mine

Lacking saddle wiggle room in that bridge is it feasible to go up in string gauge to help with intonation?

I own 11 Fenders & Squire guitars. My oldest are 1981 Fender Tele and my 1985 Fender Stratocaster. IDK when the neck alignment/ bridge alignment issue started with Fender, but make no mistake - it is and has been an issue for at least the past four years that I know of. I first noticed the neck and bridge alignment issue on my 2020 EOB signature Stratocaster purchased for $1500.00 from Sweetwater. After that disappointing experience I started checking all the Fenders in the local music shops in my area. To my surprise most of them had alignment issues (not as severe as mine) but still had the issue. When I questioned he sales reps and luthiers at the music stores - I was told you get what you pay for and if you want perfection you will have to start at the $3000.00 and up price point with Fender. My response was that my older Fenders do not have this issue - nor do other brand guitars at a much lower than $3000.00 dollar price point. I will NEVER buy another Fender because of this issue. There are a lot other brands that make better guitars that come with better components for less money than a Fender. I don’t need the name on the headstock. Shame on Fender And Thank you Fender for fucking over your customers and turning me on to other brands that blow your overpriced shit away!🤘

A hard tail strat with an Invader is definitely an interesting spec and I would play it for certain things. I was in my 20s when their music came out but even though I'm a fan of punk that dude's voice was just kryptonite for my ears so every one of their songs was instant punch out for me. Liked Sum 41 from that era a lot more.

Over the years I got two guitars with misaligned necks (out of 10 bolt ons I had so far) - one is an Ibanez RG standard and the other a Jackson JS. Both were not so bad and I was able to fix myself. Unscrew the neck, adjust the fit and hold on tight, then screw back in place.

Hunter, glad it worked out.. I would expect misaligned necks from low end guitar or PARTSCASTERS where the neck and body are from different sources.. that being said.. I bought a sale blowout "Guitar Fetish Strat" cause it was cheap and had a very cool SEAFOAM green.. (yes the greeny-blue thing).. with a killer dark rosewood fingerboard.. and yes.. it had a loose neck joint and a quick alignment fixed the problem.. its still a keeper.. anyway.. Fender did it right.. however, the lack of intonation range is a bummer.. the real fix is to plug the holes and move it back 1/8".. but dang.. you should not have to.. a quick fix is to remove the spring on the low E.. or cut that spring to give you that little extra.. and keep your eyes out for similar block saddles with SHORTER bodies.. some have gone as far as to FILE off the backside of the low E saddle.. but that is a messy thing.. she looks great.. good enough for PUNK.. !!

The fender neck issues seem to be VERY recent cuz I have three Fenders, 2 of which are Squiers, and none of them have neck alignment issues. I’ve seen recently tho that a lot of guitars from their Mexico factory have been having a shit ton of problems, specifically with the necks.

No excuse for that kind of issue getting past QC. Get it together guys!

The only time I had this neck issue was when I took the neck off myself and when I put it back on it was misaligned. Then I loosened the neck and fixed it. I have never seen it that bad on a brand new instrument.

I've never had a string alignment issue on a Fender like that. So I'm on your side with it being a QC issue. (So was Fender apparently.)

I can relate, however I think it’s more on guitar center’s part rather than squier’s. I had purchased a bullet telecaster to use as a base for a partscaster, when I got it out of the box the action was high, one of the volume knobs were loose, and worst of all, there was a noticeable chip of paint on the back of the guitar near.

Dude I saw Sum 41 live Sunday night so hearing you play those riffs was sick

Also had an intonation problem with mine and the low E was buzzing so bad 😒 on open .. the nut was set to low on the string .. I had to put a piece of paper and rearrange the saddles a bit for the intonation.. I also just noticed a gap on my neck pocket ? Is that normal ? Or would I need to lose the screws and push the neck as tight as possible ?

As a left-handed guitar player, I had to build my own Tom Delonge Stratocaster. I just finished it last weekend and it plays in sounds amazing. I went with the surf green. I turned my Squier Strat into a Tom Delonge Strat.

Glad you got it fixed!

9:50 - About 6 or 7 years ago I went through the same exact issue ordering a Jim Root Telecaster direct from Fender, also MiM and was $1400. Could not get the guitar to intonate. Bridge was crooked AF. Fender replaced it with no issues, took about 4-5 weeks. Seems common.

If a dry fingerboard was the only issue, then it's a big win. I feel literally every guitar I order comes with a bone dry fingerboard. I always expect to do a setup on a new guitar. That thing is pretty sweet. Love that pickguard and ust how simple the whole instrument is. Enoy!

Mine had the same issues as yours plus loose tuners, I exchanged it for a LTD TE-1000 Deluxe Snow White with Fishmans and a hip shot bridge, sooo much happier

I had a similar issue with my silver sky se, though no where near as bad. I loosened the neck plate and was able to adjust it slightly to get it perfect, but if I were in your shoes I would have done the same thing.

Hey Hunter, try cutting your saddle springs in half, put on brand new strings, and then adjust your intonation and it should be fine. And you definitely should have returned the first one .

8:24 Hearing a The Darkness riff in this review was a welcomed surprise

I got mine in graffiti yellow when they first came out a few weeks back. Out of the box the thing needed a serious setup. Action was all over, neck dry as ever, intonation way off and volume knob loose. Took it to a luthier and now it plays great but seriously Fender a new guitar should have zero playability issues! Also has a couple dings out of box 😔

I've spoken to a guy who worked at Ensenada (Fender Mexico plant), and he told me that two things happened during and after covid... 1. They lost a lot of their older, skilled, staff, who had worked there for years, and so they had to take on a lot of younger, unskilled, workers to replace them, who just AREN'T up to the job... And... 2. The management were putting tremendous pressure on staff, just to..."get stuff out the doors" (his exact words). Hence...Fender QC has gone down the sh*tter. 😢 Get a Harley Benton 😊😊

The only time I've had a bolt on with THAT bad of a neck alignment was when I built my first Partscaster and just assumed all the parts would line up. I learned a valuable lesson on how to put a neck on a guitar that day. Maybe the person who built your first one was on their first day 😂

My Squier Offset Tele was misaligned like that. I was "BARELY" able to shift the neck over enough in the pocket.

Dude i got mine and the alignment was slightly off, not as much as your first example. And i ended up lightly shimming the neck, and it’s more seemless now. But yeah, it is a common issue with this model. I am still very pleased with the amazing neck. The amazing feel, and amazing sound.

On the Intonation, move the bridge saddles all/most of the way forward, and re-intonate. I hae 2 Fenders, an MIA and a MIM. Neither had that alignment issue.

I haven't had that with a fender but did have that issue with a GuitarFetish guitar I had bought used. I took it too a lutier and he loosened the screws a little and gave it a tweet. Boom, it was straight. So, it can be easy to fix in some cases. Glad yours worked out and that you are super happy. I just bought a new guitar direct from Kiesel. I have to give them a thumbs up....that's the best setup guitar I have ever played. it has unbelieveablely low action. Is that typical for them.....anyone know????

The only time I’ve ever had a neck not aligned perfectly was when swapping necks for customization. Sometimes it just doesn’t work out and you have to try again.

Had a Fender Classic Player 70’s that had the neck issue but the treble side. After multiple times unbolting and resetting the neck, it ended up needing a shim in the neck pocket. In the end I got rid of it. At times playing it, the neck would creak, sounded more like an old boat than a guitar……. 😂

Im also very confused. A CNC mashine can route everething i one program per sinde. When someone pauses the program and adjusts the wood on the mashie tabel this can happen. But why wouuld you do that?

I have a VERY recent experience to share if anybody's interested! Went to my local music store here in the UK looking for a new Strat of some kind a few days ago. I was looking in the Mexican/Player/Player Plus price range. I've owned probably 10 Fender/Squier Strats before and I used to work at this particular music store for about 5 years too. I went in with fairly new knowledge that Fenders QC was kind of shoddy as of late but I didn't let that put me off trying a bunch of stuff. I expected the worst and hoped for the best, but still not trying to actively find problems with the instruments if that makes sense. As soon as I looked at some of the Strats they had, I noticed 3 all hung up next to each other with the high E slightly closer to the edge of the board than the low E. I also noticed 2 of the Player teles they had were the same too. I ended up settling for a Player Tele that did not have the mentioned issue on the day but when I asked the tech to double check the intonation for me, he came back and showed me that he could intonate all the strings on it apart from the low E. The low E was sharpening in pitch more and more as you played up the neck and it was impossible for the guitar to be perfectly in tune. (It's worth noting these are all 2023 serial number guitars too.) Following that I decided on a different Tele in a different finish, all was set up and I went home extremely happy that day. I put some 10s on about an hour after playing when I got home, then spent a further 3 hours (no exaggeration) attempting absolutely any possible setup "style" (ridiculously super high action included) and could not stop the higher frets from buzzing. The Tele absolutely hated having 10s on it. (I'm pretty competent at setting up guitars myself, it was part of the service which is why I had them do it at the shop previously) Long story short, after a lot of messing around I exchanged my Tele the next day for a Player Plus Strat, which I am absolutely in love with! I still find it buzzes a little bit but I'm going to have a "proper" luthier take a look at it and potentially level the frets for me in the near future. For now it's not enough of an issue but it's something that will need addressing at some point down the line. Like yourself Hunter, I've owned a lot of guitars (around 60 or so) over the past nearly 20 years. All ranging from £50 to £3500 from many different brands and I've never dealt with anything quite like what I have with Fender recently. My 10 year old Strat is an absolute dream to play and makes me wonder what happened to the QC as of late. So I'm very glad you've addressed it and I really hope enough people complain and don't settle for mediocre or shoddy guitars because they're scared they'll miss out on their limited run models or something like that. I hope enough people have moaned about their Gold Foils too. Anyway thanks again for this video, I don't know if anybody will end up reading this but if I could give any advice to anybody Fender shopping at the moment, it would be to make a point to check the guitar(s) out in a shop where possible, make the long drive if you have to or catch the long train/bus because it might save you a lot of time and hassle as opposed to buying online. Cheers!

I have a Vintage (the brand not the age) Strat that has a critical neck alignement. Most strats I've played have little space on the high E-String but I never saw something like this before,

CNC needs a weekly check every production because most neck alignment issue is either due to the screw holes of the bridge or neck slot but i your case it was obvious that the bridge plate was way off from the pickguard alignment. Their CNC machines does the screw holes. Lastly, the QC needs to rethink about this issue because it's common on Squiers and made in Mexico Senders.

I have a Stingray RS with perfect aligned strings and a Stingray HT with slightly misaligned high E string starting on around the 14th fret but only regarding to the space to the fretboard edge (like half a mill more). So the neck is perfectly straight in but the neck width around the heel seems to be not completely symmetrical with an imagined centerline so to speak. I figured that this might be caused by the guy who sanded the neck heel making it a tight fit in a pocket which might have been a slightly bit larger coming of the mill? I checked how tight the neck fits the pocket on both Stingrays I have and the HT was so tight in I could literally lift the guitar without bolts. That was not the case with the RS. So it seems what looks like a quality oversight in the first place ends up being a perk of the guitar.

Good lord how many guitars does this guy have 😂 Great review! 🤘

You would think if Fender were to release a single pickup Strat, it would be a single coil in the neck position. I have a Schecter Super Shredder Exotic that had a neck alignment issue. I can't be sure that it came from the factory that way, I didn't notice the problem until three or four months in and it's quite possible that the neck creeped over into this weird position over time. I fixed the problem by loosening up the bolts and using a thin guitar pick as a shim, then tightened the bolts up again.

wow this makes me appreciate HB even more.