NGD Fender Classic Player 60s Baja in Faded Sonic Blue - Review and pics

Just picked up this rather nice Fender Classic Player 60s Baja in Faded Sonic Blue.

The other guitarist in my band has the same model sunburst so I knew it pretty well and thought I'd snag one if one came up used as I dig the sonic blue and RW looks, very nice pickups and it's probably the best bang per buck in the whole Fender range (leaving aside Squier).

I'm really quite chuffed about this - got 13.5% off what almost all shops in the UK are currently selling this for plus new strings and proper job set up too.I ordered this blind (aside from extra photos) on-line form the B Stock section of a major UK dealer. it is Ex-demo so therefore also ex-cellent value for money…. I always dink guitars myself soon enough anyway, so I rarely buy new.


I think this is IT for me and Teles now. No more without selling as I've been building partscaster too. I'm out of space. And I'm going to be letting a least a couple of "back-up" guitars go that have been booted from rotation for a while and no longer flick my switches

Quick review

I think this is real looker. The body is medium weight, lighter than my friend's sunburst one and my Squiers and MIM Classic and MIJ customs

Sound is acoustically resonant with a lovely bright, clear and twangy electric sound and bridge pup raised a little more has some grunt. The controls are all smooth and work very well. No loose parts but then it' demo and has had a set-up so I'd expect not. I won’t use the out of phase sounds much as I'm not a fan.

The neck dimension are as I expected – a substantial C with a hint of D shoulders. More girth than my 60s Classic (which I have to say is my preferred spec) It's way too glossy for my tastes. but it is not dragging so I won't strip back the gloss just yet and see how that goes. I used wire wool all over my 60s Classic neck and it feels and looks so much better.

The body is also very glossy. Again, might do the 0000 steel wool and T-Cut treatment I did to my 60s Classic looks much more authentic.

The board is a lovely dark rosewood with a nice grain pattern and it does not seem to be stained. It is a little dry and when I chage the strings I'll do so steel wool and oil treatment on it.

The green guard looks great on this body colour. But I think with super shiny small chrome screws it comes with look at odds with the mint, so I've already replaced them with some old used nickel ones I had in my spares tins. Instant Custom Shop look

Overall,the build quality is not as high as my MIJ 62s but then electronics and the pickups easily make up for that.

Picky minor niggles that show it's a MIM not a USA:

The tuners are not perfectly lined up, but pretty close the B just being lightly out of line. The tuners feel good and a keeping it perfectly in tune.

Although the shop set it up, the nut was not evenly cut. The low E, D and G were just a little higher than the others, which took me 15 mins with the files to sort. The nut edges are little sharp so I file those rounder with a nail file.

The pickguard fit is not perfect in that it very slightly pushes the neck pickup toward the neck though this is barely noticeable.

 

more pics

 

Yes, taken in not so brilliant daylight this evening emphasises the "faded" and the rosewood.
I like vintage white too, though

 

Thanks. That's weird the same B tuner. It's minor given the overall guitar for me and esp at discounted price it's nothing! I'd be hacked off though if there was any niggle with an American Vintage guitar at that price! They are quite pricey in the UK circa £1399...

My 2010 '60s Classic was absolutely perfectly put together. Really first class. I guess I just got lucky with that one.
Not sure I agree with you about Fender's Rosewood. Not the tightness (not sure I've noticed anything there), but much of what I've seen from MIM has been too red (for my tastes) and some USA like this too. I know some like the redness. I really really don't. Only like red rosewood on Rickenbackers. The Fender MIJ rosewood is lovely and dark and consitently very high quality.

 

50s Baja... is lovely... Very different to the 60s one. Bigger different profile soft V neck is the main physical thing. I nearly bought one but found a local used (but stripped to natural Ash) '50s Roadworn and I really liked the neck profile and rolled, used feel on that, so I bought that instead. I think the 50s Baja is a great blackguard style option.

 

That FSB seems to vary a lot and display a litttle differntly depending on the screen you're on as well.

The second lot of pics were taken at a different angle nearer the window to get more light in the fading daylight and they are much more washed out (i think still looks cool though)

Photo fans BTW; these were taken with a little pocket Canon S90 I bought used off ebay for £70 a good while back. I got chatting wiht a pro photographer at an event and he used the S90 as a "quick and dirty snapper" so I found one used as something to put in pocket for qiuick snaps. You can find 'em cheap and they have loads of pro-sumer features and take really damn fine snaps. I have a bigger more expensive high end camera with a pro posh lens and this little S90 thing gets kicked around and dropped and stuff.... but it really delivers. If you see one used, snag it.