American and foreign

[mark61]

I am pretty new to playing bass, x 3-4 years and still learning for a 56 year old. I know this is probably not the best question, but what is the difference in a Fender made over seas and American ? For the price are you really going to know the difference ? It's quite a price gap.

Just wondering and trying to get it . G &. L. Same thing

Thanks
Mark

 

[Killed_by_Death]

Many Fenders are made in Mexico, thereby relieving the need to travel overseas. (Fender Mexico & Fender California are only a few hundred miles apart)
Cheaper labor costs are part of it, but also cheaper components.

 

[jd56hawk]

I am pretty new to playing bass, x 3-4 years and still learning for a 56 year old. I know this is probably not the best question, but what is the difference in a Fender made over seas and American ? For the price are you really going to know the difference ? It's quite a price gap.

Just wondering and trying to get it . G &. L. Same thing

Thanks
Mark

I have two USA-made G&L basses, a SB-2 and an L2000, but I'd buy a Tribute without even thinking about it, SB-2, L2000 or Kiloton.
Especially this one. For $500 and change I'd take it over any MIM Fender.

 

[mark61]

Pretty sweet looking

 

[jd56hawk]

Pretty sweet looking

When the Kiloton Tribute first came out it was only available in Alpine White. Within a few weeks G&L started offering it in Sonic Blue, but the problem with SB is that sometimes it's so pale, Fender or G&L, that they might as well call it Barely Blue.
Anyway, I think it looks great in Irish Ale.

 

[mark61]

Which one is this pictured ?
Really nice.!!!

 

[SteveC]

My only issue with the Tribute G&L is weight. They tend to be a pound or two heavier than I like. If that’s not an issue, get a great bass for a great price with a Tribute. Or look for a used US for a nice bass as well.

I’m not a huge Fender guy. I like the MIJ Geddy Lee. I liked the new Professional Jazz and Precision I tried. I’m a 5 string guy and I haven’t played many fender 5’s that I like.

For bang for the buck, id say G&L new Tribute or used USA.

 

[jd56hawk]

That's the Kiloton Tribute, Mark.
I've seen them from $550 to $599.
This one's on reverb right now. Looks like a private seller, though.

 

[SteveC]

Those Kiloton basses are pretty nice. Lots of sounds available.

 

[Chrisk-K]

American Fenders are made by foreigners (many of whom are Mexicans) in the USA.
Mexican Fenders are made by Mexicans in Mexico.

 

[Frampton]

American Fenders are made by foreigners (many of whom are Mexicans) in the USA.
Mexican Fenders are made by Mexicans in Mexico.

Huh?

 

[Member8675309]

Long story short, American Fenders are of higher quality and quality control, Mexican Fenders are of inferior quality and quality control. Inferior does not equate to horrible....not even close.

All the bu||$h•+ aside, both are fine and perfectly functional basses. MIM are not a joke, they are functional, reliable, good looking, well priced, and good sounding basses used by many working musicians. I used one for ten years straight. Still have it. Will never sell it. No problems from it whatsoever.

 

[twinjet]

Huh?

Running gag.

 

[-Asdfgh-]

I have two USA-made G&L basses, a SB-2 and an L2000, but I'd buy a Tribute without even thinking about it, SB-2, L2000 or Kiloton.
Especially this one. For $500 and change I'd take it over any MIM Fender.
View attachment 2877058

Sadly £500 here, but then I suppose $500 plus VAT is almost £500.

 

[-Asdfgh-]

I'm slightly amused by the copy on the G&L website for the Kiloton:

What's more, the Tribute Series Kiloton is armed with a Leo Fender-designed Saddle-Lock™ bridge to transfer all the energy right into the body end-grain for an incredibly resonant instrument.

Which would mean zero sustain, if all the energy is going into the body. Absolutely ridiculous.

 

[Gizmot]

My $0.02 - I’d take a G&L over a Fender any day of the week. They produce a broader range of tones and play very well. Although the Tribute basses are very nice, you can feel (but not hear) the difference between those and the Fullerton made models. I love all the options available on the Fullerton models

 

[baxter_x]

I was told US Fenders were made overseas but with a US quality control..... But no more Fenders are made in the US. Only assembled at best.
Is this true? I'm interested as I had a little fight on Facebook with the guy who told me this.

 

[Gianni "Orlandez" Orlati]

Miii... again with these questions ... it’s easy to compare and check the difference between Fender’s various production strains ... looking at the web sites is enough ... different story is to give a value to the differences or to notice or being aware of differences which are not due to the absence of this or that device but reside in the different manufacture of the instruments, finish degree, overall solidity etc...
In general MIA Fender cost more and have slightly more stuff of better quality .. these are material differences quantifiable looking at the web sites ... Fender MIA are better built, finished and their necks are checked and levelled with more attention ... this can only be noticed and understood by playing the instruments at the same time when playing MIM and MIJ ones ... that’s my opinion but it is an informed one as I own this world and the other ...
Forgot ... are MIA basses worth the price ? Many of them definitely yes as MIM and MIJ are ... this means that Fender IMO managed to evenly distribute and arrange the price of their instruments across the whole world production

 

[SteveCS]

I was told US Fenders were made overseas but with a US quality control..... But no more Fenders are made in the US. Only assembled at best.
Is this true? I'm interested as I had a little fight on Facebook with the guy who told me this.

I don't know about that but as a trivial example, I bought a bag of 'Fender Genuine Parts' pickguard screws. On the back of the pack it said 'Made in China'. Like i said, a trivial part, but it does plant a seed...

 

[dxb]

Let's see... My MIM Mustang bass is as playable as my Chinese Squier Affinity Jazz and they appear to use nearly identical hardware. My USA Dimension neck feels about the same as the Jazz and Mustang since all have similar satin finishes and fretwork, though the USA does have slightly nicer tuners.

My two Indonesian Squier Dimensions have smother, more solid control knobs than my USA Dimension but they all use the same Fender high-mass bridge. As far as body finish, they're all polyurethane and all nicely done. If anything the MIM Mustang (and a MIM guitar I also own) are a little sloppier in the finish around the neck pocket than the others. The USA, MIM and Affinity are alder bodies and the other Squiers are basswood, though they all weigh roughly the same and all have sufficient structural integrity.

The USA came with a case, a strap and a cable, the others didn't. The USA has a bone nut and the rest are plastic. All of them needed adjustments to the setup like lowering the action and setting intonation, though none of them currently have fret buzz and they all stay in tune. After owning them a while, they all needed the fret ends filed due to fret sprout from low humidity, though the USA and the Affinity were affected more than the others.

...So yeah, lots of little differences but nothing major. The price differences are largely due to the varying labor costs between the US, Mexico, Indonesia and China. They all exhibit decent quality control though and they all have their own little quirks.