Bass Advice Needed!

[Surely]

I would firstly like to say hello as it's my first time posting here on TalkBass.

Ok, so I've saved up £300 hoping i could get my hands on a decent Mexican made Fender P or J bass, either new or second hand, but I'm having great difficulty actually finding an deals! Is £300 even enough for a Mexican made bass now days?

I was hoping for some advice on where to look, obviously music stores, but i was thinking more online as you seem to get better deals on the internet

My aim is to find a decent Mexican made bass, which i can learn on but also gig if and when I chose to do so. Any advice is much appreciated. Thank you.

 

[gidbass]

You may want to check out the Squier Vintage Modified (VM) and Classic Vibe (CV) series. Every bit as good (or better) than the MIM's, in my opinion of course and cheaper, though i am not sure how much either goes for in your neck of the woods.

Good Luck!

 

[Surely]

I've tried the Vintage Modified Precision Bass, but the instrument was made quite badly. The frets weren't so great, the action was bad, but i can set-it up to how i want, no biggie. The pick-ups sounded OK but the big turn off was how the instrument was made. I want my bass to age with me without falling apart which is why I'm aiming for a Mexican made Fender.

As for the Classic Vibe basses, the jazz bass does look quite nice, although i haven't tried one yet. One thing that makes me worry about the Classic Vibe series is the glossy varnished necks, wouldn't that slow you down after awhile when your hand starts to sweat from playing under pressure?

 

[ksandvik]

Depending on the location, you could find good deals on Craigslist. Also check out the SX bass line, you be surprised what you get for the price.

 

[Surely]

I'm just going through the SX bass products and i must say i'm impressed by the looks, but how do they play?

I've never heard of SX before, can i actually buy any of the basses on offer by them over here in the UK?

 

[gidbass]

Some say that it is difficult to find a good VM/CV on the first try, but i have the fretless, and the 70's VM (both are jazz style and bought both used) and they are both great (to me anyways so i guess i got lucky....). I did buy them though with the intention of replacing the pickups, but other than that, they are pretty much stock.

It's funny you mention the frets, because my 70's VM is in the shop right now getting the frets leveled and crowned, but that is not unexpected for a lot of basses in this price range, including MIM's too.

My VM necks have a satin finsh, not a glossy one. I think you can use steel wool to remove the gloss leaving a satin feel.

Good Luck

 

[somegeezer]

Depending on the location, you could find good deals on Craigslist. Also check out the SX bass line, you be surprised what you get for the price.

Well, by his use of £ rather than $, I would have at a guess, he's British =D
But yes, the SX basses are pretty cool. Great for Metal so I've heard and seen. Not tried them out personally though.

 

[addylewis]

Well, I got my MIM jazz about 9 years ago and yeah - before inflation they were about £300-360...

Nowadays they're roughly £500-560 which is a pain...have a look around on ebay, personally I reckon its better to spend a little more and get a 2ndhand japanese - don't get me wrong, the right MIM is all you'll ever need and can be magic but if you're buying on ebay so can't try it out first its safer to go MIJ...