Fender American vs. Mexican

[DwaynieAD]

There will be people telling you the difference is price only.

there will be people telling you to get a squier.

there will be people telling you American fenders cure cancer.

from the one's I've played the only discernible difference was that the American ones are prettier. However I've never owned an American one so all the little bells and whistles could very well add up. that being said my MIM plays flawlessly, sounds monstrous, growly, and just downright great, and it takes all the abuse I throw at it at a gig with a smile. It stays in tune, it has great intonation, and the finish is flawless. only downside is it weighs more than a boat anchor.

If I could afford an American I'd probably shop around until I found one I had to have. but I can't so I don't. play the best you can afford I'm sure it'll be great.

 

[Warpeg]

I've used MIM and MIA extensively. You really can't go wrong with either. If you pick either of them up, play it and like it; then buy it!

 

[electracoyote]

I'm trying to decide if it's worth the extra money to buy an American over a Mexican.

It's not worth the extra money to me, and I could easily afford USA Fenders.

Last time I went Fender shopping, I ended up with two MIM Precisions and one MIM Jazz, all from the contemporary run (2009 onward), all with maple boards. Picked one up used. I thought I'd just use them for a road trip, but they're far better than that. Best bang for the buck in my book. Twenty-minute set up to near-perfection, no strange anomalies or trips to the tech for heroic measures, highly playable instruments. Once I plug them into my rig and get them in the mix with my band mates, they sound great, just like a Fender should.

But I am one in a sea of bassists. Everyone's needs and desires are different.

 

[Laurie Bass]

Well here is my 2 cents for what it is worth. Almost 2 years ago I bought a USA P Bass Special,my 1st USA Bass ever. Nice slim neck sounded great but I still had issues with comfort on some songs and later on I sold it.
About 2 weeks ago I recieved a MIM Geddy Lee Jazz and yes the neck is very slim and honestly the best damn neck I have ever played on..period. I was wondering about the quality compared to the MIJ Geddy's but the one I have is fantastic,,dead flat,,no fret buzz anywhere,really low action..love it.

 

[CajunBassPlayer]

I understand this is an old thread but thanks for all the answers... I have one (1) MIM P bass and it had truss rod issues.. Brought it to a good luthier and voila' a perfect bass. He polished the frets, set the height and intonation. I upgraded to classic 60 pups and if sounds really good. I have had GAS for an American Precision Bass and my wife gave me to go ahead.... so... guess I will have to buy an American P Bass...

 

[boristhespider7]

I've had both...and upgraded the PU on both. Both great players IMO. Only difference with the US one was a nicer feeling neck (rolled edges), through stringing and hardcase. Apart from this...not much to set them apart

 

[finfrocka]

I’ve owned both American and MIM. As others have said you can feel a difference via the upgraded features. Particularly the rolled edges on the neck.

Although I will say, while working at GC from 2015-16, I noticed that the majority of the American standard basses that I got my hands on had fret buzz issues that required fret work. Ended up returning an MIA jazz because the neck had issues and didn’t want to keep ordering new ones till I got a keeper.

Ended up going the Ernie Ball route and got a sterling since it was an aggressive tone I was seeking, not necessarily a jazz or precision in particular, as I found their QC better and then waited for an MIM for months till I found a good one.

On the other hand though, I think the American Elites (not positive if that was the right model, they had compound radius fretboards) were of a totally different caliber. All of those I played were great with a basic set up.

 

[DavidEdenAria]

I own 2 MIM Strats, a Tele and a J & P all MIM....i do setups, roll edges, change parts on everything AND the MIM stuff all needed some work but i traveled a lot and hit many 100's of pawns to find deals (the Tele was hardest to find)....these were so cheap i could have flipped them and doubled or tripled $ but i chose to take my time and sort them out.

Yes, there are some changed parts, all needed fret dress and rolled edges but none needed a lot of trussrod adjustment (compared to my USA Peavey basses for example).

Play a bunch of MIA & MIM as well as MIJ....i dont see 'deals' on nice MIA Fender basses imo, matter of fact most seem over-priced, otoh, they seem easier to re-sell in my area so they are in demand.

Do you know how much money i would have in all of these MIM Fenders if were to buy even used MIA (if i could find them) for a fair deal? My guess would be $3000 to $5000....but yea, i did put in a LOT of time (im now retired) and had many parts on hand.

Ive got less than $550 in all of them (not including parts i had, which are high quality i bought and traded for used)

These are all absolutely good enough BUT they most all needed work and it took time (fret sprout was bad on several for example)...if you dont want to go searching for deals and only want one really good Fender and cant handle the work i would search for MIA or an upgraded MIM in the used market.

A decent used MIM P bass with a used Duncan SPB1 pickup is all i would need.