Fender MIA vs MIJ in 2024

[Cassian Hill]

This topic has been in debate for years now and I know there are other, older threads about it. I wanted to ask everyone on here thought about this debate by today's standards and Fender's newest lines. I own an Jazz Am Pro II and other than the frets having slight sprout (possibly do to the previous owner not storing it right) it's a great bass and I love playing it. I've been eyeing some P basses on Reverb and I'm torn between getting another Am Pro II or a made in Japan Hybrid II. I do own one MIJ Fender, it's a 90s Fujigen jazz bass.

Does anyone have any experience with newer MIJ basses, the Hybrid II series in particular compared to the current Am Pro II lineup. The basses I'm considering are roughly the same price minus shipping.

 

[Scott Lynch]

Subbed. I am also curious about their offerings intended for the Japan-only market. I would love to know how their Heritage series stacks up to the American Vintage II models, for example.

 

[dbsfgyd1]

This topic has been in debate for years now and I know there are other, older threads about it. I wanted to ask everyone on here thought about this debate by today's standards and Fender's newest lines. I own an Jazz Am Pro II and other than the frets having slight sprout (possibly do to the previous owner not storing it right) it's a great bass and I love playing it. I've been eyeing some P basses on Reverb and I'm torn between getting another Am Pro II or a made in Japan Hybrid II. I do own one MIJ Fender, it's a 90s Fujigen jazz bass.

Does anyone have any experience with newer MIJ basses, the Hybrid II series in particular compared to the current Am Pro II lineup. The basses I'm considering are roughly the same price minus shipping.

I can’t make a blanket statement that one bass is better than another based on country of manufacture. That said, I’m very impressed with Japanese manufacturing. It’s the culture of avoiding shame at all cost that runs from the janitor to the CEO. “That’s good enough” doesn’t exist there.

That said, when it comes to instruments, IMO you need to have them in your hands to make a proper assessment.

 

[Cassian Hill]

I can’t make a blanket statement that one bass is better than another based on country of manufacture. That said, I’m very impressed with Japanese manufacturing. It’s the culture of avoiding shame at all cost that runs from the janitor to the CEO. “That’s good enough” doesn’t exist there.

That said, when it comes to instruments, IMO you need to have them in your hands to make a proper assessment.

Yeah that's how I feel as well which makes country exclusive gear hard to jump on since they're not readily available for playing in hand to make that assessment. I might bite the bullet and do a direct comparison myself, if I end up doing that I'll make a post sometime in the future.

 

[jmattbassplaya]

My PB62 (MIJ) is from 2015, so not super new. That said, it’s an amazing instrument with the only “weakness” being its pickup. It’s decent, but I know there’s “better.” I also recently tried one of the new Aerodyne MIJ P basses and it was excellent if you’re okay with a slightly sharper/slab-like body edge. My AmPro II Precision is also excellent. Feels great, sounds great, and maybe the only “weakness” is the tapper of the pots being a little quicker than I’d care for. Honestly, I think it comes down to whether you want to support USA for several hundred more or save your dollars for another day.

 

[steveinohio]

I’ve owned a lot of MIJ Fenders. Just go with the AM Pro II. At best the MIJ will be close to it. I have a couple of the new AM Pro II Ps and they are great.

 

[Gianni "Orlandez" Orlati]

Look, general build quality aside, what undeniably stands up about USA contemporary production is the use of graphite rods to stiffen and stabilise the necks.
They provide great benefit to necks’ stability, particularly that of jazz basses.
I’m trying to assemble a new jazz bass with parts from the StraTosphere; the neck will surely be an Am. Pro. II one for this reason ..

 

[PBassAcidJazz]

Are they the same price? The Japan models should be less expensive. I had a 2022 Japan Jazz and it was at least as well made as my previous USA standard Jazz basses.

 

[Rudi van Disar]

Look, general build quality aside, what undeniably stands up about USA contemporary production is the use of graphite rods to stiffen and stabilise the necks.
They provide great benefit to necks’ stability, particularly that of jazz basses.
I’m trying to assemble a new jazz bass with parts from the StraTosphere; the neck will surely be an Am. Pro. II one for this reasoGn ..

Great point, Orlandez! Are you able to cite any experience you have had with steel rods in which they seemed inferior. The reason that I ask is that I think Olinto simply use steel rods. This leads me to this it is possible that graphite rods aren't as important as we always thought!

 

[Bass4ThePublic]

Tech here. Given both instruments are 100% functional, I think the USA just feature wise (better pickups tuners etc) wins over Japanese. However, quality control seems to be better in Japan. I get a lot of broken American Ultras specifically, usually bad switches or whatever. The “new trend” in the shop is broken or seized tuning machines… usually on usa or mim models.

If I were you, I’d seek out a used Made In America “Standard” series from 2008-2016 or so. Great fit and finish on those instruments.

 

[Bass Motifs]

Have 2019 MIJ jazz bass. High build quality, lovely neck. Basswood body, not so keen on, sound a bit dull? Electronics awful, swapped out for Fralin PUs and controls. Seen a lot of MIJs in the shops, some cool basses. For my part I'd buy on sound / feel and not worry whether it's a J or an A. My Mex Flea bass is current No1.

 

[bassboysam]

i've had some amazing MIJs, and some real dogs, you never know until you try it.

 

[Cassian Hill]

Are they the same price? The Japan models should be less expensive. I had a 2022 Japan Jazz and it was at least as well made as my previous USA standard Jazz basses.

Perhaps it's due to the colorway and matching head stock. Shipping cost a grip coming from Japan. I was tempted by the matching head stock, we'll see how it plays. Worst case I can sell it and and buy an AM Pro II, I really like this burgundy mist finish.

 

[Cassian Hill]

Tech here. Given both instruments are 100% functional, I think the USA just feature wise (better pickups tuners etc) wins over Japanese. However, quality control seems to be better in Japan. I get a lot of broken American Ultras specifically, usually bad switches or whatever. The “new trend” in the shop is broken or seized tuning machines… usually on usa or mim models.

If I were you, I’d seek out a used Made In America “Standard” series from 2008-2016 or so. Great fit and finish on those instruments.

Yeah that's what I've heard as well hardware wise, the pickups have been described as anemic. It shares roughly the same specs as the AM Pro II minus some features like the graphite rods, and hardware. It does have a sustain block although I'm not sure how much sustain it actually provides though.

 

[PBassAcidJazz]

Perhaps it's due to the colorway and matching head stock. Shipping cost a grip coming from Japan. I was tempted by the matching head stock, we'll see how it plays. Worst case I can sell it and and buy an AM Pro II, I really like this burgundy mist finish.

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Here in NZ the Japan models are a fair bit cheaper. About 60% of the USA models. Price being equal I’d go for the USA unless you can play and compare both.

 

[Cassian Hill]

Here in NZ the Japan models are a fair bit cheaper. About 60% of the USA models. Price being equal I’d go for the USA unless you can play and compare both.

It's 1250 plus shipping which is another 150

 

[txhawaii]

not to be rude or cause an argument, but please tell us what kind of car do you drive? its it a Honda, Lexus, or Toyota?

Today these J vs A questions are antiquated.

Manufacturing across the globe is united. Maybe China or Philippines or Indonesia might be something to ask this question but even then, QC would assure these worries.

To inquire about Japan?

This is the country that makes Sony, Nintendo, Lexus, etc.

I would trust Japan over the us today on manufacturing.

 

[smo]

Today these J vs A questions are antiquated. Manufacturing across the globe is united. Maybe China or Philippines or Indonesia might be something to ask this question but even then, QC would assure these worries.

Japanese fenders have always been great.
But with everything made by CNC machines now, every bass made by Fender is highly likely built to spec.
Just gonna come down to the tonal variations in a random piece of wood, the parts used due to price etc.

We tend to get a fair amount of Japanese Fenders over here in Australia, can highly recommend.
Many of the older non-fender Japanese basses, like Greco, are pretty decent too.

 

[bigswifty1]

Does anyone have any experience with newer MIJ basses, the Hybrid II series in particular compared to the current Am Pro II lineup.

I have both these models, purchased new within the last 12 months. For context, these are my first Fenders after playing exclusively Stingrays for the last ten years.

I'm not sure of the OP's location but here in Australia there was a big price difference with the Am Pro II being much more expensive.

Here are some general observations and comparisons.

IMO they are both very good basses for mass produced instruments. Although I have owned better I have no complaints with the overall build quality of either bass. The neck pocket joint is definitely tighter/better on my MIJ H II than on my AM Pro II but both are acceptable. This might be down to the variance between individual instruments.

The AM Pro II had a really weak jack socket which needed replacement almost immediately.

Both basses were in a terrible state of setup from the shop and both needed a fair bit of work to get to what I'd consider playable. With that out of the way, they both setup pretty well (although not as good as my Stingrays, sorry ).

The AM Pro II has a hex key truss adjustment at the heel, and comes with a toolset which includes a T Wrench which allows adjustment without removing the neck. The JP H II adjusts at the head, but didn't come with any tools.

We've had some seasonal changes recently where I live and the AM Pro II neck was more stable than the MIJ H II which needed adjustment when the AM Pro II did not.

The necks on both are very good. Necks are very personal things. I prefer the MIJ H II but that's just me and I would not argue with anyone who preferred the AM Pro II. They are both really good. Frets are very good on both, splitting hairs but again I prefer the MIJ H II, but this is a personal thing and it's line ball.

The AMP Pro II has the contoured neck heel thing for access to the higher frets, the MIJ H II has the standard four bolt positions. Either is fine by me but might be important to others.

The pots feel similar on each. The tuners on the AM Pro II feel better, but both work perfectly fine.

I forget what wood the bodies are made of but the AM Pro II is *significantly* heavier. I can't overstate this, the difference is huge and noticeable. They both hang on the strap nicely and as a P Bass should, but for anyone who is sensitive to heavy basses, I strongly urge you to pick up a AM Pro II before you decide to buy one. It is a LUMP of a thing compared to the MIJ H II. I'm fine with heavy basses but if I wasn't then the MIJ H II would be better.

Both sound great to me. The AM Pro II has the greasebucket circuit. I am still getting used to this and I'm not sure where I stand on it. For sure it rewards a careful hand on the tone pot to get the best from it. If you just want a plug and play, set and forget classic P bass tone then the MIJ H II is easier to get there out of the box, but they will both do it of course.

I've gigged both basses extensively and been very happy with each. If I could only keep one I can't honestly say which one it would be. Perhaps maybe *just* the AM Pro II because of the neck stability and the fact that it maintains a setup a little better. If I could only afford one and money was any sort of an issue, then the MIJ H II all day every day.

Hope this helps. Ask if you have any other questions.
Mike

 

[socknroll1]

I think they can both be great or just fine. It seems to me that Japanese-made Fenders have developed a sterling reputation, but I wonder if that is due to scarcity compared to MIM and MIA models. Or maybe they really do have a higher "hit" rate (i.e. proportion of them that play great and have perfect fit & finish).

I have owned several MIMs and MIAs and earlier this year finally got an MIJ. I would rate my MIJ as the same quality as the others - good, not perfect, a few issues to be looked at or worked around. Honestly that is what I expect and accept from all levels of Fenders after over 20 years of playing them.