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Fender Nate Mendel Precision review

g4string

g4string

Gold Supporting Member
Sep 19, 2002
4,069
2,585
49
Melissa, TX
#1
So I've been gassing for a Pee bass for quite some time now. After a bit of research, I decided on a Fender Nate Mendel Precision. I liked that the bass has an undersized nut (for a P), 7.25 radius, the flat/thin neck profile, and the 70's vintage look/vibe. I scored one on a Black Friday deal for 15% off. It brought my out of pocket down to $750 ($900 retail). A little high IMO for a MIM Fender, but hey....the Mendel's have all got good reviews so far. So I didn't mind spending the extra cash.

The good.......when the bass arrived I was pleasantly surprised to see I recieved a light one. Mine weighed in at 8.8 lbs. Plus the nut measured under the advertised spec 1.58....sweet!! The fit and finish was good. I liked the nitro finish. The bass has some sparkle underneath the red finish too. Unplugged, the bass had a nice snap about it. It sounded good un-amplified. I'm a firm believer in that if a bass sounds like poo unplugged, it won't sound good plugged in. So by all accounts, a decent bass.

The bad.....the Fender gig bag stinks. If you buy this bass, have another gig bag or hard case to use if you're a gigging musician. The tuners (specifically the G string tuner) creaked and moaned when I was tuning the bass. All of the tuners felt rough to operate. A replacement set of Hipshot HB2's would be a must as I think the stock tuners are garbage. Another thing that felt off was the neck.....the radius felt like a 9.5 to and not the 7.25 radius Fender advertises. I dont have a guage, but I'm fairly certain the radius was NOT 7.25. Additioanlly, the rosewood board looks like the same species of board thats installed on my Squier. I oiled the board and it darkened up. However, I question the species of the "rosewood" board. Lastly, although not a defect, I'm not a big fan of the medium/jumbo sized frets use on the neck. I prefer a smaller fret wire.

Despite all of the shortcomings, it's still a fairly decent bass that sounds good unplugged, even if a bit over priced. A blank canvas if you will. Well, I got a chance to plug her in last night at the gig.....extremely dissapointed. The sound was off, no fireworks.....like a hyped up overdriven muffled sound. I'm assuming this is primarily due to the tone cap value and SDQP pup. I plugged in my passive Lakland 494......HUGE difference in the quality of sound. It's like the Lakland had the exhaust note of a souped up Bentley and the Mendel had the exhaust note of a Dodge Neon with out a muffler. Since I had to wait a couple days to plug her in, the money shot plug-her-in moment was a huge let down when taking into consideration the wait/build up that led to that moment. When I take into consideration the amount of cash I'd spend on quality tuners, new pots/pickup, a different gig bag, and a fret job (preference for me only as I like a smaller vintage fret wire)....the extra $400-$500 investment just doesn't jive well at the moment. I'm not saying it's something I wouldn't consider as I'm borderline on whether a bass like this deserves a makeover. Cause again, it's a quality bass that looks groovy, is light, and sounds good unplugged. I'm just saying right now, I don't have the extra $$ to invest in upgrading or modding said bass. For now, she's back on her way to MF. Maybe I'll hook up with a Mendel some other time. For now, I'll pass. Hopefully this review will prove to be helpful should any of you ever consider a Mendel P Bass. Thanks for reading!!
 
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#2
Wow, sorry to hear about that. I hope this experience doesn't sour you towards a Precision. The last P bass I got was a Limited Edition Fender Precision from MF. I called them and the lady gave me a super deal. The bass was almost perfect when it arrived.

I have been playing the crap out of it since I received it. It has become my favorite bass.
This was the first bass I bought without playing and it is killer.

SO, don't give up on a Precision.

Fender American Standard Hand-Stained Ash Precision Bass
An exclusive, stunning addition to the Fender Precision Bass family with a gorgeous hand-stained body that will only get better with age.

The American Standard Hand-Stained Ash Precision Bass is a beautifully distinctive new take on the revolutionary Fender instrument that started it all. With all the Precision's sonic muscle, this special version gives the American Standard Precision Bass an ash body with a gorgeous hand-rubbed stain beneath a satin-lacquer finish. The maple-fingerboard model in elegant amber stain is a uniquely finished instrument with all of the familiar specs of an American Standard Precision Bass like an ash body with a modern C shape maple neck, 20 medium jumbo frets, a high mass vintage bridge and American Standard Precision Bass single split coil pickup.

Included accessories: Fender/SKB case, cable, strap and polishing cloth.
Features

Precision Bass ash body
Hand-rubbed stain/satin lacquer top coat finish
Modern "C" shape maple neck with maple fingerboard
20 Medium jumbo frets
Satin finish on back, gloss finish on front
Posiflex graphite neck support rods
S/S pickup configuration
American Standard Precision Bass single split coil pickup
Master Volume and Master Tone controls
Chrome hardware
HMV, High Mass Vintage bridge (Strings-Thru-Body or Topload)
 
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#3
Not giving up on the Pee. Just passing on the Mendel. I would likely spend the cash for the mods on the Mendel had I bought it used for a cheaper price. But at full price (even if discounted), I would have about $1200 tied up in the bass.
 
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#4
Interesting assessment of the Mendel P.

I agree with your "good" points. I can't give an exact measurement, but my Mendel's neck is wider than my jazz bass and narrower than my Highway 1 P bass. Mine is 8lbs 6oz, and I guess it sounds good unplugged. The CAR has silver under the red, so it does have some sparkle to it.

As for you "bad" points...I agree that the gig bag stinks. Mine started coming apart in the first week before it ever left the house. I thought about seeking a warranty replacement since it was a new bag, but figured a similar replacement wouldn't be made much better. The machine heads on mine don't creak when I use them, and they feel about as rough as my '74 Tele and '75 P basses. They are nowhere near as smooth as those on my 4-94, but they do keep the bass in tune. Honestly, I haven't given them any thought until I read your post. I can't speak to your claim that it is not a 7.25 radius fingerboard. I can only say it seems more round than my 9.5's, although without measuring, I can't speak with any certainty. As for the fingerboard wood, I picked mine out of the lineup on Sweetwater's site specifically because of the lightness and streaking of the fingerboard wood. I wanted another P bass, but the timing for buying a new bass was bad; it was the fingerboard wood that made me go ahead and figure it out. I didn't want to miss out on this specific piece of wood. Lots of people thing light and streaked rosewood looks cheap, though, and there is nothing wrong with preferring a darker fingerboard.

The tone...at first listen, I was underwhelmed. I loved the way it played, but wasn't crazy about the tone. My initial assessment was that I didn't like the strings. I tend to work with something rather than instantly mod and change, though, so I gave it some time. I found that after the strings aged just a little, it sounded a great deal better. As the continued to age, it sounded bad again, so I would say that the factory strings aren't to my liking. I also found that I don't like the sound of the quarter pounder with the tone all the way up. The mids get pretty harsh. This was a surprise, because I had been led to believe that a quarter pounder was all top and bottom with no mids - very un-P-like. I haven't found this to be the case at all; it sounds like a P bass with a little more bottom and some ugly upper mids unless you roll the tone back just a bit. I will say that tone-wise it is my band leader's favorite bass. Every gig that I don't use it, he asks me where it is. (It is always nearby in its somewhat tattered gig bag.)

Everybody's tastes are different. If you want a P and like the 4-94, maybe an American Deluxe is more your thing. But...you said your 4-94 was passive? Not in passive mode, but an actual passive-only 4-94? Really? Cool.
 
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#5
Yah, there is no preamp installed on my 494. I installed a set of Aero pups wired VVT. It sounds friggin awesome. I think my disdain for the plugged in tone was a combo of the crappy strings, QP pup, and tone pot & cap. I guess the list of dislikes outweighed my list of likes.....
 
#6
I think if money wasn't so tight right now I might have kept it. My dislike for the med/jumbo frets woukd lead to me yanking them in favor for a smaller wire. That was the nail in the coffin for me.
 
#7
g4string said:
Yah, there is no preamp installed on my 494. I installed a set of Aero pups wired VVT. It sounds friggin awesome. I think my disdain for the plugged in tone was a combo of the crappy strings, QP pup, and tone pot & cap. I guess the list of dislikes outweighed my list of likes.....
Click to expand...
Kindred spirits...I have Nordstrands in my 4-94 and wired it VVT. I installed an OBP-3, too, but it can be bypassed so the bass is just VVT.

And I completely understand not liking the Mendel P tone. I have had mine for about eight months and I am still working with it. For me, I think it is a matter of finding the right strings. No more often than I change strings, that could be a while.
 
#8
I was thinking of getting an NM signature, but I don't think I will. The tuners on that bass are the same as the Marcus Miller, Geddy Lee, Mike Dirnt, and all other signature models...the vintage 70s style tuning machines. I honestly think the standard MIM tuners hold tuning and the strings better than these so-called vintage ones.

Reason is because the holes in the MIM tuners are smaller and grasp the strings a lot tighter unlike the giant holes you find on the Geddy Lee or Nate Mendel. I still can't find any other difference between the two sets.

I might just save up for a Mike Dirnt roadworn model. The neck is as thick as they advertised. I tried the one hanging on the wall at my local Long and McQuade and the neck felt pretty darn thick. Mike himself said it's pretty chunky so don't expect to be surprised if you find it thick also.

And Nate's bass comes with QPB-3s...they're great but you can always buy them aftermarket. The Custom '59 split pickup on the Dirnt is only found on the Dirnt...and dude...it's a tele-style bass....those are kick @$$!!!
 
#9
I'm kinda getting cold feet on sending the bass back. I dropped it off today at the FedEx store. I might pick it up on my way from work tomorrow morning. I think maybe I should give it a second chance. It really could be a great bass with a little TLC......hmmmmm
 
#11
wvbass said:
Kindred spirits...I have Nordstrands in my 4-94 and wired it VVT. I installed an OBP-3, too, but it can be bypassed so the bass is just VVT.

And I completely understand not liking the Mendel P tone. I have had mine for about eight months and I am still working with it. For me, I think it is a matter of finding the right strings. No more often than I change strings, that could be a while.
Click to expand...

I use GHS precision flats on my Lakland. The combo with those strings and the Aero pups sound really good. I'm thinking I might pick up the mendel from the FedEx store tomorroe morning and give her another shot.
 
#14
MovingPitchers said:
I was thinking of getting an NM signature, but I don't think I will. The tuners on that bass are the same as the Marcus Miller, Geddy Lee, Mike Dirnt, and all other signature models...the vintage 70s style tuning machines. I honestly think the standard MIM tuners hold tuning and the strings better than these so-called vintage ones.
Click to expand...
Somewhat off-topic, but I got the chance to compare the Mendel machine heads to real 70's ones when I moved a Hipshot from my '75 P to the Mendel P. They are very similar. The new ones have a little less metal in the plate, and the edges of the older ones are curved slightly as opposed to straight on the new ones. I will say that Fender did a good job with the artificial aging of the metal - the Mendel machine heads nicely match the real aging on my twenty-some year old Hipshot. As I stated earlier, functionally, they feel about the same; the Hipshot is smoother and easier to turn (almost too easy) than either the real or fake vintage ones.
 
#15
wvbass said:
Somewhat off-topic, but I got the chance to compare the Mendel machine heads to real 70's ones when I moved a Hipshot from my '75 P to the Mendel P. They are very similar. The new ones have a little less metal in the plate, and the edges of the older ones are curved slightly as opposed to straight on the new ones. I will say that Fender did a good job with the artificial aging of the metal - the Mendel machine heads nicely match the real aging on my twenty-some year old Hipshot. As I stated earlier, functionally, they feel about the same; the Hipshot is smoother and easier to turn (almost too easy) than either the real or fake vintage ones.
Click to expand...

And is it just me, but do the vintage 70s set look a bit longer than the MIM standard ones?
 
#17
One more only partially on-topic comment. When comparing the headstock of the Mendel P to my '75, one thing stuck out to me: they moved the string retainer on the Mendel P just a little bit. On my '75, it covers up part of the F in Fender. On the Mendel P, it has been moved closer to the A tuner so as not to cover the logo.
 
#18
You should have bought my CIJ '62 while you had the chance!
ImageUploadedByTalkBass1418014992.872768.jpg

;)
 
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