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How were the 90s for Fender?

#21
I am still such a Fender n00b but I have heard that Fenders in the 90s were some of the best ones ever made. But its like anything, some will be better then others and some will be lemons. My first Fender is a '95 MIM P Special. From what I gather it had one strike against it already being an MIM but theres nothing shoddy about this monster in the slightest!! My next Fender will be a 77-78 MIA Precision and it will be interesting to compare the two for quality perhaps though as good as my 95 is that will be a tall order to surpass. But I am sure the vintage one will be as good as the MIM if not better. :p
 
#22
I have a 98 MIA Jazz Deluxe. It seems rock solid. Tolerances (neck/body joint, how the control cover lines up with the pickguard, angle that the screws are sunk into the body, etc...) on it are better than even the new 08 American Deluxe Jazzes I've tried. Fret work's not as good...but that's probably more to do with it being ten years old than the original work done.

Also used to own a 92 or 93 Precision Lyte that was also an excellent bass. Supposedly these had neck warp issues, but mine was extremely stable. Fit, finish and durability were also excellent with that bass. Still one of the best mid-priced production basses I've seen in that regard.
 
#23
My 97 American Standard P is absolutely fantastic. It's the 2nd best bass I've ever played. It was the best of the bunch when I was looking to buy and I was lucky in that no one wanted a bass in Lake Placid Blue... weirdos ;)

A few years after I bought it I was in the market again for a J but was seriously unimpressed by the Fender quality, I finally nabbed a HwyOne in '07 because of the price, still not as nice as I think it should be but what can you do?
I've played the '08s and they are quite good! However, I've been spoiled... I haven't found one as nice as my 97, but I have high hopes.


Anyway, in my experience, you'll be hard pressed to find a bad one from 95 to 97.
 
#26
SuperDuck said:
No, for a short while the American Fenders had an elongated upper horn, which gave them a noticeably different body shape as compared to "normal" Fender basses.
Click to expand...

Yes.... the Longhorn Jazz basses. They actually started them in '89, I believe. Longer necks and deeper cut aways, so the weight gain was pretty much nill. I have a '92, and the workmanship is beautiful.... tight neck pocket, great fret work, and awesome finish. The bridge was just too wide for the bass, IMO, so I switched it out to a LQBAII and threw in SD Antiquities. Very sweet sounding bass, and plays as well as any other Jazz you can find. Very low action, with zero buzzes or rattles.

Ljazz
 
#29
fish slapper said:
As to the long horn bodies, they still are current in the American Dlx J basses. I find it very comfortable. I own a 99 J bass that is my "will own until I die" bass. Not only is it a beauty (Plum- rare color) and plays like a dream, but the wife bought it for me thinking it would cure my GAS. Silly girl. :hiding:
Click to expand...

That body also was used on the Roscoe Becks up until a few years ago.
 
#32
I have a 95 MIJ Foto Flame Jazz. When I bought it a old timmer was playing it before me. He said it was better than most of the 60's J's he had played. That might be a strech but it is a great bass.
 
#33
I have a 95 Jazz, but it's a MIJ. It's a really nice bass, and it was my main bass for many years (now I mostly play 5-strings or my 72 Jazz).

I don't have that much experience with mid 90's US Fenders, but the few ones I have tried was not as good as my MIJ (but maybe I had just gotten too used to the feeling of my own bass? :hmm:).
 

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