I have GAS...again! But.....

[marsquake]

...I posit a question for the group first. I own and play the lower end Fender basses, jazz (MIM), jazz (Squire) and P/J (Player plus).

I've NEVER had my hands on an American Fender!

But I have my eyes on a couple gorgeous American Elites.

New Elite Jazz

Used elite jazz

I'm considering selling the other three basses to get this one. I hate the Squire...it sounds terrible and rarely gets played. I've been trying to sell the Player plus here for almost a year with no bites. The MIM jazz is my favorite and gets used quite often. My question is: HOW MUCH BETTER IS AN AMERICAN ELITE OVER THE REST OF MY STABLE?

Is it the One bass to Rule them All? Will it do something the others won't?

It would leave me with one Spector Pulse II, the Elite and then an acoustic...so three basses. Which I don't mind.

 

[Parzival]

Have you considered the Ultra or Ultra II? Saw a new red Ultra II on Reverb for about $1,800 and used Blue Ultras for around $1,500. They are very nice. My Texas Tea Ultra is my favorite bass.

 

[dbsfgyd1]

...I posit a question for the group first. I own and play the lower end Fender basses, jazz (MIM), jazz (Squire) and P/J (Player plus).

I've NEVER had my hands on an American Fender!

But I have my eyes on a couple gorgeous American Elites.

New Elite Jazz

Used elite jazz

I'm considering selling the other three basses to get this one. I hate the Squire...it sounds terrible and rarely gets played. I've been trying to sell the Player plus here for almost a year with no bites. The MIM jazz is my favorite and gets used quite often. My question is: HOW MUCH BETTER IS AN AMERICAN ELITE OVER THE REST OF MY STABLE?

Is it the One bass to Rule them All? Will it do something the others won't?

It would leave me with one Spector Pulse II, the Elite and then an acoustic...so three basses. Which I don't mind.

I’m for a used whatever. As for an “‘upgrade”, if your MIM JB functions fine and bought and paid for and performs satisfactorily, the only thing you are getting for your investment is status and a potentially higher resale value. If you have a GC near by and see what your can get for the two basses you don’t like and use the proceeds to upgrade your MIM. Pickups, electronics, and tuners should improve your experience significantly.

 

[ceetee]

Don't sell your goto MIM Jazz if you don't have at least the possibility to lay hands on the new one first.

 

[kmon]

How much better than the current stable? Not all that much really. It’ll still sound like you.

 

[ashtray]

Sell the basses you don’t like. If no one is buying after a year, then adjust your price. If still not selling, and you don’t want to go any lower, then just keep it. Maybe you can trade it for something else in the future.

Go play the bass you are interested in. In person. You may be blown away, or underwhelmed. Only you will know after playing one. Play a few actually, bc basses in stores often need a setup, and they will all feel a bit different as they sit on the wall.

As for the value of an expensive bass - there’s usually a sweet spot where spending more money gets you more features or higher quality wood, but at some point you’re not getting a better bass - say a $6k Fender Jazz might not be any better than a $2k Fender Jazz. But a $2k Jazz might be worlds better than a $500 one.

 

[Sertsa]

While this is guitar related, a number of years ago I decided my Strat (bought for $400) and Tele (bought when the Strat needed a refret for a bit more), and sapele Martin 000-15 (most guitarists didn't want the sapele version) weren't that fancy, and I really wanted the higher-end experience. So over the next several years I bought a Hamer Artist, G&L ASAT (US), and PRS Mira (used when no one seemed to want them), and my "lifetime guitar," a Collings OM1.

I also tried out several upper-end American Fenders but didn't find them better than the ones I had. And in many cases worse.

Thankfully I didn't sell my more modest guitars because I'd seen far too many people sell/trade used, beloved instruments for something more upscale and regret it. Which was good, because I kept returning to them.

A few years ago I decided to pare down. I kept the Strat, Tele, Martin, and Mira. The Hamer, G&L, and Collings--those for which I'd spent the most--were sold, and I don't regret it.

And to your question: no, the expensive guitars didn't do anything the others couldn't. They were different and each had their character, but they didn't make me a better player.

So my long-winded point is not to sell instruments you use for something higher-end, especially if you can't play it before purchase. And if you do go for it, wait until you can afford keeping your old instruments. If you don't touch them for a while and realize you wouldn't miss them, then go ahead and sell them, but not before.

And regarding the Squier, why does it sound terrible? Anything that could be fixed with a set up or adjusting the pickups?

 

[DanAdams]

When I got my first P-style bass, (an old 80s Ibanez RB620), I thought WOW I like this. Maybe I would really be impressed with a REAL Fender.
I went to a shop with my RB620 to compare with -an American P-bass, a Mexican P-bass, and a used Japan P-bass they had on the wall...
I like my 80s Ibanez the best.
Go to a store and try them if possible. I don't believe that there is any special about a new Fender... or an old one for that matter.
If the MIM jazz is your favorite, make sure its replacement suits you significantly better before making a transaction.

 

[Dincrest]

Keep your MIM Jazz. Use the other two to build up funds for an upgrade. If you're thinking of a good Fender, I'd look for a preowned Japanese-made one. The QC on Japanese-made Fenders (e.g. the Aerodyne) is more consistent than those on US and MIM Fenders, and they can be had for decent prices preowned. That being said, many Japanese-made Fenders (e.g. Aerodyne, Boxer) are a different flavor from the more rooted-in-tradition North American basses, but they're pretty cool.

My main bass is a Japanese-made Fender Aerodyne and it's my Excalibur. I've tried many Fender basses, including a vintage P-bass that a recording engineer had. That vintage P was amazing, but did not make me GAS for a Fender or turn me into a Fender guy. I've been staunchly anti-Fender/FSO for most of my bass playing life. But this Aerodyne changed all that. That's the bass where I'm like, "Yeah, I get it now. I get why the Fender/FSO faithful are faithful."

 

[Methaneman]

...I posit a question for the group first. I own and play the lower end Fender basses, jazz (MIM), jazz (Squire) and P/J (Player plus).

I've NEVER had my hands on an American Fender!

But I have my eyes on a couple gorgeous American Elites.

New Elite Jazz

Used elite jazz

I'm considering selling the other three basses to get this one. I hate the Squire...it sounds terrible and rarely gets played. I've been trying to sell the Player plus here for almost a year with no bites. The MIM jazz is my favorite and gets used quite often. My question is: HOW MUCH BETTER IS AN AMERICAN ELITE OVER THE REST OF MY STABLE?

Is it the One bass to Rule them All? Will it do something the others won't?

It would leave me with one Spector Pulse II, the Elite and then an acoustic...so three basses. Which I don't mind.

I went to CME today and played three basses. Used Yamaha BBP34, American pro 2 precision new, and a new player 2 precision. I thought the BBP34 was the best quality. I didn't think there was much of a difference in quality between the fenders. But the American sounded the best out of the three. Like everybody says here if you can try before you buy. If you're thinking about resale and money is not an issue buy the American. Good luck.

 

[KohanMike]

I don't call it GAS anymore, I put a positive spin on it, GAP, Gear Acquisition PASSION.

 

[Bass4ThePublic]

I quite like the American Fenders, and you won’t be disappointed with it. However, I’d find a way to keep your jazz bass. Sell the squier and player plus and buy American. You can choose either the J or P, both are phenomenal. While I prefer the vintage stuff, my coworker just bought an Ultra 2 P and says it’s just a beast of a bass.

 

[Yahboy]

...I posit a question for the group first. I own and play the lower end Fender basses, jazz (MIM), jazz (Squire) and P/J (Player plus).

I've NEVER had my hands on an American Fender!

But I have my eyes on a couple gorgeous American Elites.

New Elite Jazz

Used elite jazz

I'm considering selling the other three basses to get this one. I hate the Squire...it sounds terrible and rarely gets played. I've been trying to sell the Player plus here for almost a year with no bites. The MIM jazz is my favorite and gets used quite often. My question is: HOW MUCH BETTER IS AN AMERICAN ELITE OVER THE REST OF MY STABLE?

Is it the One bass to Rule them All? Will it do something the others won't?

It would leave me with one Spector Pulse II, the Elite and then an acoustic...so three basses. Which I don't mind.

How about this ??

 

[Sean150]

MIA Fenders can be, but are not necessarily, nice. It’s more important to try to find a bass that works for you. American Fenders are essentially different specs at a higher price, so if they work for you that’s great, but there is no guarantee that they will. My suggestion is to sell the ones you don’t like and buy something that is not a fender. If a player plus isn’t doing it for you, there is a 50/50 chance the elite, ultra or pro won’t work either.

I always suggest the Yamaha BB series because that’s where i found the best fit, and the higher end ones are better than American Fender’s IMO. If you want a FSO then Sire gets a lot of respect and I have been tempted to buy one on a whim (didn’t like the store). If you want active look for an Ibanez with pickups that you like the sound of.

I’m not hating on Fender, but, of the 3 MIA fenders I own, only one gets played regularly because I have better options.

 

[klattman]

I can tell you that the main difference between lower and higher passive fenders is the time spent. My am pro P bass was physically flawless. I messed around with the electronics a bit to make it sound better for me.

The lower end ones, assuming the neck is good (check on used ones you can’t return) may need some fretwork or better filing of nut slots or any number of small but tedious little things.

Luck can go either way in either though so if you can get hands on it or if it’s free returns, do that.

My American mustang was also high playability but lacking in electronics. (I fixed that one also).

But as others have said your current MIM by luck could be better than them all so don’t let go until you are absolutely sure (wait for the new bass smell to wear off on the new one).

 

[steve_kyle]

...I posit a question for the group first. I own and play the lower end Fender basses, jazz (MIM), jazz (Squire) and P/J (Player plus).

I've NEVER had my hands on an American Fender!

But I have my eyes on a couple gorgeous American Elites.

New Elite Jazz

Used elite jazz

I'm considering selling the other three basses to get this one. I hate the Squire...it sounds terrible and rarely gets played. I've been trying to sell the Player plus here for almost a year with no bites. The MIM jazz is my favorite and gets used quite often. My question is: HOW MUCH BETTER IS AN AMERICAN ELITE OVER THE REST OF MY STABLE?

Is it the One bass to Rule them All? Will it do something the others won't?

It would leave me with one Spector Pulse II, the Elite and then an acoustic...so three basses. Which I don't mind.

Check out the Sire line of P and J basses. I’ve owned expensive American Fenders down some cheap ones. These Sires look killer, especially for the money.

 

[Evan J]

If your MIM Jazz plays well… I would sell the squire and try new pickups in the Jazz first. I put Aguilar 60s in my Player Series Jazz and it was a HUGE improvement. It’s worth a shot before you go all in on an American fender.

A neck that feels great to play is hard to come by for any Fender these days. It’s a QC issue. So upgrading to American isn’t a guaranteed win. The grass isn’t always greener in my experience.

 

[KimGT99]

If you have the possibility, try one out.
It's the best and often only way to find out if the added cash is worth it.
You can read here as much as you wish, but at the end of the day, it’s you.
Does a 300$ bottle of wine taste 10 times better than a 30$ bottle?
I've been mostly lucky with many of my midrange to highend Fender basses, but, qc is often questioned here, and you could easily score a dud if you don't try it in person.
To me, my higher end Fenders often shine in the detail (better fretwork, tuners, shielding…). But in sound, yes, but not so much. In the end it comes down to your taste.

 

[bassdude51]

I don't call it GAS anymore, I put a positive spin on it, GAP, Gear Acquisition PASSION.

Good one! I'm sure there are many variations for the acronym GAS. IMHO, GAS is simply OCD. And many of us have that.
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As for MIM vs MIA.........about the biggest difference is price. Overall, MIMs are very good basses.

I recently saw a video with Joe Walsh being interviewed by Paul Shaffer and Joe was playing a MIM Fender Telecaster guitar. What does that tell us?

 

[BHughes81]

I’ve owned a Few Fenders from MIM to USA Deluxe as well as a couple Lulls, Lakeland and a few other nice Fender style basses. I’ve kept my G&L L-2500 and recently got a Yamaha BB734 and am really impressed. For a $800 bass the value is very good and it plays and sounds as good as the much more expensive basses I’ve owned.