slobake
resident ... something
I try not to laugh at anyone's choice of bass. I wouldn't want to discourage them as a musician plus there is always the chance they are a much better musician than I am. I would look pretty foolish then.
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Is Fender American worth it?
- Thread starter cliffburtono
- Start date
I swore off Fenders from a young age. Too heavy! Too large! Necks too thick (I played a vintage 70's P-bass at my high school once) and clunky I said! After playing for about 25 years I stumbled across a less than mint condition MIJ Jazz that had a bit of that "somethin' somethin'".
I bought it just to see if I could be converted. ($600 4 years ago) Replaced the factory cap with a vintage style paper cap. Replaced the bridge with a Badass. Had the neck refretted (previous wear and overall just general poor condition of frets) and finally, recently replaced the original pickups with Aguilar Hum Cancelling pickups.
I am done. This is it.
Took it to an open mic last night where 9 other bassists showed up. My "beater bass" was the envy of all. The neck is super slick and plays incredible. There is truth to the Fender MIJ/CIJ rumor of quality and overall playability.
You could play 10 Jazz basses and only 1 or 2 might feel right to you while at the same time... if I played the same 10, I'd pick a different winner. It's all in personal taste and what feels right.
I have officially been converted from a non-believer. (so much that i recently bought my first precision) - USA Nitro Pbass with tapered modern C neck profile ;-) Oooooh yeah! Just passed the one month mark on the flats and it's starting to breathe!
I bought it just to see if I could be converted. ($600 4 years ago) Replaced the factory cap with a vintage style paper cap. Replaced the bridge with a Badass. Had the neck refretted (previous wear and overall just general poor condition of frets) and finally, recently replaced the original pickups with Aguilar Hum Cancelling pickups.
I am done. This is it.
Took it to an open mic last night where 9 other bassists showed up. My "beater bass" was the envy of all. The neck is super slick and plays incredible. There is truth to the Fender MIJ/CIJ rumor of quality and overall playability.
You could play 10 Jazz basses and only 1 or 2 might feel right to you while at the same time... if I played the same 10, I'd pick a different winner. It's all in personal taste and what feels right.
I have officially been converted from a non-believer. (so much that i recently bought my first precision) - USA Nitro Pbass with tapered modern C neck profile ;-) Oooooh yeah! Just passed the one month mark on the flats and it's starting to breathe!
Greatest Post Ever- made every post after it redundant.
If money isn't an issue get a used USA std. I'm not saying that mim are bad, I've played good and not so good ones. If you're lucky, you can get a used USA std for the price of (maybe a little more) a brand new mim one. I own a few, and none of them were band new. Infect none of my current basses were brand new when I bought them! Try both if you find a mim that you love, there's no reason not to get it.
I'm sorry, but if you've only owned a Mexican Fender, you don't really have much to offer to this thread.
I disagree, although I only own one mexican Fender (a Pawnshop Fender Bass VI): I would much rather buy a higher end mexican made Fender like the vintage reissues with nitro finish than a US made "special", which is kind of a cheap "mexican" Fenderthat is cheaper than other US Fenders but much more expensive than comparable mexican Fenders just for having this "made in the USA" logo.
If Fender wanted to, they could make custom shop quality instruments in Mexico that would be cheaper than a US standard bass, but it wouldn't make sense for Fender from a marketing perspective. During the last 10 years or so, Fender has surrendered much of their marketing driven decisions regarding the quality of made in Mexico Fenders and their Squier line that was always kind of artificial. Today you can buy mexican Fenders and even some Squiers that are comparable in quality to some US made Fenders and sometimes you get much much more for your money. Made in the US is a bit of nostalgia. Like you couldn't sell much Harley Davidsons if they would be made in China, I guess. Nothing to do with quality. But Fender is kind of one of those american figureheads. And esp. people who are kind of nostalgic about the country the US once was or might have been are willing to pay the extra bucks.
I think they're worth it especially if you buy used. There are many used ones out there in good condition so it's easier to find one with the features you want and you don't have to settle for one with "mojo".
Yeah, active elecs have not been Fender's forte, until......enter.....the USA Dimension HH Deluxe, a seriously good sounding bass, festooned from stem-to-stern with modern, player-friendly features. The only possibly useful feature they left out is an active/passive switch. A few more finish options would be nice, too.
All things being equal (no concerns about purchase price - please don't judge), I prefer MIA. I like MIM, but have picked them up when I wanted something specific (Mustang) or had internal price constraints.
OP I'll let you know in a few days. Just sold a MIM to upgrade to a MIA Jazz Standard.
Although, I'm sure its going to be much better. My MIM was nothing special. Still totally useable in a gig situation, but if you can afford the MIA, why settle for less. Especially when most major retailers have a return policy if you do get unlucky with the purchase.
Although, I'm sure its going to be much better. My MIM was nothing special. Still totally useable in a gig situation, but if you can afford the MIA, why settle for less. Especially when most major retailers have a return policy if you do get unlucky with the purchase.
People who don't play "real" MIA Fender basses keep out! (We don't want anyone in the clubhouse who isn't serious about their music!)
"signed" Bitter outsider.
(That's not a MIA Fender, but a Chinese SX in my Avatar that clearly blows the strings off of any current MIA Fender 6 string fretless basses)
Just my opinion... Have owned more than 10 Fender basses and guitars... Typically, made in America will be a little better in all aspects. Yes, they are worth the additional cost, but, not every player will want to pay the extra cost. In other words... If you have the money and you want the higher quality than go ahead and buy the MIA because you do get a better playing, better sounding, better looking, better quality built instrument.
Nice collection!
The point is that if price is no object, then why not get MIA versions? On average you stand a chance of getting a better bass with enhanced features. But the topic here is whether that better build and enhanced features are WORTH the added cost to get them. Obviously that is a totally subjective judgment. Do 12 sticks of tonewood glued together sound THAT much different from large pieces? Is a graphite stabilized neck really THAT much more stable than a good wood one? etc. For some people the improvements are going to be well worth the extra money. For others, it will be money that could be better spent on a pedal or amp.
Is it worth it? To me yes. I will pay more to get a better sounding bass.
To anyone else? I can't say.
My Fender Am Std Jazz V feels good and sounds good but I think my my Lull and Lakland sound better, so they get the playing time. If I upgraded the pickups on my Jazz maybe it would see more action.
IME, the feel of basses is more similar but the quality of the pickups and electrics is the main difference between marketing segments, which is why the sound of the basses that I've tried from the less expensive end of the market hasn't appealed to me.
To anyone else? I can't say.
My Fender Am Std Jazz V feels good and sounds good but I think my my Lull and Lakland sound better, so they get the playing time. If I upgraded the pickups on my Jazz maybe it would see more action.
IME, the feel of basses is more similar but the quality of the pickups and electrics is the main difference between marketing segments, which is why the sound of the basses that I've tried from the less expensive end of the market hasn't appealed to me.
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Yeah, they're all the same, it's just that darn "Made in USA" logo we're paying for.
Wait. This is very close to that phrase "no one has ever heard anyone say" but is said anyway.
Yeah, it's just that darn nostalgia we're paying for.
Yep.
I may not have expressed myself well. "Worth it" is dependent on personal finances and priorities IF the assumption is that the MIA is better than the MIM counterpart.
What I was trying to say is that I will, and have, purchased an MIA w/o hesitation or regret when the money isn't factoring in to things (not depriving family of stuff etc).
However, when I have financial limitations, I have purchased and been happy with the MIMs. In 40+ years of playing bass, I only sold one Fender bass (when I was 17) and trading up regularly at Sam Ash (Mustang - explains why I picked up a Pawn Shop recently - just sentimental).
Almost forgot to answer the thread question.
Yes they're worth it..definitely.
Dude this is what you want
A mim road worn p with a 70s American Fretless B neck.
Or a road worn J with a 70s A neck whatever.
Anyways...
I guess the other bass in the pic qualifies me to to have an opinion.
As others have said , worth depends on wealth.
My used American vintage 63 cost 2x as much as my used road worn precision. I imagined it would be 2x as good and I'd then sell the road worn. For some reason I still have that road worn, b/c it's still an awesome bass made with good resonant wood and a stable smooth playing neck.
The AV 63 is technically better but the road worn is so good I'm having a hard time letting it go b/c it cost half as much.
You can get real close to mia quality with the right mim and I know that b/c I have both and I'm obsessive over product quality. If the road worn didn't have the faux wear and relic and I put it next to an avri 57 you would not know the difference unless you knew some very specific things about their manufacture.
Ask yourself this though...
If you don't get the mia are you going to constantly think about what if your mim/mij doesn't measure up?
My advice is get whatever bass eases your mind and allows you not to worry about things like where it was made or if you could have gotten something better
*edit to add
Check this spec sheet out.
It compares the classic 50s p to the avri 57. Look how much hardware is shard btwn the two
**another edit
Look at the neck specs from fender
They are the same. If someone tells you their avri 57 neck is chunky compared to a mim 50s it's probably b/c they have heard that real 1950s necks are chunky. This data proves they are literally the same measurements.
I'm sorry for blathering on and on about it and I've tried hard to avoid landing on any of the mim/mia bingo squares.
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