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Is Fender American worth it?

#41
Just my opinion. When I think of all the weird and wonderful MIJ instruments that there have been over the years (think Jazz Bass Special, Jaguar, Aerodyne, Precision Lyte, Katana, Performer, Boxer, Heartfield Prophecy and DR series etc) then the current MIA range just looks... well... boring and over-priced.

The MIA's are great quality - I know, I've owned MIA's - but for that price I just expect more. So, for a traditional-looking Fender, I would much rather spend my hard-earned dosh on a MIM or a feature packed clone like a Sandberg, Lakland etc. For a more exotic Fender, then MIJ wins.
 
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#44
yummy_x1000 said:
..a naturalization of literal "TLDR;" i guess. haha. lol,.. and 'all the sorrys' (if need be) :eek::p:woot:
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Aw shucks, I'm sure it's all cool. Besides, anyone using pancakes as their avatar can't be all that bad. drool

What was that line from "2 Guns"?
  • "I don't like pancakes. No pancakes."
  • "What are you, a Communist?!"
:D :laugh: :roflmao:
 
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#45
When I owned an American Special Precision Bass, I thought that it was fantastic. Except.... I played an American Standard and within a week, sold the American Special and bought the American Standard.

The American Standard worked really well for me until I bought an American Vintage '63 Precision Bass. I sold the American Standard the very next day, and have never looked back.
 
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#46
The key word that seems to be mostly overlooked is "Fretless". What do you want from your fretless as far as sound? Everyone's experience with their fretted Fender's is not as relevant as their experience with a fretless Fender. These days, there are a lot of nice "fretted" basses made by Fender, whether MIM, MIJ, or MIA. However, a fretless bass is a different beast for me. If I want something with decent sustain, the rosewood fingerboard on the MIM is not going to do it for me at all. If I were only going to buy a Fender, the Tony Franklin would be my choice. Ebony is a much better fingerboard for fretless. If Fender isn't your only option, depending on your budget, there are other brands of fretless that I've owned or currently own that I prefer. The best fretless that I've ever played and currently own is a Roscoe Century with a Diamondwood fingerboard. Extremely hard fingerboard that is not showing any wear at all. The sustain is incredible, however the 35 inch scale is also a factor in that. They are more expensive than a Fender, but find a used one and you won't be disappointed. In a lower priced category, Carvin does a nice job with fretless basses. They use ebony fingerboard for most of their fretless basses. I also own a Carvin AC-40 fretless which is the semi-hollow acoustic/electric model. It sounds great also. They are both very different, but I gig with both of them. I'm not going to discourage you from Fender at all. If that's your desire, the Tony Franklin is the best.

Oops, I also overlooked the post about your location. Can the prince bring one back to the UK? :)
 
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#47
cliffburtono said:
I don't want the price tag to fool me into thinking I'm getting a much better fender jazz bass compared to their Mexican and Japanese ones.
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So instead you want others who have had the price tag fool them to talk you into it? :bag:

Look whenever this question comes up people argue two ways, either they think that the differences between the three are negligible, or they think that it is totally worth it to pay extra for the MIA.

My answer is why can't it be both? :jawdrop:
Seriously. I own two MIA Fender basses. In the past I have owned MIJ and MIM's. I personally think that the differences are negligible. And with those slight differences you can't even say that one is better than the other, just different.
But as I said I own two MIA basses, so I must think it is worth it right? Just because those differences are slight doesn't mean they aren't worth it. It's up to the individual whether those "differences" (not better or worse) are worth it.

Weighing those differences is even true once you do decide a country of origin because even basses from the same factory are different between models.
 
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#48
sxaxsx said:
So instead you want others who have had the price tag fool them to talk you into it? :bag:

Look whenever this question comes up people argue two ways, either they think that the differences between the three are negligible, or they think that it is totally worth it to pay extra for the MIA.

My answer is why can't it be both? :jawdrop:
Seriously. I own two MIA Fender basses. In the past I have owned MIJ and MIM's. I personally think that the differences are negligible. And with those slight differences you can't even say that one is better than the other, just different.
But as I said I own two MIA basses, so I must think it is worth it right? Just because those differences are slight doesn't mean they aren't worth it. It's up to the individual whether those "differences" (not better or worse) are worth it.

Weighing those differences is even true once you do decide a country of origin because even basses from the same factory are different between models.
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^so, you're saying like, get a mia body, and then pair it with a mi-china neck? ok. yaaaaassssssss! i get it now! and am "down" too, as it were :)
200_s.gif
 
#49
The MIM/MIJ/MIA fenders have a ton of overlap feature wise, but in general MIA>MIJ>MIM>Squier. Of course there a lot of exceptions. I say look for a used American Standard. Due the vast quantity of them in circulation they are only slightly more expensive than MIJ and MIM models on the used market. True story: I picked up an 07 American Series P for $500 a few months ago. There was also an American standard Jazz for $500 on my local CL recently. There are some deals out there. Heck, there's a MIJ P Bass Lyte that's been languishing on my local CL for a few weeks at $250!
 
#51
Jughead6 said:
Just my opinion. When I think of all the weird and wonderful MIJ instruments that there have been over the years (think Jazz Bass Special, Jaguar, Aerodyne, Precision Lyte, Katana, Performer, Boxer, Heartfield Prophecy and DR series etc) then the current MIA range just looks... well... boring and over-priced.

The MIA's are great quality - I know, I've owned MIA's - but for that price I just expect more. So, for a traditional-looking Fender, I would much rather spend my hard-earned dosh on a MIM or a feature packed clone like a Sandberg, Lakland etc. For a more exotic Fender, then MIJ wins.
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How do I acquire a Japanese Fender here in America, though?
 
#54
I just like Fender basses. I don't care where they are made. I have liked basses from all countries of origin. It's funny to me how many people on here seem to feel one Fender is the greatest, but that another Fender from a different country is complete garbage. They are different but not different enough for me to not like both.
 
#55
It's all is personal preference when it comes down to it. I know guys who have MIM Fender basses who swear by them over a MIJ or MIA and then of course vice-versa in that the build and quality overall of a MIA is way better. Opinions are good however it's really up to you to decide.
 
#56
cliffburtono said:
I know I'm opening up a can of worms here, but I'm just looking for your honest opinions if you were lucky enough to play or own an American and MIM/MIJ.

I'm opting to buy a fretless Fender JB and I'm willing to save up the necessary funds for the American made, the only problem is I don't want the price tag to fool me into thinking I'm getting a much better fender jazz bass compared to their Mexican and Japanese ones. Especially since it's twice the price of a Mexican/Japanese, which seems really high considering I can get a Mexican JB and a P too for that money.

Obviously I want to be playing an awesome bass but it just seems like a lot of money is going into an 'American' label. Although I have no say in this and can't judge between Am and MIM/MIJ because the only fender product I have and played is a squire jb. I'm not too keen on buying 'used' either for a fretless.

Could you give me your honest, unbiased opinion on whether it was worth it to you to pay the extra dollar for any of their American basses?
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People still put down Squires even though they're better than they've ever been before. People still put down MIM Fenders, too. Take a look around this board and you'll even find people who put down American-made Fenders. I've heard people call them bland, I've heard people call them overpriced, I've heard people say, quite simply, that they're nothing special and most people just buy them because of the name on the headstock.
One thing remains constant, though, millions of people are still buying them.
One more thing...you have to play as many as you can and judge for yourself.

I never even picked up a Fender bass until last year, but I must've tried out 100 basses in 2015, and one thing I can tell you is I just bought what I consider the best bass I've ever laid my hands on.
546eio.jpg

Fender Deluxe PJ Bass...MIM
I was hooked the moment I grabbed it and gave it a whirl.
I totally connected with this thing. The Jazz neck is slim and smooth and I really liked the maple fretboard. The P bass pickup had that classic deep, warm tone that so many yearn for and the Jazz pickup had the notorious growl. Combining the two opened up plenty of possibilities and the tone control was very responsive.
It delivers everything I want from a bass.
I've only played four or five American-made Fender basses but I wouldn't trade this bass for any of them.
 
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#57
in my experience most new fenders suck off the shelf, they usually are in need pf a setup and they come with those crumby factory strings. Id suggest buying used and getting whatever bass feels right to you. You'll save a few bucks. If you know how to sodder, get a cheap used MIM and a set of good used pickups from the classifieds here. With some fresh strings you could wind up with a bass that sounds BETTER than an american, at less than half the price of a new one. Then later on you can upgrade the bridge, or just the saddles which is very inexpensive. You can upgrade the nut as well. If you go about it that way, you can get a very nice sounding and playing bass, superior to any non custom shop fender, for a fraction of the price even if you got someone else to install the stuff. A lot of people upgrade the bridges and pickups on american fenders anyway.
 
#59
stringthrough said:
... BTW, I think Fender bass active electronics are awful, they can't produce what I believe to be the necessary amount of low end.)
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I agree wholeheartedly on this. Coming from musicman I find the fender preamps severely lacking, even in the americans. Active basses seem hard to nail down anyway, especially at a low price point. I feel like if you're getting a sub $1000 bass its much better to go the passive route. Maybe one day I'll be proven wrong, but it hasn't happened yet.
 
#60
For a fretted, without a doubt I'd go with the US Fender. But a fretless isn't really an every day bass so I'd personally go with a MIM. As a matter of fact, that's exactly what I did. My main basses are US Laklands, but my fretless is a MIM Jazz that I've modded and it's great.
 
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