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what did you think when fender started making instruments in mexico

Being Mexican, I´m really proud of my MIM Bass... sounds good, feels good and looks good... my first "real" bass since 2001. Don´t know if i really need a MIA (or MIUS) bass... maybe at the end, having a MIA bass for US citizens is prouder too...

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:bassist:
 
Just got my hands a new mim p bass lpb finish gold anodized pg maple fretboard I love it but what did you guys think when the mim stamp first showed up on your basses was it disappointing or do you think they started making cheap guitars or did you not care , also before the mexican plant opened did they sell American guitars for about the price of a mim now or were all new fenders $1000+ or did they use cheaper parts but still MIA , I want to know so old people tell me

Have you ever heard of a little something called... punctuation?
 
Being Mexican, I´m really proud of my MIM Bass... sounds good, feels good and looks good... my first "real" bass since 2001. Don´t know if i really need a MIA (or MIUS) bass... maybe at the end, having a MIA bass for US citizens is prouder too...

:bassist:

Beautiful axe my friend. I've been thinking of what to do between a Squier CV-p or an MIM. I've been leaning towards the MIM just to have the name on the headstock and choices of colors. I wouldn't feel bad that it was a MIM either. :smug:
 
I thought great, a more affordable Fender for people who didn't think the US basses were. I thought that some folks would go in with the same preconceived notions as usual and not really give them a chance. I thought others would likely play them and love them.

In other words, nothing really new. I own 68 and 78 Jazzes, a 97 Jazz Deluxe 5, an 02 FMT 5, a modified MIJ 75 RI (the only non-stock Fender I own) and gave a friend my MIM Deluxe 5. They ALL do what they do very well, no complaints/issues with any of them. I liked the 90's MIM Jazzes because they used the single pole pickups like my 97.
 
Greetings from the North,

I thought well now.....you got a choice. You can have your Fender made in Mexico by Mexicans or you can have it made in California by Mexicans ;) It's all good.

Rezdog

How true.
Although it really doesn't matter much to me. I will admit that I have never really cared very much for Fender.
Back in the 50's and 60's there weren't a whole lot of choices when it came to electric bass so everyone player them out of default.
In my opinion, comparing a 60's Fender P-bass to a modern bass like, let's say, a Modulus Quantum is like comparing a 1964 Ford to a 2010 Acura.
As far as I am concerned, they could make Fenders in Bangladesh and they wouldn't be too much different than those made in the US or Mexico.
 
I've played Fender's over the years but never owned one due to cost. Once I was able to afford US made, I went with Musicman. I borrowed a 5 string MIM jazz several years ago and it was a very good instrument. In fact, I'm looking at picking up a used one right now mainly because the price is right and its a cheap way to get into a decent 5 string.

I personally believe that production in Mexico was necessary for Fender to survive. The profit on the Mexican instruments allows them to continue to make the MIA basses/guitars that we love and enabled them to continue to pour money into R&D and custom shop stuff. The Chinese Squiers perform the same service. They have also managed to keep the lowest price point on their MIA instuments with the exception of Carvin. Pretty impressive. Where they stand today financially, I do not know, somebody posted here that maybe it was not so good.

I have worked for companies that produce in Mexico since the mid 90's and there have been dramatic increases in quality and technical abilities over that time. We have basically taught Mexico everything we know and they have embraced it and, dare I say, improved on it over the years. The funny part is that now companies are leaving Mexico for China in droves. Take the power tool industry, originally almost everything was US made then in the 90's the majority of it moved to Mexico, now other than a few professional tools, everything is made in China. As far as I am aware, the only company still making tools in the US is Milwaukee....the Sawzall.
 
It's funny that until I got onto TB, i did not even realize the difference between any Fender other than price point. It never effected (and still won't) how I choose my basses. I have played for 30 years now. My first bass is my 72 P-bass, which i purchased as a young'n more to emulate Steve Harris than anything else.

Does that make me stupid or naieve? Is it wrong to not care that much? I don't want to be missing something important, but...

I feel like I should care about it, but the feel is the most important part to me, not where it is made.
 
Honestly I have no issue with Mexican vs USA made Fenders. Fenders are cheaply made instruments from teh get go. (hold your horses!)
When you look at how guitars were built before Leo's designs they were much more complicated, ornate and labor intensive. He came up with teh whoel bolt on (vs set neck) thing, and the bridges he designed on the early models were an order of magnitude less parts than a Gibson.
So to me Mexi-Fender is getting back to its roots.
There is also that there is a lot of latin culture in California. I am pretty sure that Mexican-Americans if not actual Mexican nationals have been building Fenders since the early days.
This, and well the guitar has been part of Mexican culture since the first conquistador. I would much rather have a Mexican Fender than a Chinese, Korean or Indonesian one.

PS-I am a little bit mexican so I may be biased.
 
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