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What do you think about Fender made in Mexico..

stretberas

stretberas

Guest
Jul 3, 2012
43
4
#1
Hi all ..
I just want to hear the opinions of you all about fender (jazz / precision model) made ​​in mexico ...
I often find in some forums that say that the quality of the fender mexico less good, and a lot of that compares with the Squier, even some of them say if Squier better, and if terms of the price was pretty much adrift ..
And in my experience, mexico fender made ​​better in terms of sound, playbility, finishing than Squier ..
or perhaps because Squier is cheaper than the Fender mexico so many people love it... =P
So..I just wanted to know the opinion of you guys about Fender MIM (jazz / precision model)..
Thank you ..
:bassist::bassist::bassist:
 
#7
... this is where I again toss out the obligatory ... there are MANY models of both Fender P and J's made in Mexico ... do you have a specific model in mind?

... not to be rude, but if this is a thread to compare MIM Standards to Squier basses, there are many, many threads where this is hashed and re-hashed ... it seems that you already have your opinion based on your experience ... what else matters?

... again, not to be condescending, its just that this comparison brings out all kinds of general 'blanket type' statements that very often are unsubstantiated, and can be very misleading ... JMHO
 
#8
i have an MIM P bass and Tele; both are really nice instruments. The tele even more so, as it's a custom shop. they're especially competitive with their more expensive counterparts in the feel/playability and QC department; when it comes to stuff like p'ups, electronics, tuners etc. the higher end stuff tends to be of a generally higher quality. That said, the MIM stuff is very serviceable, never had a problem with any of it
 
#9
I have an early 90's MIM Fender Precision. I honestly can't think of one thing I don't like about it. Well, it wasn't free. :D Great tone, comfortable neck, plenty of volume from the pickups, the tone and volume controls fade in a very controlled way, and the entire instrument is very resonant with good sustain.
 
#10
I've owned both a very nicely made Squire and a decent MIM. I gave the Squire away to a new player and upgraded the MIM with shielding, new electronics, SD Quarter-Pounder pickups. It's now my go-to gig bass.

Either one was a nice bass, for the price. Sometimes you get a really nicely put together budget bass, like my Squire was or sometimes you get an OK mid-range bass like the MIM and have to put some work into it. The situation could have easily been reversed.

Either way, each and every production bass is unique and you can't compare across the board. My advice is to not buy either without playing them or possibly even having them set up correctly first. There's too much variability in the Quality Control to leave it to chance in this price range. IMO, even the lower priced MIA's fall into this category.

Now, you invest $1000+ in a bass and you can start to have some expectation about QC and across-the-board consistency.
 
#11
I just traded a Squier Vintage Modified Jazz (Indonesia) for a 94 Fender MIM Squier Series Precision. Overall I like the feel, setup, and tone better. This, however, might be due to the fact that I generally like the P tone better.

The neck on MIM just feels right. The action is low (which I like) but it does not buzz. The fretwork is much better than my old VM.

The VM was not a bad bass, this one just suits me better. I would definitely get another. Check in with me however in 6 months, when the honeymoon is over. :p
 
#12
tjh said:
... this is where I again toss out the obligatory ... there are MANY models of both Fender P and J's made in Mexico ... do you have a specific model in mind?

... not to be rude, but if this is a thread to compare MIM Standards to Squier basses, there are many, many threads where this is hashed and re-hashed ... it seems that you already have your opinion based on your experience ... what else matters?

... again, not to be condescending, its just that this comparison brings out all kinds of general 'blanket type' statements that very often are unsubstantiated, and can be very misleading ... JMHO
Click to expand...

Sorry not my intention to compare the Squier vs fender mexico, but it's just as an example, because in this forum I often read threads comparing the Squier vs fender mexico ..

What I want to emphasize here is what do you think about the fender mexico? as the title of the thread that I wrote above ... Not opinion on the fender vs Squier,
I hope you understand my friend....
 
#13
My MIM is a good solid bass. If was my main gigging bass until I bought my second MIJ. You can read about it here: Invalid Link Removed

One cool thing about the MIM was it was inexpensive, so I tend to tinker with it more than the other basses.
 
#14
My main Jazz bass is a MIM Fender. I have modded it a bit. Typical
mods like pickups, pots, cap and such. It is a great bass. I have
been gigging with it for years.

Here I am playing it 16 years ago.

2119_1075564216171_2982_n.jpg


And this is last weekend with it.

391311_4591031820664_518139434_n.jpg


I could not ask for a better bass.
 
#16
Jaco D said:
I think it depends on when the MIM was made. Late 90s/early 00s had their fair share of issue. MIMs have improved in quality and workmanship as of late. Heck, I have a 2006 (I think) fretless strung with flats that plays well.
Click to expand...

yes you are right.., that fender MIM lately have improved in quality and workmanship ... I have a fender jazz bass MIM made ​​in 2011, and it was really great bass ..
 
#17
I've heard a rumour (from two different sources) that the Mexican Fender factory is only a few miles down a highway from the American Fender factory (that would be the standard production factory obviously, not the custom shop). Now, obviously rumours are rumours, but given the kind of quality difference that there generally is (or lack thereof), not to mention the kind of importance today's society places on "where" things are made, I'd say that such a situation is quite possible. The number of threads getting posted these days that make a very vociferous attempt at trivialising the quality gap between Squire, MIM Fender and MIA Fender is immense, so maybe that's people picking up on the negligible geographic discrepancy.

Personally, I'd love it if that was the truth, because it would be Fender thumbing their nose at all the "Made In XXXX" snobs out there. Who cares where it's made? Who cares what it says on the headstock? Have we STILL not evolved to the point where we realise that it's engineers who build things, NOT marketing agents?
 
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#18
Bassbubble11 said:
My main Jazz bass is a MIM Fender. I have modded it a bit. Typical
mods like pickups, pots, cap and such. It is a great bass. I have
been gigging with it for years.

Here I am playing it 16 years ago.

2119_1075564216171_2982_n.jpg


And this is last weekend with it.

391311_4591031820664_518139434_n.jpg


I could not ask for a better bass.
Click to expand...

Wouw., 16 years ago? and you still take care of it until now, great bass my friend..!!
 
#19
I have an MIM Standard jazz bass. It does indeed rock hard. I've had it about a year, and it's taken some bumps and scraps without a mark to show for it. It plays really well. I swapped the stock pups for EMG-JX pups. (A pickup swap is the most common upgrade on anything Fender.)

Fender guitars are very hit-or-miss, and this applies to the USA-made stuff too. Don't let anyone kid you. However, Fender makes a great 4-string bass. That being said, a good setup is needed as well.
 

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