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whats the diff between made in usa/japan or mexico?

#21
Dan Knowlton said:
I think it comes down to how many you have to try before you find a "good" one. The cheaper basses have more "nope, not that one..." basses but you can still find a killer instrument once in a while.

Dan K.
Click to expand...

That is the follow on to my "a good bass is a good bass regardless of where it is made." Cost usually follows consistency (more expensive tend to be consistently mo' better, cheap tend to be consistently less better).

The whole "street cred" thing is ridiculous (except for the influence on resale value). I play with guys who have MIM instruments (and others with stupid expensive stuff). No one in the audience knows/says anything. I don't say anything or care as long as they don't suck. As far as I can tell it only matters to gear wanks online and perhaps "bench racers" at gigs.
 
#22
Year of manufacture may have a role as far as used Fenders.

Although I have no personal experience with this, I've read many posts on TB where people say their old (1980s vintage?) MIJ is superior to any MIA regrdless of when built.

This is certainly true with the old MIJ Ibanez-Maxon effects pedals.
 
#25
I was told when I bought my MIM Tele that it's the exact same USA parts shipped down to Mexico to be assembled there by cheaper labour.
Having been on a course on how-to-use-a-screwdriver I gotta say that paying the extra for a USA one for the extra credibility must be worth every penny.
 
#26
So the other day I compared my MIM 70's re-issue, with a MIA Jazz bass. They looked the same, except that mine has block inlays.
Mine is sounds great and it's set up with low action and no buzz. Just a real sweet bass. The neck is very straight. I've been playing jazz basses since the early 80's, and I actually used to have a real 70's MIA.
Anyway, the other bass was a MIA. great bass too. but the neck was a little bit thicker than mine, (I thought anyway...) the nut was kind of high, and the neck had a little bit of a bow to it. I thought it was kind of hard to play.
So the guy tried mine, and really liked it. and he sounded great playing my bass. Then he tried his, and didn't sound so good. he couldn't get a clean articulation, maybe because of the set up... who knows?
Anyway, then he says. "yeah, my bass has this real sweet neck. it's very special. they only made a thousand of these, blah, blah..."
I was totally shocked!
Ok, maybe, personal preference. granted. But sometimes I think that people have a mindset that the MIA it's a better instrument, more valuable, etc, etc. In fact sometimes, I think that even the color, finish, etc. might influence a person and a good or a bad way.
I have 2 MIM, 1 MIJ, and I used to have a MIA. And I think they can all feel the same. all the specs are exactly the same.
yes, they do vary a little bit. But that is just the nature of instruments. It's not about where they are made.
 
#29
As others have said, go out and play 'em. You'll be surprised (or maybe not) to learn that it really doesn't matter. You'll find some gems and some duds among the whole lot. I played a really nice Squier Classic Vibe Jazz the other day, and it blew a Fender Road Worn Jazz out of the water, both from a sound and playability standpoint.
 
#30
Fenders have "good basses" and "bad basses" at all levels (US, Japanese, MIM)....I have played some of the new Squires (VM, etc) which are better than MIM IMHO.

Have you tried Skyline Lakland 44-60 (former Joe Osborn) basses? In my opinion, these are better than MIA Fenders and are much more consistent in quality. Also, the customer service is fantastic (you can email or call the owner direct....can you do that at Fender?)

Think "outside the box" (i.e. Lakland, Sadowsky etc) and you MIGHT find a J you like more....then again...maybe not....but it may be a fun journey all the same!

good luck!
 
#31
MIA and MIJ generally have better quality control and the hardware/electronics are better.

+1 about this varying from bass to bass. I recently bought this MIM fretless Jazz:

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and the workmanship is as good as any MIA Fender Jazz I've ever played. The neck pocket is nice and tight, the neck has nice figuring on the back, the fretboard is some of the nicest looking rosewood I've seen, and it weighs in at around 9 lbs. Once I upgrade the pickups, bridge, and tuners it'll truly be as nice as any MIA.

There's nothing truly wrong with the tuners but the body is so light that the bass is a bit neck heavy. Some Hipshot Ultralites should fix that problem.

I'd say go to GC and try all the J or P basses they've got and buy the one you like the best.
 
#32
I haven't ever heard much with MIJ. but from what i understand The MIA's are made in The US and have a higher rate of quality control meaning the chances of getting something wrong or "ugly" goes down a lot (although there have been recent posts of MIA's having some big cosmetic/longevity issues as of late) and MIM's are built just south of the border with a lot less supervision, which means they aren't always so hot. It's cheaper to build them in Mexico, so they are cheap. I've got two MIM's, one I can honestly say I love much much more than any MIA I've encountered, Gorgeous cosmetic work and rock solid. My other MIM (FSR ash body) is an awesome bass as well, but definitely a MIM. Some MIM's are complete garbage, some are gems. get on over to Guitar Center (because regardless of what any sourpuss here says, is an amazing store that can get for you whatever they might currently have missing) and try a bunch out. After pickup/bridge/tuning key upgrades, I'd like to see anyone tell me my MIM's dont sound great :)
 
#36
It's Like life
Doesn't matter the size of the tool that you use it's how you use it that counts

I got to use a 57 P-Bass I got to use it for 3 hours at a practice
the owner was the second owner he got in 1965 I had time to chat with the owner and really take a look at the history I was jamming with all original parts bridge Nut Tuners Pickups just the body was repainted he though in 70 it would look better with house paint on it (crazy) But that bass compared to some of these basses it was a it POS but yet it cost about 2500 bucks if not more ( to me it was priceless) I have a MIM I have replaced the pickups and pots and it plays awesome so go out there try a lot of basses out you will buy a few duds and then find the one you really like on the you find might not be the best for the next person but if it fits you your good
 
#37
Unfortunately for Fender its kind of a crapshoot

I have a 97 US Fender and it is solid in construction and fittings
I also have a MIM Stratocaster that's about equal in terms of quality to some of the US standards I have played
I also had a MIM Jazz that was crafted extremely well and at one point ran circles around my US Jazz (until a changed string type and did a proper setup on the US)

With Fenders I always say try before you buy
you can save a lot of money if you care about the end product over place of origin
 
#38
I have owned pre. CBS Fender jazz, 70's Pbass and now a Squire.
My Squire is as fine a bass as any Fender I owned.
It has no flaws and sounds just like any Fender I have ever played.
If you record any of them you will not hear any difference.
I can prove it Invalid Link Removed
 
#39
I was just wondering, does anyone have any actual objective statistical evidence that the QC of the Fender Mexican plant is not as good as the American, or are people just repeating stuff they hear from other bassists who may or may not actually know anything.
 

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