I was wondering, where did the Fender Japanese basses go? I know they still make some of them in Japan (Like Geddy's) But the standard Mexican basses aren't that great. I have a MIJ and in my opinion it's as good as an American, but the Mexicans in my opinion don't feel that great. Any of you guys can tell me why did Fender cut back so much on the Japanese Basses?
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Where did the Japanese basses Go?
- Thread starter bassplayeroreo
- Start date
They didn't exactly cut back, they're prohibited from sale in the US except for a few select models such as the Jaguar, Geddy Lee, Marcus Miller, and the 51 P RI
Go rent The Big Lebowski...
And yah, Fender Japan is going strong but most models can't be sold in the US due to Fender marketing strategy. Some models that do make it are available in different finishes overseas, such as the Jaguar (though I think all the finishes have since made it over here)/
why are they prohibited,or is it that a certain % of them has to be made/assembled in america to avoid tariffs........i wonder if its the same here too
Mark Wilson
Supporting Member
I don't think so but am not sure. Honestly, I think Fender doesn't want to cut into US made guitar sales. Many folks (self included) think the Japanese models are as good or better than the American ones. Also, I am not certain MIM is sold in Japan.... MIJ may be the Asian equivalent but that's an educated guess there.
Importing guitars/basses MIJ goes back to the 70's, when the strong dollar against the yen made the cost of production (labor rates) over there very attractive...much like the Chinese & Indonesian labor rates of today. In that sense, MIJ isn't the bargain it used to be. Especially when MIM is right across the Rio Grande from the MIA operation, & I'm sure the MIM cost less to produce than MIJ.
FWIW, I had a (Squier) Strat, MIJ, back in the 80's. Wound up selling it & buying a MIM Strat. I thought/think the Mexican Strat is far superior. JMO...
FWIW, I had a (Squier) Strat, MIJ, back in the 80's. Wound up selling it & buying a MIM Strat. I thought/think the Mexican Strat is far superior. JMO...
Japanese fenders are great for the money. They usually need a little work to truly be their best (a little extra shielding etc) and of course benefit from the usual upgrades (pickups, tuners, bridges etc) , but I've got nothing but good things to say about fender Japan. The quality is very consistent.
- Apr 1, 2000
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I don't know where you're getting your opinions, but I can tell that it's not from actually playing them. Actually living in Japan gives me ample opportunity to play both MIA and MIJ basses. The MIJ basses are fantastic - often as good as or better than MIAs. Certainly better than MIMs, and awesome for the money involved.
i've a little more experience with the CIJ guitars than basses, but in my experience a lot of them are just under the average quality of the american made stuff. mainly in the electronics, but also for whatever reason, a lot of the tuners on CIJ's just don't seem to feel as sturdy or hold tune as well. All in all, the CIJ's i've played have all been good instruments, but I could detect some weaknesses.
For the record, the instruments i'm basing this on are: the older CIJ '72 tele's (the 250k pots they ship with are too dark for the pickups, it's pretty common to swap pots out ASAP for 500k), CIJ jazzmaster (needed shielding, pickup swap), aerodyne precision (decent bass, again cheap tuners), Geddy Lee (great bass all around), and the Jaguar bass (played 3 or 4, never found one that felt "right" to me).
Don't get me wrong, i still lust after japanese basses on a daily basis. Some seem to be fantastic, others seem to be just slightly inferior to the MIA's... what really sets them apart to me are the availability of cool color combinations that we never get here in the states. After all it's pretty easy to swap out some tuners or upgrade the pickups, but repainting a bass is a damn pain.
For the record, the instruments i'm basing this on are: the older CIJ '72 tele's (the 250k pots they ship with are too dark for the pickups, it's pretty common to swap pots out ASAP for 500k), CIJ jazzmaster (needed shielding, pickup swap), aerodyne precision (decent bass, again cheap tuners), Geddy Lee (great bass all around), and the Jaguar bass (played 3 or 4, never found one that felt "right" to me).
Don't get me wrong, i still lust after japanese basses on a daily basis. Some seem to be fantastic, others seem to be just slightly inferior to the MIA's... what really sets them apart to me are the availability of cool color combinations that we never get here in the states. After all it's pretty easy to swap out some tuners or upgrade the pickups, but repainting a bass is a damn pain.
The translations into english are some of the best. "tone of the cooking stove"
My cousin is over there now. How much would it cost to have him pick me up a nice jazz?
My cousin is over there now. How much would it cost to have him pick me up a nice jazz?
Can someone define the difference between CIJ (Crafted? in Japan) and MIJ (Made in Japan) with respect to Fender - - is it the same thing, only "Crafted" sounds better???
"Vintage" really. I can't pull the years off the top of my head, but some would say "Crafted in Japan" while some of the newer ones say "Made in Japan." As far as any quality difference I can't really say. Playing some of the Fender Japan Js and Ps at a local music shop in Shimoda machi I would have to say their quality generally PARS on above average for a factory built instrument. With some samples fairly exceeding even their American built family. Although I have heard some MIAs that were better than the average MIJ, as was said earlier. It was easier to find a top of the barrel MIJ than it was to find an above average MIA. IMLE.
The consistency just isn't as high as Japanese Fenders. I've found more bottom barrel MIAs than I have MIJs. Either the Japanese factory does a lot better QAing to ensure their "crap" doesn't sneak out of the factory as much or more general care is put into assembly and factory setup. I'm going to assume it's a bit of both. Having lived in Japan for a while watching people work is a huge eye opener when compared to what I would see state side. Hell even the ditch diggers and crap shoveler s put a lot of pride and almost OCD level perfection into their work. I kinda wish I'd see it more stateside.
So many people against outsourcing manufacturing in general out there, yet when you see that you can go to another country where the people will give you a statistically higher quality product for less than a quarter of the cost at a higher average output. A company would be insane to not take that kind of offer up.
There are still a couple Japanese companies that are providing an export of instruments stateside. If you luck hard enough on these very forums I'm sure you'll find quite a few leads. Kenjikun is our hardcore MIJ go to guy around here it seems and has a large font of Fender Japan info I'm more than sure he's willing throw out there.
Rock on!
-Chris
The consistency just isn't as high as Japanese Fenders. I've found more bottom barrel MIAs than I have MIJs. Either the Japanese factory does a lot better QAing to ensure their "crap" doesn't sneak out of the factory as much or more general care is put into assembly and factory setup. I'm going to assume it's a bit of both. Having lived in Japan for a while watching people work is a huge eye opener when compared to what I would see state side. Hell even the ditch diggers and crap shoveler s put a lot of pride and almost OCD level perfection into their work. I kinda wish I'd see it more stateside.
So many people against outsourcing manufacturing in general out there, yet when you see that you can go to another country where the people will give you a statistically higher quality product for less than a quarter of the cost at a higher average output. A company would be insane to not take that kind of offer up.
There are still a couple Japanese companies that are providing an export of instruments stateside. If you luck hard enough on these very forums I'm sure you'll find quite a few leads. Kenjikun is our hardcore MIJ go to guy around here it seems and has a large font of Fender Japan info I'm more than sure he's willing throw out there.
Rock on!
-Chris
I worked at a Fender dealer for years. I have played too many Fender basses to remember. Based on that, it is my opinion that if the MIJ's were readily available in the US, they would sriously cut into the USA Fender merket. They are THAT good for the money. You can by a bass on which the form and fit are better than the USA built. If you don't like the tone, you can wsitch out the pickups and STILL not have as much invested as you would in a USA made. JMO....
I've got two CIJ's (Geddy Lee and Jaguar), and I love them! I've gotten comments on how good they sound live (especially the Geddy). They feel like pretty good quality to me, but that's just MO...
I have a CIJ Fender Mustang (from '94-'95) and it is waaaay nicer than the the 2004-2005 MIM Precision I had. Both in terms of fit and finish.
Fender dropped the ball when they pulled over seas production out of Japan and moved to other cheaper production markets.
Korea seems to make nice bodies but not very good necks. Fernandez basses were very good till they went to basswood bodies.
It is interesting that the beginning of mass overseas marketing has lasted only between 20 to 30-years. With the economical downturn it will be interesting to see what/where/when and why the basses produced in North America in the years ahead. They will be more expensive but the quality should be there.
Personally, I'm sick and tired of seeing cheap instruments every where.
Dollar Store basses is what I call them.
Korea seems to make nice bodies but not very good necks. Fernandez basses were very good till they went to basswood bodies.
It is interesting that the beginning of mass overseas marketing has lasted only between 20 to 30-years. With the economical downturn it will be interesting to see what/where/when and why the basses produced in North America in the years ahead. They will be more expensive but the quality should be there.
Personally, I'm sick and tired of seeing cheap instruments every where.
Dollar Store basses is what I call them.
